Mattis talks diplomacy on North Korea
ahead of Trump's Asia tour
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[October 27, 2017]
By Phil Stewart
PANMUNJOM, South Korea (Reuters) - U.S.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis emphasized diplomatic efforts to resolve
the North Korean missile and nuclear crisis as he stood at the tense and
heavily fortified border between North and South on Friday, saying: "Our
goal is not war."
His remarks came before U.S. President Donald Trump - who has threatened
to destroy the North if necessary - leaves on his first trip to Asia
next week, including a stop in South Korea to meet President Moon
Jae-in.
For his part, Moon, after talks with Mattis, said the "aggressive
deployment" of U.S. strategic assets in the region, which have included
overflights by U.S. bombers, had been effective in deterring the North
Korean threat.
Tension between North Korea and the United States has been building
after a series of nuclear and missile tests by Pyongyang and bellicose
verbal exchanges between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un,
stoking fears any miscalculation could lead to an armed confrontation.
"North Korean provocations continue to threaten regional and global
security despite unanimous condemnation by the United Nations Security
Council," Mattis said in prepared remarks as he visited the
demilitarized zone (DMZ).
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"As Secretary of State Tillerson has made clear, our goal is not war,
but rather the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization
of the Korean peninsula."
Standing alongside Mattis, South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo
said: "We together will continue to defend peace through strong will and
strong might."
TRUMP VISIT LOOMS
Ahead of Trump's visit to Asia, Mattis has emphasized diplomatic efforts
to find a peaceful solution to the crisis during his week-long trip to
the region.
"That's really what it was all about – to keep the (North Korea) effort
firmly in the diplomatic lane for resolution," Mattis said earlier this
week after three days of meetings with Asian defense chiefs in the
Philippines.
At the same time, the U.S. and South Korean militaries are looking for
ways to deter Pyongyang and bolster the South's defenses.
Washington’s top military officer, Marine General Joseph Dunford,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with his South Korean
counterpart, General Kyeong Doo Jeong, a U.S. military statement said.
Dunford renewed U.S. warnings of retaliation to further provocations.
“(Dunford) reaffirmed that any attack by North Korea would be met with a
response that will be overwhelming and effective, using the full range
of U.S. military capabilities,” the statement said.
The United States flew Air Force bombers over waters east of North Korea
last month in a show of force. The U.S. Navy, in what it says was a
long-planned maneuver, will have three U.S. aircraft carrier strike
groups in the Pacific in the coming days.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (L) shakes hands with South Korean
President Moon Jae-in in Seoul, South Korea October 27, 2017.
Yonhap/via REUTERS
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Last week, CIA chief Mike Pompeo said North Korea could be only
months away from developing the ability to hit the United States
with nuclear weapons, a scenario Trump has vowed to prevent.
U.S. intelligence experts say Pyongyang believes it needs the
weapons to ensure its survival and have been skeptical about
diplomatic efforts, focusing on sanctions, to get Pyongyang to
denuclearize.
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on seven North
Korean individuals and three entities for "flagrant" human rights
abuses, including killings, torture, forced labor and the hunting
down of asylum seekers abroad.
In a speech last month at the United Nations, Trump threatened to
destroy North Korea if necessary to defend the United States and
allies. Kim has blasted Trump as "mentally deranged."
Despite the rhetoric, White House officials say Trump is looking for
a peaceful resolution. But all options, including military ones, are
on the table.
"Do we have military options in defense for attack, if our allies
are attacked? Of course we do. But everyone is out for a peaceful
resolution," Mattis told reporters traveling with him this week.
"No one's rushing for war."
Separately, North Korea released a South Korean fishing boat which
had been found to be in North Korean waters illegally, state media
said.
The crew of 10 - seven South Koreans and three Vietnamese - were
released on Friday evening, a spokesman for South Korea's coastguard
told Reuters. The return of the boat, which had been reported as
missing from Saturday, may have eased already strained relations
between North and South.
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The two sides are technically still at war because their 1950-53
conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly
threatens to destroy the South and the United States.
(Additional reporting by Christine Kim and James Pearson; Writing by
Lincoln Feast; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Nick Macfie)
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