Riyaz ul Khaliq
18 March 2019•Update: 18 March 2019
ANKARA
The United States has sought Chinese help to resume talks with North Korea aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, claiming that Pyongyang was unwilling to take steps to go back to the negotiation table.
Appearing on a radio interview, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton asked China, North Korea’s chief ally and trading partner, "to help put talks back on track".
"The idea that there’s a role for China in the negotiations is something that we’d be willing to consider if we could see some movement on North Korea’s part," Bolton said.
He claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was “unwilling to take the necessary steps to reach” a nuclear deal with the U.S.
"The North Koreans were unfortunately not willing to do what they needed to do. Just last night, they issued an unhelpful statement that they’re thinking of going back to nuclear and ballistic missile testing, which would not be a good idea on their part,” Bolton told radio host John Catsimatidis on AM 970 in New York.
Bolton was referring to remarks by North Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister Choe Son who last Friday said Kim might be reconsidering denuclearization talks with the U.S.
"We have no intention to yield to the U.S. demands in any form, nor are we willing to engage in negotiations of this kind," Choe Son had told foreign diplomats and reporters in Pyongyang.
Bolton responded: "President Trump wants this threat resolved through negotiations. He wants North Korea to be free of nuclear weapons."
The U.S. and North Korea failed to strike a deal on denuclearization even after their leaders met twice since June 2018.
Last month, Trump and Kim unexpectedly cut short their summit meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam.
After exiting Hanoi, Trump had said that he could not agree to the North’s request for a complete lifting of sanctions.
However, North Korea contradicted Trump saying Pyongyang insisted only on a partial lifting of sanctions.
