Opinion
WASHINGTON
(Sputnik) - President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim
Jong-un in Singapore could prove a total failure or succeed in changing
the basic "equities" of Pyongyang’s relations with the United States
and the wider world, analysts told Sputnik.
Trump
and Kim on Tuesday signed a joint statement pledging to work toward the
"denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula and the United States
promised to provide Pyongyang with security guarantees.
Trump’s US critics including Democratic leaders in Congress Senator
Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi criticized Trump
for ending the regular joint US military exercises with South Korea and
allegedly getting nothing in return.
TRUMP, KIM BROKE 65 YEAR US DEADLOCK WITH NORTH KOREA
However, retired United Kingdom diplomat Jonathan Clarke, a former
official of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Trump had
introduced a new momentum into US-North Korea relations, ending a 65
year deadlock since the Korean War armistice agreement in 1953.
"The summit has introduced an entirely new dynamic into the 70-plus
year negotiations on the peninsula," Clarke said. "This may prove a
total bust, as many are predicting, or could give us all a chance
to look at the equities in a different way."
Clarke pointed out that the government of South Korea under President Moon Jae-in had supported the holding of the summit and had welcomed its outcome.
"The South Koreans seem reasonably happy, which is significant," which is significant.
However, the Japanese government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which
has increased security ties with the US since Trump took office,
appeared alarmed about the uncertainties that the Trump-Kim talks might
introduce into US security policies towards Northeast Asia, Clarke
acknowledged.
"Tokyo is petrified, but that is entirely predictable," he said.
Clarke emphasized that it was far too soon to see what the consequences from and reactions to the Singapore summit would be.
"As for what will actually happen, as the FCO wisdom goes, ‘time will tell,’" he concluded.
TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT HAILED AS HISTORIC, BUT CAUTION STILL REQUIRED
Eurasia Center Vice President Ralph Winnie agreed the Singapore
meeting was historic in nature, but he too emphasized the importance
of vigilance and caution in carefully monitoring its consequences.
"I think the summit was historic. We have got
commitments from both sides… [However] It is too early to talk
about future and we have to be very cautious," he said.
US policymakers, intelligence officials and military commanders could
not afford to be complacent about assessing possible North Korean moves
following the summit, Winnie cautioned.
"I think we have to see what the North Korean will do. I think we
should monitor the situation. No questions that the US side should be
very vigilant," Winnie said.
Winnie also expressed optimism that Trump had not scrapped the regular
South Korea-US military exercises without getting significant
concessions in return from Kim Jong-un.
"I think Kim will give us some plan in exchange for the US not engaging wartime exercises," he said.
The Singapore summit should be seen as the beginning of what could
prove to be long and possibly complex course of negotiations and
in potential increased engaged on both sides, Winnie assessed.
"The process has started, but certainly it is a long way to go," he concluded.
Trump and Kim in their agreement pledged to re-start US-North Korean
relations for the sake of mutual prosperity, pursue the demilitarization
and denuclearization of the entire Korean peninsula and work together
to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.
They also agreed to cooperate on recovering the remains of prisoners
of war and soldiers missing in action during the 1950-53 Korean War.
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