Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

The top American military commander or Asia has on Tuesday cast doubts over North Korea unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and production capabilities ahead of the second summit between North Korean president Kim Jong-un and the United States President Donald Trump scheduled on February 27-28 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The commander has echoed an intelligence assessment over N Korea.

Though the head of the Indo-Pacific command Philip Davidson expressed optimism about Trump-Kim second summit to the senate armed services committee in a verbal testimony, he also cast doubts about Pyongyang’s intentions in written testimony to the committee, according to Reuters news reports.

Davidson said: “USINDOPACOM’s assessment on North Korean denuclearization is consistent with the Intelligence Community position. That is, we think it is unlikely that North Korea will give up all of its nuclear weapons or production capabilities, but seeks to negotiate partial denuclearization in exchange for U.S. and international concessions.”

US director of national intelligence Dan Coats told the US Congress, last month, that he believed that it was unlikely for North Korean to give up its nuclear weapons and capabilities and also N Korea continue to express activity inconsistent with its pledges to denuclearize.

While the US president has noted and cited Pyongyang halting its nuclear testing and no development of new nuclear-capable missiles launched since last 15 months as a proof of progress, but a report by the United Nations (UN) sanctions monitors also expressed doubts over N Korean intentions regarding denuclearization.

The UN reports claimed Pyongyang “is using civilian facilities, including airports, for ballistic missile assembly and testing with the goal of effectively preventing ‘decapitation’ strikes on a smaller number of identified nuclear and missile assembly and manufacturing sites”.

However, the White House refused to comments on Davidson’s remarks. The US state department spokesperson said it believed the commitments made during first Trump-Kim summit last year be fulfilled and further added: “It is Chairman Kim’s commitment to denuclearization upon which the world is focused.”

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