Despite his concerns over what was left unsaid Tuesday, McKeon said the president meeting peacefully with a nuclear adversary is far preferable to the alternative.
“Anytime the White House is talking about a diplomacy-first approach over military actions is a positive not just for the U.S., not just for South Korea, not just for japan but for the entire world,” he said. “There are no viable military solutions on the Korean peninsula.”
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“It’s not really that different from past agreements,” McKeon said. “The North Koreans over the past several decades have consistently committed to denuclearization.”
Baker pointed to the future talks between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials promised by the statement, which suggested those officials will have more authority than in previous talks.
“Kim has clearly given his blessing to people to have those technical negotiations without always having to swing back to him, or at least that’s how it appears,” he said.
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“There are folks in the White House like National Security Adviser John Bolton who have openly advocated bombing North Korean nuclear facilities,” McKeon said.
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McKeon credited Moon for bringing the two leaders together.
“He has made it his goal to not only have peace on the Korean peninsula but also to make sure there’s substantive diplomatic engagement between the United States and North Korea,” he said. Read more
