Pence: US Won’t Change Its N Korea Policy Despite Pyongyang’s Openness to Talks

The United States will not change its firm position on North Korea until Pyongyang takes concrete steps to give up its nuclear program, despite an offer to conduct negotiations, US Vice President Mike Pence said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Whichever direction talks with North Korea go, we will be firm in our resolve," Pence stated. "All options are on the table and out posture toward the regime will not change until we see credible, verifiable, and concrete steps toward denuclearization."

The statement comes shortly after US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats'  congressional testimony on Tuesday.

"I am quite skeptical about all of this [the negotiations]," Coats told the Senate Arms Service Committee. "Maybe this is a breakthrough. I seriously doubt it."

Coats said he had a long history of watching Democrats and Republicans trying to negotiate with North Korea regarding its nuclear development program. However, all efforts by US lawmakers have failed, Coats said.
 (Sputnik)
 6/3/18