Tillerson: US willing to talk with DPRK 'without precondition'

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that the United States is willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without "precondition".


Tillerson, speaking on Tuesday at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, stated the US "cannot accept" a nuclear-armed North Korea but called on the two countries to begin a dialogue.

"We're ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk, and we're ready to have the first meeting without precondition," he said.

"It's not realistic to say we're only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your [nuclear weapons] programme."

Tillerson added that North Korea has "too much invested" in their nuclear weapons programme and said US President Donald Trump is "realistic about that".

Following the secretary of state's speech, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders reiterated that Trump's views on North Korea remain unchanged.
 [aljazeera.com]
 13/12/17