Syria donors fall short without U.S. aid, warn of cruel end-game 4/25/2018 Gabriela Baczynska, Robin Emmott https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-u-s-aid-warn-of-cruel-end-game-idUSKBN1HW24G BRUSSELS (Reuters) - International donors raised $4.4 billion in emergency aid for Syria and its neighbors this year on Wednesday, but the total fell well short of the U.N. target for 2018 after the United States failed to submit a pledge. U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock speaks at a news conference with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini during an international conference on the future of Syria and the region, in Brussels, Belgium, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts Humanitarian agencies also pleaded for peace before the Syrian military and its Russian and Iranian backers turn their firepower on the rebel-controlled Syrian city of Idlib, warning of civilian suffering on a greater scale than during the siege of Aleppo last year. “What I fear is a very cruel battle engulfing Idlib. We cannot accept the war moves towards what is essentially a gigantic refugee camp,” Jan Egeland, a senior U.N. adviser on Syria, said of the northwestern region. “There have to be talks to spare the civilians from the fighting,” he said, adding that 2.5 million people were at risk. Britain, Germany and France were among those offering new money for refugees at the conference, which brought together 86 governments, aid groups and financial and regional institutions. Related Coverage Russian briefing at OPCW chemical arms body is stunt: UK envoy Pledges of $3.4 billion also came in for 2019-2020 and the EU’s humanitarian chief, Christos Stylianides, said the bloc and its member states offered the lion’s share of the sum. But the figure was less than the $6 billion gathered for 2017 as U.S. President Donald Trump cuts foreign aid. “A number of important donors have not yet been in a position to confirm their financing for 2018,” U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock told a news conference. “That includes the United States, which has been providing more than $1 billion a year to Syria and the region in recent years.” While the United Nations said more money may still come in, Washington is reviewing its Syria policy, including humanitarian support, and Trump has questioned the value of such aid. The European Union, which along with the United States is the world’s biggest aid donor, is also struggling to agree with its member governments on a second package of three billion euros ($3.66 billion) for refugees in Turkey. Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag told the conference the EU must do more on the crisis in Syria, which has also triggered a spike in immigration to Europe that has posed a challenge for the bloc’s governments since 2015. CRISIS PEAK Humanitarian aid will also go to Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, which are overwhelmed with some six million Syrian refugees. “The war hasn’t stopped, people are still being bombed and live in refugee camps. The pledges today show that the conditions for Syrians will only get worse in the future,” said Rouba Mhaissen, a Syrian-Lebanese activist working for refugees. The failure to reach the U.N. goal at the pledging conference showed the challenge for Syria as other conflicts, from Afghanistan to Myanmar, also demand attention and money. Achim Steiner, head of the U.N. Development Programme, said there was a risk of so-called donor fatigue because of the sheer length of the multi-sided war. “It is a natural phenomenon as the conflict continues year after year,” Steiner said. “In 2018, the humanitarian drama ... is actually at its peak.” The international community’s split over Syria was also highlighted by the fact that Damascus was not taking part in the conference organized by the EU. Russia sent no top state officials and was only represented by its EU ambassador. The envoy, Vladimir Chizhov, challenged the EU’s line that the West would only focus on humanitarian assistance but provide no money for reconstruction of Syria for as long as Assad does not share power with the opposition. But the West has ruled that out, seeing money as its best leverage to try to force Assad into peace talks, so far in vain. Editing by William Maclean and James Dalgleish
Only China and Russia can guarantee security for the North, and thus, only China and Russia can denuclearize the North. But they won’t do that until the US agrees to leave and take its nukes and its missile defense systems off the Peninsula. Kim has achieved the first stage for what China wants. Remember, China has stated they will go to war with us if we initiate a first strike on NK. This negotiation with Trump is really Trump having to handle China and Russia as he attempts to neutralize North Korea. It has virtually no hope as a deal between Kim and Trump. Why would Kim disarm, stand down and not get anything he needs for security? Also, please remember that NK has negotiated with the US before - during the Clinton administration - where they froze their nuclear program in return for assistance in building 2 light water reactors, fuel and food aid. NK stuck to its end of the bargain, but then Clinton started to drag his feet in implementing the US agreed obligations. And subsequently his sucessor not only scrapped the agreement, but he also managed to insert North Korea into what was termed the “Axis of Evil.” I pray Trump makes a Peace with North Korea, but anyone thinking Kim will give up his nukes after he saw how our former ally against Iran -Saddam Hussein - was treated and how Gaddafi, Mubarak, Yanukovych and Assad were treated, is living in la la land.
The West created the carnage and desolation in Syria by arming and supporting the demonic “Syrian Rebels” and acting as ISIS’ Air Force, so the West is responsible for the cleanup and restoration, all at the West’s expense. It’s called Justice.
Richard67, They are all bad actors. In 2016, the U.S. courts judged that Tehran owes nearly $55.6 billion to American victims of Iranian terrorism but instead the U.S. gave Iran nearly $2 billion and then Iran turned to Russia and bought nearly $1 billion worth of S-300 missile systems, maybe more. It is not so difficult to interpret what Our Lady of Fatima meant when she stated, "Russia will spread it's errors...". http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-iran-payment-cash-20160907-snap-story.html http://freebeacon.com/national-secu...-missile-systems-from-russia-for-900-million/
Our Lady warned us about Russia. Let’s never forget that. But… America. Saint John Paul II warned us that capitalism is a greater evil than communism. Money is God, we sell world peace for weapons, offer human lives for profit, accept lies as an higher art and the president of the United States, who surrounds himself with hawks shouts loud but is clearly not in charge. Makes things a little complicated, isn't it?
Michael, Yes, that is what I meant by, "they are all bad actors" which does in fact make things a little complicated, as you have stated. So, some things may be not be difficult to interpret but other things will probably always be difficult to interpret. Keep praying.
North and South Korea agree to work toward ‘common goal’ of denuclearization View attachment 7733 by Anna Fifield Asia & Pacific April 27 Email the author https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...ory.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.389996c5573d GOYANG, South Korea — The leaders of North and South Korea made bold pledges Friday to work toward a “common goal” of denuclearizing their peninsula and formally ending the Korean War by the end of this year, following a historic day of talks on the border that has divided them for almost seven decades. It was a day marked by an astonishing level of congeniality between the two, including a warm embrace at the signing of the “Panmunjeom Declaration,” named after the truce village in the demilitarized zone where it was forged. It was, however, short on details as to what “denuclearization” means for each of them. Still, the fact that Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in spent so much time together — and came up with a joint statement that even includes the word “denuclearization” — marked a surprising development after a year of threats and missile launches that brought the specter of war back to the Korean Peninsula. “This provides the political space for Trump to have his own summit with Kim,” said Duyeon Kim, a visiting fellow at the Korean Peninsula Future Forum in Seoul. “Whether or not Kim Jong Un means it is a completely different story.” The warmth of the meeting and the positive, if vague, signals now set the stage for Kim to meet with President Trump at the end of May or early June. Trump has said he will only go to the talks if they promise to be “fruitful,” a bar that likely was met with Friday’s meetings. “After a furious year of missile launches and Nuclear testing, a historic meeting between North and South Korea is now taking place,” the American president tweeted early Friday morning in Washington. “Good things are happening, but only time will tell!” The three-page Panmunjeom Declaration states that “South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.” “South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard,” it said. “South and North Korea agreed to actively seek the support and cooperation of the international community for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Even the most optimistic analysts were surprised at the scope of the agreement, noting in particular that Kim has now signed a document that includes the word “denuclearization.” “You can’t ask for more than that,” said John Delury, a professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul and a keen proponent of diplomatic engagement. “Yes, there are still questions about how to guarantee North Korea’s security on the path to denuclearization. But I’m surprised they would go this far at this early stage, that Kim Jong Un didn’t save this for his meeting with Trump,” Delury added. Kim did not utter the word “denuclearization” during his remarks with Moon after the signing ceremony, although he gave conciliatory signals. “We will work to make sure that the agreement bears good results, by closely communicating to ensure that the failure to implement North-South agreements in the past will not be repeated,” Kim said at a podium in front of South Korean cameras at the end of the meeting. The scene carried more stunning images: the totalitarian leader Kim standing in front of journalists in a news conference setting. He took no questions from journalists, however. But the phrase “through complete denuclearization” will ring alarm bells in Washington because it implied that nuclear weapons will not be allowed in South Korea either. The United States, South Korea’s security ally, regularly sends nuclear-capable aircraft and ships to the South during military exercises, so this clause will raise suspicions that North Korea is calling for a significant change in the U.S.-South Korea alliance. Moon had previously said that Kim would not insist on American troops being withdrawn from the South. Previous inter-Korean agreements have also pledged denuclearization. But this one marks a significant change because Kim has previously said he will expand his nuclear arsenal, said Patrick McEachern, a fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington. Instead, the two leaders established a framework for plausible resolution of the most pressing issues on the peninsula, said McEachern, who worked on North Korea in the State Department. “This is a great start and should be cause for cautious optimism,” he said. “The public conversation should now shift from speculation on whether North Korea would consider denuclearization to how South Korea and the United States can advance this denuclearization pledge in concrete steps.” In Friday’s declaration, Kim and Moon also agreed to work to turn the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War in 1953 into a peace treaty that would officially bring the war to a close. “South and North Korea will actively cooperate to establish a permanent and solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula,” the joint statement said in English, as officially translated by the South’s presidential Blue House. The Korean language version used the words “peace treaty” — an important distinction. “Treaty” generally refers to a piece of paper while “regime” means a system for peace, such as stopping military activities. “Bringing an end to the current unnatural state of armistice and establishing a robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula is a historical mission must not be delayed any further,” the statement said. The United States signed the armistice agreement on behalf of the South Korean side, and Trump has said that he supports such a move. Shortly after the announcement, Trump tweeted “KOREAN WAR TO END!” The two sides plan to set up an inter-Korean liaison office to be established in Kaesong, a city just over the northern side of the border, and Moon said he would visit Pyongyang this fall. During their conversations earlier in the day, Kim said he would happily travel to Seoul if invited. The signing ceremony came at the end of an extraordinary day full of words and gestures that would have been unimaginable at the beginning of the year — after a 2017 in which Kim had demonstrated surprising advances in both missile and nuclear technology and was regularly threatening to use them against the United States. Trump, for his part, was returning the verbal volleys, calling Kim “little rocket man” and threatening to “totally destroy” North Korea. But, following a sudden frenzy of diplomacy pegged to the Winter Olympics that South Korea hosted in February, Moon has managed to shift Kim’s focus from missile launches to the negotiating table. At 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning, Kim came out of the main building on the northern side of the military demarcation line that has divided the Korean Peninsula for 65 years and walked right up to the line. Moon was waiting there for him, hand outstretched, and for the first time since the Korean War halted in 1953, a North Korean leader stepped into South Korea. “When you crossed the military border for the first time, Panmunjeom became a symbol of peace, not a symbol of division,” Moon said to Kim later. Showing his penchant for bold and surprising moves — a tactic that was repeated later with the hug — Kim then asked Moon to step back across the line with him, and he did. For a brief moment, the leaders stood in North Korean territory, holding hands. The moment was broadcast live across the country, with commuters stopping in train stations and teachers stopping classes so their students could watch the moment, and North Korean state television even broadcast an unscheduled news bulletin to announce that Kim was on his way to Panmunjeom. Moon and Kim proceeded to spend hours together on Friday, both in formal talks and in a half-hour-long private discussion on park benches outside in the sun, surrounded by birdsong. They threw soil and water from both Koreas onto a pine tree planted in the demilitarized zone to mark the occasion. At one stage during the day, Kim assured Moon he wouldn’t have to wake up early any more — a reference to the fact that North Korea’s missile launches usually happened at about dawn — and he even made references to the fact that North Koreans have escaped to the South and that the North’s infrastructure network is far inferior to the South’s. This is astounding for the leader of a country that has also sold itself as the superior Korea. Then, after their announcement, their wives made cordial small-talk in front of the cameras before heading to a dinner that was full of symbolism, from the noodles that came from Pyongyang to the fish brought in from Moon’s home town. Min Joo Kim contributed to this report.
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east...-sustainable-regardless-deal-or-not-1.6042352 The Iran nuclear deal is no longer sustainable for Iran in its present form - regardless of whether the U.S. exits the deal or not, said Iran's deputy foreign minister Monday. To really understand Israel and the Middle East - subscribe to Haaretz FILE PHOTO: Iran's then chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi addresses the media at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria February 24, 2015\ Heinz-Peter Bader/ REUTERS "The status quo of the deal is simply not sustainable for us, whether or not the Americans get out of the deal," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to Iranian news agency Isna. Meanwhile, a May 12 domestic deadline looms for U.S. President Donald Trump to decide whether or not to effectively exit the deal - designed to keep Iran from building up a feared nuclear weapons program. If he chooses to end it, he would reimpose sanctions on Iran. >> Israel told U.S. and Russia it will strike Iran if attacked from Syria ■ What happens if Trump pulls out of the Iran nuclear deal? ■ Strike likely targeted surface-to-surface missiles Iran seeks to deploy in Syria Iran has the technical capability to enrich uranium to a higher level than it could before a multinational nuclear dealwas reached to curb its nuclear programme, state TV quoted the head of Iran's Atomic Energy organisation Ali Akbar Salehi as saying. Salehi warned Trump against taking this course. "Iran is not bluffing ... Technically, we are fully prepared to enrich uranium higher than we used to produce before the deal was reached... I hope Trump comes to his senses and stays in the deal." Under the deal, which led to the lifting of most international sanctions in 2016, Iran's level of enrichment must remain around 3.6 percent. Iran stopped producing 20 percent enriched uranium and gave up the majority of its stockpile as part of the agreement with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia. The Kremlin said Monday that France and Russia - two of the original signatories - had restated their commitment to the agreement. French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia's Vladimir Putin spoke by phone and "called for preserving the plan and its full implementation," according to a statement reported by official Russian news agency TASS. On a state visit to Washington last week, Macron sought to persuade Trump to stay in the deal. But he also angered Tehran by repeating his call for a wider deal limiting Iran's ballistic missile arsenal and involvement in regional conflicts. Aragchi, the number two on the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, said his country had "for all scenarios, the necessary options ready." Araghci and Foreign Minister Mohamed Jawad Zarif have recently stressed that implementing the economic promises of the deal were more important to its future than Trump's decision on a possible U.S. exit. Iran is primarily concerned with bank sanctions, warning that, without the proposed economic benefits, there would be no reason to stay in the deal. Although all economic sanctions were lifted in January 2016, big European banks - fearing U.S. sanctions - have refused to finance Western trade projects with Iran. Iran signed the nuclear agreement with the U.S., Britain, Russia, China, Germany and France in 2015, agreeing to 10 years of restrictions on their nuclear plan - including a ban on nuclear weapons - in exchange for a relaxing of economic relations. With the continued difficulties in securing Western investment, Iranian President Hassan Rohani has been unable to implement the economic reforms he promised Iranians after the deal, putting him under increasing pressure.
Don_D, Thank you for posting those and keeping us up to date. The following is a quick video of President's Trumps latest comments on the Iran Nuclear Deal. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Netanyahu+says+Iran+'brazenly+lying'+&&view=detail&mid=322364ABB0EE21AAFCE6322364ABB0EE21AAFCE6&&FORM=VRDGAR View attachment 7746 01:51 Trump on nuclear deal: We'll see what happens 8 hours ago Newsroom CNN Edited to add: Netanyahu says Iran 'brazenly lying' after signing nuclear deal, moved documents to a secret location By Travis Fedschun | Fox News 4/30/2018 http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/0...-deal-moved-documents-to-secret-location.html Netanyahu on nuclear deal: Iran lied, big time Israeli prime minister claims Iran had been hiding all of the elements of a secret nuclear weapons program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed new "dramatic" intelligence Monday which he claimed shows Iran is "brazenly lying" about its nuclear weapons program and shows the country is not complying with the vaunted nuclear deal it signed in 2015. The information was obtained within the past 10 days, Israeli officials told Fox News. Netanyahu said the "half a ton" of files were moved to a "highly secret" location in Tehran after the deal was signed, and contained materials spread over 55,000 pages and 55,000 files on 183 CD's. "These files conclusively prove that Iran is brazenly lying when it says it never had a nuclear weapons program," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows where Iran moved its nuclear weapons files to a location in Tehran after signing the nuclear deal. (AP) Netanyahu displayed what he said was "an exact copy" of the original materials, which are now in a "very safe place" and include incriminating documents, charts, presentations, blueprints, and photos. Speaking during a nationally televised address, Israel's prime minister said the material is filled with incriminating evidence showing the Iranian program, called "Project Amad," was to develop a weapon. Netanyahu briefed President Trump about the intelligence on Saturday and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday. European counterparts were made aware Monday prior to the speech, officials said. Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to exit the Iran nuke deal, which was signed during the Obama administration. And though he has yet to end it, a crucial deadline for re-certifying the deal is on the horizon. Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference at the Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv, Israel April 30, 2018. (REUTERS/ Amir Cohen) "In a few days’ time, President Trump… will make a decision on what to do with the nuclear deal," he said. "I’m sure he’ll do the right thing, the right thing for the United States, the right thing for Israel, the right thing for the peace of the world.” In a question and answer period at the White House Rose Garden with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, Trump said he'll make a decision "on or before" May 12. "That doesn't mean I won't negotiate a new agreement," the president said, adding that "we'll see what happens." Netanyahu's statement also came on the heels of a missile attack in northern Syria that killed nearly 26-pro-government fighters, mostly Iranians, according to a Syria war monitoring group. Israel had no comment on the strike, but there was widespread speculation that Israel was responsible. Tehran has sent thousands of Iran-backed fighters to help President Bashar Assad's forces in Syria's seven-year civil war. Video Israel sends a warning to Iran following airstrikes in Syria Israel and Iran are arch-enemies, and Israel has said repeatedly it would not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria. Iran has already accused Israel of carrying out another airstrike in Syria this month that killed seven Iranian military advisers and vowed revenge. SUSPECTED ISRAELI 'EARTHQUAKE-LEVEL' SYRIA STRIKE KILLS MOSTLY IRANIANS 4/30/2018 [Another Iranian news agency, Tasnim, denied reports Iranian fighters were killed or that Iranian-run bases were hit.] Pompeo on Sunday ratcheted up the Trump administration's rhetoric against Iran and offered warm support to Israel, and Saudi Arabia, in the standoff with Tehran. In this Sunday, April 29, 2018 file photo, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. left. is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of a press conference at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv. (Thomas Coex, AFP via AP) "The United States is with Israel in this fight," Pompeo said. The 2015 nuke deal gave Iran relief from crippling sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Netanyahu has been a leading critic of the agreement, saying it fails to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons capability and welcoming Trump's pledges to withdraw from the deal if it is not changed. "The nuclear deal gives Iran a clear path to producing an atomic arsenal," he said Monday. Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference at the Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv, Israel April 30, 2018. (REUTERS/ Amir Cohen) On Monday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the time when Iran's enemies can "hit and run" is over. "They know if they enter military conflict with Iran, they will be hit multiple times," he said, according to his website. He did not specifically refer to the latest attack in Syria. Michael Oren, a senior Israeli official, had no comment on the airstrike in Syria, but warned both Syria and Iran against trying to attack. "If someone shoots at us, we shoot back and we will shoot back either at the Syrian army or the Iranians, at the origin of the aggression," Oren said. The Knesset — the Israeli Parliament — voted after Netanyahu's speech on Monday in favor of a bill that would allow the prime minister to declare war with only the defense minister's approval, in extreme situations. A declaration of war had only previously been done by the security cabinet. Fox News' Yonat Friling in Jerusalem and The Associated Press
Haaretz!!?? ...... Iran's Dep. Foreign Minister!!!???? I'm astonished that the now Fringe Left NYT allowed the below to be published less than a year ago. Haaretz has had a rep, for years, of being the Lefty NYT of Israel ... which for me means ... not to be trusted!! I don't trust or believe any " News" organization or any entity that supports, defends and furthers Abortion, Perversion and godless Socialism ... or those that aid and abet the enemies of My Church and Country. "The People vs. Haaretz" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/opinion/the-people-vs-haaretz.html Ya might want to brush up on the terms: Taqiyya & Kitman. "In what circumstances can you lie in Islam?" Yes. Lying is permitted in three circumstances: 1) When a person mediates between two disputing parties in order to reconcile between them, if reconciliation cannot be achieved in any other way. 2)When a man’s speaking to his wife, or a woman speaking to her husband, with regard to matters that will strengthen the ties of love between them, even if that is accompanied by exaggeration. 3) Lying to enemies at times of war. https://www.quora.com/In-what-circumstances-can-you-lie-in-Islam Since Iran "declared war" on Big-n-Little Satan back in 1979, I can assume that Iranian Lying is a given. ..... and in case Ya slept through World History 101....... Islam has been At War with Christianity since around 779! GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
I am nearly convinced that what is going on with North Korea and its communist dictator will fulfill this prophecy: "For when they shall say, peace and security; then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape."[1 Thessalonians 5:3] There is simply no other explanation that I can come up with. The communist leaders of China and Russia have their hand in this new found lie that North Korea dictator will simply "give up all his WMD's if we don't attack". Anyone who believes this is simply naive or really stupid.
Fatima, Humankind may actually witness that scripture that you quoted repeat itself a few times before the Eschaton. With regard to North Korea, I try to remain hopeful but I definitely understand what you are saying. It is all quite suspicious but then again none of the details have been specified yet. I really thought that North Korea could be motivated by the damage that was caused to their country from their ICBM testing including the loss of lives but I do wonder if something more sinister is going on. In addition, I remember reading how they have worked with Iran in the past on their nuclear development. We should definitely keep up with our daily prayers. Edited to add: I do think that the videos I saw of the interaction between Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in appeared very sincere.
I have never known an avowed communist, much less the leader of a communistic country, to have any good will. All communists are anti-God and our Lady of Fatima made their intentions quite clear.
http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-releases-us-prisoners-2018-5 North Korea reportedly hands Trump another big win by releasing US prisoners Alex Lockie North Korea has released three US citizens detained there, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing a South Korean activist. The three Americans — Kim Dong-chul, Kim Sang-duk, and Kim Hak-song — were released from a labor camp and given health treatment and ideological education in Pyongyang, the report said. President Donald Trump's hawkish national security adviser, John Bolton, has called for the Americans' release as a way for North Korea to demonstrate its sincerity ahead of a summit with the US. North Korea has released three US citizens detained there, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing a South Korean activist who campaigns for the release of detainees. The releases would meet some of the US's demands for North Korea to demonstrate sincerity before a historic meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — something that John Bolton, Trump's hawkish national security adviser, reiterated during an interview on Fox News on Sunday. The three citizens— Kim Dong-chul, Kim Sang-duk, and Kim Hak-song — have been released from a labor camp and given health treatment and ideological education in Pyongyang, the Financial Times report said. "We heard it through our sources in North Korea late last month," Choi Sung-ryong told the news outlet. "We believe that Mr. Trump can take them back on the day of the US-North Korea summit or he can send an envoy to take them back to the US before the summit." The Financial Times report said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Kim about the detainees during the pair's secretive meeting last month. In June, Otto Warmbier, an American university student who was detained in North Korea, died days after being returned to his family in the US while in a coma. The South Korean newspaper Dong-a Ilbo said the three Americans might be being coached to say that human-rights abuses did not occur while they were in North Korean custody. North Korea operates several prison camps that have been compared to Auschwitz, the former Nazi concentration camp in Poland. If North Korea has indeed released the three Americans and is preparing to give them to the US, it would represent the latest concession Pyongyang has agreed to make ahead of a summit with Trump. North Korea has signaled a commitment to denuclearization and said it would stop its nuclear and missile tests, though it hasdropped a demand for the withdrawal of US forces from the Korean Peninsula and avoided calling for an end to the US's annual military exercises with South Korea as a condition for giving up its nuclear program.
Yep, I was thinking about all this a while ago and considering that Clinton I think met with his father way back when and it gave him validity in the eyes of the world meeting with a US President as well as secured a massive aid deal for NK of which they did not live up to their and of the bargain. This has made me a bit skeptical to say the least about the sincerity of NK this go around but with the release of the captives there it is certainly a step in the right direction. As well as the meetings with the South and both their participation in the Olympic games not to mention the rumors of a formal end to the war between them... It's almost enough to give a person a glimmer of hope!
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/05/03/trump-nobel-peace-prize/amp/ (CNN) — A group of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters in the House of Representatives have sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, formally nominating the President for a Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination was spearheaded by Indiana’s Rep. Luke Messer, who is locked in a fierce GOP primary battle in the Hoosier State for a Senate seat. In the letter, Messer and his Republican colleagues endorse Trump’s nomination by arguing that he deserves the award because of his work to end the Korean War and bring peace to the peninsula. “Since taking office, President Trump has worked tirelessly to apply maximum pressure on North Korea to end its illicit weapons program and bring peace to the region,” the letter reads. Joining Messer in the letter are conservative members like Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Rep. Steve King of Iowa. Six of the signatories are seeking higher office, including Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the presumptive Republican nominee for Senate in Tennessee; Rep. Diane Black, who is running for governor in Tennessee; Rep. Evan Jenkins, who is part of a three-way primary for Senate in West Virginia; Rep. Jim Renacci, who’s running for governor of Ohio; and Rep. Kevin Cramer, who is attempting to unseat Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota. Noticeably absent from the letter is one of Messer’s primary opponents in Indiana, Rep. Todd Rokita. Former state Rep. Mike Braun is also seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly in what is considered one of the most competitive races in the country. If Trump were to win the award, he’d be the fifth American president bestowed with the honor. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama are all Nobel winners. During a raucous re-election rally in Michigan on Saturday, the crowd broke out into a chant of “Nobel, Nobel” while Trump was discussing his efforts in North Korea. Clearly enjoying the response, the President smiled and said, “Thank you, that is very nice.” The White House did not immediately respond to the news of the nomination.
