PRESS RELEASE
Trump and Xi Discuss Korea Peninsula Crisis
Aug. 12, 2017 (EIRNS)—U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation on North Korea last night, an exchange which Helga Zepp-LaRouche considered as of the utmost strategic importance to derail the drive for World War III coming from the British Empire and allied circles. Taking note of the largely rhetorical—and not yet military—nature of the recent escalation of attacks between the United States and North Korea, Zepp-LaRouche nonetheless emphasized: "Don’t kid yourself; the situation is extremely dangerous," since the British are trying to provoke an actual war on the Korean Peninsula, and globally.
China’s CGTN television network reported that, on the call between Trump and Xi, both leaders stated their interest in maintaining peace and stability on a nuclear weapons-free peninsula. CGTN quoted President Xi saying:
"All relevant parties must now exercise restraint. The Korean nuclear problem needs to be resolved through political reconciliation and dialogue."
The official White House read-out on the call also noted that the two leaders agreed that it was urgent to take steps toward "achieving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," including the "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." The White House account then concluded with a very strong statement on the close working relationship between the two heads of state:
"President Trump looks forward to seeing President Xi in China later this year, a meeting that will be a very historic event. The relationship between the two Presidents is an extremely close one, and will hopefully lead to a peaceful resolution of the North Korea problem."
In addition to this direct communication between the leaders of the United States and China, the United States reportedly also has a back-channel of communication with the North Korean government. According to a report published yesterday by the Associated Press, the so-called "New York channel" between the United States and North Korea, which had been broken off by then President Barack Obama in 2016, has been revived as of this year under the Trump administration. This involves Joseph Yun, the U.S. envoy for North Korea policy, and Pak Song-il, a senior diplomat at the North Korean UN mission. Yun, who is also the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea and Japan, worked under the direction of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to secure the release from North Korea earlier this year of the American Otto Warmbier, who subsequently died upon his return.
According to AP, there is little substantive negotiating going on through the "New York channel" at this point, given the level of distrust between the United States and North Korea, but it remains open as a means of sending message and information. Both President Trump and the State Department refused to comment on the report, when asked by journalists.
