Tillerson’s diplomatic offer depends on N. Korea, Trump

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s surprising diplomatic offer of unconditional talks with North Korea hinges on two big X factors: Does the North even want talks, and is President Donald Trump fully behind his top diplomat?

Tillerson’s overture came two weeks after North Korea tested a missile that could potentially carry a nuclear warhead to the U.S. Eastern Seaboard – a capability it has strove for decades to master. Trump has vowed to stop the reclusive government from reaching its goal, using military force if necessary.

After months of pressure tactics and military threats, many via presidential tweet, the new U.S. posture appears to reflect the Trump administration’s official policy of “maximum pressure and engagement.” China, which has urged dialogue, and U.S. ally South Korea, which fears disruption to the Winter Olympics it hosts in February, both welcomed Tillerson’s proposal.

“We are ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk. And we are ready to have the first meeting without preconditions,” Tillerson said at the Atlantic Council think tank Tuesday.

Trump has described North Korea as the nation’s most pressing national-security crisis. Over most of his tenure, he has focused on pressuring Kim Jong Un’s authoritarian government to abandon its weapons of mass destruction pursuit, through economic restrictions and diplomatic isolation.

But Tillerson, who will address a U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea on Friday, also has progressively eased the threshold under which he says the U.S. could hold direct discussions with North Korea.

Another question mark: Trump’s support for Tillerson.

Tillerson emphasized Tuesday that Trump endorses his position.