U. S. President Donald Trump on Sunday stepped up outreach to allies in Asia to secure their cooperation to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missil
WASHINGTON – U. S. President Donald Trump on Sunday stepped up outreach to allies in Asia to secure their cooperation to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.
Trump spoke to the prime ministers of Thailand and Singapore in separate phone calls about the North Korean threat and invited both of them to Washington, U. S. officials said.
“They discussed ways to maintain diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea, ” one U. S. official said of the calls, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Trump’s calls to the two Asian leaders came two days after North Korea test-launched another missile that Washington and Seoul said was unsuccessful but which drew widespread international condemnation.
Trump talked on Saturday night with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was also invited to the White House. Duterte has been criticized by human rights groups for an anti-drug campaign in which more than 8,000 people have died.
A week ago, Trump spoke with the leaders of China and Japan on the North Korea issue.
“We need cooperation at some level with as many partners in the area as we can get to make sure that we have our ducks in a row, ” White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told ABC’s “This Week” earlier Sunday.
“So if something does happen in North Korea, that we have everyone in line backing up a plan of action that may need to be put together with our partners in the area, ” he said. “We have got to be on the same page.”
Priebus said the conversations were prompted by the “potential for nuclear and massive destruction in Asia” and eventually in the United States.
The U. S. president, who warned in an interview that a “major, major conflict” with North Korea was possible, did not elaborate on any U. S. response to the test. “You’ ll soon find out, ” he said Saturday.
Trump has stressed he would not broadcast military options to preserve an element of surprise. His secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said Friday all options remained on the table.
Pyongyang’s missile test came as the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group arrived in waters near the Korean peninsula, where it began exercises with the South Korean Navy on Saturday about 12 hours after the failed launch, a South Korean Navy official said.
