CAIRO - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday any possible negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs can only happen if North Korea shows it is ready to engage in meaningful talks.
“I think it’s too early to judge,” Tillerson said during a visit to Egypt. “As we’ve said for some time, it’s really up to the North Koreans to decide when they’re ready to engage with us in a sincere way, a meaningful way. They know what has to be on the table for conversations.”
Tillerson spoke at a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry after the two diplomats discussed regional security issues such as Libya and Syria, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Tillerson said the Egyptian people should be confident in the continuing U.S. commitment to supporting Egypt in fighting terrorism.
“Our joint commitment to defeat ISIS is steadfast and there has been no gap between Egypt and the United States in our joint efforts to confront terrorists and extremism in the region, but most specifically here in Egypt as well,” he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. (VOA News)