Tillerson says U.S. willing to talk to North Korea

13/12/2017 6:18

        Secretary of State Rex
        Tillerson said on Tuesday that the United States was willing to
        begin direct talks with North Korea without pre-conditions,
        appearing to back away from U.S. demands that Pyongyang first
        accept that any negotiations would have to be based on North
        Korean disarmament.
        
        "Let's just meet," Tillerson said in a speech to a
        Washington think tank, offering a new diplomatic opening amid
        heightened tensions over North Korea's weapons advances. "We can
        talk about the weather if you want. We can talk about whether
        it’s going to be a square table or a round table.
        
        "Then we can begin to lay out a map, a road map, of what we
        might be willing to work towards," Tillerson said, suggesting
        that any initial contacts would be about setting the ground
        rules for formal negotiations.