N.K. Preparing for Foreign Inspectors’ Visit to Nuclear Test Site: Seoul Spy Agency
Yonhap News Agency
North Korea is apparently preparing for a possible visit by outside inspectors to verify the shutdown of its nuclear test site in the northeast, Seoul's spy agency said Wednesday during a parliamentary audit. After his fourth visit to North Korea in October, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had promised to let foreign inspectors visit the Punggye-ri site as soon as logistics-related details are worked out.
South Says North Korean Leader Kim Jong UN will ‘Soon’ Visit Seoul
Hyung-Jin Kim | Associated Press
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will “soon” visit Seoul as part of a flurry of high-profile diplomacy aimed at ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons. During a speech before parliament, Moon said that a second North Korea-U.S. summit is “near at hand” and that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea soon. Moon also said he expected Kim to visit Russia soon and that Kim may meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Lavrov Confirms Putin, Trump set to Discuss INF Treaty at Paris Meeting
TASS
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump will discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty at their meeting in Paris on November 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at the sixth World Congress of Russian Compatriots. “Everything will be discussed as soon as they meet,” Lavrov said when asked if Putin and Trump were expected to discuss the INF Treaty at their upcoming meeting.
NATO’s Stoltenberg Calls on Russia to Comply with INF Nuclear Treaty
Reuters
Russia’s deployment of new nuclear-capable missiles in Europe is jeopardizing a key arms control treaty that helped end the Cold War, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Norway on Tuesday. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 20 that Washington planned to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, signed in 1987, amid what he sees as Russian violations of the agreement.
As New Sanctions Loom, U.S. Push Against Iran Faces Steep Obstacles
Gardiner Harris | New York Times
President Trump called on world leaders in September to slash their purchases of Iran’s oil before the imposition on Nov. 5 of major sanctions, the last major pieces of the administration’s blockade of the Iranian economy. “We ask all nations to isolate Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues,” Mr. Trump said at the United Nations. But less than a week before the crucial deadline this Monday, the campaign against Iran is facing severe challenges. China and India, the largest buyers of Iranian oil, will continue making huge purchases, with Turkey and perhaps Russia following suit. Britain, France and Germany have promised to continue doing business with Tehran.
GOP Senators Want Trump to Halt Nuclear Technology Talks with Saudis after Khashoggi Killing
Tom DiChristopher | CNBC
Five Republican senators ask the Trump administration to halt talks with Saudi Arabia aimed at supplying the kingdom with U.S. nuclear technology. The lawmakers say journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing, allegedly at the hands of Saudi agents, raises concerns about the judgment of the kingdom's leadership. The Trump administration has courted the Saudis as they seek to build tens of billions of dollars worth of nuclear power facilities.