US committed to working with N Korea to reach peace: Pompeo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told North Korean officials that Washington will work with Pyongyang to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
He made the remarks in Pyongyang where he arrived on Wednesday to prepare for the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which is expected to take place later this month or early in June.
Kim Yong Chol, director of the United Front Department responsible for North-South relations, said, "I have high expectations the United States will play a very big role in establishing peace on the Korean peninsula."
In response, Pompeo said the group with him was "equally committed to working with you to achieve exactly" that.
"For decades, we have been adversaries. Now we are hopeful that we can work together to resolve this conflict, take away threats to the world and make your country have all the opportunities your people so richly deserve," he added.
Last month, the North Korean leader agreed to a meeting with Trump after Pompeo, who was the CIA chief then, met with him secretively in Pyongyang.
Washington and Pyongyang have no diplomatic relations. The US has imposed many rounds of sanctions on North Korea, has substantial military presence near the country, and has numerously threatened to invade it over its weapons programs.
Pompeop is also expected to return to the US with three American detainees. He told reporters en route to Pyongyang that he was hopeful North Korea would "do the right thing."
"We'll talk about it again today," he said. "I think it'd be a great gesture if they would choose to do so."
President Trump is seeking to build an agreement with North Korea while he announced Tuesday that he will pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal reached between Tehran and the world powers in 2015.
The withdrawal from the deal, some experts say, will undermine the negotiations with Kim as the move will create mistrust of the US intentions.
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