Trump letter to Kim delivered to top N. Korean diplomat
Singapore, Aug 4 : A US ambassador has given North Koreas top diplomat a letter from President Donald Trump to Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un at a conference of Southeast Asia nations in Singapore, the State Department said on Saturday.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that US Ambassador Sung Kim, travelling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, gave the letter from the President to North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho immediately after they shook hands during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit here, the Washington Post reported.
According to Nauert, Pompeo told Ri that they "should talk again soon" and Ri replied in the affirmative. "There are many productive conversations to be had," the North Korean official said.
Beyond the brief exchange at the group photo, Pompeo and Ri did not have a more formal meeting.
Nauert called it a "step in the right direction" from where the US and North Korea were a year ago.
"We had a quick, polite exchange," Pompeo wrote on Twitter. "Our US delegation also had the opportunity to deliver (Trump's) reply to Chairman Kim's letter."
This was a reference to Kim's recent letter to Trump, which the latter described as "nice" in a Twitter post.
During the event, Pompeo described himself as "optimistic" that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remains an achievable goal, but one that will take time.
"From my meetings here, the world is united in seeing this achieved," he said. "There has not been single country that hasn't thanked the US for its efforts in moving the world towards the possibility of achieving this. … I'm optimistic that we will get this done in the timeline, and the world will celebrate what the UN Security Council has demanded."
Earlier Saturday, Pompeo suggested the timeline will be determined in large part by the North Korean leader.
"The ultimate timeline for denuclearization will be set by Chairman Kim, at least in part," he said in an interview with Channel NewsAsia.
"The decision is his. He made a commitment and we're very hopeful that over the coming weeks and months we can make substantial progress towards that and put the North Korean people on a trajectory towards a brighter future very quickly."
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Guarantee schemes model for empowering poor, Cong will return to power in 2028: Siddaramaiah
Mangaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday expressed confidence that the Congress government would return to power in the state in 2028.
He asserted that the five guarantee schemes introduced in 2023 have become a model for empowering the underprivileged, women, the unemployed and economically weaker sections, not just in the state but in the entire country.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Kambala event at Muduru-Paduru in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, he said the welfare measures reflected the vision of the Congress government to strengthen social and economic democracy.
"The five guarantees were introduced with the sole objective of empowering the poor, marginalised and weaker sections of society. These schemes have now become a model for ensuring social and economic justice," he said.
Siddaramaiah said democracy should not remain confined to political representation alone but must also ensure social and economic empowerment.
"A democracy that is only political has little meaning unless it is socially and economically vibrant," he said, adding that the state government was working towards that goal.
The CM also praised senior Congress leader and former minister B Ramanath Rai, who organised the event, describing him as one of the most honest leaders and recalling his role in bringing developmental works worth about Rs 5,000 crore to the constituency during his tenure as MLA and minister.
Despite his contributions, Rai had lost the Assembly election from Bantwal, Siddaramaiah said, expressing hope that he would contest again from the constituency in 2028 and secure victory.
He also lauded the people of the coastal region for preserving traditional cultural practices and organising Kambala races, terming the slush track buffalo race a popular folk sport of the state.
