Trump 'will walk out' if North Korea talks not fruitful
Washington, April 19: US President Donald Trump has said that if his planned talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are not fruitful he will "walk out", media reported.
He said this during a joint news conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the BBC reported.
Trump said if he did not think the meeting would be successful he would not go, and if the meeting went ahead but was not productive, he would walk out.
"Our campaign of maximum pressure will continue until North Korea denuclearizes," he added.
Abe is at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for talks.
Earlier, Trump had confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo had made a secret trip to North Korea to meet Kim over the easter weekend.
He said Pompeo had forged a "good relationship" with Kim -- whom he called the "little rocket man" in 2017. Trump said the Pompeo-Kim meeting had gone off "very smoothly".
The visit marked the highest-level contact between the US and North Korea since 2000.
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
