State Dept walks back Tillerson call for talks with N. Korea

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert appeared to walk back statements by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling for negotiations with North Korea. Nauert said Pyongyang would have to suspend weapons tests before talks could take place.

“We're ready to talk anytime they'd like to talk,” Tillerson said on Tuesday, during a question-and-answer session at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC. “We are ready to have the first meeting without preconditions. Let’s just meet.”

On Wednesday, Nauert said that Tillerson’s comments were not an announcement of a shift in US policy. North Korea would have to suspend its weapons program before any talks could talk place, “and we certainly haven't seen that right now,” she said.
 rt.com
 13/12/17
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