. | . |
Pence says US to press religious freedom in North Korea by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) July 18, 2019 Vice President Mike Pence vowed Thursday to press North Korea to respect freedom of religion, despite the narrow US focus on denuclearization in high-profile summits. Pence made the pledge to a high-level State Department conference on religious freedom, which came weeks after President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the third time and agreed to jumpstart working-level negotiations. "You can be confident, as President Trump continues to pursue the denuclearization of North Korea and a lasting peace, the United States will continue to stand for the freedom of religion of all people of all faiths on the Korean peninsula," said Pence, a conservative Catholic who is popular with Trump's evangelical base. Pence noted that Open Doors, an advocacy group for persecuted Christians, has ranked North Korea as its worst violator for 18 straight years. North Korean officials vow to "'wipe out the seed of Christian reactionaries' and possession of a Bible is a capital offense," Pence said. Trump has voiced fondness for Kim, even saying that they two are "in love," as he seeks a potentially historic accord. North Korea often scoffs at foreign criticism and accuses ill-wishers of trying to scuttle diplomatic efforts. Earlier this week, North Korea warned that the resumption of talks could be affected by military exercises between the United States and South Korea.
US hopes N.Korea talks go ahead despite Pyongyang threat over wargames Washington (AFP) July 17, 2019 The United States said Tuesday it hoped to hold denuclearization talks with North Korea, despite a warning from Pyongyang that US-South Korean military exercises could affect their planned resumption. The North had earlier Tuesday hinted that it could even reconsider its moratorium on nuclear testing over next month's drills, which have been held for years but were scaled down to facilitate dialogue with Pyongyang. It was the first statement from the North on the talks since US President Donald ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |