Mattis says US-North Korea diplomacy is at delicate stage
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the diplomatic push to solve the North Korean nuclear weapons crisis was at such a delicate stage that he won't publicly discuss the talks or related issues such as US-South Korean military exercises.
Mattis was among advisers who were in the White House when President Donald Trump on Thursday decided to accept the offer by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet by May. The offer was relayed to Trump by a South Korean government delegation that briefed the president on their meeting with Kim last week in the North Korean's capital.
"I do not want to talk about Korea at all. It's that delicate," he said in an interview as he flew to the Mideast, landing in Oman on Sunday.
"When you get in a position like this, the potential for misunderstanding remains very high," he said, explaining his unwillingness to talk about any aspect of the diplomatic efforts.
