*WASHINGTON:* US Secretary of State nominee and CIA Director Mike Pompeomade a secret visit to North Korea over the Easter weekend and met withNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss a planned summit with USPresident Donald Trump, US officials said on Tuesday.
Pompeo’s trip made him the most senior US official ever known to have metwith Kim and provided the strongest sign yet to Trump’s willingness tobecome the first serving US president ever to meet a North Korean leader.
Pompeo’s conversations fueled Trump’s belief that productive negotiationswere possible with North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missileprograms, but far from guaranteed, according to a US senior officialbriefed on the trip.
The visit, a second US official said, was arranged by South Koreanintelligence Chief Suh Hoon with his North Korean counterpart, Kim YongChol, and was intended to assess whether Kim was prepared to hold serioustalks.
Pompeo, one of Trump’s most trusted advisers, returned to report that itwas worth continuing to pursue the possibility of a summit, but added thatno site had been selected from lists of options, and consequently nologistical arrangements had been made so far, the second official said.Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump said earlier on Tuesday the United States was engaged in direct talksat “extremely high levels” with North Korea to try to set up a summitbetween him and Kim.
He sowed some confusion by suggesting he had been speaking to Kim directly,but later clarified by saying: “Let’s leave it a little bit short of thehighest level.”
Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders added: “The president said the administration hashad talks at the highest levels and added that they were not with himdirectly.”
Asked about Pompeo, she said: “The administration does not comment on theCIA director’s travel.”
Pompeo told his Senate confirmation hearing for the post of secretary ofstate this week he was optimistic a course could be set at a Trump-Kimsummit for a diplomatic outcome with North Korea, but added that no one wasunder any illusion that a comprehensive deal could be reached at thatmeeting.
Pompeo said the aim of the summit would be “an agreement … such that theNorth Korean leadership will step away from its efforts to hold America atrisk with nuclear weapons” and that Pyongyang should not expect rewardsuntil it takes irreversible steps. – Agencies