NEW YORK, N.Y. – Today, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, went on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos to discuss the upcoming Singapore summit between President Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un.
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Menendez emphasized the need for President Trump to have a strategy and plan, comparing his lack of preparation as going “into a high-wire act without a safety net.” Menendez said that he and Senate Democrats have always supported robust diplomacy and want to see peaceful denuclearization happen. But, pointing out that previous presidents have all been able to strike deals with North Korea, Menendez said that “getting a deal with North Korea is not the difficult part.” What’s essential is a deal that leads to complete, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Earlier this month, Menendez led Senate Democrats in a letter to President Trump outlining what they would need to see in a successful deal with North Korea, including:
- The permanent dismantlement of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and infrastructure;
- Disabling North Korea’s enrichment capabilities;
- Robust compliance, verification, and inspections; and
- Sanctions relief dependent on the dismantlement and removal of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
Menendez also emphasized that any agreement must also include robust consultation with Congress and cannot jeopardize our alliances and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region.
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