Pompeo Should Press Kim On Signing Nuclear Treaty - US Arms Control Assoc.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to Pyongyang should press North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un to sign a nuclear test ban treaty, the US Arms Control Association said in a statement on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2018) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to Pyongyang should press North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un to sign a nuclear test ban treaty, the US Arms Control Association said in a statement on Friday.

"The stage is set for US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to jump-start the stalled denuclearization and peace negotiations with North Korea," the association said. "North Korea should take another denuclearization step: signing and ratifying the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)."

North Korea should also permit experts from the CTBT group to visit the Punggye-ri test site to confirm its closure, the association said.

Any hesitation on the part of either side to take steps toward peace could collapse the fragile diplomatic opportunity that is currently available, the association warned.

In June, US President Donald Trump and Kim held a summit in Singapore, during which the North Korean leader expressed his country's commitment to abandon its nuclear weapons program, while the United States pledged to provide security guarantees and freeze joint military exercises with South Korea.

The White House has said that discussions are underway for a second summit between Trump and Kim, but has provided no further details on when or where the meeting could happen.