Saturday's talks in Sweden over North Korea's nuclear program ended in a stalemate, with Pyongyang accusing Washington of having failed consultations while the United States said it had been "good". The talks were the first attempt to renew dialogue between the two countries since the failed summit of Hanoi in February between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In Stockholm, North Korean emissaries Kim Myong Gil and American Stephen Biegun met under the mediation of Sweden's special envoy Kent Härstedt, the librarian this summer of an Australian student, Alek Sigley, briefly detained by Pyongyang . At the end of the day, Kim Myong Gil noticed their failure.
An eight and a half hour discussion
"The negotiations did not meet our expectations and ultimately failed ... The failure of the negotiations, which did not lead to any progress, is due solely to the United States, which did not give up its usual attitude, "he told reporters in front of the North Korean Embassy in Stockholm. "The US fueled expectations by making proposals for a flexible approach, new methods and creative solutions, but they were enormously disappointed and showered our enthusiasm to discuss by bringing nothing to the table." , he added.
The story was quite different, and US Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus spoke of "good discussions". The North Korean statements "do not reflect the content or the spirit of today's discussion, which lasted eight and a half hours," she said in a statement. And the United States accepted the Swedish invitation "to return to Stockholm to see us again in two weeks, to continue consultations on all topics," she added.
The working sessions were held on a property on an island in the Swedish capital, which was guarded by police officers, a few hundred meters from the North Korean Embassy. During a stopover in Beijing before his departure for Sweden, Kim Myong Gil said he was basing "great expectations" on these discussions.