Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland listens as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responds to questions during a joint media availability on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, on Dec. 19, 2017.Adrian Wyld/The Globe and Mail
U.S. President Donald Trump's pressure campaign against North Korea's decades-old nuclear program has the intention of leading to diplomatic talks with the regime, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says.
Mr. Tillerson made the comments on Tuesday during a trip to Ottawa, where he met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
"All of it has always been intended to lead to talks," Mr. Tillerson told reporters on Parliament Hill. "Otherwise, we wouldn't need to do this; we'd just go straight to the military option.
"The White House supports diplomatic talks. … We're waiting on North Korea to come to that conclusion, and until they do, the pressure campaign will only intensify."
Mr. Tillerson and Mr. Trump have appeared to diverge on the U.S. approach to North Korea recently. Last week, just days after Mr. Tillerson committed to talk to North Korea "without precondition," he retreated to Mr. Trump's position, saying the North must stop its nuclear threats and "earn its way" to negotiations. Mr. Tillerson's emphasis on diplomatic talks on Tuesday also appears to contradict comments from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in October that "now is not the time to talk" with North Korea.
Reports from Washington had suggested the White House is planning to force Mr. Tillerson out and replace him with CIA director Mike Pompeo. However, Mr. Trump and Mr. Tillerson said early this month that the reports were untrue.
Mr. Tillerson joined Ms. Freeland on Tuesday in announcing plans to co-host a major international meeting on North Korea in Vancouver on Jan. 16. Mr. Tillerson said the meeting will convene foreign ministers from countries that were involved in the Korean War, as well as other important partners, including Japan, India and Sweden.
"What we will be discussing will be, first, how do we improve the effectiveness of the current pressure campaign?" Mr. Tillerson said. "Are there other steps that could be taken to put additional pressure on the regime in North Korea? And how do we further take our diplomatic efforts forward?
"And then, how do we prepare for the prospects of talks?"
Ms. Freeland said the meeting is meant to show North Korea that the international community is united in its condemnation of its actions.
"We're confident that this campaign of international pressure will lead to the best outcome for the whole world … which is a diplomatic path to a resolution of this crisis," Ms. Freeland said.
Asked whether the United States will halt joint military exercises with South Korea before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Mr. Tillerson said he is "not aware of any plans to alter long-standing and scheduled military exercises."
Ms. Freeland said she also discussed cybersecurity matters with her U.S. counterpart, but refused to get into details. On Monday, the Trump administration publicly blamed North Korea for the so-called WannaCry cyberattack on computer systems at hospitals, banks and other companies around the world earlier this year.
Reuters has reported that the U.S. government believes a hacking entity working on behalf of the North Korean government carried out the WannaCry attack. The same group is believed to be responsible for other attacks.
The North American free-trade agreement also came up during the meetings, even though the renegotiation is not technically Mr. Tillerson's file. He said the next several weeks of discussions are going to be important. Negotiators from Canada, Mexico and the United States will meet again in Montreal on Jan. 23.
"As the old saying goes, the devil's in the details," Mr. Tillerson said.