Statement By SASC Chairman John McCain on North Korea

Statement

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on North Korea:

"Suspending U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises is a mistake. Making unnecessary and unreciprocated concessions is not in our interests--and it is a bad negotiating tactic. Parroting Chinese and North Korean propaganda by saying joint exercises are "provocative' undermines our security and alliances. Moving forward, we must work closely with our allies, especially South Korea and Japan, which have critical equities in the outcome of this diplomatic process.

"I continue to hope that President Trump will be successful in his diplomatic efforts to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But we must not impose upon ourselves the burden of providing so-called "good faith' concessions as the price for continued dialogue.

"The United States must be clear: we want peace on the Korean Peninsula achieved through dialogue. But it is North Korea--through its nuclear and missile programs, aggressive behavior, and egregious human rights violations--that poses the greatest threat to peace. And until North Korea takes concrete steps to change that, no concessions should be made, and the sanctions must continue."

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