Susan Rice: North Korea summit must be more than "one-and-done" negotiation
Susan Rice, former ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser in the Obama administration, says that North Korean denuclearization is not going to be accomplished with "a one-and-done" negotiation between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the upcoming summit in Singapore. Rice said the best possible outcome for the highly anticipated talks is that the meeting amounts to "more than a photo-op or cordial conversation," with both leaders agreeing to "concrete steps" to craft a framework toward denuclearization.
"It's going to take quite a while. This is a very complicated set of issues, and success can't be declared on the basis of a happy meeting," Rice told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
Mr. Trump and Kim both arrived in Singapore on Sunday, ahead of talks scheduled for Tuesday.
Rice said the U.S. has long had a policy of "full, complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization, which includes the North Koreans ridding of their nuclear stockpiles and missiles." She said a successful meeting would kick off lower-level negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement.
"We can have progress coming out of this meeting if in fact they've agreed to a framework that is consistent with that form of denuclearization, and a set of steps in the context of a long negotiation that can then yield the ultimate agreement," she said. "And then, of course, the implementation."
She added, "success can only be declared when fully implemented and all the nukes and missiles are out."
Rice warned that past experiences in the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations mean Mr. Trump should be "mindful" of North Korea's intentions. In prior negotiations, she said, "at every turn, North Korea would make commitments and then break them."
She noted, however, that in light of past efforts not succeeding with the North Koreans, she's "open to new methods of trying to accomplish the objective of full denuclearization."