HANOI, February 28. /TASS/. Pyongyang requested that Washington partially remove sanctions, particularly those affecting civilian industries and common people, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told an emergency briefing following the Hanoi summit between the US and North Korean leaders.
The briefing on the results of the US-North Korean summit, involved a limited number of journalists, including TASS correspondents.
"During the two-day summit, the leaders of North Korea and the United States held serious and composed discussions and demonstrated bilateral restraint," he said.
"Keeping in mind the principles of confidence-building and the sincerity-based approach to solving problems, we came forward with a realistic proposal during this meeting," North Korea’s top diplomat added.
"We requested that only some sanctions be lifted, particularly those that are harmful to civilian industries and common people. We did not ask for a full removal of sanctions," he stressed.
According to the North Korean top diplomat, in return, Pyongyang suggested dismantling all nuclear facilities at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center. "We also vowed to suspend all missile and nuclear tests," he emphasized, adding that North Korea was ready to provide written guarantees.
"Our current offers are the most we can do at the moment but it is hard to say if the parties will be able to make agreements based on mutual proposals. However, North Korea’s current stance will not change even if the United States suggests holding new talks," Ri Yong Ho said, adding that apart from what North Korea had mentioned, the US had demanded Pyongyang take "one more additional step."
After the second North-Korean-US summit ended on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho invited a limited number of journalists to a news briefing in the Melia hotel, where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was staying. The notice was send at 23:30 local time (about 19:30 Moscow time), half an hour before the start of the event. According to North Korea’s top diplomat, the country’s delegation decided to hold the briefing to clarify its stance on the results of the Hanoi summit.
During the two-day US-North Korean summit in the Vietnamese capital, the sides decided not to sign a joint document, but agreed that dialogue should continue. The agenda of the second day underwent major changes, including the cancellation of the two leaders’ joint working lunch.