The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
– ‘Diplomacy without diplomats’ –
Not everyone was so sanguine about the prospects of a breakthrough, however, and some Democrats shuddered at the thought of such sensitive — and potentially explosive — negotiations in the hands of an impulsive, inexperienced president.
“If you want to talk to Kim Jong Un about his nuclear weapons you need experienced diplomats,” Hillary Clinton, Trump’s rival in the 2016 presidential elections, told Dutch tabloid Algemeen Dagblad.
The former diplomatic chief said the State Department was “being eroded,” and experienced diplomats on the North Korean issue were in short supply because many have left.
“You cannot have diplomacy without diplomats,” she said, adding that “the danger is not being recognized by the Trump government.”
Clinton’s words echo those of veteran diplomat and former US ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, who warned that negotiating with North Korea was not “reality television.”
“It’s a real opportunity…. I worry about the president’s unpreparedness and lack of discipline. But I commend him for his very bold move in accepting the invitation,” Richardson told AFP on Friday.
