US wants 'diplomatic solution' to North Korea crisis, says Mattis
dpa
NEW DELHI (dpa)- The United States aims to solve the crisis with North Korea "diplomatically," the country's Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday.
The US is supporting United Nations-led diplomatic efforts to de-nuclearize the Korean peninsula, Mattis said in New Delhi after talks with his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman.
"At the same time we maintain the capability to deter North Korea’s most dangerous threats but also to back up our diplomats in a manner that keeps this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm," Mattis said.
"That is our goal, to solve this diplomatically, and I believe President Trump has been very clear on this issue."
Mattis' comments come on the heels of escalating rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, following a series of missile and nuclear tests by Pyongyang.
On Monday, the White House dismissed as "absurd" an accusation by North Korea that Trump had declared war on the Asian nation.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho claimed on Monday that Pyongyang now had the right to shoot down US aircraft.
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"That is our goal, to solve this diplomatically, and I believe President Trump has been very clear on this issue."
Mattis' comments come on the heels of escalating rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, following a series of missile and nuclear tests by Pyongyang.
On Monday, the White House dismissed as "absurd" an accusation by North Korea that Trump had declared war on the Asian nation.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho claimed on Monday that Pyongyang now had the right to shoot down US aircraft.
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