Cautious optimism from Ottawa as Koreas meet

OTTAWA, ON. (NEWS 1130) – Canadian politicians hope the historic summit between North and South Korea will bring an end to the hostilities between the two countries, but they’re not overly optimistic.

Leaders around the world are applauding this big step towards peace, however, the Trudeau government is offering a guarded response.

“We all need to be careful and not assume anything,” says Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was speaking in Washington, DC.

She was cautious about North Korea’s intentions but notes Canada has always believed that a peace deal is both essential and possible and applauded the diplomatic efforts of South Korea.

Freeland adds this may not be an easy or quick process.

In Ottawa, Freeland’s Parliamentary Secretary Andrew Leslie says any step in the right direction is a good thing. “By the way, my father fought in the Korean War, so, if he were alive today — I’m sure he’d be much more delighted that they seem to be on a path to peace.”

Conservatives say trust has to be earned, but if North Korea stays true to its word, Canada can start looking to normalize diplomatic relations.

The North has spent decades building up an atomic arsenal as a deterrent against an invasion either from its southern counterpart or from the US.

President Donald Trump — who claimed credit Friday for facilitating the meeting — said he believes North Korea’s motives are sincere, although he acknowledged concerns over being “played” by the notoriously non-committal Kim regime.

However, the Trump administration won’t fall prey to false overtures the way previous US governments have, he added.

“I agree, the United States has been played beautifully, like a fiddle, because you had a different kind of a leader,” Trump said. “We’re not going to be played.”

More than 26,000 Canadians served in the Korean War from around the time it began in June 1950 until the active fighting ended on July 27, 1953, with approximately 7,000 remaining stationed in the peninsula until August 1957.

In total, 516 Canadians died in what is the third-deadliest conflict in Canadian history, says Veterans Affairs Canada.

The United Nations reacts

Meantime, the UN says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is applauding the “truly historic summit” between the leaders of North Korea and South Korea.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday that “many around the world were moved by the powerful imagery of the two leaders coming together to advance harmony and peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

He said the secretary-general “salutes the courage and leadership that resulted in the important commitments and agreed actions outlined in the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula.”

Dujarric said Guterres counts on the two Koreas to “swiftly implement” all the agreed actions “to further inter-Korean trust-building and reconciliation” and progress toward “sustainable peace and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.”

He said Guterres “looks forward to these gains being consolidated and advanced” at the upcoming US-North Korea summit.

(With files from The Associated Press)

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