UN expert calls for human rights front and centre in North Korean talks
Geneva — A UN expert has called for the US and other powers to put human rights firmly on the agenda of their talks with North Korea, saying it would help make any progress towards denuclearisation "sustainable". Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN special rapporteur on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), urged the country to start releasing prisoners under a gradual general amnesty. He was speaking at a news briefing in Geneva on Thursday, days before the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un set for Singapore on June 12. "What I am saying is that at some point, whether the next summit or other summits to come or meetings, it is very important that human rights are raised. Otherwise first it will be a problem in terms of building a sustainable agreement with DPRK with regard to denuclearisation," he said. Not raising such issues would be a "wrong message" he said. Trump, who has called for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons,...
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