White House: ‘The clock has now run out’ on North Korean nuclear program
CNN Updated: 5:14 PM CDT Apr 4, 2017
By Jeremy Diamond
WASHINGTON (CNN) —
A senior White House official issued a dire warning to reporters Tuesday on the state of North Korea’s nuclear program, declaring “the clock has now run out and all options are on the table.”
“The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table,” the official said, pointing to the failure of successive administration’s efforts to negotiate an end to North Korea’s nuclear program.
The comments came as two senior White House officials briefed reporters ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week in Florida. The briefing took place on the condition of anonymity.
The same White House official also said North Korea is a “matter of urgent interest for the President and the administration as a whole” and plans to urge China to exert leverage over North Korea to halt the advancement of its nuclear program.
The comments came two days after Trump warned in a recent Financial Times interview that the US would have to act unilaterally to stop North Korea’s nuclear program if China refuses to cooperate in the effort.
But earlier Tuesday, Gen. John Hyten, the commander of US Strategic Command, which oversees US nuclear weapons and missile defense forces, said that China was critical to solving the North Korea nuclear challenge.
“Any solution to the North Korean problem has to involve China,” Hyten told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
His comments come days after the publication of the Trump interview.
Hyten added that while he believed Beijing’s involvement was critical, he said that he will provide military options to the president to deal with the threat from North Korea.
“I’ll provide those military options. So that’s my job but I look at it from a strategic perspective and I can’t see a solution that doesn’t involve China.”
“China is the definition of North Korea’s backyard,” Hyten told the committee, saying that the close economic links between Pyongyang and Beijing made China a pivotal player in curbing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
“It’s hard for me to see a solution without China,” he added.
CNN’s Ryan Browne contributed to this report.
