A commemorative coin featuring US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has been struck by the White House Communications Agency ahead of their summit meeting. The coin depicts Trump and Kim, described as North Korea’s “Supreme Leader,” in profile facing each other in front of a background of US and North Korean flags. The words “Peace Talks” are emblazoned at the top of the front of the coin with the date “2018” beneath. The summit is expected to take place in Singapore on June, 12, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / STR
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — A UN Security Council committee has agreed to lift a travel ban on North Korean officials heading to Singapore for the planned summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un next month, diplomats said.
Singapore last week asked the sanctions committee to grant an exemption to the North Korean delegation attending the June 12 summit and taking part in preparatory meetings, according to the request seen by AFP.
“This summit will serve as an opportunity to advance the objective of a peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue and the establishment of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region,” wrote Singapore’s UN Ambassador Burhan Gafoor to the committee.
The letter did not specify the size of the delegation from Pyongyang.
The UN sanctions blacklist for North Korea has 80 individuals and 75 entities which are subject to a global travel ban and an assets freeze.
The request for the blanket exemption to the global travel plan was approved on Wednesday after none of the council members raised objections.
Trump earlier said the fate of the summit will be decided next week as his aides traveled to Singapore to prepare the meeting and push for certain conditions to be met.
“There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think we’ll get those conditions. And if we don’t, we won’t have the meeting,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday.
The Security Council has imposed tough sanctions on North Korea that ban trade in commodities and severely restrict deliveries of oil vital to Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear program.
© Agence France-Presse