A détente on the Korean peninsula?
South and North Korea have agreed on a summit meeting between their respective heads of state at the end of April. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has apparently even gone as far as to talk of giving up the country's nuclear programme. This is good news, commentators write, but also warn that North Korea's dictator could just be faking a softened stance.
Worth a try
North Korea has offered to freeze its nuclear weapons programme if the regime is given security guarantees. An opportunity like this must not be missed, El Periódico de Catalunya urges:
“It wouldn't be the first time that North Korea failed to keep a promise. However, such an offer should not be rejected. The possibilities for negotiation must be explored. In this respect the attitude of the South Korean President Moon Jae-in will be decisive. Even more so than Trump's. The catch is that this offer of dialogue comes at a time when the world's superpowers have launched into a new arms race.”
Maybe it's all a bluff
Even if détente is in the air North Korea could be double dealing, warns De Telegraaf:
“Appearances can be deceptive. Because satellite images taken yesterday clearly show that there is a great deal of activity at the Yongbyon nuclear research facility. ... This news could overshadow the result of the talks between the South Korean government delegation and the North Koreans yesterday. ... The question anyway is whether this historical meeting will quickly lead to better relations. Because President Moon Jae-in, who is doing all he can to improve relations with North Korea, has already indicated that one of Kim's demands - an end to Seoul and Washington's joint military exercises - is not an option for the time being.”
Trump's tough stance bearing fruit
The US president may actually have succeeded in forcing the North Korean regime into submission with his menaces, The Independent comments:
“But if this proves to be the beginning of the end of what was rapidly shaping up to be the most serious international security crisis of our times, then a tremendous amount of credit will be due Trump. Whether or not he always knew what he was doing, his instinct was clear: there will no more pussyfooting around Pyongyang. A dangerous strategy for sure, but one that just may be about to bear fruit. Obama won the Peace Prize and subsequently got precisely nowhere resolving the North Korea conundrum. Suddenly, Trump getting it down the road doesn't seem so implausible.”