Washington, DC. In movements starting to resemble the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, US President Donald Trump has summoned all 100 US Senators to a briefing on the North Korean nuclear weapons situation by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the White House later tonight Moscow time.
President Donald Trump will take the unusual step of summoning all 100 senators to the White House on Wednesday for a briefing on the continued concern over North Korea and it’s nuclear weapons program.
The senators will be briefed by Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, and James Mattis, the defence secretary. Dan Coats, director of national intelligence, and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, will also speak to the assembled politicians.
It is extremely unusual for the entire 100-member Senate to go to such an event at the White House, and for those four top officials to be involved. This is normally done only in time of national emergency or pending action, like a declaration of war.
The emergency summons for the senators came shortly after Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, outlined American “red lines” in the US dealings with the rogue state. Asked when the US would strike, she replied: “If you see him attack a military base, if you see some sort of intercontinental ballistic missile, then obviously we’re going to do that.”
The Chinese President, urged Donald Trump to show restraint over North Korea on Monday, as a US aircraft carrier group heads towards the region amid fears that Kim Jong-un’s regime was set to carry out a nuclear test. China has a defense treaty with North Korea and will defend the nation if attacked in a first strike. This would then result in a state of war with China and the United States.
The Chinese national leader made the appeal as Beijing becomes increasingly convinced that strong rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang will escalate into conflict.
In his second phonecall with the US president since the pair met in Florida earlier this month, Mr Xi said he hoped “all parties would exercise restraint and avoid doing things that would aggravate tensions on the peninsula.” International observers are worried that the Chinese while trying to be diplomatic are not being direct in their language or in disclosing their defense alliances that may well put them directly in hostile conflict with American armed forces.
Further is the Russian perspective. Experts are worried that at the frosty Moscow reception for Tillerson, Lavrov and Putin made it clear that if the United States conducts a first strike, there may be a joint Chinese-Russian response. News Front will monitor the situation and update accordingly.