WASHINGTON: The U.S. State Department has said that the choice of Vietnam as the venue for a second U.S.-North Korea summit shows the possibility of moving beyond conflict, according to a report on Reuters.

The summit is going to be held later this month on Feb. 27-28. State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said that U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun was in Pyongyang to prepare the summit and seeking progress on commitments made at the first meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June.

He also stated that the U.S.-Vietnamese history “reflects the possibility for peace and prosperity.” He, however, did not divulge details on Biegun’s talks in Pyongyang and declined to say how long he would stay there, according to the report.

Trump had on Tuesday announced the plan for his second meeting Kim in his annual State of the Union address, it said. (Agencies)

UNITED NATIONS: At least 34 United Nations and associated personnel — 26 peacekeepers and eight civilians — were killed in malicious attacks in the line of duty in 2018, said a UN spokesperson Thursday.
The 2018 casualty rate was among the lowest of the last five years and was less than half the number recorded in 2017, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said at a regular press briefing, citing a report from the UN Staff Union.

In 2018, the peacekeeping mission in Mali suffered the greatest loss of life, with 11 peacekeepers killed. It was followed by the missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 8 peacekeepers were killed. In the Central African Republic, 7 peacekeepers were killed, according to the report.

Since 2012, at least 344 United Nations and associated personnel have died in malicious and deliberate attacks, it said.President of the UN Staff Union Bibi Sherifa Khan said: “United Nations staff work in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Any cut in the budget of peacekeeping operations increases the dangers for staff members and risk jeopardizing the goals and objectives of the organization.”

The union president added: “When the United Nations sends its staff to work in conflict zones, it must ensure, along with member states, that the necessary resources are provided and that those who attack our colleagues are brought to justice.”

(Agencies)

OTTAWA, Jan 27: In an unprecedented move, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said he had fired his ambassador to China, who prompted a political furor with comments about Huawei’s high-profile extradition case.

John McCallum had embarrassed Trudeau’s Liberal government by saying Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou could make a strong argument against being sent to the United States.

Opposition legislators and former ambassadors accused McCallum of unacceptable political interference in an affair which has badly damaged relations between Canada and China.

Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, was arrested in Vancouver last month over alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran.

China subsequently detained two Canadian citizens on national security grounds. A Chinese court later retried a Canadian man who had been jailed for drugs smuggling and sentenced him to death.

“Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum’s resignation as Canada’s ambassador to China,” Trudeau said in a statement that did not explain his reasons.

Veteran diplomats and experts told Reuters it was the first time a Canadian ambassador had ever been officially fired.

Trudeau said as recently as Thursday that he had no plans to replace McCallum, who apologized the same day for his remarks earlier in the week.

But the Toronto Star newspaper on Friday quoted the envoy as saying that if Washington dropped the extradition request “that would be great for Canada”. McCallum, 68, a long-time former Liberal cabinet minister, is not a trained diplomat.

Brock University professor Charles Burton, a former Canadian diplomat who had served two postings in China, said McCallum’s comments on Meng possibly avoiding extradition had signaled to Beijing that its hard line tactics were working.

“He really made it untenable for the prime minister to sustain him (in his post) for any length of time and he had to go,” Burton said by telephone, suggesting Trudeau should quickly appoint a special envoy to handle the dispute.

Spokespeople for Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland declined to comment when asked about the dismissal.

Andrew Scheer, leader of the official opposition Conservative Party, said in a tweet that Trudeau “should have fired his ambassador the moment he interfered in this case” and accused the prime minister of weakness and indecision.

Polls show the Liberals have a slender lead over the Conservatives ahead of a federal election this October.

(Agencies)