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<\/p>\nYokota Air Base, Japan….SECRETARY POMPEO: So we had a good day in the sense that I had a good and lengthy conversation with Chairman Kim in preparation for the President\u2019s summit. The \u2013 we are locked in on the date. We are locked in on the time. We \u2013 we\u2019re not quite ready to announce either of those just yet, but in relatively short order \u2013 we hope in the next handful of days \u2013 we\u2019ll be able to announce the location and the date and time. But now that part is behind us for sure, and we had a chance to talk substantively about what we intend to be on the agenda, and also how we\u2019re going to begin to coordinate in the days ahead between now and the summit in a way that we \u2013 both sides are confident that we will set the conditions for a successful meeting between the two leaders.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We have the three Americans on the plane, which is incredibly exciting. They seem to be in good health. The doctors are with them now, but all indications are at this point that their health is as good as could be given that they\u2019ve been held. They all walked up the stairs themselves, with their own power, so good enough to do that. And we\u2019ll have a \u2013 hopefully in the next couple of hours a more complete readout of their complete conditions.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Will they still be \u2013 will they stay or go back to Washington with you?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: So they\u2019re going to \u2013 they\u2019re going to fly back with us. There\u2019s another plane that will meet us there in Japan and they will \u2013 there\u2019ll be even more robust medical capabilities on that airplane in the event that they should need it. It doesn\u2019t look like they will, but we\u2019re prepared to do that. So they might stay on this plane and we might shift them to another plane, but in either event they\u2019re coming back to Washington with us.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Were there any glitches or anything along the way that made you seriously think this might fall apart?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: It was a long day. It was a long day. But there were no moments where I felt like we were going to be anything but successful in the day. So no, no glitches, but we were on the \u2013 what, 13 hours maybe on the ground, something like that from start to finish? So a long day. A long day for the \u2013 for our counterparts, the North Korean team, as well. But worth the time and effort, and I think very productive.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: When you said that the \u2013 that you\u2019re locked in on the date and you\u2019re locked in on the time, (inaudible).<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: The location as well. I\u2019m sorry, we \u2013 the venue is also locked in. So yes, so date, time\/venue all locked in.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: What about how long it will last? That was something you said but I\u2019m unclear.<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: So yes, so we\u2019re planning on it will be a single day, but in the event that there is more to discuss, there\u2019ll be an opportunity for it to extend into the second day as well.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: And this is pretty much paved \u2013 does this prisoner release pave the way for that? Would you have gone ahead with that?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: I\u2019m sorry?<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Would you have gone ahead with the summit if they were still holding these three men?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: I don\u2019t know the answer to that. It would have been more difficult, and it certainly would have been a more difficult situation with which we were presented. I\u2019m glad that we don\u2019t have to confront that.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Same day, there\u2019s an announcement about Iran. There are five or six Americans who are imprisoned there.<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: People might say you\u2019re leaving some Americans behind while you\u2019re picking others.<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, we\u2019re doing our best to get them all back. There are Americans being held in several places, right. There are Americans detained in Syria as well. I \u2013 when I was the CIA director, I could see the State Department and all of the United States Government was focused on getting every one of those Americans returned wherever they were.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Can you say what you think in terms \u2013 pushed Kim towards making this decision on the Americans?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I don\u2019t know. I think \u2013 I think that Chairman Kim is trying to set good conditions for the summit, right. I think we\u2019re \u2013 I think we are having good conversations, productive conversations. And so I think the work that President Trump has done to put us in this place made this possible.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: And you don\u2019t want to tell us what the venue for the summit is? You don\u2019t want to tell us what the venue for the summit is?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Do you think that will be a joint announcement?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: That\u2019s the —<\/p>\n
QUESTION: When you say a handful of days —<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: What\u2019s that?<\/p>\n
QUESTION: When you said a handful of days, like, the weekend?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, we\u2019re hoping today \u2013 what\u2019s today now, Wednesday now? We\u2019re hoping the beginning of next week.<\/p>\n
MS NAUERT: Yeah, yeah.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: So just to jump ahead —<\/p>\n
STAFF: He\u2019s actually getting an update from her on something —<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Okay.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Jumping briefly back to the prisoners, can you tell us what your first words —<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m having trouble hearing you.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Jumping back to the prisoners, can you tell us what your first words were to them, and not hit your head on the ceiling?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: I\u2019ll do my best to do both. I welcomed them back. Although we\u2019re not quite back home yet, I welcomed them back. They were happy to be with us on this plane, to be sure.<\/p>\n
MS NAUERT: Can I tell them what he said? Can I tell them what they said to us?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s appropriate or not. Probably not.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: What they said to you?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I —<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Well, we\u2019d love to know. (Inaudible) never been to the (inaudible).<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, I\u2019ll see if \u2013 I just want to respect their privacy. I\u2019m happy to talk about things I said, but —<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Okay. If they want to come back and talk to us, we\u2019d be happy to.<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: I\u2019ll bet \u2013 probably for another day.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: And was there a moment when you gave yourself a little pat on the back or —<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Still have work to do. I\u2019m thrilled that we have them back. I\u2019m happy that actually President Trump set the conditions for this to happen, and I\u2019m thrilled with that. But there\u2019s still a lot of work to do to achieve our ultimate goal.<\/p>\n
The only other thing I should mention is I did speak with the President. I informed the President of this, and the President is planning to come out and meet the aircraft when we land.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: In Andrews?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: At Andrews. So somewhere between 2:00 and 3:00, and I don\u2019t know, whenever —<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Well, that\u2019s a big —<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Whenever we get there, he is planning to come out.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: That\u2019s not been announced by the White House?<\/p>\n
MS NAUERT: Sorry?<\/p>\n
QUESTION: That?<\/p>\n
MS NAUERT: Yeah.<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Has it been announced? I haven\u2019t seen that.<\/p>\n
MS NAUERT: Well, not the Andrews part. Well, not the Andrews part.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Sure.<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: I don\u2019t know if they\u2019ve announced it. They may have. He\u2019s pretty quick on the communications. I —<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Have we crossed over into \u2013 we crossed over into airspace out of —<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Do you know what time we crossed over?<\/p>\n
MS NAUERT: I\u2019ll get that time for you.<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah.<\/p>\n
MS NAUERT: Okay.<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: All right.<\/p>\n
MS NAUERT: Thanks, guys.<\/p>\n
QUESTION: Real quickly, did they mark that moment? Did you come back and say, \u201cThat\u2019s it, guys, we\u2019re out of North Korean airspace\u201d? Did you mark it?<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO: We were all thrilled when we knew we were outside of that space. Yes, ma\u2019am.<\/p>\n
All right. Thank you all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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