US: Condolences for Kim Jong Il Not ‘Appropriate’; Food Aid Deal Delayed
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Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she hopes the new North Korean leadership will move the country on a path to peace, but she offered no condolences on the death of longtime dictator Kim Jong Il.
“We didn’t consider it appropriate in this case,” Clinton’s spokeswoman Victoria Nuland explained Tuesday.
Kim’s death came as the United States was preparing to resume food aid to North Korea. Though officials insist the issues are separate, they say they hope the aid will eventually lead to a resumption of negotiations regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
Nuland said Tuesday that it is unlikely the United States would resume food aid to North Korea before next year. The State Department says it still has concerns about monitoring the distribution of the aid and, given the weeks-long mourning period in North Korea following Kim’s death, they believe it’s unlikely those issues will be resolved before the end of the year.
U.S. officials were in touch with North Korean officials Monday at the United Nations, through what’s called the New York channel, to inform them that there is no deal yet on food aid, Nuland said, but she did not know whether there was any mention of Kim’s death during that communication.
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