National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday suggested that the U.S. should base the denuclearization of North Korea on the so-called "Libya model," which led to the eventual death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
April 29, 2018

National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday suggested that the U.S. should base the denuclearization of North Korea on the so-called "Libya model," which led to the eventual death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

During an interview on Face the Nation, Bolton suggested what will certainly be a hard sell to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

"We're looking at the Libya model of 2003, 2004," Bolton explained. "And most importantly, going back over a quarter of a century to the 1992 joint North-South denuclearization agreement, where North Korea committed to give up nuclear weapons and committed to give up uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing."

Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan wondered if the U.S. would consider making a promise not to invade North Korea if Kim agreed to give up his nuclear weapons.

"We want to see that it's real and not just rhetoric," Bolton explained. "In the case of Libya, for example -- and it's a different situation in some respects -- those negotiations were carried out in private, they were not known publicly. But one thing that Libya did that that led us to overcome our skepticism was that they allowed American and British observers into all their nuclear-related sites. So, it wasn't a question of relying on international mechanisms. We saw them in ways we have never seen before."

Eight years after Gaddafi disarmed Libya, he was overthrown by rebels with the backing of NATO. Gaddafi was killed during the fighting.

It is not immediately clear how Bolton's call for using the "Libya model" will impact Kim's decision to go through with denuclearization.

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