Pyongyang - Saba:
North Korea has denounced US President Donald Trump's recent decision to facilitate arms exports, describing the move as "war-mongering measures."
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) commented: "On the one hand, the US pretends to be a 'mediator' by recommending dialogue and negotiation, while on the other hand, it continues to deliver all kinds of weapons of mass destruction to encourage warmongers to expand and prolong wars."
On April 9, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order revising rules governing military equipment exports, in an effort to facilitate the sale of American defense products abroad.
"We are unable to reliably and effectively provide weapons systems to our key allies, and the fundamental reason for this is the inefficiency and inconsistencies in the foreign arms sales approval process," White House adviser Will Scharf said during the signing ceremony in the Oval Office.
He added, "This executive order will direct the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and other relevant agencies to restructure our foreign defense sales system to ensure we are able to provide equipment that creates American jobs and generates revenue for defense contractors, while also reliably and efficiently supplying our key allies with key military equipment."
Under the current Arms Export Control Act, Congress has the authority to review arms exports to other countries based on their proximity to the United States and the size of the proposed deal.
During his first term, Trump expressed his displeasure on several occasions with delays imposed by members of Congress on foreign arms sales for human rights or other considerations.
| more of (International) |