Tillerson Says US Is 'A Long Way' From Talks With North Korea

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. is "a long way" from entering negotiations with North Korea about its nuclear program.

There are "potentially positive signals" coming from North Korea, Tillerson told reporters Thursday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, at the start of a five-nation tour of Africa.

North Korean President Kim Jong Un has offered to suspend nuclear-weapons tests and hold talks with the U.S. to normalize relations, if the safety of his regime is guaranteed. U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled he’s open to the discussions.

"I don’t know yet until we are able to meet ourselves face-to-face with representatives of North Korea whether the conditions are right to even begin thinking about negotiations," Tillerson said. "We’re a long way from negotiations, we just need to be very clear eyed and realistic about it."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has tried to tamp down expectations for his planned summit with Kim Jong Un, as he prepared to send envoys to Washington to discuss their meeting with the North Korean leader.