Washington, DC (June 12, 2018) – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) today congratulated President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for taking the first step in ending the war in the Korean Peninsula.
Contact: Tim McHugh, Friends Committee on National Legislation, media@fcnl.org; 202-903-2515
“As a people of faith, war is never an option,” said Diane Randall, executive secretary of the Quaker lobby, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). “We urge Congress and the American people to welcome this agreement and offer sustained support for what will certainly be challenging and difficult negotiations.”
Six months ago, the U.S. and North Korea were throwing missiles across the sea and insults via Twitter. Today, the two leaders reached across the table for a handshake instead.
“I have had a front-row seat in many arms negotiations and the first real verdict on the summit will be six months from now,” said Anthony Wier, FCNL’s legislative secretary for nuclear disarmament and Pentagon spending. “If the two sides are not moving forward then everything will move backward in a hurry.”
He stressed that successful diplomacy is a marathon and not a sprint. “There will be heated words and hard challenges in the negotiations. It will take persistence and patience to stay at the table to overcome them,” Wier said.
Founded in 1943 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), FCNL lobbies Congress and the administration for U.S. policies that advance peace, justice, and good government.