U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday the process of ending North Korea’s nuclear program would take time but he was optimistic that it would be done within a timeline set by the leaders of the two countries, Reutersreported.

It was important to maintain diplomatic and economic pressure on the North, he said, and the United States takes very seriously any detraction from enforcing U.N. sanctions, Pompeo said on the sidelines of a regional conference.

"I’m optimistic that we will get this done in the timeline and the world will celebrate what the U.N. Security Council has demanded,” Pompeo told a news conference.

"The work has begun. The process of achieving denuclearization of the (Korean) peninsula is one that I think we have all known would take some time.”

He said there was every reason to believe the reports about Russia’s issuance of visas to North Korean workers were accurate, which would be in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

"I want to remind every nation that has supported these resolutions that this is a serious issue and something that we will discuss with Moscow,” he said.

"We expect the Russians and all countries to abide by the U.N. Security Council resolutions and enforce sanctions on North Korea,” he added.

Icmal.Az