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CNN Live At Daybreak

Powell Had Informal Meeting With North Korea's Foreign Minister

Aired July 31, 2002 - 05:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As you know, President Bush has accused North Korea of being part of the axis of evil. But today, Secretary of State Colin Powell had an informal meeting with North Korea's foreign minister. The meeting in Brunei as a regional forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Our Andrea Koppel is there and joins us now live by telephone -- good morning, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, it was good. It was short. It was coffee. That's how Secretary of State Colin Powell summed up his 15 minute meeting today with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun here on the sidelines of the Asian security meeting in Brunei.

Powell said the two men reviewed where things stood and said they would pursue a dialogue in the future.

A Senior State Department official traveling with Powell said the secretary of state told Paek that the U.S. wants to discuss North Korean proliferation of missiles, the agreed framework, which is a 1994 plan to freeze the North's suspected nuclear program and other ways to reduce tension on the Korean Peninsula, where one million North Korean troops continue to patrol the border separating North and South Korea.

But the real significance of today's encounter between the two sides wasn't the substance as much as it was the symbolism of it all. This was the highest level meeting between the U.S. and North Korea in almost two years, since then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright traveled to Pyongyang in October 2000 and met with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il.

But despite this obvious mini breakthrough, U.S. officials are careful not to become overly optimistic. Remember, just last month the U.S. also thought talks with North Korea were on. But then the North attacked a South Korean Navy vessel in the Yellow Sea, killing five South Korean sailors. The U.S. then withdrew the offer for talks pending an apology. That apology came last week and officials tell CNN that the North Korean foreign minister repeated that apology again today during his meeting with Secretary Powell -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Now, this apology was quite unusual, because North Korea doesn't usually do things like that.

KOPPEL: You're absolutely right. In fact, it took everyone by surprise. It took the U.S. by surprise. It took the South Korean government by surprise. In fact, one administration official told me that he believes that that's further confirmation that the incident in the Yellow Sea was an accident and wasn't something that was premeditated by the North. And, in fact, it also shows just how desperate the North is. Its economy has been in tatters for decades and has only gotten worse in recent years. And it's also eager to end its international isolation. It has very few, if any, friends in the world and would like to come out of that isolation.

And so it's extended that olive branch again to the South Korean government and now to the U.S. government -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Andrea Koppel reporting live for us by phone this morning.

Appreciate it.

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