Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

International Wrap: Eye on World

Aired December 27, 2002 - 06:38   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: Let's turn to international news right now, because our International Desk is working on many, many stories.
Our senior international editor, Eli Flournoy, is with us, and we have to talk about North Korea...

ELI FLOURNOY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... and the latest developments happening this morning.

FLOURNOY: Yes, North Korea. We just spoke with the IAEA -- International Atomic Energy Agency -- in Vienna about this report out of North Korea that their weapons inspectors, two of them who have been in North Korea monitoring this site, that they have been expelled.

Now, they say that they just spoke minutes ago with the inspectors in North Korea, and they say they haven't heard anything themselves from the North Koreans. So, the...

COSTELLO: It doesn't mean they're not being expelled, though.

FLOURNOY: It doesn't mean they're not being expelled. It is the official North Korean News Agency. Official dictates and statements do come out over that, and it's clearly out there. But they haven't told the inspectors themselves yet if, in fact, they are going to be expelled.

COSTELLO: Tell us why this is such a big concern, if these weapons inspectors are expelled from North Korea.

FLOURNOY: Well, if the weapons inspectors leave North Korea, then any monitoring activity of what exactly on the ground is happening in North Korea is gone at that point. Now already, the IAEA -- the monitors are saying that they have not really been able to be monitoring right on site. I mean, they are in the country and they're generally there, but they have not been able to do very precise investigative monitoring.

So, already their operation has been hindered somewhat, but it's yet obviously a further step if they're going to be out of the country.

COSTELLO: I know U.S. officials are sending an envoy to South Korea, but not until a week from now. Why are they waiting so long to do that?

FLOURNOY: Well, I think that there have been, you know, a number of steps that have taken place, and there have been physical things that have happened, you know, taking fuel rods. The North Koreans have actually moved fuel rods and various steps. But mostly, we're in a war of words, as we've talked about before, and there's various rhetoric going around. And certainly, all sides seem to be saying, despite, you know, the very high-pressure rhetoric, they seem to be saying they want to have -- want to negotiate, in a way, out of this situation. And

And so, it's just -- you know, it's another further escalation in that step, and we'll be watching very closely to see...

COSTELLO: Because you wonder what North Korea is going to do next.

FLOURNOY: Yes, it's...

COSTELLO: What more can it do?

FLOURNOY: It's hard to tell. Anybody who is in a game of predicting what North Korea is going to do next is got a really, really tough job.

COSTELLO: A very unpredictable and closed communist country. Eli Flournoy, thank you very much.

FLOURNOY: Thanks, Carol.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired December 27, 2002 - 06:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn to international news right now, because our International Desk is working on many, many stories.
Our senior international editor, Eli Flournoy, is with us, and we have to talk about North Korea...

ELI FLOURNOY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... and the latest developments happening this morning.

FLOURNOY: Yes, North Korea. We just spoke with the IAEA -- International Atomic Energy Agency -- in Vienna about this report out of North Korea that their weapons inspectors, two of them who have been in North Korea monitoring this site, that they have been expelled.

Now, they say that they just spoke minutes ago with the inspectors in North Korea, and they say they haven't heard anything themselves from the North Koreans. So, the...

COSTELLO: It doesn't mean they're not being expelled, though.

FLOURNOY: It doesn't mean they're not being expelled. It is the official North Korean News Agency. Official dictates and statements do come out over that, and it's clearly out there. But they haven't told the inspectors themselves yet if, in fact, they are going to be expelled.

COSTELLO: Tell us why this is such a big concern, if these weapons inspectors are expelled from North Korea.

FLOURNOY: Well, if the weapons inspectors leave North Korea, then any monitoring activity of what exactly on the ground is happening in North Korea is gone at that point. Now already, the IAEA -- the monitors are saying that they have not really been able to be monitoring right on site. I mean, they are in the country and they're generally there, but they have not been able to do very precise investigative monitoring.

So, already their operation has been hindered somewhat, but it's yet obviously a further step if they're going to be out of the country.

COSTELLO: I know U.S. officials are sending an envoy to South Korea, but not until a week from now. Why are they waiting so long to do that?

FLOURNOY: Well, I think that there have been, you know, a number of steps that have taken place, and there have been physical things that have happened, you know, taking fuel rods. The North Koreans have actually moved fuel rods and various steps. But mostly, we're in a war of words, as we've talked about before, and there's various rhetoric going around. And certainly, all sides seem to be saying, despite, you know, the very high-pressure rhetoric, they seem to be saying they want to have -- want to negotiate, in a way, out of this situation. And

And so, it's just -- you know, it's another further escalation in that step, and we'll be watching very closely to see...

COSTELLO: Because you wonder what North Korea is going to do next.

FLOURNOY: Yes, it's...

COSTELLO: What more can it do?

FLOURNOY: It's hard to tell. Anybody who is in a game of predicting what North Korea is going to do next is got a really, really tough job.

COSTELLO: A very unpredictable and closed communist country. Eli Flournoy, thank you very much.

FLOURNOY: Thanks, Carol.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.