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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wake-Up Call: Powell's Remarks

Aired January 09, 2003 - 06:10   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 promised, we have Andrea Koppel on the phone. The situation with Iraq, of course, isn't the only thing on the mind of Secretary of State Colin Powell, you can add North Korea to the list. In an interview with the "Washington Post," Powell talks about a possible settlement with the communist country and what the U.S. is doing to help U.N. inspectors.
So with the inside scoop on our "Wake-Up Call," we're joined on the phone by CNN's Andrea Koppel.

Good morning -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So what could a settlement with North Korea entail?

KOPPEL: Well, you know those are -- there have been any number of elements that have been floating out there in the air for the last number of days and they would certainly include, now Powell is going on the record saying this, some sort of agreement in writing. They don't want to call it a treaty, but an agreement to codify what President Bush has been saying over and over again and that is that the U.S. has no intention of attacking North Korea. That's important, very important to the North because they are afraid that after Iraq, and they're one of the member of the "axis of evil," that they could be next.

What's also important for the North is energy supplies. In a previous agreement, the U.S. and South Korea and Japan and the E.U. had agreed to build two light water nuclear reactors and also to supply it with heavy fuel oil. That, of course, is under heavy discussion. I can go into that in more detail if you want at a later point. But in addition, of course top on the U.S. list is to have North Korea agree to freeze that nuclear program, and then finally there would possibly be, you know, the renewal of diplomatic relations between the two sides.

COSTELLO: Let's get into Iraq a little bit before you have to head off to work. Hans Blix is expected to appear before the U.N. today with talk about that Iraq weapons declaration.

KOPPEL: True. The big date that we're all waiting for is later this month, of course, the 27th of January, and that's when Hans Blix and El Baradei are supposed to lay out their overall assessment as to how the inspections have been going, how Saddam Hussein has been cooperating and most importantly, what they have found. And the "Washington Post" again, the Secretary of State Powell interview with "The Post," he's saying that the U.S. has been giving them whatever they want in terms of intelligence. They've been holding back on some intelligence, but they've been providing the inspectors with a whole bunch of intel. That's terrific, except if the inspectors don't find anything that really does present a problem for the United States and its allies as to what the justification for going to war would be.

COSTELLO: Yes, and it also makes us wonder how good the intelligence is.

KOPPEL: That's right. And we know that right up until now, I've spoken to some of Powell's aides in recent days, and they've said that what we've seen for ourselves the inspectors haven't been finding anything, that they've been knocking on these doors, opening them and in point of fact when they get inside they're not finding what they thought was there.

COSTELLO: Right.

KOPPEL: So that's certainly not good news for the U.S. as it tries to prepare to present its case...

COSTELLO: Understand.

KOPPEL: ... for possible war.

COSTELLO: Andrea Koppel, I know you have to get on the road and get in to work, and we thank you for that "Wake-Up Call" this morning.

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 January 9, 2003 - 06:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As promised, we have Andrea Koppel on the phone. The situation with Iraq, of course, isn't the only thing on the mind of Secretary of State Colin Powell, you can add North Korea to the list. In an interview with the "Washington Post," Powell talks about a possible settlement with the communist country and what the U.S. is doing to help U.N. inspectors.
So with the inside scoop on our "Wake-Up Call," we're joined on the phone by CNN's Andrea Koppel.

Good morning -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So what could a settlement with North Korea entail?

KOPPEL: Well, you know those are -- there have been any number of elements that have been floating out there in the air for the last number of days and they would certainly include, now Powell is going on the record saying this, some sort of agreement in writing. They don't want to call it a treaty, but an agreement to codify what President Bush has been saying over and over again and that is that the U.S. has no intention of attacking North Korea. That's important, very important to the North because they are afraid that after Iraq, and they're one of the member of the "axis of evil," that they could be next.

What's also important for the North is energy supplies. In a previous agreement, the U.S. and South Korea and Japan and the E.U. had agreed to build two light water nuclear reactors and also to supply it with heavy fuel oil. That, of course, is under heavy discussion. I can go into that in more detail if you want at a later point. But in addition, of course top on the U.S. list is to have North Korea agree to freeze that nuclear program, and then finally there would possibly be, you know, the renewal of diplomatic relations between the two sides.

COSTELLO: Let's get into Iraq a little bit before you have to head off to work. Hans Blix is expected to appear before the U.N. today with talk about that Iraq weapons declaration.

KOPPEL: True. The big date that we're all waiting for is later this month, of course, the 27th of January, and that's when Hans Blix and El Baradei are supposed to lay out their overall assessment as to how the inspections have been going, how Saddam Hussein has been cooperating and most importantly, what they have found. And the "Washington Post" again, the Secretary of State Powell interview with "The Post," he's saying that the U.S. has been giving them whatever they want in terms of intelligence. They've been holding back on some intelligence, but they've been providing the inspectors with a whole bunch of intel. That's terrific, except if the inspectors don't find anything that really does present a problem for the United States and its allies as to what the justification for going to war would be.

COSTELLO: Yes, and it also makes us wonder how good the intelligence is.

KOPPEL: That's right. And we know that right up until now, I've spoken to some of Powell's aides in recent days, and they've said that what we've seen for ourselves the inspectors haven't been finding anything, that they've been knocking on these doors, opening them and in point of fact when they get inside they're not finding what they thought was there.

COSTELLO: Right.

KOPPEL: So that's certainly not good news for the U.S. as it tries to prepare to present its case...

COSTELLO: Understand.

KOPPEL: ... for possible war.

COSTELLO: Andrea Koppel, I know you have to get on the road and get in to work, and we thank you for that "Wake-Up Call" this morning.

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