Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Talks in Beijing Over North Korea's Nuclear Plans

Aired January 15, 2003 - 05:03   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: Talks in Beijing over North Korea's nuclear plans, Washington is now offering food and energy to North Korea if it drops its nuclear program. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly visited South Korea before he headed to Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES KELLY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: I had excellent meetings in Korea. I'm very reassured. We have to keep talking with each other to make sure that things come out in the best possible way. And that's why I'm making this very visit to Beijing in the last few months. There's no substitute for communication.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We want to get more on just how these talks over North Korea's nuclear program are going in Beijing.

Our Lisa Rose Weaver is in the Chinese capital, joins us live on the telephone -- has James Kelly met with anyone yet in Beijing?

LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, yes, by now James Kelly has had a full day of meetings with a number of Chinese officials. We don't know exactly what was said in those meetings, but very likely on the agenda are a couple of things. One, the fact that Beijing yesterday offered to host talks between the United States and North Korea in Beijing if and when there are to be such talks. This is really pretty significant because after weeks of diplomatic contacts during which it really wasn't clear what Beijing was doing, now, finally, it's stepped up to the plate with something concrete.

China's leverage over its ally, North Korea, is now coming into play, a result of China's very special relationship with that country. It's a natural place for dialogue to occur, if it is to occur, between the U.S. and North Korea. The North Korean leadership is comfortable being here. This is one of the few countries that its reclusive president travels to, usually by train. He doesn't like to fly.

Other things likely on the table, likely China is in full support of administration officials' statements that possibly they are going to offer incentives to North Korea like food and food shipments and fuel oil as an incentive to abandon its apparent pursuit of a nuclear arsenal. That solves a lot of problems for China. Mostly it takes the pressure off if North Korea is in any more economic distress than it already is. China has a refugee problem, it doesn't want it.

So word coming from the administration that there may be a way to give a carrot, if you will, to North Korea is surely to be welcomed here in Beijing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, we'll see what happens.

Lisa Rose Weaver, many thanks to you.

We want to turn now to those talks scheduled between North and South Korea on this contentious nuclear issue.

Joining us from the South Korean capital of Seoul, our Tom Mintier -- good morning, Tom.

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Those talks next week have been agreed to by both North and South Korea. These will be the first cabinet level talks that North and South Korea have had in a long time. There have been eight previous meetings between North and South Korea, but this ninth meeting may be the most important one.

In Pyongyang, a U.N. special envoy is holding meetings with North Korean officials, giving the U.N. view to them. Maurice Strong arrived there yesterday and will be meeting with North Korean officials over the next few days. Also, Russia has announced it's going to send an envoy into Pyongyang and Australia also has a delegation visiting Pyongyang. So the diplomatic activity on the Korean Peninsula is running quite high.

Also, the military activity may be increasing. U.S. military officials are saying in Panmunjan (ph) that there is a noticed increase, almost double, by North Korean patrols inside the so-called JSA or Joint Security Area, the DMZ area that runs as the border on the 38th parallel between North and South Korea. Today, a U.S. Army officer told reporters that they, indeed, are seeing an increased number of North Korean patrols.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUT. COL. MATTHEW MARGOTTA, U.S. ARMY: Over the past week, though, we have seen some increased activity in the JSA, as well as some unusual activity by the KPA, more patrols, more personnel inside its own security area, the occupation of certain guard posts that historically have never been occupied. So we monitor that carefully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MINTIER: And once again next week it will be the inter-Korea dialogue here in Seoul, where North Korean officials will be coming to South Korea. South Korea already saying that it will try to convince North Korea to abandon its alleged nuclear program.

Tom Mintier, CNN, reporting live from Seoul, South Korea.

COSTELLO: All right, Tom, many thanks to you.

And those talks are scheduled to last four days. Of course, we'll keep you posted. We'll also get more insight into this controversy when we give our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel a wake up call. That will happen in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

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 15, 2003 - 05:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Talks in Beijing over North Korea's nuclear plans, Washington is now offering food and energy to North Korea if it drops its nuclear program. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly visited South Korea before he headed to Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES KELLY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: I had excellent meetings in Korea. I'm very reassured. We have to keep talking with each other to make sure that things come out in the best possible way. And that's why I'm making this very visit to Beijing in the last few months. There's no substitute for communication.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We want to get more on just how these talks over North Korea's nuclear program are going in Beijing.

Our Lisa Rose Weaver is in the Chinese capital, joins us live on the telephone -- has James Kelly met with anyone yet in Beijing?

LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, yes, by now James Kelly has had a full day of meetings with a number of Chinese officials. We don't know exactly what was said in those meetings, but very likely on the agenda are a couple of things. One, the fact that Beijing yesterday offered to host talks between the United States and North Korea in Beijing if and when there are to be such talks. This is really pretty significant because after weeks of diplomatic contacts during which it really wasn't clear what Beijing was doing, now, finally, it's stepped up to the plate with something concrete.

China's leverage over its ally, North Korea, is now coming into play, a result of China's very special relationship with that country. It's a natural place for dialogue to occur, if it is to occur, between the U.S. and North Korea. The North Korean leadership is comfortable being here. This is one of the few countries that its reclusive president travels to, usually by train. He doesn't like to fly.

Other things likely on the table, likely China is in full support of administration officials' statements that possibly they are going to offer incentives to North Korea like food and food shipments and fuel oil as an incentive to abandon its apparent pursuit of a nuclear arsenal. That solves a lot of problems for China. Mostly it takes the pressure off if North Korea is in any more economic distress than it already is. China has a refugee problem, it doesn't want it.

So word coming from the administration that there may be a way to give a carrot, if you will, to North Korea is surely to be welcomed here in Beijing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, we'll see what happens.

Lisa Rose Weaver, many thanks to you.

We want to turn now to those talks scheduled between North and South Korea on this contentious nuclear issue.

Joining us from the South Korean capital of Seoul, our Tom Mintier -- good morning, Tom.

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Those talks next week have been agreed to by both North and South Korea. These will be the first cabinet level talks that North and South Korea have had in a long time. There have been eight previous meetings between North and South Korea, but this ninth meeting may be the most important one.

In Pyongyang, a U.N. special envoy is holding meetings with North Korean officials, giving the U.N. view to them. Maurice Strong arrived there yesterday and will be meeting with North Korean officials over the next few days. Also, Russia has announced it's going to send an envoy into Pyongyang and Australia also has a delegation visiting Pyongyang. So the diplomatic activity on the Korean Peninsula is running quite high.

Also, the military activity may be increasing. U.S. military officials are saying in Panmunjan (ph) that there is a noticed increase, almost double, by North Korean patrols inside the so-called JSA or Joint Security Area, the DMZ area that runs as the border on the 38th parallel between North and South Korea. Today, a U.S. Army officer told reporters that they, indeed, are seeing an increased number of North Korean patrols.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUT. COL. MATTHEW MARGOTTA, U.S. ARMY: Over the past week, though, we have seen some increased activity in the JSA, as well as some unusual activity by the KPA, more patrols, more personnel inside its own security area, the occupation of certain guard posts that historically have never been occupied. So we monitor that carefully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MINTIER: And once again next week it will be the inter-Korea dialogue here in Seoul, where North Korean officials will be coming to South Korea. South Korea already saying that it will try to convince North Korea to abandon its alleged nuclear program.

Tom Mintier, CNN, reporting live from Seoul, South Korea.

COSTELLO: All right, Tom, many thanks to you.

And those talks are scheduled to last four days. Of course, we'll keep you posted. We'll also get more insight into this controversy when we give our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel a wake up call. That will happen in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

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