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CNN Live At Daybreak

Closer Look at Three Countries Dubbed Part of 'Axis of Evil'

Aired January 17, 2003 - 05:38   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: Turning now to the stand-off with North Korea. South Korean President Elect Roh Moo-hyun says he believes it is still possible to resolve the nuclear crisis through dialogue. But he's urging the United States to actively take part in any talks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROH MOO-HYUN, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT ELECT: What is important in this matter is continued conciliatory and cooperative efforts. On the basis of that, the North Korean nuclear issue must be dealt with through dialogue and I'm very confident that we can and must resolve the North Korean issue with dialogue. I firmly believe the issue will be resolved in that manner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Roh made the comments in a speech to American and European business leaders in Seoul.

In the final part of our series, "Inside North Korea," we take a closer look at the three countries President Bush has dubbed part of an axis of evil. He accuses each regime of threatening world peace, but the U.S. is taking very different approaches in neutralizing that threat.

CNN's Andrea Koppel has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil arming to threaten the peace of the world.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been one year since President Bush put Iran, Iraq and North Korea on notice. White House speechwriter turned author David Frum helped to write those presidential remarks.

DAVID FRUM, FORMER BUSH SPEECHWRITER: They were like the old axis. They were linked in an axis of hatred. And my boss, the chief writer, Michael Grison (ph), and the president both preferred a more religious and theological kind of language and they changed that phrase to axis of hate -- sorry. They changed the phrase axis of hatred to axis of evil.

KOPPEL: But experts say beyond their weapons programs and a shared loathing of the United States, the three regimes do not share a common agenda. With one of the world's largest standing armies, North Korea is considered by the U.S. to be a major proliferator of ballistic missiles. A shipment of North Korean SCUDs bound for Yemen was recently discovered in the hold of a ship, buried under bags of cement.

Iran is accused by the U.S. of being the principal supporter with money and weapons of anti-Israeli terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, while Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's historical thirst for regional dominance threatens regional stability and the free flow of oil.

PETER BROOKES, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Obviously Kim Jong Il is different than Saddam Hussein and Saddam Hussein is different than the Iranian leadership.

KOPPEL: Neighbors Iraq and Iran, for example, are arch enemies who fought an extremely bloody eight year war in the 1980s, during with President Saddam Hussein ordered his military to use chemical weapons against Iranian troops.

EASON JORDAN, CNN CHIEF NEWS EXECUTIVE: There's no chance whatsoever that Iraq and North Korea are in cahoots.

KOPPEL: CNN's Eason Jordan has cultivated sources in both capitals. He says North Korean sales of missiles to Iran have also forced a rift in Pyongyang's relationship with Baghdad.

JORDAN: A senior Iraqi official once told me that North Korea had been trying to brainwash Iraq's diplomats in North Korea and as a result of that, the government in Baghdad decided to withdraw its diplomats from North Korea and shut down Iraq's embassy in Pyongyang.

KOPPEL: The Bush administration's approach toward each axis member is quite different.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We've always said that we were not going to have a cookie cutter approach to our foreign policy problems.

KOPPEL: With Iran, the U.S. is pursuing containment while encouraging Iran's democratic reformers. With North Korea, despite an escalating nuclear stand-off, the U.S. is pursuing diplomacy. While with Iraq, the talk is of possible war, the U.S. insisting Saddam Hussein's desire to dominate the region makes him the most imminent threat.

(on camera): Administration officials explain the U.S. has tried and failed for 12 years to get Iraq to give up its weapons program. With North Korea, they say the U.S. believes it still has at least some leverage left.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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




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Aired January 17, 2003 - 05:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to the stand-off with North Korea. South Korean President Elect Roh Moo-hyun says he believes it is still possible to resolve the nuclear crisis through dialogue. But he's urging the United States to actively take part in any talks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROH MOO-HYUN, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT ELECT: What is important in this matter is continued conciliatory and cooperative efforts. On the basis of that, the North Korean nuclear issue must be dealt with through dialogue and I'm very confident that we can and must resolve the North Korean issue with dialogue. I firmly believe the issue will be resolved in that manner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Roh made the comments in a speech to American and European business leaders in Seoul.

In the final part of our series, "Inside North Korea," we take a closer look at the three countries President Bush has dubbed part of an axis of evil. He accuses each regime of threatening world peace, but the U.S. is taking very different approaches in neutralizing that threat.

CNN's Andrea Koppel has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil arming to threaten the peace of the world.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been one year since President Bush put Iran, Iraq and North Korea on notice. White House speechwriter turned author David Frum helped to write those presidential remarks.

DAVID FRUM, FORMER BUSH SPEECHWRITER: They were like the old axis. They were linked in an axis of hatred. And my boss, the chief writer, Michael Grison (ph), and the president both preferred a more religious and theological kind of language and they changed that phrase to axis of hate -- sorry. They changed the phrase axis of hatred to axis of evil.

KOPPEL: But experts say beyond their weapons programs and a shared loathing of the United States, the three regimes do not share a common agenda. With one of the world's largest standing armies, North Korea is considered by the U.S. to be a major proliferator of ballistic missiles. A shipment of North Korean SCUDs bound for Yemen was recently discovered in the hold of a ship, buried under bags of cement.

Iran is accused by the U.S. of being the principal supporter with money and weapons of anti-Israeli terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, while Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's historical thirst for regional dominance threatens regional stability and the free flow of oil.

PETER BROOKES, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Obviously Kim Jong Il is different than Saddam Hussein and Saddam Hussein is different than the Iranian leadership.

KOPPEL: Neighbors Iraq and Iran, for example, are arch enemies who fought an extremely bloody eight year war in the 1980s, during with President Saddam Hussein ordered his military to use chemical weapons against Iranian troops.

EASON JORDAN, CNN CHIEF NEWS EXECUTIVE: There's no chance whatsoever that Iraq and North Korea are in cahoots.

KOPPEL: CNN's Eason Jordan has cultivated sources in both capitals. He says North Korean sales of missiles to Iran have also forced a rift in Pyongyang's relationship with Baghdad.

JORDAN: A senior Iraqi official once told me that North Korea had been trying to brainwash Iraq's diplomats in North Korea and as a result of that, the government in Baghdad decided to withdraw its diplomats from North Korea and shut down Iraq's embassy in Pyongyang.

KOPPEL: The Bush administration's approach toward each axis member is quite different.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We've always said that we were not going to have a cookie cutter approach to our foreign policy problems.

KOPPEL: With Iran, the U.S. is pursuing containment while encouraging Iran's democratic reformers. With North Korea, despite an escalating nuclear stand-off, the U.S. is pursuing diplomacy. While with Iraq, the talk is of possible war, the U.S. insisting Saddam Hussein's desire to dominate the region makes him the most imminent threat.

(on camera): Administration officials explain the U.S. has tried and failed for 12 years to get Iraq to give up its weapons program. With North Korea, they say the U.S. believes it still has at least some leverage left.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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




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