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CNN Live At Daybreak
North Korea Standoff, Sanctions for Nukes?
Aired February 12, 2003 - 06:09 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: The U.N. Security Council meets today and could decide to put the squeeze on North Korea to try to get that country to drop its nuclear plans, but will it? And if it does, will it matter?
We take you live to Vienna now and Ralitsa Vassileva.
Good morning -- Ralitsa.
So, what is the U.N. Security Council planning to do?
RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, first of all, I'm here in Vienna, where the International Atomic Energy Agency will meet to vote on a resolution. It's widely expected they will pass a resolution on the North Korean nuclear standoff, saying that they can't function in North Korea because North Korea won't let them get their inspectors back in, get their verification and monitoring equipment up to do their job, which is to verify what North Korea is doing with its nuclear material.
So, they are widely expected to refer the matter to the U.N. Security Council to decide the next steps to be taken against North Korea, which is they have a range of options from diplomatic to sanctions to military action. We will see what they will come up with. That's what they are monitoring at this point.
Back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Of course, the scary part about this is, North Korea has said if the U.N. imposes any sanctions that they'll take that as a declaration of war.
VASSILEVA: Certainly, and that is why there is one holdout here at the IAEA and that is Russia. Russia has said it is concerned that referring this matter to the Security Council means that it will make things worse, that North Korea will become even more defiant, and it will be less likely that a diplomatic solution can be found.
And North Korea itself issued a statement today asking London to help and convince the United States to start bilateral talks with Pyongyang. Pyongyang is saying this is a matter between us and the United States and nobody else.
COSTELLO: Ralitsa Vassileva live from Vienna -- thanks to you.
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 February 12, 2003 - 06:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The U.N. Security Council meets today and could decide to put the squeeze on North Korea to try to get that country to drop its nuclear plans, but will it? And if it does, will it matter?
We take you live to Vienna now and Ralitsa Vassileva.
Good morning -- Ralitsa.
So, what is the U.N. Security Council planning to do?
RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, first of all, I'm here in Vienna, where the International Atomic Energy Agency will meet to vote on a resolution. It's widely expected they will pass a resolution on the North Korean nuclear standoff, saying that they can't function in North Korea because North Korea won't let them get their inspectors back in, get their verification and monitoring equipment up to do their job, which is to verify what North Korea is doing with its nuclear material.
So, they are widely expected to refer the matter to the U.N. Security Council to decide the next steps to be taken against North Korea, which is they have a range of options from diplomatic to sanctions to military action. We will see what they will come up with. That's what they are monitoring at this point.
Back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Of course, the scary part about this is, North Korea has said if the U.N. imposes any sanctions that they'll take that as a declaration of war.
VASSILEVA: Certainly, and that is why there is one holdout here at the IAEA and that is Russia. Russia has said it is concerned that referring this matter to the Security Council means that it will make things worse, that North Korea will become even more defiant, and it will be less likely that a diplomatic solution can be found.
And North Korea itself issued a statement today asking London to help and convince the United States to start bilateral talks with Pyongyang. Pyongyang is saying this is a matter between us and the United States and nobody else.
COSTELLO: Ralitsa Vassileva live from Vienna -- thanks to you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
