Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
North Korea Meetings Underway
Aired April 23, 2003 - 11:14 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to another hot spot. The U.S., China, and North Korea have completed their first day of talks in Beijing on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Our State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel is at her post with our progress report on that -- Andrea, good morning.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, not surprisingly, U.S. officials aren't saying much about what would be the first of three days of talks in Beijing. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly is the one who is leading the U.S. delegation, but if the past is any guide, North Korea is known for its bluster and brinkmanship, and so for this reason, officials here in Washington have low expectations. Remember that the U.S. is asking North Korea to give up what really is its only ace in the hole, its nuclear weapons program.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: The purpose of these talks is to get started, for us to be able to lay out the need for verifiable and irreversible end to North Korea's nuclear programs.
KOPPEL (voice-over): although billed as a multilateral meeting, besides Kelly and his North Korean counterpart, only a senior Chinese official will participate, leaving neighbors South Korea and Japan on the sidelines. Last week, Kelly tried to reassure these anxious allies they will be included in future meetings.
JON WOLFSTHAL, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR PEACE: The Bush administration now has to try and walk a fine line of engaging North Korea in these three-party talks, but pushing very quickly to have the other countries included.
KOPPEL: But the Bush administration is not of one mind on its Korea policy. While Secretary of State Powell favors engagement, Pentagon officials say Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in a recent memo, suggested the U.S. should team up with China to topple the current North Korean regime. Another U.S. official says Rumsfeld also recommended replacing Kelly with Undersecretary of State For Arms Control John Bolton, who, like Rumsfeld, favors getting tougher with Pyongyang.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: Really, until now, the administration's North Korea policy has focused on trying to convince Pyongyang to renounce nuclear weapons, not just to freeze them, but to abandon their nuclear weapons program completely in exchange, they say, for the potential of not only diplomatic recognition, but also economic benefits, and also, Daryn, what North Korea really wants, security assurances, perhaps even in writing, from the U.S. that they will not attack North Korea. They're very concerned about that considering what just happened in Iraq.
KAGAN: Sounds like there's a lot of respect issues as well. A lot was made, Andrea, too, about who was at this table and who was not. China being the third country invited, in fact, hosting the talks. What's the significance of China being there, and countries like South Korea and Japan not?
KOPPEL: Well, South Korea and Japan obviously very concerned. It's in their neighborhood, after all, that North Korea is suspected of developing this nuclear weapons program. They want to be at the table. But the reason that it's so important that China is there is that this is the country that really has the most leverage over North Korea. It provides more than 80 percent of all of North Korea's energy needs, and is a long-time communist ally, and is the one that really is believed to have twisted the North Korean leaders' arms enough so that they have come to the bargaining table, and the U.S. believes, fundamentally, if there is a deal to be had -- not at these talks, but at some point down the line, that it really will be China that could make the difference -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department. Andrea, thank 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 April 23, 2003 - 11:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to another hot spot. The U.S., China, and North Korea have completed their first day of talks in Beijing on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Our State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel is at her post with our progress report on that -- Andrea, good morning.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, not surprisingly, U.S. officials aren't saying much about what would be the first of three days of talks in Beijing. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly is the one who is leading the U.S. delegation, but if the past is any guide, North Korea is known for its bluster and brinkmanship, and so for this reason, officials here in Washington have low expectations. Remember that the U.S. is asking North Korea to give up what really is its only ace in the hole, its nuclear weapons program.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: The purpose of these talks is to get started, for us to be able to lay out the need for verifiable and irreversible end to North Korea's nuclear programs.
KOPPEL (voice-over): although billed as a multilateral meeting, besides Kelly and his North Korean counterpart, only a senior Chinese official will participate, leaving neighbors South Korea and Japan on the sidelines. Last week, Kelly tried to reassure these anxious allies they will be included in future meetings.
JON WOLFSTHAL, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR PEACE: The Bush administration now has to try and walk a fine line of engaging North Korea in these three-party talks, but pushing very quickly to have the other countries included.
KOPPEL: But the Bush administration is not of one mind on its Korea policy. While Secretary of State Powell favors engagement, Pentagon officials say Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in a recent memo, suggested the U.S. should team up with China to topple the current North Korean regime. Another U.S. official says Rumsfeld also recommended replacing Kelly with Undersecretary of State For Arms Control John Bolton, who, like Rumsfeld, favors getting tougher with Pyongyang.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: Really, until now, the administration's North Korea policy has focused on trying to convince Pyongyang to renounce nuclear weapons, not just to freeze them, but to abandon their nuclear weapons program completely in exchange, they say, for the potential of not only diplomatic recognition, but also economic benefits, and also, Daryn, what North Korea really wants, security assurances, perhaps even in writing, from the U.S. that they will not attack North Korea. They're very concerned about that considering what just happened in Iraq.
KAGAN: Sounds like there's a lot of respect issues as well. A lot was made, Andrea, too, about who was at this table and who was not. China being the third country invited, in fact, hosting the talks. What's the significance of China being there, and countries like South Korea and Japan not?
KOPPEL: Well, South Korea and Japan obviously very concerned. It's in their neighborhood, after all, that North Korea is suspected of developing this nuclear weapons program. They want to be at the table. But the reason that it's so important that China is there is that this is the country that really has the most leverage over North Korea. It provides more than 80 percent of all of North Korea's energy needs, and is a long-time communist ally, and is the one that really is believed to have twisted the North Korean leaders' arms enough so that they have come to the bargaining table, and the U.S. believes, fundamentally, if there is a deal to be had -- not at these talks, but at some point down the line, that it really will be China that could make the difference -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department. Andrea, thank 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
