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CNN Live At Daybreak

Two Koreas Prepare for Talks

Aired August 26, 2003 - 05:34   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: On the same day the South Korean Navy fires warning shots at a North Korean vessel, the two Koreas prepare for talks. They'll address the North Korean's nuclear program and other parties will be coming to the table, too, in Beijing.
With a preview, we take you to CNN's Mike Chinoy, live by video phone from Beijing -- hello, Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, no breakthroughs are expected at these talks. The big headline here is simply that they are happening and the fact that they are happening involves some significant concessions by both North Korea and the United States. The North Koreans have until now refused to engage in any multinational forum to discuss the nuclear crisis, insisting they only want to negotiate with the United States, and the Bush administration has been reluctant to negotiate at all with the North Koreans, demanding that Pyongyang simply abandon its nuclear ambitions before any talks on any other meaningful subjects could take place.

So the fact that they are going ahead is significant, but analysts and diplomats here say that the best outcome, the likeliest outcome would simply be an agreement to keep talking -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I know, Mike, I was reading Reuters reports coming over the wire right now. One says, "China says it's impossible to solve the North Korean crisis in one or two discussions" and then China also says, "other issues may arise in the six way talks."

What other issues do you think they're talking about?

CHINOY: Well, all of the countries here have their own agenda. The Japanese, for example, want to raise the issue of Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s. The Chinese are concerned about the broader issue of the whole balance of power and security in the region. The United States has its own concerns about North Korea's conventional forces.

So all of these could complicate the issue. But the key thing, analysts say, is whether or not they can find some way to get a set of principles that the sides can agree upon to keep this negotiation, this diplomatic process going. If the process falls apart, the danger is that tension could escalate and there are fears that that could raise the possibility, the specter of military action -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy live from Beijing. 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 August 26, 2003 - 05:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On the same day the South Korean Navy fires warning shots at a North Korean vessel, the two Koreas prepare for talks. They'll address the North Korean's nuclear program and other parties will be coming to the table, too, in Beijing.
With a preview, we take you to CNN's Mike Chinoy, live by video phone from Beijing -- hello, Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, no breakthroughs are expected at these talks. The big headline here is simply that they are happening and the fact that they are happening involves some significant concessions by both North Korea and the United States. The North Koreans have until now refused to engage in any multinational forum to discuss the nuclear crisis, insisting they only want to negotiate with the United States, and the Bush administration has been reluctant to negotiate at all with the North Koreans, demanding that Pyongyang simply abandon its nuclear ambitions before any talks on any other meaningful subjects could take place.

So the fact that they are going ahead is significant, but analysts and diplomats here say that the best outcome, the likeliest outcome would simply be an agreement to keep talking -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I know, Mike, I was reading Reuters reports coming over the wire right now. One says, "China says it's impossible to solve the North Korean crisis in one or two discussions" and then China also says, "other issues may arise in the six way talks."

What other issues do you think they're talking about?

CHINOY: Well, all of the countries here have their own agenda. The Japanese, for example, want to raise the issue of Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s. The Chinese are concerned about the broader issue of the whole balance of power and security in the region. The United States has its own concerns about North Korea's conventional forces.

So all of these could complicate the issue. But the key thing, analysts say, is whether or not they can find some way to get a set of principles that the sides can agree upon to keep this negotiation, this diplomatic process going. If the process falls apart, the danger is that tension could escalate and there are fears that that could raise the possibility, the specter of military action -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy live from Beijing. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com