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CNN Live At Daybreak
U.S., Koreas, Russia, China, Japan Meeting
Aired August 27, 2003 - 06:30 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: They are talking, and that in itself is positive. North Korean officials are at the table with the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. The goal: to get North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Live to Beijing, where those talks have just ended for the day. Mike Chinoy is here to bring us up-to-date.
Good morning -- Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, the North Koreans wanted to negotiate only with the United States, and for a long time the Bush administration didn't want to negotiate anything with North Korea. Instead, the Bush administration was demanding the north simply dismantle its nuclear program.
Now, under the auspices of China, which is hosting this meeting, American and North Korean diplomats, along with Chinese, Russian, South Korean and Japanese, have been sitting around a big table at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse, each of the delegates presenting a formal position paper outlining where their governments stand on this issue.
The U.S. and North Korea remain very far apart, and Washington is saying that unless North Korea first agrees to get rid of its nuclear program, there can't be any discussion about the security guarantees and economic aid that North Korea wants. The North Koreans, for their part, are saying that unless the U.S. agrees to sign a nonaggression treaty, they're not willing to even consider giving up their nuclear program.
So, squaring the circle is the task of the diplomats here, and nobody expects rapid progress. However, if these three days of talks can lead to an understanding about the principles or a formula for moving ahead for further negotiations, that will be considered progress. If the talks don't break down, that's a step in the right direction. If they do, the prospect is for heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Mike Chinoy reporting live from Beijing, China, this morning.
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 27, 2003 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: They are talking, and that in itself is positive. North Korean officials are at the table with the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. The goal: to get North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Live to Beijing, where those talks have just ended for the day. Mike Chinoy is here to bring us up-to-date.
Good morning -- Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, the North Koreans wanted to negotiate only with the United States, and for a long time the Bush administration didn't want to negotiate anything with North Korea. Instead, the Bush administration was demanding the north simply dismantle its nuclear program.
Now, under the auspices of China, which is hosting this meeting, American and North Korean diplomats, along with Chinese, Russian, South Korean and Japanese, have been sitting around a big table at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse, each of the delegates presenting a formal position paper outlining where their governments stand on this issue.
The U.S. and North Korea remain very far apart, and Washington is saying that unless North Korea first agrees to get rid of its nuclear program, there can't be any discussion about the security guarantees and economic aid that North Korea wants. The North Koreans, for their part, are saying that unless the U.S. agrees to sign a nonaggression treaty, they're not willing to even consider giving up their nuclear program.
So, squaring the circle is the task of the diplomats here, and nobody expects rapid progress. However, if these three days of talks can lead to an understanding about the principles or a formula for moving ahead for further negotiations, that will be considered progress. If the talks don't break down, that's a step in the right direction. If they do, the prospect is for heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Mike Chinoy reporting live from Beijing, China, this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
