Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired October 02, 2003 - 05:37   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: We're going to be following developments in the U.S. crisis with North Korea, of course.
We want to talk more about that. Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here now. And it sounds scary.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: It does. Eight nuclear weapons, perhaps, in the hands of North Korea, in the hands of Kim Jong Il. It probably couldn't be much scarier, really. I mean this is an extraordinary situation. In the last few months, year or so, while the U.S. and the world has been paying attention to Iraq, North Korea has thrown out U.N. inspectors, started reprocessing these rods. Now they told us, yesterday they told our CNN's Richard Roth last night that they finished reprocessing the first 8,000 rods, enough nuclear material to make another six weapons.

COSTELLO: Well, they could be lying.

CLINCH: They could be lying. That's a very important point, actually, because the U.S. has consistently said yes, there are some signs they're doing this reprocessing. We know they've moved the rods from one location to another, where they would do the reprocessing. There are some ways which you can by remote processes, by satellites and other means, judge whether or not they're doing it. There are some indications that they are doing it.

But there's effectively no way to tell the -- to say whether they're telling the truth in the complete sense, that is to say, do they actually have the weapons, unless you're there, unless the U.N. inspectors are there. And the prospects of U.N. inspectors getting back into North Korea...

COSTELLO: Are nil.

CLINCH: ... are very remote. I mean they can't even persuade the North Koreans to come back and have a second round of six way talks. And since the last round of six way talks...

COSTELLO: So, what does the United States do?

CLINCH: They're continuing to pressure them to come back. They're continuing to say that they believe that the North Koreans are basically putting up a gambit, saying that they have these nuclear weapons because they want, the North Koreans want more money, more recognition...

COSTELLO: And we as Americans hope they're right. CLINCH: We hope they're right because if they're not right, they have six, eight nuclear weapons. They have a very unstable political process and they have soon the missiles with which they could lob these nuclear weapons, at least to Japan, perhaps even all the way to the United States.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about Japan and South Korea, because they can't be happy about this latest development.

CLINCH: Absolutely. The Japanese, I mean, for instance, on a very important point there, the Japanese are desperately trying to get their own spy satellites up so that they can look for themselves, because not only do they -- are they getting the information from the U.S., they want to be able 24 hours a day to monitor what the North Koreans are doing because they are target number one. They're close and the missiles already exist to get those nuclear weapons to Japan.

So likely they're bluffing, but, you know, you just don't want to trust that for too long.

COSTELLO: Yes, well, where's China?

CLINCH: Well...

COSTELLO: We don't have time to get into all of that...

CLINCH: We can talk about that another time.

COSTELLO: ... but we thought China was going to help.

CLINCH: They are trying, but it's not as easy as that.

COSTELLO: Understand.

David Clinch, many thanks.

CLINCH: Thanks.

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 October 2, 2003 - 05:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to be following developments in the U.S. crisis with North Korea, of course.
We want to talk more about that. Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here now. And it sounds scary.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: It does. Eight nuclear weapons, perhaps, in the hands of North Korea, in the hands of Kim Jong Il. It probably couldn't be much scarier, really. I mean this is an extraordinary situation. In the last few months, year or so, while the U.S. and the world has been paying attention to Iraq, North Korea has thrown out U.N. inspectors, started reprocessing these rods. Now they told us, yesterday they told our CNN's Richard Roth last night that they finished reprocessing the first 8,000 rods, enough nuclear material to make another six weapons.

COSTELLO: Well, they could be lying.

CLINCH: They could be lying. That's a very important point, actually, because the U.S. has consistently said yes, there are some signs they're doing this reprocessing. We know they've moved the rods from one location to another, where they would do the reprocessing. There are some ways which you can by remote processes, by satellites and other means, judge whether or not they're doing it. There are some indications that they are doing it.

But there's effectively no way to tell the -- to say whether they're telling the truth in the complete sense, that is to say, do they actually have the weapons, unless you're there, unless the U.N. inspectors are there. And the prospects of U.N. inspectors getting back into North Korea...

COSTELLO: Are nil.

CLINCH: ... are very remote. I mean they can't even persuade the North Koreans to come back and have a second round of six way talks. And since the last round of six way talks...

COSTELLO: So, what does the United States do?

CLINCH: They're continuing to pressure them to come back. They're continuing to say that they believe that the North Koreans are basically putting up a gambit, saying that they have these nuclear weapons because they want, the North Koreans want more money, more recognition...

COSTELLO: And we as Americans hope they're right. CLINCH: We hope they're right because if they're not right, they have six, eight nuclear weapons. They have a very unstable political process and they have soon the missiles with which they could lob these nuclear weapons, at least to Japan, perhaps even all the way to the United States.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about Japan and South Korea, because they can't be happy about this latest development.

CLINCH: Absolutely. The Japanese, I mean, for instance, on a very important point there, the Japanese are desperately trying to get their own spy satellites up so that they can look for themselves, because not only do they -- are they getting the information from the U.S., they want to be able 24 hours a day to monitor what the North Koreans are doing because they are target number one. They're close and the missiles already exist to get those nuclear weapons to Japan.

So likely they're bluffing, but, you know, you just don't want to trust that for too long.

COSTELLO: Yes, well, where's China?

CLINCH: Well...

COSTELLO: We don't have time to get into all of that...

CLINCH: We can talk about that another time.

COSTELLO: ... but we thought China was going to help.

CLINCH: They are trying, but it's not as easy as that.

COSTELLO: Understand.

David Clinch, many thanks.

CLINCH: Thanks.

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