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American Morning

President Bush in Bangkok

Aired October 20, 2003 - 09:12   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: From Southeastern Asia today, President Bush says progress is being made toward finding a peaceful solution to the North Korean crisis.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash traveling with the president joins us now live from Bangkok where it is evening there in Thailand.

Dana, good evening.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening.

And this new overture from the president comes on the sidelines. It is sideline negotiations, while the official meetings are talks about the economy, trade, and even dismantling terrorism. The president has been focused on this new proposal and his discussions with leaders like South Korea's President Noh. And what this proposal is, is to give the North Koreans written assurances for their security, in exchange for a promise from them that they stop their nuclear program, and this would be done so through the multilateral talks that have been ongoing with six parties altogether.

And now, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice briefing reporters made it clear that this is just the beginning of the process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: We want to discuss this with our partners. We are not going to go in all guns blazing and say take it or leave it, this is it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, this is a bit of a shift in policy for the bush administration. The president has refused to negotiate a so-called nonaggression pact with North Korea, but bush officials say that they hope with other parties involved, North Korea's neighbors, there's more of a chance that they will abide by this pact as opposed to what they have done with others, like in 1994, they essentially broke the pact according to Bush officials.

HEMMER: Dana, thanks. Dana Bash in Bangkok, traveling with the president.

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 20, 2003 - 09:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: From Southeastern Asia today, President Bush says progress is being made toward finding a peaceful solution to the North Korean crisis.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash traveling with the president joins us now live from Bangkok where it is evening there in Thailand.

Dana, good evening.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening.

And this new overture from the president comes on the sidelines. It is sideline negotiations, while the official meetings are talks about the economy, trade, and even dismantling terrorism. The president has been focused on this new proposal and his discussions with leaders like South Korea's President Noh. And what this proposal is, is to give the North Koreans written assurances for their security, in exchange for a promise from them that they stop their nuclear program, and this would be done so through the multilateral talks that have been ongoing with six parties altogether.

And now, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice briefing reporters made it clear that this is just the beginning of the process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: We want to discuss this with our partners. We are not going to go in all guns blazing and say take it or leave it, this is it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, this is a bit of a shift in policy for the bush administration. The president has refused to negotiate a so-called nonaggression pact with North Korea, but bush officials say that they hope with other parties involved, North Korea's neighbors, there's more of a chance that they will abide by this pact as opposed to what they have done with others, like in 1994, they essentially broke the pact according to Bush officials.

HEMMER: Dana, thanks. Dana Bash in Bangkok, traveling with the president.

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