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CNN Live At Daybreak
'International News Desk'
Aired October 21, 2003 - 05:36 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: Nuclear ambitions in both Iran and North Korea are a huge concern for the United States and the international community.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us now with new developments on the nuclear front -- good morning.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, Carol, good morning.
It was very interesting listening to our analyst there from Tokyo talking about North Korea. The dynamic between North Korea and the United States is like watching a poker game with the United States facing off with North Korea and then the Chinese and Japanese and everybody else sitting around. But it's basically between the two countries, between North Korea and the United States.
The North Koreans have this great bluff going.
COSTELLO: Yes, they do.
CLINCH: Do they have nuclear weapons? They may very well have nuclear weapons. We don't know. And that's the point. It's, you can almost imagine a sign somewhere outside of Pyongyang saying, you know, weapons of mass destruction this way. They seem to be proud of it, advertising the fact. It may not be true, but the point is we don't know.
The United States, on the other hand, is not really showing its cards, making references to this idea of a plan that they can offer North Korea, which is actually a pretty good offer, really. If you -- there aren't very many details, but if you believe the fact that they are prepared to offer a non-aggression pact, even if it is couched in this multilateral system, the North Koreans have to look upon that as a pretty good offer.
But, of course, there are no specifics yet and the offer isn't on the table yet.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, I guess what I'm wondering is how is this written agreement different from a treaty?
CLINCH: Well, we don't know yet, again, because there aren't specifics. But the key point really has always been the North Koreans wanted a bilateral, they want one-on-one -- the United States, North Korea, nobody else involved. They probably realize they are never going to get that, but on the other hand, are they prepared to accept something that's couched in a multilateral? And if so, what are the specifics? How, what will the United States --
COSTELLO: Written agreement say?
CLINCH: ... sign? We don't know yet. So it remains to be seen. But certainly without the details yet out there, the North Koreans -- and it's interesting, we haven't heard in the last couple of days -- we did see these missiles being tested, but we haven't heard this anti-American rhetoric blasting out of Pyongyang that we sometimes get while -- and what an opportunity. Bush is out there in Asia right now. But they have -- they've been fairly quiet about it. So perhaps that means something. We'll have to wait and see.
Iran, we've got the European foreign ministers in Iran today challenging them to cut their nuclear program now and to come clean completely. We'll see whether they do.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Thank you, David.
Many thanks.
We appreciate it.
CLINCH: OK.
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 21, 2003 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Nuclear ambitions in both Iran and North Korea are a huge concern for the United States and the international community.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us now with new developments on the nuclear front -- good morning.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, Carol, good morning.
It was very interesting listening to our analyst there from Tokyo talking about North Korea. The dynamic between North Korea and the United States is like watching a poker game with the United States facing off with North Korea and then the Chinese and Japanese and everybody else sitting around. But it's basically between the two countries, between North Korea and the United States.
The North Koreans have this great bluff going.
COSTELLO: Yes, they do.
CLINCH: Do they have nuclear weapons? They may very well have nuclear weapons. We don't know. And that's the point. It's, you can almost imagine a sign somewhere outside of Pyongyang saying, you know, weapons of mass destruction this way. They seem to be proud of it, advertising the fact. It may not be true, but the point is we don't know.
The United States, on the other hand, is not really showing its cards, making references to this idea of a plan that they can offer North Korea, which is actually a pretty good offer, really. If you -- there aren't very many details, but if you believe the fact that they are prepared to offer a non-aggression pact, even if it is couched in this multilateral system, the North Koreans have to look upon that as a pretty good offer.
But, of course, there are no specifics yet and the offer isn't on the table yet.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, I guess what I'm wondering is how is this written agreement different from a treaty?
CLINCH: Well, we don't know yet, again, because there aren't specifics. But the key point really has always been the North Koreans wanted a bilateral, they want one-on-one -- the United States, North Korea, nobody else involved. They probably realize they are never going to get that, but on the other hand, are they prepared to accept something that's couched in a multilateral? And if so, what are the specifics? How, what will the United States --
COSTELLO: Written agreement say?
CLINCH: ... sign? We don't know yet. So it remains to be seen. But certainly without the details yet out there, the North Koreans -- and it's interesting, we haven't heard in the last couple of days -- we did see these missiles being tested, but we haven't heard this anti-American rhetoric blasting out of Pyongyang that we sometimes get while -- and what an opportunity. Bush is out there in Asia right now. But they have -- they've been fairly quiet about it. So perhaps that means something. We'll have to wait and see.
Iran, we've got the European foreign ministers in Iran today challenging them to cut their nuclear program now and to come clean completely. We'll see whether they do.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Thank you, David.
Many thanks.
We appreciate it.
CLINCH: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
