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North Korea Missile Launch; Emmanuel Macron to Become French President. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired May 14, 2017 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): North Korea launched another missile early on Sunday local time, even as South Korea's new president calls for dialogue with the North to denuclearize. We are live in Seoul.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): And the launch comes as North Korea's principle ally, China, hosts a major international trade conference in Beijing. We have the latest from the Chinese capital ahead.

JONES (voice-over): Plus this hour, Emmanuel Macron is being inaugurated as France's new head of state. We'll be live in Paris for all of the live pictures and reaction.

HOWELL (voice-over): In the United States, good morning, it is 5:00 am on the U.S. East Coast. We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm George Howell, live at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

JONES (voice-over): And I'm live in London, I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones. It's just gone 10:00 am this Sunday morning. Thanks for joining us. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: A live image there in Paris, France. You are looking at the steps in front of the Elysee Palace at 11:01 am in Paris. We are expecting the president-elect, Emmanuel Macron, to soon emerge alongside the outgoing president, Francois Hollande, in front of the Elysee Palace. This live image that we will continue to monitor waiting for this very important moment in France, the changing of leadership in that nation.

JONES: As we continue to monitor all the pictures from Paris, we will go back when we see the two men emerge from the Elysee Palace. In the meantime, we want to bring you a very important top story.

The U.S. says the ballistic missile that North Korea launched early on Sunday did not threaten the continental United States. It landed in the sea after flying around 700 kilometers, that's a little more than 400 miles or so. The U.S. says it doesn't appear to have been an intercontinental

missile. It is, at least though, the ninth missile test from the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, since the beginning of the Trump presidency. It is also the first one after a new South Korean president was sworn in. That happened just a few days ago.

Our Alexandra Field joins me now from Seoul in South Korea.

(INAUDIBLE), Alex. There's no rest for the wicked, is there, immediate challenge now for the new president there in South Korea.

What is he saying?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this happened within just days of President Moon Jae-in taking office. It certainly shouldn't take him entirely by surprise. You have certainly heard North Korean officials say repeatedly that you will continue to see these types of ballistic missile launches and tests.

One saying that it could happen every week. Again, you have had 10 ballistic missile launch attempts since just the start of the year. This is the seventh date on which North Korea has attempted such a launch.

So while officials are trying to understand more about the specific type of missile that was actually launched into the waters off the Korean Peninsula, closer to Russia than Japan, you also now have the burden on the newly elected South Korean president to show his country and also North Korea and his allies like the United States how he is prepared to respond to these types of provocations.

What you saw instantly was the same reaction that we are used to seeing after all of these launches, the convening of the National Security Council. That meeting was led by President Moon Jae-in. He left that meeting to announce that South Korea strongly condemns the actions of North Korea with this latest provocation.

He has also advocated for more engagement with North Korea as a path toward denuclearization. That was a major topic for him on the campaign trail, it's part of the Democratic Party platform here in South Korea.

It marks a change from the Conservative Party rule, that you have seen in South Korea for the last 10 years. Now in the aftermath of this first provocation, President Moon Jae-in's tenure, he is sending a message to North Korea, saying that the South needs to let the North know that talks will only be possible if the North changes its attitude.

This launch coming after a top North Korean diplomat had said North Korea would consider the possibility of talks under the right conditions. Of course, you have heard similar rhetoric in recent works from Washington, wherein top level administration officials have said that there could be possibility for talks with Pyongyang if Pyongyang too certain steps and met certain benchmarks in working toward the process of denuclearization. What we are hearing from Washington now in the aftermath of this

latest ballistic missile launch is, yet again, a call on all countries to strictly enforce all sanctions against North Korea. That is a cornerstone of President Trump's policy now in dealing with North Korea, trying to further isolate the regime there -- Hannah.

JONES: Huge amount of tension there on the Korean Peninsula, Alexandra Field, live for us in the South Korea capital --

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JONES: -- Seoul, Alex, thank you.

HOWELL: Let's bring in now Matthew Chance, live in Moscow, following reaction there.

Again, Matthew, this is happening at a time when President Putin is in China for an infrastructure conference that's happening.

What is the reaction from the Kremlin on this?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the White House preempted the Russian reaction in some ways. The spokesperson for the White House, for President Trump, saying that the president cannot imagine that the Russian president is pleased with the situation, given that the missile from North Korea landed so close to Russian soil.

It landed in the Sea of Japan a short distance from the Russian coastline, about 100 kilometers or so. That instinct was absolutely correct because, within the past few hours, the Russian president, who is in Beijing on a meeting with President Xi of China, has expressed his concern.

His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has issued a statement, saying that not only is the concern expressed about the escalation of tension but also in connection with the launch of the missile from North Korea.

There's been further reaction as well from Russian parliamentarians here. The head of the defense committee of the upper house of the Russian parliament, the federation counsel, Victor Azarov (ph) is his name, saying that the air defense systems in the far eastern region of Russia, which is around Vladivostok, where this North Korean missile landed in the area, those missile systems have been placed on high alert.

Also, Mr. Azarov (ph) is saying that the Russians understand that Russia was not the target of this missile. Of course, relatively close relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Victor Azarov (ph), the head of the defense committee, saying the joint exercises with the United States and South Korea near the borders of North Korea do not contribute to resolving the situation in that region. And so Mr. Azarov, Victor Azarov, is saying that he blames, essentially, those controversial, annual joint exercises that take place between Seoul and Washington in that region for escalating these problems.

HOWELL: Matthew, as you point out, it was interesting to see the U.S. preempt the response there from the Kremlin. The U.S. certainly relying on China to influence or have its influence over North Korea.

But the question here is, what is the Russian influence when it comes to North Korea?

CHANCE: You're right; I think it was slightly unusual for the United States to call upon the Russians in that way for a response. I think there's an extent to which the Trump White House views Russia as being on the same side as Washington on this issue.

Certainly, there's been lots of concern expressed by both sides, by Moscow and Washington, about the extent of the North Korean missile program. And Russia has a long history of trying, working with the international community, to resolve the problem on the Korean Peninsula. And of course Washington's call is for Moscow to continue to do so. That will please Putin because he enjoys being at the center of attention --

JONES: Apologies for interrupting Matthew Chance there. We're taking you live to Paris, there you can see the president-elect, Emmanuel Macron, alongside his outgoing president of France, Francois Hollande, these two have a long history. They have worked together in the past. But then they became foes for a time during the presidential election itself.

This is the traditional protocol in Paris, when you see the new president saying goodbye, effectively to the outgoing president at the Elysee Palace. This is the presidential home, the presidential seat in France.

Francois Hollande then waving goodbye on the red carpet. He is leaving his presidency with some of the lowest approval ratings in France's history. He has spent the last week or so since Emmanuel Macron's election, trying to rebuild some favor with the French public, the French electorate as well.

They are entering a very understated car. It's apparently the same type of hybrid vehicle he that arrived at the Elysee Palace in, wanting to play down any kind of presidential favors, notions.

So leaving there and leaving behind him the new president, not yet officially the president of France, but certainly the president-elect of France, Emmanuel Macron, who is waving him goodbye then as they leave the Elysee Palace courtyard.

Our Melissa Bell is our Paris correspondent and she's monitoring all of these inauguration events for us from the French capital.

Melissa, talk to us about what happens next, now that out with the old, in with the new.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Out with the old, Hannah, not just Francois Hollande but in a sense the Socialist Party itself. Since it's very difficult to see how, given the disarray in which it finds itself and Emmanuel Macron has no small part to play in that. It could ever hope to come back to power anytime soon, even to continue to exist.

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BELL: That is a real question, here in France today, whether these main political parties will manage to reform, to regroup, to pick themselves up and dust themselves off in time for the parliamentary elections next month.

There then goes Francois Hollande bringing to an end five years which has seen, as you say, with some of the lowest approval ratings in living memory. Emmanuel Macron, the man who saw him off and who saw off the main political parties in what was an extraordinary presidential race, now heading back into the Elysee Palace for what will be an extremely busy day for this political novice.

First of all, he will receive the Legion of Honor. He will then hear the official results from last week's election, which saw him get 66 percent of the vote, Hannah. No one imagined he would come anywhere near that, probably that he wouldn't even be in the second round at all.

He saw off the far right's Marine Le Pen with 66 percent of the vote. Those official results will be read out and he will then be sworn in as France's new president. He will then make his way up the Champs- Elysees here just beneath me, all the way to the Arc de Triomphe, where he pay tribute to the Unknown Soldier before later being received at the town hall by Paris' Socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, another woman he doesn't see eye-to-eye with, since he has very much seen off her political party -- Hannah.

HOWELL: Melissa Bell, it's George Howell, joining in the conversation here. 11:11 there in Paris. And again for our viewers around the world, looking at this image, a process that will play out through the day, the transition from an outgoing president, a new president-elect taking the helm there in France.

Melissa Bell, the question that I have for you, you talk about this election, obviously, we'll get to hear the official results, et cetera. But let's talk about the world view here because, again, this is an election that the world was watching. France now has a new leader, Emmanuel Macron; could have taken a very different turn had Marine Le Pen been at the helm of France.

Just talk to us about the implications of what this election means with Emmanuel Macron at the helm as opposed to what it could have been with Marine Le Pen.

BELL: I think it's a crucial question. It's the reason the world watches this particular presidential transition in France in a way that it simply hasn't with previous presidential handovers at the Elysee Palace and that is for two reasons, George, first of all, because this election does have implications not just for France and France's economy but also the European Union. With Marine Le Pen, the idea was that France would hold a referendum,

possibly leave the European Union, leave the euro with many questions then about the possible future of the European Project itself. So European capitals, you could almost hear an audible sigh of relief as Brussels looked on to this part election.

Emmanuel Macron was the most pro-European of all the candidates in the initial lineup of 11 that were in standing in front of the French people, hoping to be elected. Also, there are consequences for the wider world as well.

France is a member of the Security Council, the United Nations, a member of the G7, and that takes me to my second point, the other reason that the world was watching is that, in a sense, George, this has very much been the continuation of a battle of ideas that began between -- during the American presidential election, between on one hand, a new closeness, a populist surge that brings to power people who want to close borders, retreat behind them, pull themselves away from international organizations or, on the other hand, and this is very much what Emmanuel Macron incarnated, the idea that we need more openness, more globalization more openness onto the outside world.

And in the case of France, more Europe. Here in France, it is that second vision of the world that prevailed. I think, as the world watches this particular transition of power here in France, that is also what we are watching, the end of that populist surge, the end of that populist wave. And whether or not Emmanuel Macron will be able to fulfill that promise, which is possibly the harder to hold in front of an electorate, that more globalization can be good news, that you can rekindle the fires of a sleeping economy with more openness on the rest of the world, with a new emphasis put on reform of the European Union, possibly a smaller European Union, that will be more federalist, more powerful from above than from within the sovereign countries that are within it.

These are difficult arguments to make. Emmanuel Macron made them with remarkable efficiency in a very convincing way. He's (INAUDIBLE) the election now, the real pressure is on his shoulders to turn that into the political success that France really needs after decades of political -- of political incapacity, really, to move ahead, to change things, to reform and, in particular, the hope for France's economy, that it will finally be able to move on and to move ahead, fixing the problem of unemployment, fixing the problem of its slowdown that we have seen over the course of the last years.

These are all the pressures that are on this man's shoulders as he --

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BELL: -- prepares to be sworn in as France's new president.

JONES: Melissa, it's Hannah Vaughan Jones in London. Still staying with you and staying with our live pictures, we can now see, I believe, Brigitte Macron, the new first lady of France, entering into this magnificent hall within the Elysee Palace buildings. We are expected to also now hear from the president-elect Macron, expecting him to take to the lectern and deliver some words to his country now. And interesting, also, to find out about a bit more detail of the day itself.

Is he going to be straight to work or is this just a day full of celebration?

BELL: The idea is that he gets straight down to work and straight into the business of governing the country, presiding over the country. A big question, of course, is who he is going to nominate.

Normally, when a French president comes into the Elysee Palace, you have a vague idea of who his political allies are and who he is likely to nominate as the prime minister. This time, it is a complete leap in the dark. We simply don't know who he has in mind to be prime minister, which is an exceptionally important role in France but also, the other members of his cabinet, which will meet on Wednesday.

So he's very much going to have to make those announcements very quickly. It will be very interesting to see how he balances the need to reconcile those political parties that were pushed aside by choosing possible ministers or a couple of them from within and his promise of political renewal, where he's not going to choose career politicians but bringing new faces to represent and govern in France.

Those are the priorities; tomorrow, he's going to be in Berlin, it will be the first foreign meeting as French president. Very important to put such emphasis on the relationship with Angela Merkel, since at the heart of his project is very much the renewal and the reform of the European Union. It's something that Angela Merkel will be keen to be involved in as well and to finally see happen after all these months of its inability to move ahead, given the huge challenges that are there but the lack of political will perhaps that there has been so far to deal with those challenges.

You mentioned also Brigitte Macron, a great deal of attention on France's new first lady. She is famously 24 years older than Emmanuel Macron himself. They met when he was a 15-year-old schoolboy, she was a teacher at his school. There's been an awful lot of interest in what sort of first lady she will be.

She's explained that she will not be funded by the taxpayer. But we are expected her to play perhaps more of an official role, a more established role, a more public role than the last few first ladies here in France.

JONES: Melisa, a flurry of activity in the hall. We are expecting to see Emmanuel Macron emerge in the next few minutes or so. I am wondering about the detail itself and the protocol.

At what point does he actually become the president of France?

BELL: It's an excellent question. We are going to hear from him those first few words a little later. He will -- he is not yet technically president although Francois Hollande left and his government resigned a few days ago, this is extremely procedural.

There's a great formality, a very solemn note to this occasion. He is to receive the Legion of Honor, first of all; he is to have the official results of the country's election read to him by Laurent Fabius, the man who is the head of the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the land, the highest apparatus of the French state, if you like.

He will read the official results, then he will be sworn in as France's new president, with the eyes of the world watching, with the weight of the country on his shoulder and the expectations that Emmanuel Macron will make his way up the Champs-Elysees for his first official engagement as president after a 21-gun salute.

Just on the other side of the Seine, he will make his way up the Champs-Elysees here to pay tribute to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

HOWELL: Melissa Bell live in Paris. Right now at 11:18 in the French capital, Emmanuel Macron, the president-elect, set to address people there at the Elysee Palace. Looking at this live image, the transition of power in France.

I'm George Howell along with Hannah Vaughan Jones, joining in London, we're covering this transition of power that is taking place right now, keeping in mind that Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen in this election that the world was watching. Now Emmanuel Macron is taking the helm in France.

Just moments ago, we saw him standing alongside the outgoing president of France, Francois Hollande, just there in front of the Elysee Palace just moments ago. Now we are watching this live image, as he is set to address people there in the Elysee Palace.

Let's bring back in Melissa Bell.

Again, we are looking at this moment of history, quite frankly, in the nation. This is a person who created his own party, quite frankly, now, coming to power.

The question I have for you is --

[05:20:00]

HOWELL: -- look, so, this is a new president with who wants to get things done.

But will he have the allies to do so, given that he is a newcomer himself?

And he is coming in with other parties that is have been rebuked by French voters.

BELL: You are absolutely right, George. You need only to look around the room to get the idea of the democratic revolution that has taken place. There are several very distinct groups of guests. First, those who represent the state, they are the staff members of

places like the national assembly, France's parliament and the Constitutional Court, different parts of France's state apparatus. The staff are invited on these occasions as is a matter of course.

What is new are the people who are accompanying Emmanuel Macron. There are lots of France's politicians are invited there, the kind of old guard, the people that represent the Socialist Party and the Republican Party.

The big question is many of them are -- are many of them actually going to be able to keep their parliament seats in next month's parliamentary elections?

Because what's extraordinary is, at the moment, having achieved this political gamble this far, the movement, En Marche, that Emmanuel Macron created a year ago, George, it is putting up candidates in nearly all of France's constituencies and for the time being looks set to be leading the polls.

So without really lifting a finger, Emmanuel Macron has finished to see off the political formation and the political parties that have so dominated French politics. It isn't just that the parties have dominated French politics but a few key officials that have been recycled over decades, that simply never seem to leave power.

They are the very people who are threatened to lose their seats in next month's election. So Emmanuel Macron makes his way around the room, he is standing in that room surrounded by the old guard politicians, who are threatened by his presidency, the people who represent the French state but also those -- and many of them are extremely young who campaigned on his behalf, his campaign team, his family as well.

He's also chosen to bring in a number of special guests, like the partner, you will remember, the policeman who was killed on the Champs-Elysees here just a few days before the first round of voting in a terrorist attack. His partner has been invited, as has the father of one of Emmanuel Macron's campaign workers, tragically, a 29- year-old woman who died in a car accident during the campaign.

So it is a very different bunch of faces you are seeing in that room today. All those who helped bring him to power and campaigned so tirelessly to help him achieve what everyone had imagined was an impossible dream.

JONES: Melissa, just one face we are looking at at the moment, Emmanuel Macron, as he waits to take the lectern.

When he gets up there and addresses the French people, Melissa, what can we expect him to say?

Will it be a message of unity, given the fact that France was so very divided over the whole election campaign?

BELL: I think almost certainly. One thing that's been so striking about Macron's campaign style, about his style, full stop, has been the ability that he has to calm those who boo at his political rallies whenever an opponent was mentioned and to try to bring people together.

That destabilized many people here in France who are used to seeing the old kind of rough-and-tumble of party politics with lots of animosity, lots of harsh words spoken between political rivals. Macron has set that aside was much mocked for it on the campaign trail, this tendency he has to try and reconcile the ideas of the Right and the Left. The tendency he has to put aside the political animosity, whether the crowds were turning on the candidate of the Republican Party, Francois Fillon, during his traditional troubles or whether they were turning on his rival in the second round, the far right's Marine Le Pen, that so many were worried about.

He would stop their booing, saying stop it, we do not build a political project on the boos you are showing here today. We build it on bringing people together. That is likely to be central to the speech we are about to hear.

JONES: Melissa, we've just been seeing Emmanuel Macron, live pictures of Macron there in the Elysee Palace, officially declared as president. Let's listen in now and see if we can hear anymore of the atmosphere within that palace.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Chairman of the Constitutional Council, ladies and gentlemen, the French people have chosen, as you said, on the 7th of May, hope and the spirit of victory.

The entire world was looking at our presidential election and everywhere people were wondering whether the French were going to --

[05:25:00]

MACRON (through translator): -- decide to look back on the past and to see if they were going to break with the march of the world forward and democratic choices. The spirit of division and to turn their backs on enlightenment and, in fact, on the country. They did quite the opposite.

They confirmed those values which made them a great people. On the 7th of May, the French made their choice and let them be thanked. The responsibility which they conferred on me is an honor and I am aware of the gravity of that honor.

The world and Europe need France more than ever. They need a strong France, sure of its destiny, a France which holds high the voice of freedom and solidarity. They need a France which knows how to invent its future.

The world needs the French -- what the French always taught it, the boldness of freedom, the demands of equality and the determination of fraternity.

For decades now, France has been doubting itself. It feels threatened in its culture, its model, it has doubted itself and, therefore, my mandate is guided by two demands, two needs.

The first one will be to try and give back this sense of confidence, which has been too long weakened to the French people.

And I am absolutely sure that this cannot be an overnight business. It will be a long and indispensable labor. It is essential that our country, which seems to be beleaguered by what is happening in the world, we will have to tap all the resources of all the nations of the world.

And I am absolutely convinced that the power of France is not in decline and that we are at the dawn of an extraordinary rebirth because we have all the assets in our hands, those which make the powers great in the 21st century.

And I shall not yield one iota to the commitments I have made to the French in this regard. All the resources will be implemented and be supported. Initiatives will be encouraged. Culture and education, which emancipation is built on; innovation, technology will be at the heart of my activity.

The French men and women who feel forsaken by this vast movement abroad in the world will be relieved and we will be refounded and strengthened in our political life.

Everything that makes France a constant country, where one can live without fear, will be strengthened. Republican secularism will be defended. The forces of law and order and the armed forces will be comforted (ph).

Europe needs to be refounded, relaunched, because it protects us, our values and principles. And our institutions decried by some have to get back the efficiency in the eyes of the French because I believe in the institutions of the Fifth Republic and we have to do absolutely essential that -- essential to make sure that it functions again.

The citizens will be heeded, will be listened on every chapter of that constitution. And this is a struggle of each and everyone. Responsibility of all the elites, whether they be political, economic, social or religious; of all those bodies, which make up the French nation, will be called upon.

We cannot, anymore, hide behind customs or traditions. We have to find again the deep sense and the dignity which brings us here together today.

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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We have to find again, the deep sense and the dignity which brings us here together today. And we have to make sure that it is just and equitable for our country. France is strong only if it prospers. France is a model for the rest of the world, only if it is prosperous.

And that's my second demand because we will have given back the test (ph) of the future and the pride to the French people, the world will be attentive to the voice of France.

And because we will become the example of a people that confirms their values and their principles, which are those of democracy and the republic.

The efforts of my predecessors have been quite remarkable and I would like to applaud them here. General de Gaulle, who did everything in order to get France back on its feet and (INAUDIBLE) Georges Pompidou, which made of our country a major industrial power and Giscard d'Estaing, who made France a modern society.

And Francois Mitterrand, who reconciled the French dream with the European, Jacques Chirac, who, in the name, on behalf of our nation, said no to new wars and to Nicolas Sarkozy, who energetically combated the economic crisis which beleaguered the entire world and then, of course, Francois Hollande, who made sure that Paris was on the map in terms of climate change and who combated terrorism.

Their activity over all these last decades was damaged by the discouragement abroad in the French nation by people who felt forsaken and forgotten.

What France has to say to the world was weakened by a world situation which was discouraging.

Today, ladies and gentlemen, it is high time today to stand proud and challenge the times. And the difficulties have to be overcome, whether they are economic, social, political or moral, for the world expects us to be strong and forward-looking and in solidarity with our partners.

We shall assume all our responsibilities to respond pertinently, appropriately, to the great challenges, whether it be the immigration, migration flux, the excesses of global capitalism and, of course, terrorism.

Nothing will affect only a part of the population but, all together, we are united. We are all neighbors and France will always ensure that it is on the side of freedom, human rights and always to build peace, sustainable peace.

We have an enormous role in checking excesses and defending liberty and freedom. That is our vocation. For that, we will need a more efficient, democratic and more political Europe because it is the instrument of our power and our sovereignty and I shall work at that.

Geography has shrunk and time has accelerated. We live through a period which will decide the future of France for decades to come. And we are struggling and fighting not only for this generation but for the generations to come.

It is up to us, all of us, to decide on the world in which these generations will live. And that, perhaps, is our greatest responsibility. We have to build the world which our youth deserves.

I know that the men and women of France, at this moment, expect a lot from me and they are right because the mandate, which they are conferring on me, requires --

[05:35:00]

MACRON (through translator): -- absolute determination. I'm absolutely convinced and conscious of that.

Nothing will yield to facility or compromise. Nothing will compromise my determination. I will defend in all places and everywhere the superior interests of France. I will, at the same time, be determined to reconcile and to bring together all the French people.

The trust, which the men and women of France have conferred on me, confer on me also an immense energy and the intimate certainty that we can actually build one of the -- or write one of the best pages of our history.

The French people has always managed to find the energy, the discernment and the spirit of concord to make sure that change does happen. This is where we stand at the moment.

And in the light of this mission, I shall serve my people and I hope I will be able to count on all my compatriots to carry out that task, which is before us. And I shall be at work as from this evening. Long live the republic. Long live France.

(APPLAUSE)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): 11:36 in the French capital. You are seeing the transition of power. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France. Just a moment ago, he addressed the French people there, giving his vision for the future of that nation.

Earlier, he stood alongside the outgoing president, Francois Hollande, who left the Elysee Palace. Moments ago, we heard Emmanuel Macron say that, quote, "the responsibility they conferred on me is an honor and I am aware of the weight of that honor."

He also said that the world needs France right now and said that there are two main principles for his leadership; first, to give back a sense of confidence in the nation of France, saying that things like innovation, things like military support will be front and center for him and also saying the second principle for him, that, when France upholds its values, the world will be attentive to the voice of France.

The French president also congratulated his predecessors, talking about the history of that nation and looking also for a future where he brings the country together.

You are watching CNN live coverage, 11:37 am in Paris, 5:37 on the U.S. East Coast. We'll be back right after the break with more coverage. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM this Sunday morning where it's just coming up to quarter to 11:00 local time here in London. We want to update you with our other main story we're following today.

The U.S. says the ballistic missile North Korea launched early on Sunday does not appear to be intercontinental. It landed in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea. A senior North Korean diplomat tells the South Korean news agency the North is open to dialogue with the United States, quote, "under the right conditions."

HOWELL: For the Center for American Progress, Adam is also the former director of the North Korean task force at the Council on Foreign Relations. Joining now from Washington via Skype.

Adam, so let's talk about the timing of this missile launch. China hosting a trade and infrastructure forum with major world leaders. North Korea is aware of that and they're also aware of the transition that's taking place in South Korea with the new president.

Does all of that play into this?

ADAM MOUNT, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: I think it does. It's an understudied and under-recognized fact that China and North Korea have been signaling to each other with their militaries for several months and several years now. It is a relationship that is not comfortable.

They are not on as good of terms as they have been in the past. President Xi has never met King Jong-un, who has actually never left his own country. So it is a relationship that is strained and also the symbolism is not lost on China. They should understand that their economic development and regional prosperity will be at risk as long as North Korea is allowed to continue its activities.

HOWELL: But, again, South Korea bringing in a new president, who is open to more dialogue with North Korea, a very big change than what we have seen in the past decade.

Does it matter they know there is a possibility for more dialogue?

Is this meant to throw a wrench into that possibility?

MOUNT: Well, North Koreans are savvy about their negotiating strategy. They are not proven to be trustworthy negotiating partners. So this could be an effort to raise the price in negotiations; it could be a bargaining tactic. But really I think we ought to be skeptical about the possibility that negotiations see. I think it is worth a try. I think the United States and South Korea

should jointly develop a negotiating strategy and approach the regime in Pyongyang to say there is a deal here that doesn't improve your security.

But on the other hand, we can't count on it succeeding. In fact, we should plan for it to fail like most negotiations with North Korea have in the past.

HOWELL: Russia, China, the United States, South Korea, all nations are pushing for denuclearizing a Korean Peninsula.

Do you get the sense that North Korea is even open to that possibility?

MOUNT: I think we need to seriously consider the idea that they are not. North Korea has been very clear and, in fact, when they say these things in their news agencies and press releases, they tend to be accurate.

They are very clear they are not going to give up their nuclear weapons program. They see it as intrinsic to regime survival. And North Korea's leaders see it as important for their own personal survival.

So the price has risen of negotiating limits on their nuclear missile programs as they become more advanced. And I think we need to seriously consider the possibility that negotiations just will not succeed.

[05:45:00]

MOUNT: Certainly, Donald Trump has been disdainful of the Iran deal, which was intended to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. So we also have to question whether the United States is prepared to make that kind of deal, too.

So I think the search for easy answers is over and it's imperative that Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump meet at an early date and develop a realistic and sustainable strategy going forward that does not rely on the possibility of negotiations working.

HOWELL: Adam Mount, thank you so much for the perspective.

This is CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back after the break.

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JONES: Iraqi officials say ISIS militants now control just 10 percent of the city of Mosul. But after seven months of fierce fighting, the hardest part of the battle may still lie ahead. CNN's Ben Wedeman joins me now from Erbil in Northern Iraq. Ben, the final push now underway but perhaps the bloodiest part of

this battle still to come.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's certainly the expectation of the Iraqi officials. Now this morning, we learned that the Iraqi army, the federal police and the counterterrorism services have launched assaults on four separate neighborhoods --

[05:50:00]

WEDEMAN: -- jus a few neighborhoods still under ISIS control in Western Mosul. But they really are expecting that it is going to be a very difficult fight as ISIS makes its last stand in Mosul.

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WEDEMAN (voice-over): From a rooftop, soldiers fire towards ISIS positions. The struggle to liberate the city from ISIS is now well into its seventh grueling month of street by street, house by house fighting.

The end is near, but not near enough. Iraqi soldiers drag two dead ISIS fighters over the hood of their Humvees like hunting trophies, taking selfies to mark the occasion. This is what has become of their so-called caliphate. The one they swore was here to stay and destined to expand.

Locally made bazookas litter the streets. ISIS ran dozens of workshops in residential areas to manufacture these and other weapons.

"It's a complete factory, making anti-tank and anti-personnel rockets," this officer tells me.

Only 10 percent of Mosul remains under ISIS control, but taking the last 10 percent won't be easy.

WEDEMAN: Where that black smoke is rising is the 17 Tammouz, the 17th of July neighborhood. It's that neighborhood that ISIS entered first in June of 2014. They renamed the neighborhood Fatah to commemorate the early conquest of the Islamic Empire.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Commanders here say the battle for 17 Tammouz is going to be the hardest one.

Lieutenant Colonel Abu Fatima (ph) has been speaking by phone with residents inside the neighborhood. "Tragic" is how he describes their plight.

"They have no food, no water, no medical care. They're just waiting for our forces to free them."

Some could wait no longer, risking death to escape.

"We left early this morning, after taking cover for days in the bathroom," says Sina (ph). "Our menfolk told us, 'Go, go.'

"We said, 'We can't because of the shelling.' But then we put our faith in God and we left."

Abu Said (ph) never fled the adjacent district of Mushairfa, hiding with his family under a stairwell, waiting for Iraqi forces to move in. Now he's leading them from one abandoned ISIS house to another.

"I gathered information for the past three years," he says. "I watched them. I wrote down their names. I kept an eye on what they were doing and now I'm sharing everything with the officers."

Senior commanders inspecting weapons seized from ISIS are confident victory will be achieved before the end of May.

"God willing," says Iraqi chief of staff Othman al-Ghanimi, "we will triumph before Ramadan and declare the liberation of Mosul and its people from the filthy scum of ISIS."

Those "filthy scum," as he calls them, haven't given up yet, however, as this incoming sniper round inches from our camera shows.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN: And as this battle continues, really the hardest part is the presence of perhaps as many as 400,000 civilians still stuck inside the ISIS-controlled parts of the city. And the city is, as we have seen, under almost constant bombardment from the air and the land -- Hannah.

JONES: And, Ben, after Mosul, what is next?

Do we have any indication yet as to what ISIS might do to regroup after the battle for Mosul?

WEDEMAN: At this point, they are really on the defensive but they still control two important areas in Iraq. One is the city of Hawija, which is in the central part of the area of the country just south of Kirkuk.

They -- we heard time and time again from Iraqi officials that that is the next operation. It really sort of lies right next to the highway between Mosul and Baghdad.

We also know that ISIS controls the town of Tal Afar, which is half way between Mosul and the Syrian border. It's been under fairly constant pressure by the so-called PMU, the popular mobilization units, which have it surrounded.

But certainly, Mosul is, in terms of symbolism, the most important target for the Iraqi military at the moment. But the job is far from over -- Hannah.

JONES: And Ben, with the battle for Mosul, has the fight itself been comparatively slow --

[05:55:00]

JONES: -- because there are so many civilians still in the city? Or is it because of the defense that ISIS has put up against the Iraqi forces?

WEDEMAN: Really it's a combination of both. We have seen that, for instance, on the east side of the city and the west, this is a city that, under normal conditions, had a population of 2 million people.

And certainly the western part is much more densely populated. So fighting in those areas is difficult in and of itself because of the civilians and, then of course, ISIS uses to maximum effect things like suicide car bombs, booby traps, snipers, as you saw in that report, just really that bullet missing our camera woman, Mary Rogers (ph), by just about 3 inches.

So they take full advantage of that. And so yes, the battle is going on much, much longer than anybody expected. A year ago, I spoke with the then Iraqi defense minister, who confidently told me, by the end of 2016, Mosul would be liberated.

Well, here we are, almost the middle of 2017 and the job is not over. But, certainly, what we have seen is the Iraqi forces are doing their best under the circumstances with help from the international coalition. But, I think it was a far harder battle than anybody anticipated -- Hannah.

JONES: Ben Wedeman, thank you very much indeed.

That is it for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. And historically, of course, for France, Emmanuel Macron is the new French president. Thanks for joining us. I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones in London.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell live in Atlanta. For viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next. For other viewers around the world, Erin Burnett "OUTFRONT" is moments away. We thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.