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New U.N. Sanctions Target North Korea's Major Revenue Streams; Sanctions on the Agenda at ASEAN Meeting in Manila; Aired 2-2:30a ET

Aired August 06, 2017 - 02:00   ET

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


[02:00:07] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: As the United Nations levies massive sanctions on North Korea, we go live in the Philippines where ministers from Asian nations and other world power are discussing the next steps.

Plus the Russian ambassador who met with former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn is offering his side of the fateful discussions that led to Flynn's dismissal.

And later more on the British model kidnapped in Milan. It was supposed to be just a photo shoot but it turned into a nightmare. He is a safe but what a nightmare it was and we'll tell you about that in a moment.

It's all ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen.

Our top story is North Korea now facing tough new sanctions over its nuclear program as the United Nations Security Council increases pressure on Pyongyang.

CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: The full U.N. Security Council was able to agree on new sanctions aimed at Pyongyang for its recent two ICBM missile tests. The sanctions are aimed at the export economy of North Korea where it needs to earn hard currency. The resolutions shuts down $1 billion in exports, including sending of coal, lead, iron ore and seafood.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley says it's a step up but that much more needs to be done diplomatically and in Pyongyang.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: The North Korean threat has not left us. It is rapidly growing more dangerous. We've seen two ICBMs fired in just the last month. Further action is required.

The United States is taking and will continue to take prudent defensive measures to protect ourselves and our allies. Our annual joint military exercises, for instance, are transparent and defense oriented. They have been carried out regularly and openly for nearly 40 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The Chinese ambassador did condemn North Korea's missile launches but also had critical words for the U.S. and South Korea and antimissile deployment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIU JIEYI, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator) The deployment of the THAAD system will not bring a solution to the issue of the DPRK's nuclear testing and missile launching. What it will do is to seriously undermine the strategic balance of the region and as such is detrimental to the strategic security interests of regional countries including China.

China strongly urges each party concerned to halt the process of this deployment and to dismantle relevant equipment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The resolution also bans the hiring of North Korean foreign workers and also adds more travel and asset ban freezes. However, this resolution is likely not to stop North Korea from testing its missile arsenal.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: The U.S. is celebrating the new sanctions on North Korea. President Donald Trump tweeted, "The United Nations Security Council just voted 15-zip to sanction North Korea. China and Russia voted with us. Very big financial impact."

Sanctions in the past have done little or nothing, though, to slow North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Earlier Nikki Haley at the U.N. told CNN she hopes the new sanctions actually make a difference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: It's a new day at the U.N. This was a day of action. This was a day where we stopped all the talk and this is the day where we said to North Korea they have to stop their irresponsible actions. This resolution is the strongest resolution with sanction measures that we've seen in a generation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: North Korea definitely on the agenda in the Philippines this weekend. Diplomats from around the world are in Manila for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Many countries have already reacted to the latest sanctions against Pyongyang including South Korea.

For more about that, we're going to Ivan Watson. He's there at the meeting. He's live in Manila with more about what they're talking about as far as these sanctions and what else might they achieve together.

Hello, Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Natalie. That's right. South Korea has welcomed the new United Nations Security Council's sanctions against North Korea so has Australia recently.

And we had an interesting moment where the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, when he was meeting with his South Korean counterpart there was a brief exchange that journalists overheard where he called it a good outcome and Xi responded saying it was a very, very good outcome.

We've also heard from the Chinese Foreign minister here who is also at this diplomatic gathering. And he had the following to say about these U.N. sanctions. Take a listen.

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WANG YI, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Sanctions are necessary. However, sanctions are by no means the ultimate goal.

[02:05:04] The goal is to bring the Korean peninsula nuclear issue back to the negotiation table and to see a final solution through negotiation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So there you hear the view from the Chinese who are still pushing their idea, Natalie, of kind of a double freeze as they call it. They've called for North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons tests, its ballistic missile testing, which is all banned under multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and for in conjunction the U.S. and its ally South Korea to stop their joint military exercises.

We haven't gotten a lot of buy-in from either the U.S. or North Korea at that proposal. The U.S. side said going into this meeting here in Manila with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that they wanted to further diplomatically isolate North Korea as a result of its two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

The association here, ASEAN, they did put out a statement yesterday expressing concern over these two ballistic missile tests. But rather watered down, not condemning it outright, and we are expecting to see the North Korean foreign minister here at this gathering of nations will -- it will be interesting to see whether or not Washington is able to get these Asian nations to unite and to show opposition to Pyongyang and its ongoing ballistic missile testing and nuclear weapons testing -- Natalie.

ALLEN: They came together at the U.N. on these sanctions but yes, you're telling us there that there are a lot of competing interests, though, when you get down to the nitty-gritty.

About the North Korean foreign minister, is he expected to meet by any chance with the U.S. secretary of state who's also there?

WATSON: Well, you know, a top U.S. diplomat was asked about that and she said no, we don't anticipate a direct meeting or any kind of bilateral meeting between these two diplomats. But they are expected to be in the same room at some point at this kind of Asian regional forum which ASEAN helps organize, that something that the U.S. will be attending along with a total of at least 27 nations and their top diplomats there.

So these two diplomats presumably will both be in the room. It'll be interesting to see could there be any interaction? Could there perhaps be a handshake?

Now Washington has proposed perhaps trying to kick North Korea out of this regional forum. That is something that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have said they do not want to do. They prefer to have some kind of dialogue and they argued that that is a better way to try to reduce tensions in the region, rather than just kicking out North Korea from this gathering. One of the few gatherings that North Korea really is still welcomed at. A few international gatherings that they can send a top official, too -- Natalie.

ALLEN: Well, anything is better than a military option which of course the United States has said that could still be on the table.

Ivan Watson covering it for us. We will stay in close contact with you on any developments.

Thank you, Ivan.

The ongoing federal investigation into Russian election meddling is digging deeper into the Trump White House, especially the activities of former National Security adviser Michael Flynn and his relationship with the Turkish government.

According to the "New York Times" Special Counsel Robert Mueller is seeking specific White House records related to Flynn. Of particular interest, whether Flynn receives secret payments from the Turkish government while he was working on the Trump campaign.

An outspoken critic of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has been released from jail. Police took in Leopoldo Lopez earlier this week for allegedly violating the terms of his house arrest. Lopez denies he did that. Now his wife says he has returned home. He's still, though, remains under house arrest.

This comes as Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz was fired Saturday. She had vowed to launch an investigation into the false allegations surrounding the election that brought in a new controversial legislative assembly, She was dismissed by those same lawmakers on their first day in office.

In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani was sworn in for a second term Saturday. He addressed new U.S. sanctions and the Iranian nuclear deal.

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HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): On behalf of Iranian citizens and officials, I declare that Iran will not initiate violating the nuclear deal. However, Iran will not be silent in the face of U.S. threats to the implementation of the deal.

[02:10:04] Iran has proved that we will respect those who respect us. And have a tit-for-tat response to those who sanctioned and threatened us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Iran agreed to the deal in 2015 limiting its nuclear program. The U.S. announced new sanctions targeting Iran last month. Right after confirming Iran was honoring the deal.

Italian police say a British model was kidnapped in Italy and was going to be auctioned on the dark Web. Police arrested this man, a 30-year-old Polish national, after he took the woman to the British consulate in Milan. Authorities say the 20-year-old woman was kidnapped when she went to a photo shoot last month. Then she was drugged, handcuffed and stuffed in a travel bag. Police say the suspect told the model's agent he was working for, quote, "the Black Death Group." That's an illegal trafficking organization that operates on the dark Web. She is safe now but what an ordeal.

Well, authorities say a homemade explosive device apparently caused the blast at a mosque in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It happened around the time of morning prayers of the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, Saturday. No one was hurt. The FBI, though, is trying to determine who set off the explosive and why. The community is rallying around the members of the mosque. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations is offering a $10,000 reward for information.

Authorities had ended the search for three missing U.S. Marines. They were lost off the -- eastern coast of Australia, Saturday after what the Marine Corps is calling a mishap. Other personnel on board the aircraft were rescued. Of course Marine Corps are investigating exactly what happened.

A stunning upset for Usain Bolt in the final individual race of his storied career. American Justin Gatlin beat the world's fastest man in 100 meters at the World Track and Field championship Saturday. Gatlin finished at 9.92 seconds. Fellow American Christian Coleman came in second. Bolt, the world record holder, took third. After the race he said it's time to hang up his shoes.

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USAIN BOLT, TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE: I keep telling myself I need to get that start and I knew I had to get it to get into the race or I'll be in trouble. And what happened, I think I might have panicked. I wouldn't say I did but it didn't work out that well. You know what I mean? My body is telling me it's time. You know what I mean, my legs are hurting now, it's the first time I've ever done running and my legs are hurting, so it's time to go.

JUSTIN GATLIN, TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE: I was a little crazy and jumping in the stands and everything like that, but it was still a moment of respect to him because what he meant to me and what he's meant to my career and the first thing I did was I paid homage to him, I got down on one knee and I -- you know, I respected him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: We all get to see Bolt run again, though. He's retiring after one final relay race next weekend.

Thank you for watching this short version of CNN NEWSROOM. "MARKETPLACE AFRICA" is next.

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