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Administration Responds to North Korean Nuclear Weapons
Aired October 17, 2002 - 14:03 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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration is looking at how to respond after North Korea's stunning disclosure that it ran a secret and is still running a secret nuclear weapons program after promising to put its program on hold in 1994.
Our Kelly Wallace is standing by live at the White House with more on this -- Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, U.S. officials are said to be consulting vigorously with U.S. allies to figure out next steps. President Bush was said to find the news troubling and sobering. So far, the president has not spoken out about this publicly. He is spending the day doing some fund-raising and some campaigning for Republicans in Atlanta, and then later in the afternoon in Daytona Beach, Florida, to help his brother out, who's running again for governor in the state of Florida.
The president and his top aides though very, very concerned. U.S. officials say they came across some intelligence over the summer months that North Korea was in fact pursuing an advanced nuclear weapons program since the late 1990s. So now the message coming from this administration, it is calling on North Korea to uphold an agreement it made back in 1994 to freeze its nuclear weapons program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We know this is a very serious violation of North Korea's commitments. It's a very serious matter. We have called on North Korea to eliminate its nuclear weapons programs in a verifiable manner. We will watch and see if they do that. And at the same time, we're consulting and discussing with friends and allies what sort of steps we should take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: As for those consultations, high level U.S. officials in Beijing today planning to travel to Tokyo and Seoul. President Bush, for his part, expected to take up the issue a week from tomorrow with China's president when they meet in Crawford, Texas, and then with the leaders of South Korea and Japan during that Asian Pacific economic summit meeting in Mexico.
Clearly, a lot of concern. One thing U.S. officials, though, are saying, they say in their view this issue should not have any impact on the administration's pursuit and effort of dealing with Saddam Hussein. White House saying the president views Iraq and North Korea very differently. The president believes Saddam Hussein poses a unique threat, and that is why he considers possibly using military action to deal with Iraq. Right now, though, the hope is international diplomatic pressure to get North Korea to stop it nuclear program -- Carol.
LIN: Kelly, if the president is willing to pursue diplomacy with North Korea knowing that it has a nuclear weapons program, how is it likely to reflect any debate and decision in the UN Security Council about using force against Saddam Hussein?
WALLACE: Certainly, that is a key question. Right now, U.S. officials will continue to caution us and say President Bush has not made any decisions and continues to say military action against Iraq is his last option. Right now, he is also pursuing intense diplomatic pressure on Iraq.
You have continued discussions, though, Carol, going on behind the scenes. This administration still has not reached agreement with countries like France, China and Russia, all who could veto any new UN resolution. There's still no agreement. The administration wanting one resolution which would call for consequences if Iraq does not comply. You know the debate. The French are looking for two resolutions, one spelling out what Saddam Hussein must do and then down the road one possibly including military force if he doesn't comply. No agreement just yet. And it really is unclear how this news about North Korea will impact that debate -- Carol.
LIN: Thank you very much, Kelly Wallace, live at the White House.
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 17, 2002 - 14:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration is looking at how to respond after North Korea's stunning disclosure that it ran a secret and is still running a secret nuclear weapons program after promising to put its program on hold in 1994.
Our Kelly Wallace is standing by live at the White House with more on this -- Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, U.S. officials are said to be consulting vigorously with U.S. allies to figure out next steps. President Bush was said to find the news troubling and sobering. So far, the president has not spoken out about this publicly. He is spending the day doing some fund-raising and some campaigning for Republicans in Atlanta, and then later in the afternoon in Daytona Beach, Florida, to help his brother out, who's running again for governor in the state of Florida.
The president and his top aides though very, very concerned. U.S. officials say they came across some intelligence over the summer months that North Korea was in fact pursuing an advanced nuclear weapons program since the late 1990s. So now the message coming from this administration, it is calling on North Korea to uphold an agreement it made back in 1994 to freeze its nuclear weapons program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We know this is a very serious violation of North Korea's commitments. It's a very serious matter. We have called on North Korea to eliminate its nuclear weapons programs in a verifiable manner. We will watch and see if they do that. And at the same time, we're consulting and discussing with friends and allies what sort of steps we should take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: As for those consultations, high level U.S. officials in Beijing today planning to travel to Tokyo and Seoul. President Bush, for his part, expected to take up the issue a week from tomorrow with China's president when they meet in Crawford, Texas, and then with the leaders of South Korea and Japan during that Asian Pacific economic summit meeting in Mexico.
Clearly, a lot of concern. One thing U.S. officials, though, are saying, they say in their view this issue should not have any impact on the administration's pursuit and effort of dealing with Saddam Hussein. White House saying the president views Iraq and North Korea very differently. The president believes Saddam Hussein poses a unique threat, and that is why he considers possibly using military action to deal with Iraq. Right now, though, the hope is international diplomatic pressure to get North Korea to stop it nuclear program -- Carol.
LIN: Kelly, if the president is willing to pursue diplomacy with North Korea knowing that it has a nuclear weapons program, how is it likely to reflect any debate and decision in the UN Security Council about using force against Saddam Hussein?
WALLACE: Certainly, that is a key question. Right now, U.S. officials will continue to caution us and say President Bush has not made any decisions and continues to say military action against Iraq is his last option. Right now, he is also pursuing intense diplomatic pressure on Iraq.
You have continued discussions, though, Carol, going on behind the scenes. This administration still has not reached agreement with countries like France, China and Russia, all who could veto any new UN resolution. There's still no agreement. The administration wanting one resolution which would call for consequences if Iraq does not comply. You know the debate. The French are looking for two resolutions, one spelling out what Saddam Hussein must do and then down the road one possibly including military force if he doesn't comply. No agreement just yet. And it really is unclear how this news about North Korea will impact that debate -- Carol.
LIN: Thank you very much, Kelly Wallace, live at the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
