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Interview With Sam Nunn
Aired January 20, 2003 - 14:08 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: North Korea is stiffing the Security Council. Pyongyang has rejected Washington's proposal to take the nuclear weapons dispute to the U.N. Security Council for resolution.
North Korea says if the U.N. imposed sanctions, it would be tantamount to declaring war. Meanwhile, experts from 15 security organizations are meeting in London, and today they released an action agenda to reduce threats posed by weapons of mass destruction.
Former U.S. senator Sam Nunn is co-chairman with Ted Turner of AOL Time Warner, of what's being called the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Sir, thanks for being with us.
SAM NUNN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Well, you put things in perspective. I have read your report, and you talk a lot about the Soviet Union, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and therein lies the heart of the problem, where all the weapons of mass destruction have surfaced.
NUNN: Well, that is one major source of the problem. It's not the only one, because there are nuclear research reactors in something like 20 countries, at least, that have highly enriched uranium that could be bomb grade material, and the United States government worked with Russia and Yugoslavia last year to remove about two and a half bombs worth from a place called Vincia (ph) right outside Belgrade.
So everywhere there is nuclear material that could be converted to a nuclear weapon, is a source, and homeland security begins for the United States and other countries by securing and helping other countries secure that weapon material and weapons wherever they may be in the world.
That is the easiest place to stop terrorism, and once the material is gained by terrorists, every step from that point on is much harder for us and easier for terrorists. So this report that has been filed by -- today in a four volume report by 15 think tanks in over 13 countries on three continents. The unique thing about it, there's a consensus about the threat, there's a consensus about the governmental response so far. There's a consensus about the gap, and there's a road map laid out here for what has to be done to protect not only U.S. security, but security of the world.
So it's a very important day, and the conference indicated not only agreement by these countries, including Russia, but also agreement that there has to be speedy implementation, that there's a race on -- the terrorists are racing to get these weapons of mass destruction, and we've got to be racing to stop it.
PHILLIPS: So where should the focus be, North Korea or Russia right now?
NUNN: Well, it is both. We don't have the choice. You want to make sure that North Korea does not restart their reactor and generate plutonium. That is absolutely essential because if North Korea begins an assembly line of nuclear weapons, it is extremely destabilizing and dangerous for that area and for the world. But we have to have a carrot and a stick with North Korea.
There needs to be a clear line in their minds conveyed to them, perhaps quietly at this stage, but nevertheless conveyed to them as to red lights that they better not go beyond.
But there also has to be a clear kind of vision laid down to the North Koreans about what cooperation would mean, and what they can do in terms of benefiting their country and their people if, indeed, they do freeze their nuclear developments for discussion, and then get rid of their nuclear programs.
What we are doing in Russia, in helping the Russians, and we had been doing it for ten years, and we're asking in this report for the Europeans to step up and do a lot more and the Japanese to basically match what America's doing, a billion dollars a year over ten years. That is enormously important. There's also a precedent here, we call it the Nunn-Lugar program in Russia, but there's a precedent here for North Korea, because if they do agree, after we have dialogue, that they want to go the more enlightened route, and get rid of their nuclear program, then we're going to have to use something like the Nunn-Lugar program and get help from other countries to get rid of -- help them get rid of all of their nuclear infrastructure.
PHILLIPS: We'll continue to follow your global partnership and your initiative. Former Senator Sam Nunn, thank you, sir, for your time.
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 January 20, 2003 - 14:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: North Korea is stiffing the Security Council. Pyongyang has rejected Washington's proposal to take the nuclear weapons dispute to the U.N. Security Council for resolution.
North Korea says if the U.N. imposed sanctions, it would be tantamount to declaring war. Meanwhile, experts from 15 security organizations are meeting in London, and today they released an action agenda to reduce threats posed by weapons of mass destruction.
Former U.S. senator Sam Nunn is co-chairman with Ted Turner of AOL Time Warner, of what's being called the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Sir, thanks for being with us.
SAM NUNN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Well, you put things in perspective. I have read your report, and you talk a lot about the Soviet Union, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and therein lies the heart of the problem, where all the weapons of mass destruction have surfaced.
NUNN: Well, that is one major source of the problem. It's not the only one, because there are nuclear research reactors in something like 20 countries, at least, that have highly enriched uranium that could be bomb grade material, and the United States government worked with Russia and Yugoslavia last year to remove about two and a half bombs worth from a place called Vincia (ph) right outside Belgrade.
So everywhere there is nuclear material that could be converted to a nuclear weapon, is a source, and homeland security begins for the United States and other countries by securing and helping other countries secure that weapon material and weapons wherever they may be in the world.
That is the easiest place to stop terrorism, and once the material is gained by terrorists, every step from that point on is much harder for us and easier for terrorists. So this report that has been filed by -- today in a four volume report by 15 think tanks in over 13 countries on three continents. The unique thing about it, there's a consensus about the threat, there's a consensus about the governmental response so far. There's a consensus about the gap, and there's a road map laid out here for what has to be done to protect not only U.S. security, but security of the world.
So it's a very important day, and the conference indicated not only agreement by these countries, including Russia, but also agreement that there has to be speedy implementation, that there's a race on -- the terrorists are racing to get these weapons of mass destruction, and we've got to be racing to stop it.
PHILLIPS: So where should the focus be, North Korea or Russia right now?
NUNN: Well, it is both. We don't have the choice. You want to make sure that North Korea does not restart their reactor and generate plutonium. That is absolutely essential because if North Korea begins an assembly line of nuclear weapons, it is extremely destabilizing and dangerous for that area and for the world. But we have to have a carrot and a stick with North Korea.
There needs to be a clear line in their minds conveyed to them, perhaps quietly at this stage, but nevertheless conveyed to them as to red lights that they better not go beyond.
But there also has to be a clear kind of vision laid down to the North Koreans about what cooperation would mean, and what they can do in terms of benefiting their country and their people if, indeed, they do freeze their nuclear developments for discussion, and then get rid of their nuclear programs.
What we are doing in Russia, in helping the Russians, and we had been doing it for ten years, and we're asking in this report for the Europeans to step up and do a lot more and the Japanese to basically match what America's doing, a billion dollars a year over ten years. That is enormously important. There's also a precedent here, we call it the Nunn-Lugar program in Russia, but there's a precedent here for North Korea, because if they do agree, after we have dialogue, that they want to go the more enlightened route, and get rid of their nuclear program, then we're going to have to use something like the Nunn-Lugar program and get help from other countries to get rid of -- help them get rid of all of their nuclear infrastructure.
PHILLIPS: We'll continue to follow your global partnership and your initiative. Former Senator Sam Nunn, thank you, sir, for your time.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
