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American Morning
Board of Governors for IAEA Holds Emergency Session
Aired January 06, 2003 - 08:03 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now back to the threat from North Korea's nuclear program. This morning the board of governors for the International Atomic Energy Agency holds an emergency session to look at the crisis.
And Matthew Chance is following that meeting from Vienna.
He joins us now -- good morning, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
And their nuclear inspectors have, of course, already been expelled from North Korea. The equipment they used to monitor North Korea's nuclear program has been dismantled by Pyongyang now. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog here in Vienna must decide what its response will be to deal with this brewing crisis with North Korea.
What we're expecting throughout the course of this emergency meeting of the board of governors here at the IAEA is at the very least a strong rebuke on their part of North Korea's activity, its actions over the course of the past few weeks. Also, we're expecting a decision on whether or not to give Pyongyang one last chance to fall into line, to comply with U.N. weapons mandates. Thirdly, possibly we may see a referral of this whole matter to the U.N. Security Council, though that's being billed at this stage as an unlikely possibility, not least because doing that would set forth a whole process of events which could lead ultimately to the imposition of more economic sanctions on North Korea by the U.N. Security Council, as well as threatening the possibility use of military force, which at this stage it's believed by the diplomats negotiating inside, could only make the diplomatic situation much worse, at a very sensitive time with all those diplomatic efforts under way trying to get this situation resolved peacefully.
ZAHN: So, Matthew, if it's not entirely clear that this will go on to the U.N. Security Council, what seems to be the most likely resolution of this if there is a resolution at all?
CHANCE: Well, certainly what we believe from our sources, who are talking to us from inside the corridors of this U.N. watchdog, is that what's being looked at at the moment is a resolution which would, of course, condemn North Korea for expelling the nuclear inspectors and for dismantling the monitoring equipment, but also a resolution that at this very sensitive stage in the diplomatic negotiations going on elsewhere giving Pyongyang one last chance to fall into line with the recommendations and to allow their inspection regime to resume inside North Korea. If they don't do that, though, then the word is that they will have to refer this matter to the United Nations Security Council.
ZAHN: Matthew Chance, thanks for the live update.
Appreciate it very much.
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 6, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now back to the threat from North Korea's nuclear program. This morning the board of governors for the International Atomic Energy Agency holds an emergency session to look at the crisis.
And Matthew Chance is following that meeting from Vienna.
He joins us now -- good morning, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
And their nuclear inspectors have, of course, already been expelled from North Korea. The equipment they used to monitor North Korea's nuclear program has been dismantled by Pyongyang now. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog here in Vienna must decide what its response will be to deal with this brewing crisis with North Korea.
What we're expecting throughout the course of this emergency meeting of the board of governors here at the IAEA is at the very least a strong rebuke on their part of North Korea's activity, its actions over the course of the past few weeks. Also, we're expecting a decision on whether or not to give Pyongyang one last chance to fall into line, to comply with U.N. weapons mandates. Thirdly, possibly we may see a referral of this whole matter to the U.N. Security Council, though that's being billed at this stage as an unlikely possibility, not least because doing that would set forth a whole process of events which could lead ultimately to the imposition of more economic sanctions on North Korea by the U.N. Security Council, as well as threatening the possibility use of military force, which at this stage it's believed by the diplomats negotiating inside, could only make the diplomatic situation much worse, at a very sensitive time with all those diplomatic efforts under way trying to get this situation resolved peacefully.
ZAHN: So, Matthew, if it's not entirely clear that this will go on to the U.N. Security Council, what seems to be the most likely resolution of this if there is a resolution at all?
CHANCE: Well, certainly what we believe from our sources, who are talking to us from inside the corridors of this U.N. watchdog, is that what's being looked at at the moment is a resolution which would, of course, condemn North Korea for expelling the nuclear inspectors and for dismantling the monitoring equipment, but also a resolution that at this very sensitive stage in the diplomatic negotiations going on elsewhere giving Pyongyang one last chance to fall into line with the recommendations and to allow their inspection regime to resume inside North Korea. If they don't do that, though, then the word is that they will have to refer this matter to the United Nations Security Council.
ZAHN: Matthew Chance, thanks for the live update.
Appreciate it very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
