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American Morning
Pentagon Appears to be Sending Signal to North Korea
Aired February 04, 2003 - 08:20 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the Pentagon appears to be sending a signal to North Korea to show that Iraq will not distract the U.S. from Pyongyang's nuclear threats. Donald Rumsfeld has signed what's called a prepare to deploy order, a preliminary step that could ultimately lead to deployment of war planes in the Pacific.
Last week, U.S. satellite surveillance detected activity at a North Korean nuclear facility.
Let's talk more about that and this deployment order, as well.
In Washington, Peter Brookes is a senior fellow with the Heritage Foundation, our guest yet again here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good to have you back, Peter.
Good morning.
PETER BROOKES, SENIOR FOLLOW, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Good morning, Bill. How are you?
HEMMER: I'm doing just fine, thanks.
You don't think this is a big deal.
Why not?
BROOKES: No, I really don't think it's a big deal. This is normal. We're moving forces around. Remember, we have forces predominantly in Europe, in the United States and in Asia. We're moving lots of them to the Persian Gulf region right now and we have to ensure we have the necessary forces should there be a Korean contingency.
This is not a move to raising the tensions from the U.S. side. This is merely back fielding forces that may be moving out of the region but we need to be ready in case there is some sort of a conflagration on the Korean Peninsula.
HEMMER: How much consideration is given to that in Washington if the U.S. is distracted on Iraq, could the North make a move?
BROOKES: Well, it's, we always have to consider that, and I really do believe what North Korea is doing with these spent fuel rods, by moving them from the cooling pond over to this reprocessing facility, is raising the tensions, is pursuing brinkmanship and they want the United States to come to a quick closure with North Korea while they're distracted in Iraq.
There's no doubt about this. North Korea has had a foreign policy of opportunism, of brinkmanship and they will use these sort of tactics to try to push the United States.
We should not react to that.
HEMMER: Peter, then, we're about a month or two months down the road in this story right now and it still is not quite clear what the North Koreans want. Do they, indeed, want international aid through blackmail or do you buy...
BROOKES: Absolutely.
HEMMER: Or do you buy into the theory that they truly feel a sense of insecurity regarding the language out of Washington and the White House today, regarding their own personal security and safety?
BROOKES: Well, it's probably both. It's very hard to divine exactly what the North Koreans are thinking. It's a hermitically sealed society. They're very enigmatic and it's very difficult. But I think they do have concerns about that. They may have concerns that North Korea is next, after Iraq. But they also do need international aid. They are a ward of the international community. They do need that international engagement for energy and for food purposes. There's been a famine going on there for years. Two million people have starved.
So I think it's a combination of both of those things. But we, each day we learn a little bit more about what North Korea thinks.
HEMMER: Yes, and, Peter, quickly here, 15 seconds left, Mohamed ElBaradei saying he's essentially exhausted all opportunities that he has pursued right now against the North. Who steps in here? Who mediates? Is it just South Korea or is this something that the North will truly dictate and determine on their own?
BROOKES: Well, I think we have to work with South Korea. We have a new government coming in there on February 25th. We have to work with them. We have to work with Japan. We need to get China. We need to get Russia to, as well, to put pressure on Pyongyang to retrench on their nuclear program. And we need the IAEA to take a resolution to the U.N. Security Council telling North Korea to come back in compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to dismantle the highly rich uranium program, as well as stop the activities that are going on at Yongbyon right now.
HEMMER: All good issues out there and still out there today, and probably tomorrow, as well.
Thank you, Peter.
Good to see you again.
BROOKES: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Peter Brookes in D.C.
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 February 4, 2003 - 08:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the Pentagon appears to be sending a signal to North Korea to show that Iraq will not distract the U.S. from Pyongyang's nuclear threats. Donald Rumsfeld has signed what's called a prepare to deploy order, a preliminary step that could ultimately lead to deployment of war planes in the Pacific.
Last week, U.S. satellite surveillance detected activity at a North Korean nuclear facility.
Let's talk more about that and this deployment order, as well.
In Washington, Peter Brookes is a senior fellow with the Heritage Foundation, our guest yet again here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good to have you back, Peter.
Good morning.
PETER BROOKES, SENIOR FOLLOW, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Good morning, Bill. How are you?
HEMMER: I'm doing just fine, thanks.
You don't think this is a big deal.
Why not?
BROOKES: No, I really don't think it's a big deal. This is normal. We're moving forces around. Remember, we have forces predominantly in Europe, in the United States and in Asia. We're moving lots of them to the Persian Gulf region right now and we have to ensure we have the necessary forces should there be a Korean contingency.
This is not a move to raising the tensions from the U.S. side. This is merely back fielding forces that may be moving out of the region but we need to be ready in case there is some sort of a conflagration on the Korean Peninsula.
HEMMER: How much consideration is given to that in Washington if the U.S. is distracted on Iraq, could the North make a move?
BROOKES: Well, it's, we always have to consider that, and I really do believe what North Korea is doing with these spent fuel rods, by moving them from the cooling pond over to this reprocessing facility, is raising the tensions, is pursuing brinkmanship and they want the United States to come to a quick closure with North Korea while they're distracted in Iraq.
There's no doubt about this. North Korea has had a foreign policy of opportunism, of brinkmanship and they will use these sort of tactics to try to push the United States.
We should not react to that.
HEMMER: Peter, then, we're about a month or two months down the road in this story right now and it still is not quite clear what the North Koreans want. Do they, indeed, want international aid through blackmail or do you buy...
BROOKES: Absolutely.
HEMMER: Or do you buy into the theory that they truly feel a sense of insecurity regarding the language out of Washington and the White House today, regarding their own personal security and safety?
BROOKES: Well, it's probably both. It's very hard to divine exactly what the North Koreans are thinking. It's a hermitically sealed society. They're very enigmatic and it's very difficult. But I think they do have concerns about that. They may have concerns that North Korea is next, after Iraq. But they also do need international aid. They are a ward of the international community. They do need that international engagement for energy and for food purposes. There's been a famine going on there for years. Two million people have starved.
So I think it's a combination of both of those things. But we, each day we learn a little bit more about what North Korea thinks.
HEMMER: Yes, and, Peter, quickly here, 15 seconds left, Mohamed ElBaradei saying he's essentially exhausted all opportunities that he has pursued right now against the North. Who steps in here? Who mediates? Is it just South Korea or is this something that the North will truly dictate and determine on their own?
BROOKES: Well, I think we have to work with South Korea. We have a new government coming in there on February 25th. We have to work with them. We have to work with Japan. We need to get China. We need to get Russia to, as well, to put pressure on Pyongyang to retrench on their nuclear program. And we need the IAEA to take a resolution to the U.N. Security Council telling North Korea to come back in compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to dismantle the highly rich uranium program, as well as stop the activities that are going on at Yongbyon right now.
HEMMER: All good issues out there and still out there today, and probably tomorrow, as well.
Thank you, Peter.
Good to see you again.
BROOKES: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Peter Brookes in D.C.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
