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American Morning

International News Desk

Aired August 26, 2003 - 05:37   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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to talk more about these crucial nuclear talks, so we've brought over our senior international editor David Clinch.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hey, carol.

Good morning.

COSTELLO: One more development to tell people about out of the "New York Times" this morning, the State Department...

CLINCH: Right. Yes, actually, I'm finding out it is in the "New York Times" today. It also apparently was reported during the day yesterday, a top State Department official with responsibility for North Korea -- Pritchard is his name -- has announced his resignation. Not exactly sure what to make of it, but effectively what it appears to illustrate is that there is significant disagreement in the State Department and the Bush administration in general about what to do on the North Korea story.

It's going to be very, very interesting watching these talks. Kind of scary. Mike Chinoy using, even using the words military action in relation to North Korea. I mean if you think about it, the one really most important factor about North Korea, Kim Jong Il, the man who leads North Korea, if you look up unpredictable in the dictionary, there's a little picture of him right next to that word.

It's just absolutely impossible, even for our North Korea experts like Mike Chinoy, who's spent many visits in North Korea and met with Kim Jong Il, to know exactly what they're thinking.

We know what the carrot is from the U.S. side. We know that the U.S. can offer money, aid, some kind of signed document saying they'll never attack North Korea, all sorts of things. But even that carrot is a little bit awkward for the United States. In the post-9/11 world, to be talking about effectively containment for a dictatorship, to basically accept the fact that North Korea will be what it is and to just pay, basically, for them to stay contained, is a kind of an awkward approach for the Bush administration to take when they're so actively not accepting containment in other parts of the world.

So even the carrot is embarrassing. And the stick, even the thought of military action is frightening. But even the other issues, you know, a blockade, trying to create instability within North Korea, persuading refugees to leave North Korea, all of these things are very scary because of the unpredictability. Kim Jong Il just a mystery. Nobody really knows what he's thinking. But it can be... COSTELLO: And nobody can get into the country to find out anything either.

CLINCH: Absolutely. I mean we'd love to be there reporting. It's almost impossible to get in there. It's going to be fascinating to watch and success or failure, it'll be interesting. So keep an eye on these North Korea talks.

Another story we are also keeping an eye on in Israel, as well. You know, no major violence there today, but continuing -- Israel continuing to pick away at Hamas and Islamic Jihad leadership. They even nabbed two Hamas guys from their hospital beds in Nablus during the day, during the night last night. They were being treated for wounds. They tried to kill them, didn't get them, so they went into the hospital in Nablus, pulled them out of their hospital beds and put them in prison.

I'll come back at 6:00 a.m. and give you a list. Hamas Web site outlining what Hamas leaders should do to avoid being assassinated by Israel. We'll talk about that at 6:00.

COSTELLO: That sounds pretty scary.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, David.

CLINCH: All right.

COSTELLO: Appreciate it.

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 August 26, 2003 - 05:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to talk more about these crucial nuclear talks, so we've brought over our senior international editor David Clinch.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hey, carol.

Good morning.

COSTELLO: One more development to tell people about out of the "New York Times" this morning, the State Department...

CLINCH: Right. Yes, actually, I'm finding out it is in the "New York Times" today. It also apparently was reported during the day yesterday, a top State Department official with responsibility for North Korea -- Pritchard is his name -- has announced his resignation. Not exactly sure what to make of it, but effectively what it appears to illustrate is that there is significant disagreement in the State Department and the Bush administration in general about what to do on the North Korea story.

It's going to be very, very interesting watching these talks. Kind of scary. Mike Chinoy using, even using the words military action in relation to North Korea. I mean if you think about it, the one really most important factor about North Korea, Kim Jong Il, the man who leads North Korea, if you look up unpredictable in the dictionary, there's a little picture of him right next to that word.

It's just absolutely impossible, even for our North Korea experts like Mike Chinoy, who's spent many visits in North Korea and met with Kim Jong Il, to know exactly what they're thinking.

We know what the carrot is from the U.S. side. We know that the U.S. can offer money, aid, some kind of signed document saying they'll never attack North Korea, all sorts of things. But even that carrot is a little bit awkward for the United States. In the post-9/11 world, to be talking about effectively containment for a dictatorship, to basically accept the fact that North Korea will be what it is and to just pay, basically, for them to stay contained, is a kind of an awkward approach for the Bush administration to take when they're so actively not accepting containment in other parts of the world.

So even the carrot is embarrassing. And the stick, even the thought of military action is frightening. But even the other issues, you know, a blockade, trying to create instability within North Korea, persuading refugees to leave North Korea, all of these things are very scary because of the unpredictability. Kim Jong Il just a mystery. Nobody really knows what he's thinking. But it can be... COSTELLO: And nobody can get into the country to find out anything either.

CLINCH: Absolutely. I mean we'd love to be there reporting. It's almost impossible to get in there. It's going to be fascinating to watch and success or failure, it'll be interesting. So keep an eye on these North Korea talks.

Another story we are also keeping an eye on in Israel, as well. You know, no major violence there today, but continuing -- Israel continuing to pick away at Hamas and Islamic Jihad leadership. They even nabbed two Hamas guys from their hospital beds in Nablus during the day, during the night last night. They were being treated for wounds. They tried to kill them, didn't get them, so they went into the hospital in Nablus, pulled them out of their hospital beds and put them in prison.

I'll come back at 6:00 a.m. and give you a list. Hamas Web site outlining what Hamas leaders should do to avoid being assassinated by Israel. We'll talk about that at 6:00.

COSTELLO: That sounds pretty scary.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, David.

CLINCH: All right.

COSTELLO: Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com