Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
North Korea Standoff
Aired January 11, 2003 - 08:00 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We begin now with North Korea and two late developments that are hanging the timeline in the nuclear standoff with the U.S. North Korea's energy chief just said the Pyongyang nuclear reactor can be refired in a matter of weeks, not months. And the North's ambassador to China says Pyongyang now feels free to resume test firing ballistic missiles.
All this as former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is engaging in talks today with North Korean officials. With more on that we go to CNN's Bob Franken in Santa Fe. Good morning Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Heidi. In another venue, this would be called good cop, bad cop, but the good cop part of the North Korean strategy seems to be playing out here in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Thousands of miles from either world capital, thousands of miles from New York, the United Nations mission where the two North Korean diplomats have come to talk with Democratic governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, and why?
Well he's a former U.N. ambassador, knows the diplomats in person. He has spent quite a bit of time in North Korea, that's a very sensitive mission, so he has some credibility with them. They've been meeting now for two days. They're having this third day of meetings in the backdrop of this ominous development -- third day of meetings.
They went to dinner last night in Santa Fe, New Mexico and meanwhile Richardson says that he is not negotiating. The administration says he is not speaking for the administration, although he has permission. What he describes himself as is an interlocutor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, NEW MEXICO: I support the administration's policy. I think it is a sound policy. The administration, I believe, through Secretary Powell, has conveyed to me some strong views, and I have conveyed them to the North Koreans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: In fact, he has been in frequent contact with the secretary of state, according to Richardson. So on the one hand, he is not representing the administration, but, clearly, he is representing the United States. What have they talked about? They talked about the withdrawal from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty we're told. We're told that the conversations were frank and candid, that's diplo speak to mean that they're really digging in and trying to find some way to advance the diplomatic process, while the threats and all the difficult processes are happening elsewhere - Heidi.
COLLINS: So Bob, no chance that these talks could be cancelled for today with all of these developments that we've learned this morning?
FRANKEN: Well, anything is possible, but it seems that there's this two-part strategy and it would be considered quite notable if anybody walked out. I suspect they're going to have their meeting of some length and then they're going to go back and everybody is going to report to each other and then each side, the official sides are going to develop their new strategies.
COLLINS: All right, Bob Franken, we do thank you, from Santa Fe today.
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 11, 2003 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We begin now with North Korea and two late developments that are hanging the timeline in the nuclear standoff with the U.S. North Korea's energy chief just said the Pyongyang nuclear reactor can be refired in a matter of weeks, not months. And the North's ambassador to China says Pyongyang now feels free to resume test firing ballistic missiles.
All this as former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is engaging in talks today with North Korean officials. With more on that we go to CNN's Bob Franken in Santa Fe. Good morning Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Heidi. In another venue, this would be called good cop, bad cop, but the good cop part of the North Korean strategy seems to be playing out here in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Thousands of miles from either world capital, thousands of miles from New York, the United Nations mission where the two North Korean diplomats have come to talk with Democratic governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, and why?
Well he's a former U.N. ambassador, knows the diplomats in person. He has spent quite a bit of time in North Korea, that's a very sensitive mission, so he has some credibility with them. They've been meeting now for two days. They're having this third day of meetings in the backdrop of this ominous development -- third day of meetings.
They went to dinner last night in Santa Fe, New Mexico and meanwhile Richardson says that he is not negotiating. The administration says he is not speaking for the administration, although he has permission. What he describes himself as is an interlocutor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, NEW MEXICO: I support the administration's policy. I think it is a sound policy. The administration, I believe, through Secretary Powell, has conveyed to me some strong views, and I have conveyed them to the North Koreans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: In fact, he has been in frequent contact with the secretary of state, according to Richardson. So on the one hand, he is not representing the administration, but, clearly, he is representing the United States. What have they talked about? They talked about the withdrawal from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty we're told. We're told that the conversations were frank and candid, that's diplo speak to mean that they're really digging in and trying to find some way to advance the diplomatic process, while the threats and all the difficult processes are happening elsewhere - Heidi.
COLLINS: So Bob, no chance that these talks could be cancelled for today with all of these developments that we've learned this morning?
FRANKEN: Well, anything is possible, but it seems that there's this two-part strategy and it would be considered quite notable if anybody walked out. I suspect they're going to have their meeting of some length and then they're going to go back and everybody is going to report to each other and then each side, the official sides are going to develop their new strategies.
COLLINS: All right, Bob Franken, we do thank you, from Santa Fe today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
