North Korea Willing to Hold Nuclear Talks
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Having gone to war in Iraq, the Bush administration greeted progress today toward avoiding another conflict. North Korea now says that it is willing to hold talks about its nuclear program. And the way it sounds, the talks will take place under the terms set by Washington. With that story, our senior White House correspondent, John King. John, it was the Chinese and the Russians who played some role in getting this turn of events.</s>JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Judy, principally the Chinese, but The Russians also putting pressure on North Korea to give in to the U.S. demand that these be multilateral, not bilateral talks. Now, what does that mean? North Korea for months has been a source of frustration and consternation to this White House, not only refusing to sit down and talk and negotiate this with the United States and several other countries, but also continuing to reprocess uranium and to reconstitute a nuclear weapons program. President Bush has been quite frustrated, although he's always been very careful to say, this is a problem, not a crisis, one he hopes to resolve peacefully. In the last round of talks, it was the Chinese, the United States and North Korea sitting down at the table. Because of this new agreement, essentially forced on the North Koreans by the Chinese, next time there are conversations, perhaps in early September, the president says the United States and China will have some help.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That means Japan will be there. After all, Japan's an important part of the neighborhood. South Korea will be there. They've got a vested interest in having discussions and dialogues with Kim Jong Il. And Russia has agreed to join, which means there are now five nations and North Korea sitting at a table, all aimed at convincing -- the discussions will be all aimed at convincing Mr. Kim Jong Il to change his attitude about nuclear weaponry.</s>KING: So a victory of sorts for the Bush administration, but we must make clear a procedural or a process victory, still no indication at all on the substance that North Korea is prepared to come to the table and actually agree not only to set aside its nuclear program in a written agreement, but to agree to allow international inspectors to come in for years to come to verify that that is the case, still, the Bush administration believing it is beginning to get through to Pyongyang. Having China, Russia and now South Korea in Japan as part of the discussions should give a resounding message, the White House says, to North Korea that it will be isolated until it decides and unless it decides to set aside this nuclear program. The key test now, Judy, what will North Korea say when it comes to the table? When will that be? We expect early September.</s>WOODRUFF: And right, John. And within the framework, though, of these multi-country talks, will there be room for bilateral talks between the U.S. and North Korea, in other words, exactly what North Korea had wanted originally?</s>KING: Well, the United States says it has no problem at all if the North Korean representative of the talks leans across the table and says, Ambassador Kelly, assuming it's Jim Kelly, the State Department's point person on this -- that the United States says it has no problem if the North Korean addresses the U.S. representative across the table. What the White House says will not happen, at least in the short term, is that they will not get up and go off into a separate meeting, that there will not be a U.S.-North Korea-alone meeting, at least not just now. The administration says it needs to reinforce the idea that this is a multilateral, an international problem and that, if progress is made, perhaps down the road, there could be more of a dialogue. But right now, the United States says no formal bilateral talks. But if, across the table, the North Koreans address a question to the U.S. counterpart, they will get an answer.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, John King at the White House, thank you very much. And now quickly, we turn to someone who's been involved in U.S.- North Korean negotiations. And that is Governor Bill Richardson of the state of New Mexico, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Governor Richardson, are we ready to say that this means that a nuclear confrontation with North Korea is now off the table?</s>GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Well, this is a breakthrough, the fact that North Korea has accepted multilateral talks. Quite frankly, I think Secretary Powell deserves a lot of credit for pushing and pursuing. And the Chinese were key. I, quite frankly, thought the North Koreans would hold out quite a bit longer. So it is a positive step, the fact that now six countries are involved. But then the nitty-gritty starts at these talks. And I think, eventually, Judy, it's going to have to be the United States and North Korea sitting alone. But this is a welcome step. It means the North Koreans have put aside their concerns over what is called modalities, how many participate, and they're ready to negotiate substance. And this is good.</s>WOODRUFF: Why did they come around?</s>RICHARDSON: I believe that they felt that the Bush administration was very serious about this, that they weren't going to get a one-on-one with Secretary Powell or an administration official, that, as long as, within the multilateral talks -- and I suspect this will happen -- a North Korean representative and an American representative, either having dinner or sitting to the side or as they're walking out, talking, I think something like that can happen, but, at the same time, no secrets. And I think the administration deserves credit for really engaging China as the leader. Now, Russia participating, I think it's good, but the key players are going to be the U.S., China, and North Korea.</s>WOODRUFF: So are these other countries who are involved, the South Koreans, the Japanese, the Russians, are they really almost peripheral to these discussions now?</s>WOODRUFF: Even though they're going to be at the table?</s>RICHARDSON: They'll be at the table, but they won't have the serious role that China will have. China invests in North Korea. They have leverage. But, at the same time, I think North Korea is being realistic. I think North Korea is now ready to engage. North Korea wants respect as a major power. They eventually -- and I think the final solution is going to be the U.S. and North Korea within a broader framework. But South Korea, obviously, it's important to have them. They're directly involved in the DMZ and in so many areas. I think Russia could play a constructive role, the fact that, if they participate in an economic assistance package for North Korea, eventually, after North Korea agrees to start dismantling some of their nuclear weapons. But I think what is also here apparent, Judy, is that North Korea wants to deal. They're ready to engage. I've always said this. The way to deal with them is diplomacy, talk to them, make them feel they're a major power. Don't -- they get easily spooked. I think the Bush administration should concentrate on Secretary Powell, the president calling the policy shots, not some of the hard-liners that want to go in and do preemptive strikes. Let's have this diplomatic leaders like Secretary Powell call the shots and do the policy, rather than all these other voices.</s>WOODRUFF: What about -- as I understand it, what the North Koreans have been asking for is, first of all, aid, but also this nonaggression pact with the U.S. They want the United States to say that it is not going to attack North Korea. On its face, that sounds like something that the U.S. should be willing to declare. Why has that been so difficult?</s>RICHARDSON: Well, I think, eventually, Judy, that is going to have to be part of an agreement, maybe not a nonaggression pact, because those went out years ago, but some kind of written document that assures North Korea that it will not be attacked by the United States. In exchange, the United States will demand that North Korea start dismantling its nuclear programs, its reprocessing. It's going to cost the United States and our allies and the five members of these talks food assistance, economic assistance, investment of some kind, energy assistance to replace those light water reactors. And that's a diplomatic trade that I think eventually can defuse the situation. And so I believe North Korea has also taken a step, sending a signal that: We're ready to deal diplomatically, but we want something in return. And that's normal. And we should be pleased with that.</s>WOODRUFF: Has anything been lost, Governor Richardson, by the fact that it's taken to so long to get to where the U.S. and North Korea are right now?</s>RICHARDSON: Well, there's been a lot of misunderstandings. There has been some reprocessing activity that the North Koreans have engaged in. But I think, eventually, if it results in an agreement -- and I think, eventually, if more than just the U.S. and North Korea are involved, the fact that we've gotten China engaged, the fact that other nations are putting pressure on North Korea, I think that's good. But, again, Judy, eventually, it's going to be face-to-face talks, the U.S. and North Korea cutting the final deal around the framework I mentioned, no attack, but, in exchange, assistance, dismantle nuclear weapons program. But I think this is a big victory for Secretary Powell and his team that have been pushing for these engaged talks multilaterally.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who, wearing a completely different hat, was officially named this week to be the chair of the Democratic National Convention coming up this summer -- next summer in the city of Boston. Governor, it's good to see you.</s>RICHARDSON: Thank you, Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: Thank you very much.