19 November 1998
TRANSCRIPT: COHEN/ROBERTSON PRESS CONFERENCE NOVEMBER 19, 1998
(Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, NKorea, defense industry, Y2K) (2610) Secretary of Defense Cohen and the UK's Secretary of State for Defense Robertson held a press conference at the Pentagon November 19. Following is the Pentagon transcript: (begin transcript) DoD News Briefing Thursday, November 19, 1998 Presenters: US Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Secretary of State for Defense George Robertson, United Kingdom ..................... Q: Mr. Cohen, if I could speak to the impending crisis with North Korea over their underground facility, as they told Mr. Kartman yesterday would not be open for inspection. I would like your reaction to that. And also to the change of the new war plan that has been revealed for Korea. Could you speak to that? Are you in favor of a plan that basically will check North Korea's military? SECRETARY COHEN: First, with respect to Mr. Kartman, I believe he stated that he did not expect to resolve this issue during the first meeting he had with the North Koreans. But I might add that this is not something that can go on indefinitely. This is a subject matter which needs to be addressed. As I've said before, we're concerned about reports that we've had about the developments in North Korea as to whether they are complying with the agreed framework. We are going to need inspection of the site or sites that might be involved. And absent a compliance or an agreement to do that, then it will call very much into question the agreed framework itself. So we are going to continue to press that issue and it would be my hope and expectation that the North Koreans would see the wisdom of agreeing to comply with our own needs. With respect to a war plan, I really can't talk about war plans with respect to North Korea, only to say that it would be a grave mistake for the North Koreans to attack the South. Q: Mr. Secretary, there have been reports on North Korea that the United States and South Korea have found indications of plutonium in the soil, in the water around some of the suspected sites. Number one, is that true? And number two, if you choose not to address that issue what would that indicate if it were true? SECRETARY COHEN: I cannot address the issue since it's an intelligence matter, but again it raises concerns. Any time we have concerns about compliance with the agreed framework then it's a very serious matter. So we will continue to press for complete openness on the part of the North Koreans pertaining to their course of conduct dealing with the agreed framework, but I can't comment on what the reports have been in the press. ...................... Press: Thank you. (end transcript)
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