[Miles O'brien, Cnn Anchor:] Some signs of progress in the North Korean nuclear crisis. A six-nation summit is under way now in china to try and resolve the 10-month standoff, and on the sidelines a surprise face-to-face meeting between Pyongyang and Washington; the first direct talks between the two in months. Still, the Russians are pessimistic even as the dialogue continues. Daniel Poneman joins me now. He is a former National Security Council adviser during the Clinton administration. Mr. Ponneman, good to have you with us. Oh, to be a fly on the wall, I suppose, for those conversations.
[Daniel Poneman, Fmr. National Security Council Adviser:] Indeed.
[O'brien:] How do you suppose they played out?
[Poneman:] My impression, Miles, is and this you'd expect in any large negotiation that the first round of talks is basically the six delegations going through their well-prepared talking points, their fixed presentations. And I wouldn't expect too much adlibbing at this phase.
[O'brien:] All right. Let's try to modulate our expectations and the level of optimism that seems appropriate. First of all, the fact that this is happening at all should be some reason for optimism, correct?
[Poneman:] It's good news. You can't have a diplomatic solution without talks.
[O'brien:] All right. And the fact that China is front and center in dealing with this is another bit of good news, isn't it?
[Poneman:] Very good news. I think that the role that China has played in this crisis has been one of the major accomplishments. I think that they are an indispensable party to an ultimate solution.
[O'brien:] All right. Now, siphoning out the motivations of the North Koreans, well, you can build a career on that, can't you, trying to figure that one out? Given what you read on it, what do the North Koreans really want to lay aside their plutonium and their weapons?
[Poneman:] What they really want is survival, and I think that the talk that you hear from the North Koreans repeatedly about security isn't all just talk. I think that first and foremost they're interested in the survival and perpetuation of their regime. I think all other considerations, frankly, come a far second or third.
[O'brien:] All right. The U.S. remains with a very hard line here, no carrots, just sticks, at least so far out there. A voice of moderation in the administration, Jack Prichard, has resigned after being criticized by others in the administration for offering perhaps a bit of an olive branch to the North Koreans. Is that, in your view, the appropriate approach right now, or is it time to start dealing somehow with Kim?
[Poneman:] Miles, I believe that there is an intrinsic urgency to this crisis. While we're talking they may be separating plutonium. That plutonium can be fashioned into five to six additional nuclear weapons this world has not yet known, which could end up in the hands of anyone, including al Qaeda. And, therefore, to take a leisurely pace I think is not indicated by the facts. My view would be you need to lay out a very clear set of choices to the North Koreans. If they come into urgent compliance with their nonproliferation obligations I think we can be forthcoming with some incentives. And if they don't, there should be genuine penalties.
[O'brien:] All right. Daniel Poneman, we're going to have to leave it at that. Complicated subject. It deserves a little more attention, but we've got to move on. Thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.
[Poneman:] Thank you.