White House Closely Watching North Korean Developments
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Just yesterday, Secretary of State Colin Powell said North Korea was thumbing its nose at the rest of the world by saying it has pulled out of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The White House closely watching developments in North Korea. Dana Bash joining us with the latest from there -- good morning, Dana.</s>DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRSPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. Well there's no specific reaction to the moves that we've just been talking about at this early hour. No specific reaction yet. But there's no question that the administration, in watching almost daily moves by North Korea to ratchet up the pressure to try to get the U.S. to come to the negotiating table, that they have been watching this in anticipation of perhaps North Korea saying that they are going to restart that nuclear facility at Pyongyang. That is something that of course the administration does not want at all. But yesterday, the United States did back the idea of taking this whole situation now to the U.N. Security Council. That perhaps that is time now where the U.N. Security Council could perhaps invoke some economic sanctions and really try to put pressure from the entire world on North Korea. And the administration is also hoping that with moves such as pulling out of the nonproliferation treaty that the neighbors, North Korea's neighbors, will really feel the need to put even more pressure on that country to stop these moves because they are really at the greatest risk to that country having nuclear weapons. But there is definitely pressure on the administration to give in to what North Korea is asking for, which is direct talks with the U.S. And not just talks, which the administration did say, fine, they'll come to the negotiating table earlier this week, but what North Korea wants to know is what are they going to get for it. Why are they going to come to the table? They want what Republican Senator Dick Lugar said yesterday. They want to see a light at the end of the tunnel. And there's no question that with these moves there will be even greater pressure on the administration to do that. But so far no sign that they actually will give into that -- Miles.</s>O'BRIEN: CNN's Dana Bash from Washington, thanks very much. USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com