Susan Rice: U.S. won't tolerate violations

by Mark Silva

The United States "will not stand for violations of international law,'' Susan Rice, the Obama administration's ambassador to the United Nations, said today, in the wake of a North Korean missile launch that flew in the face of international warnings.

"Our concern is to prevent North Korea from pursuing and disseminating nuclear weapons we view as a proliferation threat," Rice said in an appearance on ABC News' This Week Wwith George Stephanopoulos.

"Its actions....underscore our concern about its development of not only nuclear weapons capability but the capability to deliver.,'' Rice said. "That's what we are most concerned about preventing, and preventing North Korea from sharing that capability she said.

While North Korea claimed that its missile had put a satellite into orbit, the U.S. military said the satellite dropped into the Pacific Ocean. U.S. officials maintain that the purpose of the test was to see if Pyonyang could deliver a warhead to Japan or beyond.

Rice, reprsenting the United States in an emergency meeting at the United Nations Security Council this afternoon, said the administration is working closely with allies in Asia, in particular Japan and South Korea, to decide on an "appropriate response.

"The challenge... is to convey with unity, as the president said today, on behalf of the international community, that we will not stand for violations of international law, which this launch represented, that there will be consequences, and that indeed we will proceed together with resolve the goal of achieving a Korean peninsula without nuclear weapons," Rice said.

Here, courtesy of ABC News, is a transcript of the Rice interview:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Joining us now for an exclusive interview,
the official who will represent President Obama and the United States
at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council this afternoon,
America's U.N. ambassador, Susan Rice.
Welcome to THIS WEEK.
RICE: Thanks, George. Good to be with you.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So what will this international response be?
RICE: Well, George, we have been in close consultation with our
allies in Asia, in particular, Japan and South Korea about the
appropriate response. We have consulted over the last several days,
including this morning as well with the Russians and the Chinese.
So the U.N. Security Council will meet this afternoon in
emergency session. I'll be going up there straightaway. And we will
be discussing the appropriate response. The United States believes
that this action is best dealt with -- the most appropriate response
would a United Nations Security Council resolution.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Japan wants sanctions, will the U.S. co-sponsor
a sanctions resolution?
RICE: The U.S. is working very closely with Japan and we will be
in consultation with our partners inside the council, trying to get
the most appropriate and strong response we can possibly get.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But this is already a violation of U.N.
resolutions -- two U.N. resolutions...
RICE: Yes, it is.
STEPHANOPOULOS: ... just to have this test. So what good does
it do for the United Nations to come back and say, hey, we really mean
it this time?
RICE: Now, well, the first resolution that is really the
operative one was from 2006, when the North Koreans launched a missile
and the United Nations Security Council demanded a halt to future
missile-related activity and any future missile launches.
We feel very strongly that what occurred today was a violation of
that resolution. So we will go back and work, George, to both toughen
existing regimes, but to add to that resolution. In fact, that
resolution did not...
STEPHANOPOULOS: So there will be new sanctions toughening...
RICE: George, we have 15 members of the Security Council and --
including the permanent five, so we all need to come together around
this. But the United States' view is, this is serious, it's a
violation, and it merits and appropriately strong United Nations
response. We'll be...
STEPHANOPOULOS: You mentioned...
RICE: ...working for that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You mentioned the 15 members. One of them, of
course, as you mentioned, is China. China has made it pretty clear
they don't want any sanctions. And because of that, your predecessor,
John Bolton, says that any kind of U.N. resolution is going to be
close to meaningless.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I think the real
pressure has to be applied on China, which gives North Korea 80 to 90
percent of its energy and a substantial amount of its food and other
humanitarian needs.
China has got the capability to stop this nuclear program, we've
just never applied adequate pressure to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is the United States prepared to pressure China?
RICE: We're working very closely with China. China shares the
same goal that we do, which is a de-nuclearized Korean Peninsula.
China also is very proximate, on the border with North Korea, and
shares our desire not to see this situation escalate, and to ensure
that we can achieve, George, the long-term goal, which is de-
nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the six-party talk
process.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But because China is right on the border of
North Korea, they've been reluctant to really pressure North Korea.
They're afraid that if you turn the screws too hard on North Korea,
the regime is going to collapse and there's going to be chaos.
And is that why they are not going along with tougher sanctions?
RICE: Well, I think they have multiple concerns. They are
looking at the large long-term goal of ensuring that we don't have a
nuclearized Korean Peninsula. There have been times when we have
differed as to the best means of achieving that.
But we are unified with China and others in the six parties
towards the goal, George, of ensuring that we roll back this nuclear
program that North Korea is pursuing.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But is there any evidence at all that North
Korea is going to respond to any of this? They've been steadily
adding to their nuclear program, in fits and starts at times, but
basically they've been able, over the last eight years or so, to
develop a nuclear capability, to develop nuclear warheads, and they
seem determined to keep going on that track.
RICE: Well, George, it is fits and starts. I mean, there have
been steps that have occurred over the last years that have been
progress. For example, they did take steps to dismantle the facility
at Yongbyon, which was the principal reactor.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But then they restarted it.
RICE: No. We have seen some serious dismantlement. The problem
that we face now is ensuring that there is a verifiable regime to
ensure de-nuclearization. And that's where the six-party talks have
now stalled.
The challenge, George, is to convey with unity, as the president
said today, on behalf of the international community that we will not
stand for violations of international law which this launch today
represented. That there will be consequences. And that, indeed, we
will pursue together with resolve the goal of achieving a Korean
Peninsula without nuclear weapons.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But you can't say yet what those consequences
will be. And there is no guarantee that the U.N. today or over the
course of next week is going to impose sanctions on North Korea...
(CROSSTALK)
RICE: George, we need to continue to work closely with our
allies Japan and South Korea, with partners in the Security Council to
achieve united action. And that's what we will do.
STEPHANOPOULOS: What bothers the United States more, the chaos
if this regime collapsed or the current regime?
RICE: Our concern is to prevent North Korea from pursuing and
disseminating nuclear weapons. We view North Korea as a proliferation
threat. Its actions today underscore our concern about its
development of not only a nuclear weapons capability, but the
capability to deliver it. That's what we're most concerned about
preventing, and preventing North Korea from sharing that technology
with others.
STEPHANOPOULOS: One more question on this, you talk about the
capability to deliver a nuclear warhead. The Northern Command said
the satellite -- no satellite was sent into orbit. But this test did
seem to be more successful than the last North Korean test, the stages
the rocket did get over Japan.
Are you now convinced -- is the United States now convinced that
the North Koreans have a missile that could reach the United States?
RICE: I think, George, what today's experience showed is that
they did not succeed according to our best assessment to putting that
space launch vehicle into orbit. That, therefore, was something short
of success for North Korea.
Our assessment is that their pursuit of a missile capability is
of grave concern and that their aim is to achieve the capability to
deliver a weapon as potentially as -- to North America.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Do they have it yet?
RICE: I think we have to look at exactly what transpired today
and make a new assessment of the consequences.
STEPHANOPOULOS: There are also, as you know, two U.S.
journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who have been in North Korean
custody for more than two weeks. They were arrested for illegally
entering, the North Koreans say, their territory. And they're facing
the potential of a trial that could land them 10 years of hard labor.
Two questions, are you confident they are safe and being treated
well? And can the United States prevent them from being put into 10
years of hard labor?
RICE: George, we're very concerned about the circumstances of
these two journalists. We are communicating directly through the -- a
third country that represents our interests in North Korea our concern
for these Americans in taking every possible action that we can to
ensure their safe and swift release.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And do you have any guarantees?
RICE: Of course we have no guarantees.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And do you believe they're going to put on
trial?
RICE: We don't have any reason to be certain that they'll put on
trial. We remain hopeful that their release may be possible swiftly
and safely.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But they're safe?
RICE: To the best of our knowledge, George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me also talk about the issue of
proliferation in Iran, which the president also talked about today.
He said that Iran poses a real threat and that we will continue to
engage -- look for ways to engage with Iran.
This weekend, another one of your predecessors, this week
Ambassador Richard Holbrooke had a brief meeting with the Iranians at
the international conference in Munich. What is the next step in that
engagement?
RICE: Well, the president has been very clear that Iran has a
choice. Iran can rejoin the community of nations, it can halt its
illicit nuclear program. It has a right to peaceful nuclear
processing. But its behavior to date has indicated that it's not pursuing
simply a peaceful program.
We have extended, as the president said on a number of occasions
an opportunity, an open hand to Iran. And we hope Iran will seize
that opportunity to take the steps that would enable it to be a
responsible member of the international community.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But the U.N. effort to put sanctions on Iran has
not been effective in any way. Is the U.N. process at a dead end?
RICE: No, George, actually I think on the contrary. The
sanctions that have been imposed by the United Nations and implemented
by the United States and others have had some significant effect on
the trade and the banking and the financial sector inside of Iran, and
we certainly remain open to consideration of possible future measures.
The aim here, though, is to marshal all of the resources at our
disposal, diplomatic, economic, and other to try to make this choice
as clear as possible to Iran, to give them a path to end their nuclear
-- illicit nuclear weapons program, enter the community of nations,
or, if in fact, they ultimately choose not to do that, then to bring
to bear the full force of the international community to put pressure
on Iran to stop.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Israel has made it very clear, including the new
prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that they believe Iran is fully
going after a nuclear capability and that if the United States doesn't
act, they will act.
And Admiral Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has
said the thought of such a strike concerns him. Does it concern you?
RICE: I think we share Israel's very grave concern about the
threat that Iran's illicit nuclear weapons program poses, not only to
Israel and the other countries in the region, but indeed to U.S.
national security.
I don't think it's productive to speculate about what may
transpire. As I said, and the president has said on a number of
occasions, our aim is to use all of the elements at our disposal,
including direct diplomacy, to offer Iran a path away from an illicit
nuclear weapons program.
But obviously if that path is not chosen, we have not ruled out
any options.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But are you confident that Israel will not
strike without U.S. consent?
RICE: George, as I've said, I will not speculate about what the
U.S. or others might do. At this stage our focus is on steering Iran
to the extent we possibly can towards a different course.
STEPHANOPOULOS: What kind of contact have you had with your
Iranian counterpart at the U.N.?
RICE: I work in an environment where there are 191 other member
states. And I actually have encountered on a couple of occasions my
Iranian counterpart in the course of my work up at the U.N.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you don't intentionally avoid him in any way,
as previous ambassadors haven't either, in fact Ambassador Negroponte
had what he considered a useful relationship with his Iranian
counterpart.
RICE: No. I -- we've run into each other on a couple of
occasions and I've had an opportunity to have some brief exchanges.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But no negotiations yet?
RICE: No negotiations.
STEPHANOPOULOS: On Afghanistan and Pakistan, the president spoke
out yesterday against this new law in Afghanistan which -- where
Shiite women are subject to Sharia, Muslim law. He said it was
abhorrent. And Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, said he's going to
review it.
At the same time, human rights activists have been circulating a
video, and I just want to show a brief part of it, because it's
horrific, of a Pakistani woman being beaten by the Taliban in the
northwest part of Pakistan, of Swat, Pakistan that's now controlled by
the Taliban.
So far the United States has not responded to requests for
comment on this incident, why not?
RICE: George, I think obviously we'd be very, very concerned at
any instance of abuse of human rights. And this would appear to be
such an instance. The president spoke out very forcefully about the
-- our concern about the law that has passed in Afghanistan.
And whether we're talking about Pakistan or Afghanistan or any
other country in the world, the United States is very firm in
insisting that human rights must be respected universally, and this
sort of behavior would be inconsistent with that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But the concern here, is that the part of
Pakistan where the government has signed peace agreement, basically
the Taliban, and the concern is that this is giving them a safe haven,
even though they're receiving billions of dollars of U.S. aid.
RICE: Pakistan is as -- has the most immediate stake in
preventing the spread of extremism within its own territory. The
actions of al Qaeda and the Taliban and their allies threaten Pakistan
on a daily basis, even as they threaten us as well.
So our aim in the new policy that the president has unveiled
which got unanimous support from all of our NATO partners was embraced
and endorsed earlier this week in The Hague by more than 80 countries,
is focused on supporting both Afghanistan and Pakistan in their
efforts to root out this sort of extremism.
And the assistance that we will be providing Pakistan, both
economic and military, will be tied to Pakistan's ability and
willingness to continue to do as it has been doing, which is to try to
root out these extremists.
STEPHANOPOULOS: We're just about out of time. Just a quick
question, General Gration...
RICE: Gration.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Gration, excuse me, President Obama's envoy to
Sudan, has been over there this week trying to get aid organizations
back into that country. Has he made any progress?
RICE: He is working with -- talking to the aid organizations.
He has had -- he has visited Darfur and some of the gravely affected
internally displaced camps there. He has also spoken with the
authorities in Khartoum.
His aim is to support our efforts and that of the international
community to ensure that the people of Darfur have the lifesaving
humanitarian assistance that they need. I think it's too soon to
assume that we have concrete indications of progress.
But he is pushing very hard. This is something of grave concern
to the president, to the secretary of state, and myself and others,
and we're working very hard to reverse the decision, the very
unfortunate decision to expel these 13 international NGOs, which is
leaving people vulnerable.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And if he fails, is the U.S. prepared to impose
a no-fly zone?
RICE: The U.S. will look at a full range of options to enable
the international community to support those vulnerable citizens, and
those that, frankly, were vulnerable before this expulsion.
The president and the vice president, secretary, have expressed
grave concern about the ongoing genocide that has preceded this latest
action and will be looking at the full range of steps to try to
prevent further killing and dying, and to support the north-south
peace agreement that is also critically important to implement.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Ambassador Rice, thank you very much.
RICE: Good to be with you, George.