Sunday Morning News

Secretary of State Albright Heads to North Korea for Historic Visit

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MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is due to arrive this afternoon on a historic visit to North Korea, including a meeting with that nation's top leader.

We get details on what might be expected from CNN's Andrea Koppel at the State Department.

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ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was less than two weeks ago that Bill Clinton became the first sitting U.S. president to host a senior North Korean official at the White House, the first significant step towards rapprochement between these two enemies in almost 50 years.

Now, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is on the eve of her historic visit to North Korea, becoming the first U.S. cabinet member to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: During her visit, she will be exploring the opportunities for progress on the issues of greatest concern to us.

KOPPEL: Ambiguous at best, U.S. officials say, Secretary Albright's goal during this trip will be to make progress on North Korea's missile program and lay the groundwork for a possible visit by President Clinton before he leaves office.

Ultimately, the U.S. wants the North to permanently end its program to develop ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, and it wants the North to expel members of the Japanese Red Army, a group Washington calls terrorists.

Realistically, officials acknowledge, those moves aren't likely to happen before President Clinton himself travels to Pyongyang, a trip some critics say would be a mistake, nothing more than empty symbolism.

ROBERT MANNING, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Involving the president is a very valuable commodity, and it seems to me unless there's a major breakthrough, then this is just another instance of sort of the permanent campaign masquerading as foreign policy, that this is the final photo-op. We had Arafat and Rabin shaking hands on the White House lawn, now we have Bill Clinton hanging out in Pyongyang.

KOPPEL (on camera): Secretary Albright's trip to North Korea comes as a long list of countries, most recently Germany and Great Britain, established diplomatic relations with the Stalinist North, a growing trend many now believe will soon be followed by the United States.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, the State Department.

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