>> AN EDITORIAL IN A NORTH
KOREA STATE RUN NEWSPAPER WARNS
THE U.S. NOT TO GET IN THE WAY
OF ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH SOUTH
KOREA.
THIS AS PRESIDENT TRUMP MENTIONS
THE POSSIBILITY OF A SECOND
MEETING WITH DICTATOR KIM
JONG-UN.
JOINING US IS FOUR STAR GENERAL
AND STRATEGIES GENERAL JACK
KEANE.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> SAME TO YOU, GILLIAN.
GILLIAN: THEY COME OUT AND
BASICALLY BARBS THE UNITED
STATES.
THE PRESIDENT IS TALKING HOW KIM
SENT HIM A LOWER AND THERE'S ALL
THIS PROGRESS.
WHERE IS THE GROUND TRUTH
BETWEEN THIS.
>> I THINK FUNDAMENTALLY WE'RE
STALEMATED.
CLEARLY THERE'S BEEN PROGRESS
AND NO NUCLEAR BALLISTIC MISSILE
TESTING, RETURN OF REMAINS,
RETURN OF HOSTAGES, AND RAIL
LINES, LIMITED RETURN OF NORTH
KOREAN, SOUTH KOREAN FAMILIES,
THAT'S PROGRESS, BUT NO PROGRESS
ON THE CORE ISSUE, DENUCLEA
DENUCLEARIZATION.
NOT A SINGLE NUCLEAR MISSILE OR
BALLISTIC MISSILE HAS BEEN
DISARMED OR DESTROYED.
GILLIAN: DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU?
>>, THEY HAVE NOT RETURNED THE
INVENTORY OF WEAPON SITES, MUCH
LESS THAN A PLAN TO DISARM THEM
AND DESTROY THEM IN FRONT OF
INDEPENDENT INSPECTORS.
SO, WE'RE STILL IN SOME RESPECTS
ON THE CORE ISSUE, WE'RE STILL
AT THE START POINT.
ALTHOUGH THERE'S PROGRESS MADE
TANGENTIALLY AROUND THAT ISSUE.
GILLIAN: IT SOUND LIKE YOU'RE
SAYING THERE'S PROGRESS, BUT NOT
ON THE ISSUES WE CARE ABOUT.
ARE THERE IN THE NEAR FUTURE
CAUSE HAVOC AND DESTRUCTION
AROUND THE WORLD?
THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE WORRIED
ABOUT NOT THESE--
>> I AGREE WITH YOU.
AND OPPOSED TO HAVE YOUS
AGREEING TO VISIT KIM JONG-UN.
HE WANTS THAT VISIT BECAUSE IT
HELPS WITH THE WORLD STAGE AND
HELPS WITH HIS DOMESTIC
AUDIENCE, BEING A PROMINENT
LEADER, QUOTE, UNQUOTE.
LET'S NOT GIVE HIM THAT.
LET'S GET A CONCESSION OUT OF
HIM LIKE THE LIST OF YOUR
PROGRAM BEFORE WE HAVE A VISIT
WITH HIM.
GILLIAN: YOU DON'T THINK THAT
THE PRESIDENT SHOULD MEET WITH
HIM?
>> I THINK HE SHOULD LEVERAGE
THE VISIT.
KIM JONG-UN WANTS THE VISIT MORE
THAN WE WANT IT.
GILLIAN: AND WHILE YOU'RE HERE,
BIG NEWS, BIG ANNOUNCEMENT ON
SYRIA OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE,
THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO BRING ALL
THE TROOPS HOME.
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE--
YOU KNOW, HE'S GOTTEN SO MUCH
BLOWBACK FROM DIFFERENT, FROM
THE HILL, FROM THE MILITARY,
FROM FORMER MILITARY, FROM THE
FOREIGN POLICY COMMUNITY.
DO YOU THINK HIS THINKING IS
TEMPERED AT ALL?
WHERE DO YOU THINK HE IS NOW ON
SYRIA?
>> I THINK THERE WASN'T A LOT OF
EXPLANATION ABOUT IT.
IT WAS JUST A DECISION TO LEAVE.
THE PRESIDENT HAS REVISITED THIS
ISSUE IN SOME DEGREE OF DEPTH
AND THE ADMINISTRATION WILL BE
IMPOSING CONDITIONS BEFORE WE
PULL ALL OF OUR TROOPS OUT.
AND THOSE CONDITIONS ARE, NUMBER
ONE, WE'RE GOING TO FINISH ISIS
FOR SURE, AND THERE'S STILL WORK
TO BE DONE THERE AND FIERCE
FIGHTING GOING ON THE LAST TWO
TO THREE MONTHS ON THE
SYRIA-IRAQI BORDER.
NUMBER TWO, WE WANT TO PROTECT
THE SYRIAN KURDS.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SYRIAN
KURDS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR
FOUR YEARS AND WE'RE NOT GOING
TO ABANDON THEM TO THE TURKISH
MALIGNED BEHAVIOR.
THE THIRD THING WE WANT TO CURB
IRAN'S AGGRESSIVENESS IN SYRIA
AND DENY THEM THE LAND BRIDGE
AND ALSO WE DO NOT WANT THE OIL
FIELDS CURRENTLY IN EASTERN
SYRIA, UNDER U.S. INFLUENCE,
SYRIAN KURDS AND ARABS ARE IN
CONTROL OF THEM AND U.S.
INFLUENCE WE DON'T NOT WANT THEM
FALLING INTO THE HANDS OF THE
IRANIANS.
GILLIAN: ALL OF THE THINGS THAT
YOU LAID OUT, DO YOU THINK THIS
IS WHY GENERAL MATTIS ENDED UP
LEAVING THE ADMINISTRATION?
>> I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE WHY JIM
LEFT.
I TALKED TO HIM THE DAY BEFORE
HESS RESIGNATION LETTER AND I
DIDN'T HAVE ANY UNDERSTANDING
THAT HE WAS GOING TO LEAVE.
I THINK MY OWN SPECULATION,
ASKING ME FOR AN OPINION, I'LL
GIVE IT.
I THINK THERE WAS A PATTERN THAT
WAS DEVELOPING WHERE I THINK JIM
PROBABLY RECOGNIZED HE WAS NOT
ON THE SAME PAGE WITH THE
PRESIDENT AND THEREFORE, HIS
INFLUENCE WAS WANING.
GILLIAN: WELL, GENERAL, THANK