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Cheney In Turkey to Gather Support Against Iraq

Aired March 19, 2002 - 12:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now oversees, and the vice president, Dick Cheney, has left Israel, now in Turkey, a nation likely to play a significant role if any U.S. plan is developed to oust Saddam Hussein.

At this hour, the news coming out of the Cheney tour concerns new movement in the Middle East, and for the very latest, here John King in the Turkish capital of Ankara. John, hello and good evening.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Bill, from Ankara. A dramatic day for the vice president. He is here now in Turkey, consultations about a possible showdown with Iraq, that is a tough sell here. It is, of course, as we know from the past week a very tough sell in the Arab world as well. Some dramatic developments in the (AUDIO GAP) Palestinian conflict today that the vice president hopes carries over as the Bush administration, in the weeks and, perhaps, months ahead tries to sell a tougher posture towards Saddam Hussein.

In Jerusalem this morning, a dramatic announcement by the vice president. He is prepared to return to the region as early as next week to have a one-on-one meeting with the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, if Mr. Arafat accepts a truce. That offer coming after some pressure by Mr. Cheney on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Overnight, the Sharon government, again under U.S. pressure, (AUDIO GAP) back from five areas it had occupied over the past two weeks, three in the West Bank, two in Gaza.

Prime Minister Sharon then, at a news conference, with the vice president at his side, announced that he would allow Yasser Arafat to leave the Palestinian territories, go to Beirut, Lebanon for the Arab summit next month. Again, Mr. Sharon attaching the same caveat as Mr. Cheney: If Mr. Arafat accepts the truce.

So, a carrot and stick approach, if you will. The administration applying pressure on Sharon, dangling the prospect of travel and the Cheney meeting in front of (AUDIO GAP) Arafat, hoping this will bring about a truce, and then ultimately negotiations to bring about a formal cease-fire between the Israelis and the Palestinians after 18 months of deadly violence, that a dramatic development in and of itself.

What the vice president is hoping now is the Bush administration goes back to those Arab leaders and say, we delivered, and we will do more to stop the Israeli-Palestinian violence, we need to you have a more open mind when we come to you to talk about confronting Saddam Hussein.

Again, the vice president continuing those discussions here in Turkey, it is a very different argument here. Turkey neighbors Iraq, government officials say their economy over the past ten years of sanctions against Saddam Hussein has suffered dramatically, there is also a concern that if there is a war, Iraq will be split in two, with the Kurds in the north taking the northern half of Iraq, and perhaps causing (AUDIO GAP) political trouble here in Turkey, so more tough sell for the vice president, but his delegation upbeat after a dramatic day beginning in Jerusalem -- Bill.

HEMMER: John King, thank you.

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