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CNN Live At Daybreak
NATO Calls Emergency Session Over Iraq
Aired February 10, 2003 - 06:03 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: NATO's emergency session, as I said going on right now in Brussels, has given new momentum to France and Russia's efforts to avert war against Iraq.
We want to take you live now to Paris. That's where we find our senior European political correspondent, Robin Oakley.
Robin, this is sort of complicated, so sort it out for us. What happened?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SR. EUROPEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol.
Yes, (AUDIO GAP) NATO's council is in emergency session, the 19 NATO ambassadors, following the decision by three of the 19 NATO members -- France, Belgium, and now Germany in the last few minutes -- agreeing to block the idea of preparatory military planning for the help that the U.S. has requested that NATO give to Turkey in the event of a war against Iraq. The U.S. wanted NATO to make available AWAC surveillance planes, Patriot anti-missile batteries and special units to deal with chemical and biological warfare.
Now, France, Germany and Belgium say it's not a matter of principle at this stage; it's a matter of timing. They're saying it is wrong for NATO to be taking this action at this stage, because they still believe that the Iraq crisis can be solved by diplomatic and political means. They're saying it's premature for NATO to do this.
But even while France has effectively vetoed this particular help for Turkey, Michelle Alliot-Marie, the French defense minister, has come forward and said if there really was a real threat to Turkey, then France would be the first country to be at Turkey's side.
But it certainly shows the chasm that is developing across the Atlantic at the moment over the attitude to Iraq. And with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, due to meet Jacques Chirac here in Paris later today, and the three countries -- France, Germany and Russia -- all saying that they want to pursue diplomatic means for ending the Iraqi crisis at this stage, there's some very heavy diplomatic maneuvering going on ahead of that key meeting of the Security Council on Friday -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And of course, Robin, the United States sees this very differently. In fact, Donald Rumsfeld was quoted in an Italian newspaper as saying: "It's shameful. For me, it's truly shameful," he says. "Turkey is an ally, an ally that is risking everything. How can you refuse it help?" OAKELY: He is indeed saying it's shameful. And Joe Lieberman at the Munich Defense Conference, where Donald Rumsfeld was, was saying that this could be a threat to the whole future of NATO. I think that's probably pitching it a little bit strong at the moment, because everybody recognizes there's a big diplomatic game going on.
But there are real tensions here. And France, of course, like Russia, holds a veto in the U.N. Security Council, and France seems to be backing further away from the idea of supporting any U.S. military action against Iraq at this stage.
Last week, it looked as though the French might be coming around. They started military moves, such as sending an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean, which made it look as though they might be thinking of coming on board, but now at this stage, they are linking with Germany on this idea of tripling the U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq, turning Iraq virtually into sort of a U.N. protectorate, a no- fly zone extended to the whole country. These are maneuvers which Colin Powell has denounced as saying that they are not a solution to the crisis; they are merely a diversion -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin Oakley reporting live from Paris this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired February 10, 2003 - 06:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: NATO's emergency session, as I said going on right now in Brussels, has given new momentum to France and Russia's efforts to avert war against Iraq.
We want to take you live now to Paris. That's where we find our senior European political correspondent, Robin Oakley.
Robin, this is sort of complicated, so sort it out for us. What happened?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SR. EUROPEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol.
Yes, (AUDIO GAP) NATO's council is in emergency session, the 19 NATO ambassadors, following the decision by three of the 19 NATO members -- France, Belgium, and now Germany in the last few minutes -- agreeing to block the idea of preparatory military planning for the help that the U.S. has requested that NATO give to Turkey in the event of a war against Iraq. The U.S. wanted NATO to make available AWAC surveillance planes, Patriot anti-missile batteries and special units to deal with chemical and biological warfare.
Now, France, Germany and Belgium say it's not a matter of principle at this stage; it's a matter of timing. They're saying it is wrong for NATO to be taking this action at this stage, because they still believe that the Iraq crisis can be solved by diplomatic and political means. They're saying it's premature for NATO to do this.
But even while France has effectively vetoed this particular help for Turkey, Michelle Alliot-Marie, the French defense minister, has come forward and said if there really was a real threat to Turkey, then France would be the first country to be at Turkey's side.
But it certainly shows the chasm that is developing across the Atlantic at the moment over the attitude to Iraq. And with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, due to meet Jacques Chirac here in Paris later today, and the three countries -- France, Germany and Russia -- all saying that they want to pursue diplomatic means for ending the Iraqi crisis at this stage, there's some very heavy diplomatic maneuvering going on ahead of that key meeting of the Security Council on Friday -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And of course, Robin, the United States sees this very differently. In fact, Donald Rumsfeld was quoted in an Italian newspaper as saying: "It's shameful. For me, it's truly shameful," he says. "Turkey is an ally, an ally that is risking everything. How can you refuse it help?" OAKELY: He is indeed saying it's shameful. And Joe Lieberman at the Munich Defense Conference, where Donald Rumsfeld was, was saying that this could be a threat to the whole future of NATO. I think that's probably pitching it a little bit strong at the moment, because everybody recognizes there's a big diplomatic game going on.
But there are real tensions here. And France, of course, like Russia, holds a veto in the U.N. Security Council, and France seems to be backing further away from the idea of supporting any U.S. military action against Iraq at this stage.
Last week, it looked as though the French might be coming around. They started military moves, such as sending an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean, which made it look as though they might be thinking of coming on board, but now at this stage, they are linking with Germany on this idea of tripling the U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq, turning Iraq virtually into sort of a U.N. protectorate, a no- fly zone extended to the whole country. These are maneuvers which Colin Powell has denounced as saying that they are not a solution to the crisis; they are merely a diversion -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin Oakley reporting live from Paris this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
