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American Morning
NATO Holds Emergency Session Over Iraq Crisis
Aired February 10, 2003 - 07:03 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now more on the growing dissention this morning between the U.S. and some of its NATO allies. France, Belgium and Germany are blocking to start a military preparation to protect Turkey if there is a war against its neighbor, Iraq.
Senior European political correspondent Robin Oakley is live in Paris with reaction.
Good morning -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SR. EUROPOEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
The heavy-duty diplomatic maneuvering going on this week isn't really going the way the United States would like to see. Here in Paris in a few hours, President Jacques Chirac will meet Vladimir Putin of Russia. Chirac is still saying that war is not inevitable. Putin is saying that the case for use of force has not been made.
And as you say, the NATO emergency session this morning has heard that three countries -- France, Germany and Belgium -- have refused moves for NATO to start planning on how it would help Turkey in the event of a war. The U.S. wanted help from Patriot anti-missile batteries, from AWAC surveillance aircraft and special units for chemical and biological warfare. That's been refused for the moment.
But Lord Robertson, the NATO secretary general, emerged from the emergency session to say that he believed NATO would supply help in the end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORD GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We're united in our commitment to the security of all of NATO's members. The question is not if, but when to begin the planning. We have a difficult issue in front of us. It's an issue which concerns solidarity with one ally, Turkey. It is not related to any possible participation by NATO in a military operation against Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: Lord Robertson made it clear that it was a serious blow to alliance unity, the decision that had been taken so far by those three countries. He clearly intends to keep the 19 NATO ambassadors talking and meeting until he manages to get that decision turned around, but it has to be said with that key U.N. Security Council meeting approaching this Friday, the gap across the Atlantic is widening rather than closing -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, in the end, can you explain to us how Lord Robertson thinks he'll get everybody to come together on this one?
OAKLEY: Well, essentially because it's a matter of timing, as he said, in that France and Germany Belgium are saying they don't want NATO to start this contingency planning at this stage, because that puts everybody in a war mind, a war move. They're saying that if it comes to a real threat to Turkey later on, the French defense minister, Michelle Alliot-Marie, for example, said if Turkey really was seriously threatened, France would be the first country to be at its side. But they're saying it is premature while diplomatic and political initiatives are still being taken to try and avoid a war in Iraq -- Paula.
ZAHN: I got you. Robin Oakley, thanks for the live report 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 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now more on the growing dissention this morning between the U.S. and some of its NATO allies. France, Belgium and Germany are blocking to start a military preparation to protect Turkey if there is a war against its neighbor, Iraq.
Senior European political correspondent Robin Oakley is live in Paris with reaction.
Good morning -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SR. EUROPOEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
The heavy-duty diplomatic maneuvering going on this week isn't really going the way the United States would like to see. Here in Paris in a few hours, President Jacques Chirac will meet Vladimir Putin of Russia. Chirac is still saying that war is not inevitable. Putin is saying that the case for use of force has not been made.
And as you say, the NATO emergency session this morning has heard that three countries -- France, Germany and Belgium -- have refused moves for NATO to start planning on how it would help Turkey in the event of a war. The U.S. wanted help from Patriot anti-missile batteries, from AWAC surveillance aircraft and special units for chemical and biological warfare. That's been refused for the moment.
But Lord Robertson, the NATO secretary general, emerged from the emergency session to say that he believed NATO would supply help in the end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORD GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We're united in our commitment to the security of all of NATO's members. The question is not if, but when to begin the planning. We have a difficult issue in front of us. It's an issue which concerns solidarity with one ally, Turkey. It is not related to any possible participation by NATO in a military operation against Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: Lord Robertson made it clear that it was a serious blow to alliance unity, the decision that had been taken so far by those three countries. He clearly intends to keep the 19 NATO ambassadors talking and meeting until he manages to get that decision turned around, but it has to be said with that key U.N. Security Council meeting approaching this Friday, the gap across the Atlantic is widening rather than closing -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, in the end, can you explain to us how Lord Robertson thinks he'll get everybody to come together on this one?
OAKLEY: Well, essentially because it's a matter of timing, as he said, in that France and Germany Belgium are saying they don't want NATO to start this contingency planning at this stage, because that puts everybody in a war mind, a war move. They're saying that if it comes to a real threat to Turkey later on, the French defense minister, Michelle Alliot-Marie, for example, said if Turkey really was seriously threatened, France would be the first country to be at its side. But they're saying it is premature while diplomatic and political initiatives are still being taken to try and avoid a war in Iraq -- Paula.
ZAHN: I got you. Robin Oakley, thanks for the live report 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.
