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NATO Votes to Prepare Plans for Defense of Turkey in Case of War With Iraq
Aired February 17, 2003 - 10:14 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And we're back now; and we turn to the developments in the showdown with Iraq. NATO voted Sunday to prepare plans for the defense of Turkey in case of war with Iraq. France, Germany, and Belgium had originally vetoed that idea, arguing that it would create more tension in the region -- you may recall that story from last week. But the decision was made by NATO's Defensive Planning Committee, which does not include France.
NATO Secretary General, George Robertson said this move would only be to defend a NATO ally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: All of the 18 allies agree that this is not a march towards war. It is about defending Turkey. We're dealing from the United Nations process, which generally NATO supports. We're dealing from any further steps towards any potential military conflict. We are focusing entirely on the defense of Turkey in the circumstances where that ally believes that it is under threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And now the focus moves from NATO to the European Union. Representatives of that group are meeting now in an emergency session to discuss their division and growing concern over Iraq. And for more on those meetings, we're joined now from Brussels by Senior European Political Correspondent, Robin Oakley.
Good morning, Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. And, they're hoping they can take their tone from NATO and come to some kind of agreement, but the divisions across the European Union leaders of these 15 countries are so big that it's very difficult to see how they're going to produce a meaningful statement on which they can all agree.
For example, you've got Gerhardt Schroeder, the German Chancellor, who says he won't back military action against Iraq, even if it's sanctioned by the United Nations.
You've got President Jacques Chirac of France who's saying he wants time for the inspectors to go on doing their work. And Jacques Chirac and the other European Union countries who are backing him in that demand are taking much heart from all of the demonstrations that we saw in Europe over the weekend -- people out in the streets saying; go slow, don't go for war yet.
But then you've got the U.K.'s Tony Blair, with some support from Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Portugal basically taking the George Bush line, saying that the U.N. has got to confront this situation -- that the U.N. will lose all authority if there isn't forcible action against Saddam Hussein before long. He's saying the diplomatic window is very soon going to be closing.
The leaders are getting together for a dinner tonight, starting about 6:00 o'clock, Brussels time, about three or four hours from now, and it's going to be touch and go, whether they can really produce any kind of meaningful agreement. It could be a very long dinner. Leon?
HARRIS: Yes, understood. Robin, real quickly -- is there any way to tell whether or not all the protests that we've seen happen over the weekend -- millions of people coming out to the streets in some of these Capitals, particularly Rome, and in London, any evidence that those protests are having any wider or broader effect there amongst the E.U. members?
OAKLEY: I think they are having an effect and very definitely heartening the party of those countries who want to see a delay -- who are arguing that the work of the inspectors in Iraq must go on. They're certainly saying that the mood on the streets was with them; and countries like the U.K., who are urging rapid action are certainly in a minority. And I think that has been strengthened by the demonstrations that we saw over the weekend -- Leon.
HARRIS: Understood. Robin Oakley, thank you very much, we appreciate that. Robin reporting live for us from Brussels.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
of War With Iraq>
Aired February 17, 2003 - 10:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And we're back now; and we turn to the developments in the showdown with Iraq. NATO voted Sunday to prepare plans for the defense of Turkey in case of war with Iraq. France, Germany, and Belgium had originally vetoed that idea, arguing that it would create more tension in the region -- you may recall that story from last week. But the decision was made by NATO's Defensive Planning Committee, which does not include France.
NATO Secretary General, George Robertson said this move would only be to defend a NATO ally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: All of the 18 allies agree that this is not a march towards war. It is about defending Turkey. We're dealing from the United Nations process, which generally NATO supports. We're dealing from any further steps towards any potential military conflict. We are focusing entirely on the defense of Turkey in the circumstances where that ally believes that it is under threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And now the focus moves from NATO to the European Union. Representatives of that group are meeting now in an emergency session to discuss their division and growing concern over Iraq. And for more on those meetings, we're joined now from Brussels by Senior European Political Correspondent, Robin Oakley.
Good morning, Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. And, they're hoping they can take their tone from NATO and come to some kind of agreement, but the divisions across the European Union leaders of these 15 countries are so big that it's very difficult to see how they're going to produce a meaningful statement on which they can all agree.
For example, you've got Gerhardt Schroeder, the German Chancellor, who says he won't back military action against Iraq, even if it's sanctioned by the United Nations.
You've got President Jacques Chirac of France who's saying he wants time for the inspectors to go on doing their work. And Jacques Chirac and the other European Union countries who are backing him in that demand are taking much heart from all of the demonstrations that we saw in Europe over the weekend -- people out in the streets saying; go slow, don't go for war yet.
But then you've got the U.K.'s Tony Blair, with some support from Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Portugal basically taking the George Bush line, saying that the U.N. has got to confront this situation -- that the U.N. will lose all authority if there isn't forcible action against Saddam Hussein before long. He's saying the diplomatic window is very soon going to be closing.
The leaders are getting together for a dinner tonight, starting about 6:00 o'clock, Brussels time, about three or four hours from now, and it's going to be touch and go, whether they can really produce any kind of meaningful agreement. It could be a very long dinner. Leon?
HARRIS: Yes, understood. Robin, real quickly -- is there any way to tell whether or not all the protests that we've seen happen over the weekend -- millions of people coming out to the streets in some of these Capitals, particularly Rome, and in London, any evidence that those protests are having any wider or broader effect there amongst the E.U. members?
OAKLEY: I think they are having an effect and very definitely heartening the party of those countries who want to see a delay -- who are arguing that the work of the inspectors in Iraq must go on. They're certainly saying that the mood on the streets was with them; and countries like the U.K., who are urging rapid action are certainly in a minority. And I think that has been strengthened by the demonstrations that we saw over the weekend -- Leon.
HARRIS: Understood. Robin Oakley, thank you very much, we appreciate that. Robin reporting live for us from Brussels.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
of War With Iraq>
