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CNN Live At Daybreak
Turkey 'Ground' For War
Aired February 20, 2003 - 06:02 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: The U.S. would like to invade Iraq from the north if there is a war, but Turkey says no, not until the U.S. agrees to pay way more than it's already offered. Turkey reportedly now wants $30 billion in aid, $10 billion in grants, $20 billion in loans. The United States, on the other hand, is offering Turkey a $21 to $26 billion aid package.
The Bush administration wants to put some 80,000 ground troops in Turkey for an attack on Iraq, if it comes to that. Of course, some in the United States are calling Turkey's demands for so much money just crazy.
We want to take you to the center of this squabble in Ankara, Turkey and Jane Arraf.
And, Jane, one report says the U.S. is giving Turkey just a couple of days to decide whether it will accept the offer already on the table and allow U.S. troops to be there.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are a flurry of consultations going on here, Carol, as you can imagine, following what appeared to be an ultimatum, although not an official one.
Now, the real reason for this deadline is a pure physical reality. These troops are pretty well already here, first troops from the 4th Infantry Division on ships that are near the Turkish port of the Scanderoon (ph). Now, this is without Turkish approval for them to land, which is why this is getting so close to the wire.
Now, Turkish officials are carrying out a flurry of consultations today, although U.S. officials say what they had offered is basically all they can offer. Turkish officials continue to say that that aid package, which differs really from what they're asking in terms of grants by about $4 billion, just isn't enough.
Now, the U.S. and Turkey clearly need each other. Turkey does not need the political fallout of signing up for an agreement to allow U.S. troops here without enough money, it says, to limit the economic damage from any war -- Carol.
COSTELLO: If Turkey doesnt accept the United States' offer and doesn't allow U.S. troops to be there, isn't it running the risk of hurting the relationship between Turkey and the United States in the long run?
ARRAF: It's just a really terrible dilemma no matter which way you look at it, and that's part of the reason, Carol, why they've taken so long to decide and why they've come up with this apparent turnaround after it appeared to be almost a done deal.
Now, you're absolutely right. If they say no, they alienate the United States, they get cut off from some economic support and they lose really important political support. At the same time, if they jump in, that really puts the political leaders here -- and this is a new government, just 3-months-old -- really at a risk of angering their own public, the people who voted them into power.
Now, as Donald Rumsfeld said last night, this is the only democracy bordering Iraq, and that's one of the problems with democracy. The political leaders are really keeping an eye on how the public feels, and they're very anti-war -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Turkey 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 20, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. would like to invade Iraq from the north if there is a war, but Turkey says no, not until the U.S. agrees to pay way more than it's already offered. Turkey reportedly now wants $30 billion in aid, $10 billion in grants, $20 billion in loans. The United States, on the other hand, is offering Turkey a $21 to $26 billion aid package.
The Bush administration wants to put some 80,000 ground troops in Turkey for an attack on Iraq, if it comes to that. Of course, some in the United States are calling Turkey's demands for so much money just crazy.
We want to take you to the center of this squabble in Ankara, Turkey and Jane Arraf.
And, Jane, one report says the U.S. is giving Turkey just a couple of days to decide whether it will accept the offer already on the table and allow U.S. troops to be there.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are a flurry of consultations going on here, Carol, as you can imagine, following what appeared to be an ultimatum, although not an official one.
Now, the real reason for this deadline is a pure physical reality. These troops are pretty well already here, first troops from the 4th Infantry Division on ships that are near the Turkish port of the Scanderoon (ph). Now, this is without Turkish approval for them to land, which is why this is getting so close to the wire.
Now, Turkish officials are carrying out a flurry of consultations today, although U.S. officials say what they had offered is basically all they can offer. Turkish officials continue to say that that aid package, which differs really from what they're asking in terms of grants by about $4 billion, just isn't enough.
Now, the U.S. and Turkey clearly need each other. Turkey does not need the political fallout of signing up for an agreement to allow U.S. troops here without enough money, it says, to limit the economic damage from any war -- Carol.
COSTELLO: If Turkey doesnt accept the United States' offer and doesn't allow U.S. troops to be there, isn't it running the risk of hurting the relationship between Turkey and the United States in the long run?
ARRAF: It's just a really terrible dilemma no matter which way you look at it, and that's part of the reason, Carol, why they've taken so long to decide and why they've come up with this apparent turnaround after it appeared to be almost a done deal.
Now, you're absolutely right. If they say no, they alienate the United States, they get cut off from some economic support and they lose really important political support. At the same time, if they jump in, that really puts the political leaders here -- and this is a new government, just 3-months-old -- really at a risk of angering their own public, the people who voted them into power.
Now, as Donald Rumsfeld said last night, this is the only democracy bordering Iraq, and that's one of the problems with democracy. The political leaders are really keeping an eye on how the public feels, and they're very anti-war -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Turkey 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.
