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CNN Live Today
Turkey Parliament Approves U.S. Overflights
Aired March 20, 2003 - 11:48 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: Let's go more north from Kuwait and more north than Iraq. Let's get to Turkey and the capital city of Ankara.
Fredricka Whitfield is now reporting, as of an hour ago, there has been some conciliatory move made by the Turkish parliament that will allow U.S. airspace, U.S. overflights anyway, through Turkey going into northern Iraq.
Fredricka, what do you have?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Bill, that's exactly right. After three hours of deliberations, the Turkish parliament voted in favor of those U.S. military overflights to begin their air assaults over northern Iraq. The votes, 332 yeses to 232 nos, and this comes after parliament really was kind of put into a corner in that it at first wanted to reintroduce a proposal that was introduced and rejected earlier in the month. That would have included a $30 billion package, and that included $6 billion of direct U.S. aid in exchange for full military access of the Turkish territories, air, land and sea. But then they had to go back and readdress that proposal and start all over and water it down, because the U.S. said we'd no longer offer you that $30 billion package. Go back and start again. So they did, and offered an overflight only.
We still don't know if there was any financial incentive that came with that, but only that parliament had indeed agreed to it. There was a second item on that proposal, and it calls for Turkish troops to be able to cross the border and go into northern Iraq. And apparently, as part of that proposal, parliament has voted in favor of that. We know that the overflights involving the U.S. military can begin immediately. That would include fighter jets coming from Europe, or perhaps even the two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean, just off the Turkish coast. The USS Truman and the USS Roosevelt.
But unclear is how quickly the Turkish troops might be able to make their move over into the northern Iraqi territory. That we're still not clear about from Turkish officials.
HEMMER: Fredricka, thanks. Fredricka Whitfield there in Ankara, the Turkish capital.
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 March 20, 2003 - 11:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go more north from Kuwait and more north than Iraq. Let's get to Turkey and the capital city of Ankara.
Fredricka Whitfield is now reporting, as of an hour ago, there has been some conciliatory move made by the Turkish parliament that will allow U.S. airspace, U.S. overflights anyway, through Turkey going into northern Iraq.
Fredricka, what do you have?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Bill, that's exactly right. After three hours of deliberations, the Turkish parliament voted in favor of those U.S. military overflights to begin their air assaults over northern Iraq. The votes, 332 yeses to 232 nos, and this comes after parliament really was kind of put into a corner in that it at first wanted to reintroduce a proposal that was introduced and rejected earlier in the month. That would have included a $30 billion package, and that included $6 billion of direct U.S. aid in exchange for full military access of the Turkish territories, air, land and sea. But then they had to go back and readdress that proposal and start all over and water it down, because the U.S. said we'd no longer offer you that $30 billion package. Go back and start again. So they did, and offered an overflight only.
We still don't know if there was any financial incentive that came with that, but only that parliament had indeed agreed to it. There was a second item on that proposal, and it calls for Turkish troops to be able to cross the border and go into northern Iraq. And apparently, as part of that proposal, parliament has voted in favor of that. We know that the overflights involving the U.S. military can begin immediately. That would include fighter jets coming from Europe, or perhaps even the two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean, just off the Turkish coast. The USS Truman and the USS Roosevelt.
But unclear is how quickly the Turkish troops might be able to make their move over into the northern Iraqi territory. That we're still not clear about from Turkish officials.
HEMMER: Fredricka, thanks. Fredricka Whitfield there in Ankara, the Turkish capital.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
