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American Morning
NATO Rift Rocks Alliance
Aired February 11, 2003 - 07:04 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: Back to the dispute that has rocked the NATO alliance. Alliance members will meet for a second day to settle a rift over Iraq.
President Bush says any division in NATO sends the wrong message to the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't understand that decision. It affects the alliance in a negative way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: We have reports this morning from Matthew Chance at NATO headquarters in Brussels, John King from the White House.
Good morning, gentlemen. Let's start with Matthew this morning.
Good morning -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.
And that disappointment we heard voiced by President Bush is very much mirrored here in terms of frustration amongst most of the NATO ambassadors of the member countries. They're engaged in person-to- person meetings with the ambassadors of France, Germany and Belgium to try and get them to retrench their positions, to go back on their positions, to fall in line with the other 16 allies here at NATO headquarters to the issue being the issue of Turkey, whether or when to provide military support for that country as Iraq looms.
Turkey has said that it wants military equipment to be based there in the run-up to the possible war with Iraq. France, though, saying that the timing is not right, it would send the wrong kind of message, saying the decision for war against Iraq has not been made. France wants to give diplomatic opportunities more of a chance to succeed. That position, though, is sparking frustration.
Nicholas Burns is the U.S. NATO ambassador.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLAS BURNS, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: We think that the decision by our three allies -- France, Germany and Belgium -- to not go along with the rest of NATO is most unfortunate. It's caused a problem of a crisis of credibility for the alliance, which is very serious. We need to deal with that crisis, and we need to find a compromise, a solution, that would allow us all to go forward together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Well, the U.S. has indicated that if NATO does not come through on this, it will provide Turkey with whatever kind of military support it needs without NATO, having big implications possibly for the future of this military alliance -- Paula.
ZAHN: Matthew Chance, thanks for the update.
Let's check in with John King, who is standing by at the White House this morning.
Good morning -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.
This is another example of how key allies, the United States and some of its traditional European friends, look at the same situation and have a very different perspective. As Matthew just noted, the French, the Germans and Belgium saying that to send in troops now would be to concede war is inevitable. The White House says to not send in troops now would be a sign of weakness that Saddam Hussein would certainly exploit.
Mr. Bush voicing his opinion on this yesterday afternoon during a meeting here at the White House with the Australian prime minister, John Howard. Mr. Bush said he was not upset with France, but he was disappointed. Mr. Bush says this is a key test for the NATO alliance in the post-September 11 world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I think it affects the alliance in a negative way when you're not able to make a statement of mutual defense. I had a good talk with Jacque Chirac recently. I assured him that -- you know, that we will continue to try to work with France as best we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Note the president specifically mentioning Jacque Chirac of France. The question was about the NATO decision, but Mr. Bush singling out France for criticism there.
The White House believes in time, this can be worked out. One senior official this morning saying the reason that meeting in Brussels is delayed is there are urgent consultations to try to broker a compromise. But this, Paula, yet another example of the White House, in the view of the Europeans, of trying to impose its view on the rest of the world.
ZAHN: So, John, you made it very clear the perception challenges that lie ahead for this administration, particularly when it comes to our allies.
I wanted to put up on the screen a poll that was recently done by a British news organization, their channel 4 news, which gave a very mixed picture of the British public's enthusiasm for war with Iraq. This the most interesting statistic that the public by and large views the United States as the biggest threat to peace, above North Korea, above Iraq. What does the administration do to turn around those numbers, particularly when Tony Blair has so much at stake here for taking the position he's taken?
KING: Certainly, Paula, they would argue here a successful outcome of this showdown with Iraq might change the public opinion in Europe. But again, an example of a dynamic that we have seen since the very early days of the Bush administration, remember the uproar in Europe when Mr. Bush said he would not honor the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty, the uproar when he said he was pulling out of the Anti- Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.
Mr. Bush has had a problem in terms of European public opinion from day one, and it is now greatly exacerbated because of the anti- war demonstrations all across the continent, including though in a country that is absolutely critical, the closest ally, Great Britain.
ZAHN: Thanks, John.
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 11, 2003 - 07:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Back to the dispute that has rocked the NATO alliance. Alliance members will meet for a second day to settle a rift over Iraq.
President Bush says any division in NATO sends the wrong message to the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't understand that decision. It affects the alliance in a negative way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: We have reports this morning from Matthew Chance at NATO headquarters in Brussels, John King from the White House.
Good morning, gentlemen. Let's start with Matthew this morning.
Good morning -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.
And that disappointment we heard voiced by President Bush is very much mirrored here in terms of frustration amongst most of the NATO ambassadors of the member countries. They're engaged in person-to- person meetings with the ambassadors of France, Germany and Belgium to try and get them to retrench their positions, to go back on their positions, to fall in line with the other 16 allies here at NATO headquarters to the issue being the issue of Turkey, whether or when to provide military support for that country as Iraq looms.
Turkey has said that it wants military equipment to be based there in the run-up to the possible war with Iraq. France, though, saying that the timing is not right, it would send the wrong kind of message, saying the decision for war against Iraq has not been made. France wants to give diplomatic opportunities more of a chance to succeed. That position, though, is sparking frustration.
Nicholas Burns is the U.S. NATO ambassador.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLAS BURNS, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: We think that the decision by our three allies -- France, Germany and Belgium -- to not go along with the rest of NATO is most unfortunate. It's caused a problem of a crisis of credibility for the alliance, which is very serious. We need to deal with that crisis, and we need to find a compromise, a solution, that would allow us all to go forward together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Well, the U.S. has indicated that if NATO does not come through on this, it will provide Turkey with whatever kind of military support it needs without NATO, having big implications possibly for the future of this military alliance -- Paula.
ZAHN: Matthew Chance, thanks for the update.
Let's check in with John King, who is standing by at the White House this morning.
Good morning -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.
This is another example of how key allies, the United States and some of its traditional European friends, look at the same situation and have a very different perspective. As Matthew just noted, the French, the Germans and Belgium saying that to send in troops now would be to concede war is inevitable. The White House says to not send in troops now would be a sign of weakness that Saddam Hussein would certainly exploit.
Mr. Bush voicing his opinion on this yesterday afternoon during a meeting here at the White House with the Australian prime minister, John Howard. Mr. Bush said he was not upset with France, but he was disappointed. Mr. Bush says this is a key test for the NATO alliance in the post-September 11 world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I think it affects the alliance in a negative way when you're not able to make a statement of mutual defense. I had a good talk with Jacque Chirac recently. I assured him that -- you know, that we will continue to try to work with France as best we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Note the president specifically mentioning Jacque Chirac of France. The question was about the NATO decision, but Mr. Bush singling out France for criticism there.
The White House believes in time, this can be worked out. One senior official this morning saying the reason that meeting in Brussels is delayed is there are urgent consultations to try to broker a compromise. But this, Paula, yet another example of the White House, in the view of the Europeans, of trying to impose its view on the rest of the world.
ZAHN: So, John, you made it very clear the perception challenges that lie ahead for this administration, particularly when it comes to our allies.
I wanted to put up on the screen a poll that was recently done by a British news organization, their channel 4 news, which gave a very mixed picture of the British public's enthusiasm for war with Iraq. This the most interesting statistic that the public by and large views the United States as the biggest threat to peace, above North Korea, above Iraq. What does the administration do to turn around those numbers, particularly when Tony Blair has so much at stake here for taking the position he's taken?
KING: Certainly, Paula, they would argue here a successful outcome of this showdown with Iraq might change the public opinion in Europe. But again, an example of a dynamic that we have seen since the very early days of the Bush administration, remember the uproar in Europe when Mr. Bush said he would not honor the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty, the uproar when he said he was pulling out of the Anti- Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.
Mr. Bush has had a problem in terms of European public opinion from day one, and it is now greatly exacerbated because of the anti- war demonstrations all across the continent, including though in a country that is absolutely critical, the closest ally, Great Britain.
ZAHN: Thanks, John.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
