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CNN Live Event/Special
America Under Attack: Britain Says Attack on U.S. is Attack on Britain
Aired September 13, 2001 - 04:42 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.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN ANCHOR: Many British citizens are believed to be among the victims of the New York attacks. Prime Minister Tony Blair immediately condemned them offering help to find those responsible. But what kind of role might Britain and the rest of Europe take in the search for suspects.
Joining us live from London is CNN's European political editor Robin Oakley -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Jonathan, I've just been talking to Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary at the Foreign Office, and the first response from him was that the British public certainly, and many people across Europe, have taken this attack on the United States as if it was an attack on them. He was saying that many British citizens work in the United State, many U.S. citizens work in Britain and in Europe. There is a real sense of solidarity about this. But when I said to him, look, you and Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, are talking about standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States, what does that really mean? Does it merely mean moral support? He said, no, it clearly means military support.
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JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: NATO is not just about an expression of moral support, NATO is about providing tangible military support. That is the point. That is what Article V is about. If you're asking me to speculate on the nature of that military or intelligence support, I can't, but Secretary of State Colin Powell gave some indication of the kind of support for which the United States might be looking to if they decide on particular military actions.
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OAKLEY: There are, of course, some worries in Europe about what kind of level of response America might choose to make once the target, once the perpetrators are identified and once it has a target to strike back at. Mr. Straw said to me that that is a question that will be discussed between America and America's NATO allies the level of support and the intelligence community as he said of the U.K. and the U.S. are in constant touch with each other. But when I said there were some worries in Europe that perhaps too big a response from the United States at this time might lead to a perpetuation of terrorism, that maybe the right response was not necessarily an eye for an eye, Mr. Straw said, no, there were dangers in the alternative response to that and you simply could not make it a case. You had to -- it could not be a case of turning the other cheek, as it were.
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STRAW: I'm sitting in the British Foreign Office, it's not more than 50 yards away from 10 Downing Street. I remember the day in the early '90s when the Provisional IRA mortared Downing Street and tried to take out the cabinet. I remember 1994 when they bombed the hotel in Brighton in Sussex and almost killed Margaret Thatcher the then democratic elected Prime Minister.
And it wasn't about retribution, but in each case the attack on the terrorists, the need to take very firm action against those terrorists as well as political action to undermine their support, was very necessary. And unless there had been action taken of a firm kind against those terrorists, I have to say there would never have been a peace process in Northern Ireland.
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OAKLEY: So that's a very clear message, Jonathan, coming certainly from the U.K., and we're likely to hear much the same from the rest of NATO. They have invoked Article V. This action -- this terrorist action against the United States has been taken as an attack against all members of NATO and the response will be an appropriate one -- Jonathan.
MANN: Is there any sign of military preparation in the United Kingdom? People are clearly using words like war and retribution, are they getting ready for something there?
OAKLEY: Difficult to assess that at the moment, Jonathan, because Jack Straw and other ministers when you start pressing for military or intelligence detail immediately clam up, but they certainly admit to a high state of military preparedness. I'm quite certain that preparations are going on, but I think the expectation is not of absolutely immediate action -- Jonathan.
MANN: Robin Oakley, thanks very much.
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