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CNN Sunday Morning
Measure to Allow U.S. Troops in Turkey Fell 3 Votes Short of Passing Parliament
Aired March 02, 2003 - 07:11 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.
ANDERSON COPPER, CNN ANCHOR: The proposed plan to station U.S. troops in Turkey had little popular support in that country. Thousands of protesters were in the streets, as we told you, yesterday, and the Turkish parliament failed to approve the plan. The measure fell three votes of passage and might not be considered -- reconsidered, I should say in later parliament sessions. Our Jane Arraf joins us from Iskenderun, Turkey with the latest -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, everyone is still trying to take in exactly what this decision means. Now, it was really a shock, as you pointed out, three votes standing between 62,000 U.S. troops stationed in Turkey, the U.S. government going according to its war plans, and what's happening now, which is everyone scrambling to figure out where they go next.
Now, the Turkish parliament is meeting -- sorry, the Turkish government, the ruling party members are meeting in a group meeting. We're expecting a statement shortly from party leader Regit Taietaridolon (ph), and he may shed some light as to whether the government again will formulate the same question and send it back to parliament.
Now, the newspapers today are full of things like "Parliament Says No," and "Peace Won," which is how a lot of people here see it. There was, as you pointed out, dancing in the streets in some parts of Turkey last night, but this morning a more sobering thought, what will be the consequences of saying no -- Anderson.
COOPER: When will this -- I mean, if this is reconsidered, when might that happen?
ARRAF: It could happen as early as tomorrow if they recalled parliament. Now parliament isn't due to meet again until Tuesday, but what the vote really indicated was that not only the party was split, but the country really does have a very strong feeling that it relayed to those members of parliament that they don't want to get involved.
Now, there isn't much of an illusion that by saying, though, the war won't happen, they believe it still will, but there was also a backlash, officials say, in members of parliament against what they saw as a very heavy-handed U.S. approach, U.S. pressure to make a quick decision on a matter that's so vital to Turkey, and also the feeling frequently floated in the U.S. that Turkey was holding out for money. People here really didn't take that very well, and officials say that was part of the reason that this vote went the way it did -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Jane Arraf, live, in Iskenderun port in Turkey, thanks very much.
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 Passing Parliament>
Aired March 2, 2003 - 07:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COPPER, CNN ANCHOR: The proposed plan to station U.S. troops in Turkey had little popular support in that country. Thousands of protesters were in the streets, as we told you, yesterday, and the Turkish parliament failed to approve the plan. The measure fell three votes of passage and might not be considered -- reconsidered, I should say in later parliament sessions. Our Jane Arraf joins us from Iskenderun, Turkey with the latest -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, everyone is still trying to take in exactly what this decision means. Now, it was really a shock, as you pointed out, three votes standing between 62,000 U.S. troops stationed in Turkey, the U.S. government going according to its war plans, and what's happening now, which is everyone scrambling to figure out where they go next.
Now, the Turkish parliament is meeting -- sorry, the Turkish government, the ruling party members are meeting in a group meeting. We're expecting a statement shortly from party leader Regit Taietaridolon (ph), and he may shed some light as to whether the government again will formulate the same question and send it back to parliament.
Now, the newspapers today are full of things like "Parliament Says No," and "Peace Won," which is how a lot of people here see it. There was, as you pointed out, dancing in the streets in some parts of Turkey last night, but this morning a more sobering thought, what will be the consequences of saying no -- Anderson.
COOPER: When will this -- I mean, if this is reconsidered, when might that happen?
ARRAF: It could happen as early as tomorrow if they recalled parliament. Now parliament isn't due to meet again until Tuesday, but what the vote really indicated was that not only the party was split, but the country really does have a very strong feeling that it relayed to those members of parliament that they don't want to get involved.
Now, there isn't much of an illusion that by saying, though, the war won't happen, they believe it still will, but there was also a backlash, officials say, in members of parliament against what they saw as a very heavy-handed U.S. approach, U.S. pressure to make a quick decision on a matter that's so vital to Turkey, and also the feeling frequently floated in the U.S. that Turkey was holding out for money. People here really didn't take that very well, and officials say that was part of the reason that this vote went the way it did -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Jane Arraf, live, in Iskenderun port in Turkey, thanks very much.
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 Passing Parliament>
