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CNN SHOWDOWN: IRAQ
U.S. Hopes Turkey Will Change Stance
Aired March 10, 2003 - 12:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. is hoping Turkey may have a change of prime -- the U.S. is hoping that Turkey's change of prime minister, at least a possibility, may also result in a change of heart.
Turkey's parliament dealt a blow to U.S. war plans when it refused access to some 60,000 U.S. troops forming a possible invasion force against Iraq. But that decision possibly could be revisited with a new parliamentary election.
CNN's Harris Whitbeck is standing by live in Ankara. He has the latest on this fluid situation -- Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. Changes in the Turkish government might present the latest opportunity yet for the U.S. to have its case heard, reconsidered rather, by the Turkish Parliament.
Ruling party leader Tayyip Erdogan is to become Turkey's newest prime minister, quite possibly later this week. He has expressed his support for Turkey allowing its territory to be used by U.S. invasion forces to establish a northern front in a war with Saddam Hussein.
But he has said that Turkey needs more assurances from the U.S. that it would have some sort of role in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. The concern here is that Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq might try to decede (ph), and if that were to happen, that would rile up Turkish Kurds, which would provide for instability in Turkey.
U.S. ambassador Robert Pearson met with ruling party leaders for about three and a half hours yesterday, on Sunday, and he said that many misunderstandings about the U.S. proposal had been cleared up.
However, it is not yet clear when parliament might take up this issue. This first step is for Erdogan to become prime minister. He needs several days to organize his government, and only then would he present a new proposal to parliament -- Wolf.
BLITZER: When is the earliest that there could be such a proposal to parliament and a new vote? How long will that take?
WHITBECK: People are saying it could be several days. It could be a week. Could be even longer -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And are the U.S. ships still waiting off shore, off the Turkish coast to unload equipment, or are those ships already been moved into plan B as the Pentagon calls them? WHITBECK: No. We understand those ships are still floating off the coast of Cyprus. About 35 U.S. civilian cargo ships carrying equipment and military supplies for the 4th Infantry division.
We are being told that once Parliament approves the U.S. proposal, it will take them about three hours to sail into Iskenderun port in southern Turkey, start off loading that equipment, and very shortly after that, we would have those troops from the 4th Army division -- 4th Infantry division, rather, headed over there.
BLITZER: Harris Whitbeck in Ankara where there's a dramatic and, as I said, very fluid situation unfolding. We'll be watching to see what happens over the next several days.
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