USA: US SECRETARY OF STATE POWELL SAYS HE EXPECTS TO HEAR SOON IF TURKEY ACCEPTS AID IN EXCHANGE FOR BASING RIGHTS/ NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ROBERTSON COMMENTS ON RECENT DAMAGING NATO DISPUTES OVER IRAQ
Record ID:
222886
USA: US SECRETARY OF STATE POWELL SAYS HE EXPECTS TO HEAR SOON IF TURKEY ACCEPTS AID IN EXCHANGE FOR BASING RIGHTS/ NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ROBERTSON COMMENTS ON RECENT DAMAGING NATO DISPUTES OVER IRAQ
- Title: USA: US SECRETARY OF STATE POWELL SAYS HE EXPECTS TO HEAR SOON IF TURKEY ACCEPTS AID IN EXCHANGE FOR BASING RIGHTS/ NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ROBERTSON COMMENTS ON RECENT DAMAGING NATO DISPUTES OVER IRAQ
- Date: 20th February 2003
- Summary: (EU) WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 20, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. PUSH IN: NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ROBERTSON AND U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL WALKING TOWARDS PODIUM 0.09 2. MV: PRESS 0.13 3. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) POWELL SAYING: "Our position was firm with respect to the kind of assistance we could provide with respect to the level. There may be some other creative things we can do but the level was our ceiling. And I know that they are in consultation now within their government, within their council of ministers and I expect to hear back from them before the day is out." 0.36 4. WIDE OF POWELL AND ROBERTSON STANDING BEFORE REPORTERS 0.40 5. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) POWELL TALKING ABOUT UPCOMING TRIP TO ASIA, SAYING: "The situation in North Korea will be a subject of considerable interest and discussion, but I cannot say to you now that we have found a way to arrange a meeting -- a multilateral meeting to consider the North Korean situation. But the United States and China does have a shared view that the North Korean nuclear program is not acceptable and that the Korean Peninsula must not have nuclear weapons, and that is a position that President Bush and President Jiang Zemin took publicly when President Jiang Zemin visited Crawford. 1.19 6. ZOOM OUT: POWELL AND ROBERTSON DEPARTING 1.30 (U7) WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 20, 2003) (REUTERS) 7. WIDESHOT NATO SECRETARY GENERAL GEORGE ROBERTSON AT PRESS CONFERENCE 1.37 8. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBERTSON SAYING: "Well, the good news is that we solved the problem and we got the consensus and the help is on its way. That is the main point I am saying. That's not spin; it is a fact. Of course, it is spin, positive spin, to say that is good news for the future but I strongly believe that it is. The fact of the matter was that it took 11 days to achieve consensus despite the volatility of European public opinion. Despite the connections some people have made with the U.N. process and the progress of the inspectors. Despite all of that, and the elections taking place in some of the allied countries, we still got agreement in 11 highly-publicised days, but 11 days nonetheless. So, nobody can write off this alliance on the basis of this one argument. We have been through arguments in the past. We'll undoubtedly have arguments in the future. But NATO is not the Warsaw Pact. People come with propositions to NATO and they are argued out among democratic countries, 19 at the moment, 26 next year. That sometimes takes a little bit of time, a little bit of effort. A lot of lost sleep. But ultimately we make the decision and the AWAC (Airborne Warning and Control) planes will be on their way in the next few days." 2.57 9. SV: REPORTERS 3.01 10. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBERTSON SAYING: "I constantly criticize people in the European part of NATO for allowing public opinion to go at an anti-American way, which is a betrayal of the steadfast links that the Americans have had with Europe, and indeed the role played in liberating Europe by the United States. So that, to give that anti-Americanism is, I think, profoundly damaging and corrosive and needs to be condemned by all decent people. I similarly condemn some of the approaches that are being taken here in relation to some European countries and, indeed, on occasion against all European countries. You know, the jokes are good. You know, the humour is high. But underneath it is a sense of discrimination or, sometimes occasionally, of racialism which I think is deeply unfair. Horribly corrosive. And I think on both sides of the Atlantic people need to cool down, get things into perspective. Recognize that the values that unite this alliance in this island of stability in a very dangerous and volatile world are worth protecting. And that means that tempers and emotions must be kept under control at this time. And we have got to recognize that there are nastier, more brutal enemies out there who are going to attack us if we get divided in the future." 4.27 11. WIDESHOT ROBERTSON AT PRESS CONFERENCE 4.32 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th March 2003 12:00
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- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA63OOSPJPHU54KIS3T01QMNUT5
- Story Text: United States Secretary of State Colin Powell has said
the U.S. expects to hear back from Turkey by the end of
Thursday on whether it accepts a final U.S. offer of aid in
exchange for basing rights in Turkey for a possible invasion
of Iraq.
NATO Secretary General George Robertson had sharp words
for both European and American government officials who might
have been tempted to allow their disputes over Iraq policy to
corrode further the trans-Atlantic relationship.
United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Colin Powell
told reporters on Thursday (February 20) that the U.S. offer
was as high as the United States could go. Officials have said
it amounts to 6 billion U.S. dollars (USD) in grants and
guarantees for 20 billion USD in loans.
"There may be some other creative things we can do but the
level was our ceiling.... I expect to hear back from them
before the day is out but I have nothing further to report
there," said Powell, speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General
George Robertson at the State Department.
Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis appeared on Thursday
to hold out the possibility Turkey could open bases to U.S.
troops without a second United Nations resolution authorising
use of force against neighbouring Iraq.
However later on Thursday (February 20) Turkish leader
Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not open its bases to U.S.
troops unless Washington provided written guarantees both on
aid and on Turkey's role in a war.
Washington and Ankara have been negotiating over the use
of Turkey's military facilities in any Iraq war. The
government has delayed a parliamentary vote as it seeks
billions of dollars in U.S. aid as well as a role for its own
military in Iraq.
Turkey has insisted the U.N. Security Council sanction any
use of force against Iraq with another resolution. Washington
has said it will strike Baghdad with or without a second
resolution if President Saddam Hussein does not comply with
U.N. inspectors searching for weapons of mass destruction.
Powell also told reporters that North Korea will be high
on the agenda as he meets the leaders of Japan, China and
South Korea over the weekend.
"The situation in North Korea will be a subject of
considerable interest and discussion, but I cannot say to you
now that we have found a way to arrange a meeting -- a
multilateral meeting to consider the North Korean situation.
But the United States and China does have a shared view that
the North Korean nuclear program is not acceptable and that
the Korean Peninsula must not have nuclear weapons, and that
is a position that President Bush and President Jiang Zemin
took publicly when President Jiang Zemin visited Crawford."
Diplomatic tensions are high on the Korean peninsula over
North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons ambitions. North Korea
on Wednesday (February 19) criticised the annual joint
military training by South Korea and the United States (U.S.),
calling the two countries "war-mongers".
The U.S. Forces in South Korea announced that U.S. and
South Korea will hold the Reception, Staging, Onward Movement
and Integration (RSOI) exercise from March 19 until March 26.
They also plan to have Foal Eagle (FE) training from March 4
until April 2.
U.S. maintains 37,000 troops in more than 90 military
installations and bases throughout the country.
The two Koreas remain technically at war because their
1950-53 conflict, pitting U.S.-led Untied Nations Forces
against Chinese-backed North Korea, ended in an armed truce.
And NATO Secretary General George Robertson said he has
seen it coming from both sides the past few weeks -- a bitter
anti-American sentiment in European capitals and a strong
anti-European sentiment in Washington.
Following the month-long deadlock between the United
States and key NATO allies over plans to protect Turkey from
Iraq attack, Robertson said it was time for people to "cool
down."
"You know, the jokes are good. You know, the humour is
high. But underneath it is a sense of discrimination or,
sometimes occasionally, of racialism which I think is deeply
unfair. Horribly corrosive," he said at a press conference
following meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Robertson said the important fact for governments with
NATO to recall is that a consensus on the Turkish defense plan
was achieved -- although negotiations took 11 days, an
unusually long time for an alliance which normally takes it
decision by consensus in a day or two.
"Nobody can write off this alliance on the basis of this
one argument. We have been through arguments in the past.
We'll undoubtedly have arguments in the future. But NATO is
not the Warsaw Pact," Robertson said.
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