HE MADE DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
BIDEN SPOKE TO PRESIDENT ERDOGAN
FOR THE FIRST TIME ON FRIDAY TO
ALERT HIM OF THAT DECISION.
JOINING ME NOW IS JACK REED, THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE.
IT IS IN FAVOR OF THE
PRESIDENT’S DECISION AND
TURKEY’S FOREIGN MINISTER SAID
WORDS CANNOT CHANGE AND RE-WRITE
HISTORY AND WE HAVE NOTHING TO LEARN ABOUT ANYBODY ABOUT OUR
LEARN ABOUT ANYBODY ABOUT OUR
OWN PAST AND POLITICAL
OPPORTUNISTS IS A BETRAYAL --
>> WHAT RAMIFICATIONS DO YOU
EXPECT?
>> I THINK THIS IS LONG OVERDUE.
WE ARE JOINING OTHER NATIONS
LIKE CANADA, FRANCE AND GERMANY,
TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS WAS THE
ACTION OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN
1916, 1917.
I KNOW THIS IS A VERY SENSITIVE
TOPIC IN TURKEY.
I BROUGHT IT UP WHEN I TRAVELED
TO TURKEY WITH TURKISH LEADERS,
BUT I THINK WE ARE ON THE SIDE
OF HISTORY AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN
MOVE ON.
THERE ARE MANY FACTORS THAT
BRING US TOGETHER.
THERE ARE COMMON NATO
MEMBERSHIP.
OUR SUPPORT FOR WHAT WAS A
STRONG, DEMOCRATIC TURKEY.
LATELY, ERDOGAN IS BEING MUCH
MORE AUTOCRATIC, BUT I THINK
THIS WILL REALLY SET THE
HISTORICAL RECORD STRAIGHT.
I DON’T ANTICIPATE THAT THIS
WILL COMPLICATE A RELATIONSHIP
MANY MORE THAN SEVERAL OTHER
FACTORS SUCH AS THEIR
ACQUISITION OF RUSSIAN MISSILE
TECHNOLOGY.
WE HAVE A BUMPY ROAD, BUT I
THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO
DO.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT AFGHANISTAN,
AS WELL.
OF COURSE, THE WITHDRAWAL IS NOW
UNDER WAY.
WE ARE TURNING OVER BASES.
DESPITE CONCERNS THAT, OF
COURSE, THE TALIBAN CAN REGROUP.
WE’VE HEARD THAT FROM THE CIA
AND WE’VE HEARD THAT FROM THE --
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT FROM THE
MILITARY AND THE GENERALS.
CONCERN, OF COURSE, FROM GENERAL
MACKENZIE THAT THEY WILL HAVE A
HARDER TIME TRACKING DOWN AL
QAEDA.
WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT
DOING THIS WITHOUT AN INTERIM
PEACE AGREEMENT?
>> WELL, I DON’T THINK WE’LL GET
ANY TIME OF INTERIM AGREEMENT.
THIS WAS, I THINK, A VERY
DIFFICULT DECISION BY THE
PRESIDENT AND I THINK THE
CALCULATION WAS BASICALLY, WE
COULD SPEND MORE TIME THERE,
INVEST MORE TROOPS AND ENDURE
MORE CASUALTIES, BUT IT WOULD
NOT ULTIMATELY TURN OVER OR
ALLOW THE AFGHAN MILITARY AND
THEIR POLITICAL LEADERSHIP TO
DEFEAT THE TALIBAN.
I THINK REALLY, WHERE WE ARE RID
NOW IS RECOGNIZING THIS IS NOT
CLOSURE.
WE’RE NOT LEAVING.
WE’RE TRANSITIONING.
WE STILL HAVE SECURITY INTERESTS
IN THE REGION AND THERE ARE
STILL TERRORIST GROUPS THERE.
IT IS NOT CLEAR TO ME OR MANY
OTHERS THAT THE TALIBAN WILL
SEVER ITS TIES WITH AL QAEDA, SO
WE HAVE TO BE ON THE WATCH AND
THE WATCH IS MORE DIFFICULT
BECAUSE WE WON’T HAVE LAND
BASES, PRESUMABLY, IN
AFGHANISTAN.
WE’LL HAVE TO FLY FURTHER, BUT
WE’LL HAVE TO MAINTAIN VIGILANCE
AND THE ABILITY TO DISRUPT AND
DEGRADE ANY TYPE OF TERRORIST
PLOT EMANATING FROM AFGHANISTAN.
>> DO YOU HAVE CONCERN THAT AL
QAEDA CAN REGROUP AND IT BECOME
A TERROR HAVEN AGAIN?
SHOULD THIS VERY WEAK GOVERNMENT IN KABUL FALL?
IN KABUL FALL?
>> THERE IS A DISTINCT
POSSIBILITY THAT CALAL QAEDA CAN
A FORCE AND PROJECT ITSELF
AROUND THE GLOBE.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS NOT THE
ONLY UNGOVERNED TERRITORY IN THE
WORLD TODAY.
WE
WE SEE SOMALIA AND OTHER PLACES
IN THE WORLD, WE HAVE TO HAVE A
VERY AGGRESSIVE, ANTI-TERRORISM
CAMPAIGN UNDERSTANDING THAT
THERE IS A POSSIBILITY IN MANY
PLACES FOR THESE TYPES OF GROUPS
TO BEGIN TO PLOT AND TO PLAN,
BUT WE -- ARE CAPABLE OF IT.
WE ARE LISTENING TO GENERAL
MACKENZIE AND IT’S DIFFICULT,
BUT CERTAINLY NOT IMPOSSIBLE AND
WE CAN’T TURN AWAY AND WE’RE
LEAVING THE REGION AND WE STILL
HAVE VITAL INTERESTS TO PROTECT
THE QUESTION OF THE GOVERNMENT’S
STABILITY IS CRITICAL QUESTION.
ONE THAT THE COUNTRY BREAKS UP
INTO SECTORS AS IT DID PRIOR TO
OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH WITH THE
NORTHERN ALLIANCE WITH THE
PASHTUN CONTROL IN THE NORTHERN
PART AND THAT COULD BE THE
FUTURE OR THERE COULD BE SOME
TYPE OF COMPROMISED GOVERNMENT.
ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT HAS
CHANGE SIDE THAT THERE IS A
SENSE.
I DON’T WANT TO PUT TOO MUCH
PREMIUM ON IT, BUT THERE IS A
SENSE THAT THE TALIBAN, ONE
NEEDS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OR
LIKE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
AND THEY’LL ONLY GET THAT IF
THEY ARE WILLING TO ACCOMMODATE
SOME OF THE DEMANDS OF THE