good morning, this is al jazeera, i'm del walters , these are some of the stories that we are following. 16 hours and counting, center ted cruz and his marathon speech says he plans to talk until he can't stand any longer, but his mission to defund obamacare appears to be doomed. >> translator: peace is within. >> words of optimism to pursue peace between the u.s. and iran. there was no symbolic land shake to seal the deal. getting serious about syria.

the un security council taking up efforts to investigate chemical weapon. and kenyan beginning the mourning now that the shopping mall siege is over, but the death toll could continue to rise. ♪ the countdown to a government shutdown is underway. congress now just has five days to reach agreement on legislation. this just to keep the doors of the government open for business, but the story this morning is this man, republican senator ted cruz. you are looking live at pictures of cruz on the floor of the senate. he is on a marathon crusade against the affordable care act, better known as obamacare. he has been speaking at 2:40 eastern time on tuesday. he said he will keep speaking

until he can no longer stand. >> the members of this senate listen to the people and we step forward and avert this train wreck, we step forward and avert this nightmare. >> at one point he even read from dr. seuss. >> when we defund obamacare, we're all going to be happy, happy, happy. >> reporter: in the wee hours of wednesday morning, texas center ted cruz kept his commitment to stand up against obamacare. he began speaking at 2:40 tuesday afternoon. and wowed to hold the floor until he could not stand anymore. while it appears to be a filibuster, technically it is not. harry reid was quick to point out that a vote would happen

today no matter how much cruz talks. >> filibusters stop people from voting, and we are going to vote tomorrow. under the rules no one can stop that. >> reporter: top senate republicans realize this makes cruz's efforts a fake filibuster. >> we may not always agree on tactics but on the question of repealing obamacare we're totally united. >> there are poll tigs in this body who are not listening to the people. they are not listening to the concerns of their constituents. >> reporter: throughout the prolonged protest, cruz did manage to take a rest thanks to fellow republicans like tea party member mike lee who gave

cruz a break by way of a long-winded question. >> and so senator cruz . . . i have to ask you -- >> reporter: not all of the time was spent on the topic. the center read from a children's book. >> i would like them here or there, i would not like them anywhere, i do not like green eggs and ham. i do not like them, sam i am. and quoted a reality tv show. >> i want to point out just a few words of wisdom from duck dynasty. you put five red necks on a mouer it is going to be ep ic. >> cruz's speech is modeled on old fashioned filibusters. strom thurmond spoke for 24:18

against the civil rights act of 1957. back in march render rand paul held the floor for 13 hours. >> duck dynasty. i understand the people in the social media world are having fun with the non-filibuster, filibuster. >> yeah, they dubbed the hashtag fauxbuster. >> erica thank you very much. while cruz was on the floor in washington there at the senate extolling the evils of obamacare. in new york president obama and president clinton tag teamed to sing its praises. >> the honor is if they actually repealed the law, it would add to the deficit.

it would add to the deficit. >> for a closer look at the budget battle and the fight over obamacare and the ted cruz drama, we go good to washington where we are joined by libby casey. how are republicans reacting to ted cruz. >> reporter: a handful have joined him, including marco rubio, and then we have seen some democrats and republicans on night duty. by and large the republicans are not really here supporting them because some want to move forward on what is seen as an inevitable process. mitch mcconnell and others have said it's time to move forward. no matter how long he speaks right now, at 1:00 today the vote goes forward. >> all of this while millions are wondering come monday if the

check will be in the mail. >> reporter: that's right. we'll see things moving forward, and they are voting on, essentially moving forward on the debate. the bill would keep the government funded and pull back on the funding for obamacare. what we expect to see is harry reid give an amendment that would strip out the defuncting of obamacare. so that would put republicans in the hard spot of having sup ported this, but inevitably it looks like they will pass the bill. and then it kicks over to the house. some republicans are saying let's just move forward, because they want to gave john boehner a chance to figure out how he

wants to deal with this. >> libby casey thank you very much. >> thank you. un weapons inspectors are back in syria today. they are gathering information from an attack in the northwest. sarin gas was used in the attack in damascus. and there are all reports of increased violence between several syrian opposition groups, including al qaeda-backed opposition. and the ongoing civil war has theft throws of syrian families homeless. in his speech to the un on tuesday, president obama defending his call for military action in syria. >> the situation in syria mirrors a contradiction that has persisted in the region for decades. the united states is chastised for meddling in the region, at

the same time the united states is blamed for failing to do enough to sell v the problems. president obama also saying the un security council needs to hold assault accountable. joining us now from turkey, what should happen now and is the un prepared to take that next step? >> reporter: that seems to be the debate at the moment. as of now the two sides, the united states, france, and the united kingdom are engaged in discussions with russia at the un security council about whether the resolution would really have something that has teeth. the west wants punitive or some sort of consequences should

assad fail to carry out the agreement to disarm and destroy all of his chemical weapons. >> for the un this is a gut check. what happens if the international body fails to act? and if it doesn't, does it become inpotent. >> the veto particularly from the russian side has prevented meaningful action to take place. i think a failure to file this under chapter 7 and provide meaningful consequences would certainly set a message that theun is failing in its ability to enforce global norms that have been put in place for quite sometime now.

>> john kerry said he had a constructive meeting on tuesday. is russia the mediator or the obstacle to this deal? >> russia is both an obstacle in the fact it's putting in place serious -- it is seriously trying to block the binding resolution at the united nations security council. but they are critical in the agreement there is a caveat in there saying the weapons could be removed. and i think everyone imagines russia would be a likely candidate for these weapons to be shipped to. so while it may be a hindrance, it is vital for this to be committed too. >> and i can't let you go

without talking about the icy relations between the u.s. and tehran. does this help when it comes to the situation in syria? >> i have to think so. the -- the failure or the obama administration's last-minute giving up of the punitive strikes in favor of this proposed cw deal, certainly lessens tensions from the iranian perspective in that it's not another u.s. external-lead intervention in the middle east. i think iranians can take some credit for proposing and supporting this deal, and i think will be critical moving forward to help execute this deal as well as any peace settlement should it take place in geneva. >> aaron thank you very much. it is day three at the united nations, the 69th meeting

of the general assembly. but it is what is happening on the sidelines that may be more important than the speeches. today the five members of the security council will be sitting down to discuss syria and how to remove those chemical weapons. on tuesday it was about the diplomatic break through between the u.s. and iran. >> reporter: the focus was on one man as world leaders met. the arrival of hassan rouhani, iran's president for less than two months on the world stage, brings a promise to a new start between iran and the u.s. he didn't meet president obama, but both men spoke cautiously after more than three decades of mistrust about the possibility of a new relationship. >> we are encouraged that president rouhani received a

mandate from the people to pursue a more moderate course, and i'm directing john kerry to pursue this effort with the iranian government. >> reporter: he said progress would only be made if there was a deal removing the threat of an iranian nuclear bomb, but he said it can have a peaceful nuclear energy program, and acknowledged mistakes from the past. >> this mistrust has deep roots. iranians have long complained of a history of u.s. interference in their affairs, and of america's role in overthrowing the iranian government during the cold war. >> reporter: president rouhani picked up directly on president obama's words. >> translator: i listened carefully to the statement made by president obama today at the

general assembly, hoping that they will refrain from following the short-sided interests of warmongering pressure groups. we can arrive at a framework to manage our differences. let me say loud and clear that peace is within us. >> reporter: it was not all conciliatory talk, there was criticisms of u.s. military engagement in middle east, of drone strikes and the treatment of the palestinians. >> translator: what has been and continues to be practiced against the innocent people of palestine is nothing less than structural violence. >> reporter: u.s. diplomats listened to those words. in past years they walked out when an iranian leader addressed

the gather. >> james base is at the 68th gathering of the un general assembly. about half of america say they disapprove of the way president obama is handling foreign policy. the poll showing that 49% of americans disapprove of the president's foreign policies. that is up from 39% back in june. 52% say they don't approve of his handling of syria, and 44% say they disapprove of his approach to iran. rescue workers in pakistan struggling to help people who were injured by a powerful earthquake there, the 7.8 magnitude quake shaking many houses there, and communication has been cut off to some of the hardest-hit areas. the quake was so powerful it created a small island off of

the coast. now let's bring in ni nick -- nicole mitchell. >> we have had a lot of rain over the last couple of days. some places since the start of the week have gotten close to half of a foot. this is one of our big players. we'll talk about this northwest system coming up in just a bit. but let's zoom in on florida. we have a combination of a low-pressure area with that frontal boundary that we have had. more of that once again this morning. so as i mentioned a few isolated locations like saratoga have had 5 inches of rain. across the region there have been showers to the north as well, although more of it has been isolated in florida. so look at some of these areas

to get more easily more persistently an inch, and if you end up under one of those trains, you could see quite a bit of rain. as we get to the broader picture, some of that is keeping the area cool. atlanta 71 degrees, feeling like fall when you get those peaks of sunshine out there. up the east coast into the 70s, but just behind all of that rain we have had that is is our one warm spot. it's going to be another hot one in the loan star state. contrast to that, well, there's going to be snow in the northwest, i'll talk about that in just a few minutes. dell. the four-day standoff at that nairobi shopping mall is finally over. we'll tell you how kenyans are

mourning and trying to get their lives back on track. and a 42--year-old mystery would be solved. the unusual circumstances that lead to the discovery of a car driven by two teens back in 1971. millions who need assistance now. we appreciate you spending time with us tonight. up next is the golden age of hollywood going golden but elsewhere. why l.a.'s mayor has declared a state of emergency for the entertainment industry there. next. on august 20th, al jazeera america introducedç]

♪ the mall siege in kenya is finally over, and three days of national mourning now underway. 72 people were killed in the siege, but that number is expected to rise as crews search for more victims. the attack began saturday when a about a dozen gunmen opened fire inside of the complex. al-shabab saying 137 hostages are still buried inside the buildin building. mr. simmons is that number possible? >> reporter: it's impossible to say at this stage. what is certain is the number of 63 civilians given by the government so far is bound to

increase. what happened exactly when the kenyan forces attacked is unclear. they surged forward, and according to our sources, there was a response from the attackers, which may have included the detonation of explosives around some pillars of the building that caused three floors to collapse. how many hostages were inside and how many were freed is unclear. the red cross understands that at least 50 people are still missing. so if you do the numbers, it looks like there could be more than a hundred dead civilians in this -- in this tragedy. this is what the president has to said when he addressed the nation. >> five terrorists were killed with gunfire. eleven suspects are in custody in connection with the attack.

intelligence reports have suggested that a british woman and two or three american citizens may have been involved in the attack. we cannot confirm the details at present, but forensic experts are working to ascertain the nationalities of the terrorists. >> reporter: now it does appear the numbers -- looking at the numbers, that al-shabab's claims certainly can't be confirmed, but there more than a hundred dead it would seem. and as far as the government is concerned, it would seem all of the gunmen were killed, and judging from what we're hearing on twitter from the al-shabab site, which continually changes because the security services are closing them down, they seem to acknowledge that their fighters are dead. so right now kenya is in the first day of mourning, first of

three days. the mood is incredibly somber, and still so many questions to be answered. >> if the goal of al-shabab was to terrorize the country, it seems to be backfired. some are saying the country is now more united. what are you seeing? >> reporter: i covered the violence in 2007/2008, and then there was more than a thousand dead. this is the biggest atrocity that has hit this nation since then, and it has brought the country together. and i think the fact that it's an international disaster, as well as an internal one also helps, but no one can help the people in the city mortuary not far from here who are queueing up, searching for their loved

ones and friends, not knowing really what has happened. it would seem that the worst has happened. and kenya has to prepare for that news. >> andrew thank you very much. two south dakota teenagers disappeared on their way to a party more than 40 years ago. now a surprising new find could be the link to solve a cold case that has baffled law enforcement for years. >> reporter: a rusted, mangled, car pulled from a south dakota creek may hold the answer to a 40-year-old cold case that stunned a community for decades. skeletal remains found inside the car are believed to be the bodies of two 17-year-old girls who disappeared long ago. in 1971 they both vanished. the high school juniors were last seen driving to a party in

a page 1960s stew da baker. 42 years later, a fisherman noticed one of the cars wheels poking out of the creek. he remembered the tail of the missing women and called police. the license plate is a match to the vehicle the women were riding in. human remains found in and around it are undergoing tests. >> that's what we're trying to figure out now any evidence at the scene that might give us some conclusion of what might have happened. >> reporter: officials say the creek is lower than normal. >> it has been there for who knows how many years, so it will be good closure if we have kind evidence. >> reporter: evidence that until now was at the bottom of a country creek. a father who was 102 died

just last week. that car was found days after he was buried. president obama and hassan rouhani pledging to improve relations between the united states and iran. we'll take a look back at the history of those two nations. and thousands of people from all walks of life getting very involved. we'll tell you what they are doing to find the cure for cancer. we'll have sports coming up next. and he is still going cruz control on the floor of the u.s. senate. ted cruz attempting to hijack the political process, now approaching -- [ technical difficulties ] -- appears to be destined to fail. >> hispanic community is tremendously entrepreneurial.

♪ welcome back. i'm del walters. these are our top stories at this hour. senator ted cruz has been talking now for nearly 17 hours. the texas republican senator trying to draw attention to his attempt to block the affordable care act, better known as obamacare. the united nations security council is meeting today -- [ technical difficulties ] -- if the assad regime refuses to turn over its stockpile. and the u.s. and iran have now opened that door to

diplomacy, both presidents telling the un general assembly, it might be possible to improve relations between those two countries. iran's new president has pledged to do just that. but not everyone is buying his new tone. kristin was at the un on tuesday where hundreds came out to protest rouhani's appearance. >> reporter: after nearly four decades of silence, demonstrators are saying enough. it's time to talk. >> you don't solve problems by going in separate rooms and slamming doors. the american and iranian people want their leaders to talk. >> reporter: the newly elected president came to the united states eager to find a way to end crippling economic sanctions, imposed by the west to try to stop iran from developing nuclear weapons.

speakers here and in the senate are urging president obama not to undo sanctions until iran dismantles its nuclear program. >> we can't do it by begging to negotiate, we should make demands of iran. >> reporter: it was after the islamic revolution in iran in 1979 when 52 americans were held hostage for more than a year that the u.s. cut off diplomatic relations. gary sick was a member of the u.s. national security council during the iran hostage crisis. he thinks obama and rouhani have a limited window of opportunity. >> i think on both side there is a domestic policy problem that has a time frame attached to it.

>> reporter: president obama left the un without meeting president rouhani, but there is still the prospect of high-level discussions. later this week, secretary of state john kerry is scheduled to attend a meeting that will include iran's counterpart. it would be the highest level meeting between the two countries since the revolution. now for more than a century the u.s. and iran have been clashing over issues as diverse as oil, communism, and diverse proliferation. joining us now to discuss the history of the u.s. and iranian relations is a professor of politics at u.s. south florida.

he joins us from tampa this morning. i want to go back to august of 1953 when the cia orchestrated the coup that toppled the prime minister back then. that is something that still haunts the iranian-u.s. relations to this day. was it about oil? >> right after world war ii, the u.s. became intensely interested in iran. at the time iran was the world's number one exporter of oil, and the british had complete control over the iranian oil industry. the cia with the help of the british mi6 staged a coup and overthrow a democratically elected government. thereafter an animosity was

created. >> during that period from 1953 to 1979, for 26 years, iran sided with the u.s. to contain the former soviet union, but had to suffer under the reign of the shaw. that is the period that seems to be the big thorn of contention between the u.s. and iran, correct? >> correct. after the coup, iran became one of america's closest ally, and by a few years before theist lammic revolution of 1979, iran has become america's most trusted and closest ally in all of the middle east with the exception of the state of israel. in the mid-1970s, there were over 50,000 americans living in iran. relations were as good as it could have been, and then came the islamic revolution, and then

less than a year after he came to power, a group of misguided students took over the american embassy, and as a result of that, president carter decided to sever relations between iran and the us. and they became bitter enemies. >> i want to go back to that date, 1979 is the day that sticks in american's minds the most. the show is overthrown. 52 americans held hostage for 444 days. as far as america is concerned, that is where the relationship with iran soured, and it has been like that for three decades. >> correct, but the iranian students did was in violation of human decency and international law, and after that the

relationship between the two countries became quite hostile. and for the past 33 years iran and the u.s. were engaged in a secret, cold war against one another, and now there is a possibility that we might be able to open a new chapter in the relationship. >> and there was another period that was kept secret. 1983 to 1986. tell us more about that. >> well, at that time, iran was in desperate need of military equipment. iranian army was essentially equipped with american weapons, and they -- the carter administration had decided to impose an arms embargo on iran. at the same time theory gan administration was very much

concerned about the possible expansion of soviet influence in iran, and therefore, they tried to open up towards the more moderate elements of iran. they sold iran military equipment, and that sale of weapon allowed iran to gain the upper hand in the iran and iraq war, but then a lebanese newspaper revealed these secret negotiations, and then the rest is history of the so-called iran contra affairs, which created the greatest constitutional crisis for president ronald reagan. >> and that brings us back to where we are now. three decades of icy relations between the two countries. can the united states and iran, i guess regain the ground? or is this too much history now as we take a look back? >> i believe it is possible to open a new chapter.

however, both washington and the united states must recognize that you cannot overcome more than three decades of animosity and hostility overnight. they should demonstrate strategic patience. what has been destroyed in three decades cannot be recurred in a year or two. however, the message coming out of tehran, and the message being sent from the white house is that both countries are now prepared to examine the possibility of establishing a new relationship, or at least establishing some mechanism to manage their many conflicts. >> so how did we get here from what we see here, that icy period, so where we are right now with regards to the rouhani regime. and what is behind the chill in

relations between the united states and iran? >> president majenida really was a true character. and he created more trouble for iran than any other iranian president. however, during his presidency, iran was able to make impressive on its nuclear program, but he ail -- alienated many by his comments of denying the holocaust or saying israel should be wiped out all together. after eight years after nightmare, the iranian electorate, in june of 2013

decided that enough is enough, we need to change course. and this is why out of the seven presidential candidates in june 2013, the iranians voted for hassan rouhani, who was the most moderate among those. the iranian people are sick and fired of the sanctions. the sanctions are hurting the economy, are lowering the standard of living of the iranians. iran has become isolated and they wanted a change. mr. rouhani campaigned on a promise of change, and prudence and hope. and right now, i believe he sincerely wants to change the relationship between iran and the united states. >> professor of politics at the

university of south florida, thank you for being with us today. and un delegates will be meeting to discuss the situation in yemen. u.s. drone strokes have played a big role in that region. but that strategy isn't sitting well with everyone on american soil. >> reporter: this town in michigan spans a little over two miles. over the years this area has seen an influx of arab americans, many of them with deep ties to yemen. thousands of yemeny americans call michigan home. many arrived in search of work in the auto industry decades ago. and for some that meant leaving family behind. >> right now, yemen i's are more

afraid than ever. >> reporter: i sat down with this man and his friend at a yem yemeni/american restaurant. more than ten years ago the u.s. government began launching drone attacks. as missile strikes have increased so have the concern of these people. there were 22 drone strikes last year, compared to 42 last year. and 80 civilians have either been killed or wounded in drone attacks in 2009. >> they are saying now they are afraid of just going out to do their daily life. >> i can ask this question to you?

what do you think if you have a family there? and if that has happened to them? of course anybody is going to feel the same way. >> reporter: the yemeni president recently said any reports of tallies are exaggerated. and while these two men don't know anyone who has been killed, they fear they are going to get that call. >> maybe i'm going to get that call, what is the feeling? everyone listening right now, what is their feeling if they lose somebody that they love? of course it's bad. it's bad. i don't want that to happen to nobody in the world. >> reporter: the two young men hope day to visit to their land,

but until the attacks subside, they are remain here. yemen with u.s. support drive out a lot of those al qaeda fighters last year. to sports it was a big night in baseball. we turn to mark. >> usually the baseball pennant race is very exciting. but mike found himself on the brinking of baseball history. pitching in the cauldron of pressure that is a pennant race. now, on his horse, gets a beat

on it. got it. now two outs, top of the 9th, ryan zimmerman. watch this, wacha is 6-6 but off of the tip of his glove. wow, an infield single, the no-no is over. bummer. the cardinals win the game 2-0. the pirates and reds, the pirates just having clenched their first playoff berth since 1992. top of 2nd he whacks one into the ivey at wrigley field. alvarez not finished. we move to the fifth. he will double to left field, andrew mccutchen will score, so will bird. and the pirates go on to win it 8-2. then mets in cincy.

a chopper to center field, he tries to make a play. the mets grab a 1-0 lead. todd frazier, the liner, but once again it is tovar. the mets win it by 2. all three teams have secured their spots in the post season already. cardinal's magic number to clench the division is 3. and right now pittsburgh would host that critical onetime elimination wild-card matchup. terry francona has its cleveland indians posed to make the post season. is it going to drop? yep, and cabrera scores.

indians up 1-0. and then viciedo drills one to left, and just like that they take the lead. jason giambi at the plate. runner on second and two outs, and everybody drive home safely, because we're done. a 2-run shot to right. he extents his own record as the oldest player to ever hit a walk-off home run. and then beltre blasts one deep to left. his 29th home run of the season. hey, guys easy, easy in the dugout. joe nathan in for the save, two outs. he gets a pop up to mitch moreland. 3-2 the final. the rays currently hold the first wild-card spot in the american league. the indians keep their one-game

lead over for the final wild-card spot. that's a look at sports this hour. i'm mark morgan. dell? 32 people now dead in the philippines following two days of heavy rains. more than 36,000 people have been forced from their homes. the hardest hit areas are in the north. emergency crews are trying to clear roads. more than a thousand families said to be living inside evacuation centers. fall has already begun. nicole mitchell joining us now. >> we're starting to see some snow with that next storm system. it's not unheard of that we would get that in september, especially in the mountain passes, where you have the

higher elevations, which means cooler temperatures already. so as we get to northern parts of idaho, the mullen pass is reporting snow, and most of the area is remaining with rain as this storm system goes through, but most of what you see here is for the higher elevations, about 5500 and above, and not only has the mullen pass seen light snow this morning, but also there is freezing fog in the area. so that makes things extra slick. the rest of the region, once you get out of some of the higher elevations and those pass levels, you'll make it into the 50s in places like boise. ahead of this, this is raising the temperatures anywhere from colorado up through the dakotas.

pretty mild this time of year. that system is going to slowly be on the move for the rest of the week. most of us, though, not seeing snow. dell? >> but you did say snow. >> i did say snow, higher elevations. >> we're still in september i just want to remind you of that. the army, they say they are getting tough on tattoos. we'll tell you why new recruits may have to pass on certain kinds of ink. >> we don't understand why some people are getting cancer at a higher rate than others. >> we'll tell you about a ground breaking study that is uses hundreds of thousands of volunteers to track the causes of cancer. together unexpected voices closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you.

that's all i have an real money. victoria azarenko ç]

there is a focus on cancer in the u.s. more than a half million cancer-reelated deaths are expected this year alone. cancer is the second most cause of death in the country, and lung cancer is the leading cause of all cancer deaths. those numbers are from the american cancer society which is launching a huge study this year. they want to know about cancer causes and why certain people are more vulnerable than others. mark snyder has more on the project. >> reporter: kimberly is a personal trainer, the health conscious mom jumped at the chance to be part of the largest cancer study in the u.s. >> both of my parents died from cancer. >> reporter: she believed they were exposed to cancer agents. >> the biplanes would spray locally on our crops, and it

would leak into the drinking water. >> reporter: the american cancer society needs 300,000 participates by year's end. they are about 40,000 shy and the recruiting continues nationwide. people who have never had cancer between the ages of 30 and 65 gathered at a ymca, filling out forms, getting their waist measured and their blood drawn. >> we all have cancer tumor markers in our blood, but what causes some people to get cancer and some to not is one of the big mysteries. >> we don't understand why some people are getting cancer at a higher rate than others. this gives us a great opportunity to understand how various ethnicities and people in your family may develop cancers while others are never touched by the disease. >> whatever i can do to help the

next person come along, that's what i'm more interested in doing. >> reporter: janice's father and who of her aunts died of cantor. but he mother is free of cancer. >> she has been smoking over 60 years. she takes one pill, blood pressure. she has not been sick a day in her life. >> people can be exposed by

[ technical difficulties ] center ted cruz has now been speaking for more than 17 hours with the help of some friends bringing attention to his attempt to block obamacare. and three days of mourning have begun in kenya, that is where investigators are still searching the rubble of that nairobi mall. we're back in two and a half hours with morgan ratfort. we'll see you then.

faultlines investigates the epidemic of overcrowding in women's prisons. >> the system is setup to do exactly what it's doing - to break people and to keep them broken.

good morning, i'm morgan radford, and these are some of the stories we're following right now. 17 hours and still counting. senator ted cruz is on a marathon filibuster, saying he plans to talk until he can't stand anymore. but his mission may be in vain. >> translator: let me say loud and clear that peace is within reach. the presidents of both nations say they are ready for diplomacy, but still no handshake to seal the deal. getting serious about syria. the un