>> syria's president despise calls for hostility. and they vow to retake the entire country. >> hello there, i'm felicity barr, and this is al jazeera live from london. coming up, farmers' fury tractor drive their way to greece's parliament in riot against austerity measures.

the catholic pope meets the russian orthodox patriarch for the first time i in a millennium. and doctors refuse to treat officers who are accused of attacking their colleagues. hello, syria's president has said his forces will retake the whole country, but he also said negotiations are worth pursuing. bashar al-assad's words come as russian airstrikes reportedly killed 36 people. talks in munich world leaders agree to aim for a halt in hostilities in syria within seven days as well providing humanitarian assistance. but the syrian government and opposition groups have yet to gray. and armed groups like isil an and al nusra front were not included in that deal. russia's prime minister said that the u.s. and arab partners needed to think hard about their actions in syria, saying all

sides should negotiate despite what they call a new world war. live who what they had to say in that interview. >> we have fully believed in negotiations and in political actions since the beginning o. however f we negotiate, it doesn't mean that we stop fighting terrorism. the two tracks are inevitable in syria. first negotiations, and second through fighting terrorism. >> and al jazeera's dana is on the border with syria. >> clearly the syrian president is speaking from a position of rank. just a few months ago last july he was described as an embattled leader first in a public address he made an address and said

there was a lack of manpower. the coastal heartlands and the heartland community, and they say the aim is toe recapture the whole of syria even though it will take a long time. at this time the government is suffering losses on the ground. they lost the province of idlib. it has fallen fought opposition but ever since russian intervened in the conflict in early october, the power on the ground shifted in favor of the government. they are still continuing those advances on the ground. and right now the opposition is on the retreat. they're defending territory. and they're trying to bring a cessation of hostilities that is aimed as giving, giving bashar al-assad and his government enough time to retake more land an.

>> they hold ground on this front line. if they're defeated the area. they prevent this stronghold on the second largest city being besieged. >> we're still on the front lines. we won't surrender. we're here. >> within a week the bombardment is supposed to stop. but the agreement reach skepticism on the ground. >> i don't think the international community represented by the u.s. and russia is serious about a cease-fire for now. postponing the peaks talks to give the regime for time to take more ground. it means that rebels won't be able to regain this territory

after a cease-fire is in place. >> it is on the defensive in more than one corner of syria. the rebels there no longer control supply lines to enter their strongholds, and the u.s. is warning that the 120,000 people inside risk hunger and disease. >> members of the opposition inside and outside still have told us that they have little faith in the syrian government. they say that the munich deal will only give them time to make further ground for the opposition and force the surrender. >> they cannot come fast enough for the people. the battle has, according to the united nations, left more than 50,000 people homeless adding to the millions who have been displaced over the years.

>> the people do in the deserve this. they're not sparing anyone. not the children, the women, the elderly. it's been five years and we continue to suffer from oppression. it is enough. >> the conflict has laid waste in syria, the allies are confident they're close to a victory, but claims of victory will have little meaning for anyone without a wider peace. >> the fall out from the agreement on syria that was reached on thursday night has been a dominant theme here at the munich security confidential on the first day of deliberations, a succession of speakers about fighting a solution in syria chose to stress the dangerous posts by terrorism and the islamic state in iraq and the levant. the saudi foreign minister also spoke about why it was fundamental to combat daesh and

isil, but he also had a very pointed message for the syrian president, bashar al-assad. >> in syria you look at what is happening in syria in order to remove a man who is responsible for the murder of 300,000 people, the displacement of 12 million, and the destruction of a nation. the man who is the single most effected magnate for extremists and terrorists in the region. >> mr. assad's main regional backer iran has been steadfast in their support for him since the arab spring began. here at the munich security conference on friday, the iranian foreign minister said it was possible that iran could find some sort of arrangement with the saudi arabia government, but that a new paradigm needed to be found in order to let that happen. >> we should facilitate the

decision of their own future rather than setting perimeters on what they need to do. we should also gray that iran and saudi arabia cannot exclude each other from the region. iran and saudi arabia can accommodate each other in the region if they each define their specific interests in all these places. but that specific interest can only be accommodated should not be the exclusion of the other party. >> the mood music coming from munich this week suggests that everyone wants a binding solution to the syrian crisis. the question remains whether what is being discussed and agreed here will translate to reality on the ground. >> there has been violence between greek farmers and riot police in athens in protests against new austerity measures.

it's the latest against the grunt's left-wing government. neave barker is in the capital and has this report. >> protesting farmers attack police with shepherd's crooks as they try to storm the ministry of agriculture. protesters take pot shots at office windows. main of these farmers have traveled from behind to join a day of demonstrations in a day of violence. farmers converged in the thousands. this group came in convoys. in the last two weeks farmers have staged 70 blockades of highways across the country. now they're taking their anger to the capital. >> the people, they're going to destroy them. >> most of saturday.

>> in athens close to parliament some protesters have pitched tents. they say they'll be here for several days. >> we've come here to protest with determination and decisiveness. we won't leave here until we've found justice. >> the greek government signed an agreement with its lender, the e.u. finance ministers say if it introduced deep seeded economic reform it will have access to $95 million bail out. the greek government said that the reforms are not a matter of choice but a matter of necessity. but the reforms will mean sharp increases in tax hikes and pension contributions. and things that farmers say will make their small agriculture businesses no longer viable. the crowds increased. tractors who have been stopped by the police were allowed in the scare. recent year volatile protests

and many question what the new waves of democrat operations will achieve. neave barker, al jazeera. athens. >> in an historic meeting pope francis and the russian orthodox patriarch have called on the international christia community to stop persecution. it was the first meeting in 1,000 years. >> i'm grateful for the humility of his holiness, his good wishes for unity. we've emerged with several different initialties which we believe are feasible if this come to pass. >> it was a conference full of content which provide us an opportunity to understand and feel out each other's positions. on the result it's of the conversation, enable me to state that both countries can cooperate and defend christians

around the world and with full responsibility work together to prevent war so human life is respected throughout the world. >> let's speak to miguel delatore from the university of colorado. he joins us live via skype. thanks for being with us on the program. this meeting, has it really been forced on these two churches because of their joint dire is to raise awareness that christians are under attack in the middle east? >> oh, absolutely. one of the major driving force in finally bringing these two individuals and these two churches together is to persecution that is going on in syria and iraq and the middle east and in northern africa. there is a strong desire to come with one voice and speak against these atrocities that are going on. >> what impact is it likely to

have on both churches? >> i think it will only have impact on the churches but also on the political situation. i moon, for example, it will be a challenge to have unity when we think about what is going on in the ukraine. but at the same time it will create opportunities and open the back channels of conversation that might bring reconciliation and it might bring some peace. >> it's not complete reconciliation. how many differences still remain between these two churches? how fundamentally different are they? >> well, you have so many things that are different. in the orthodox church priests can marry. in the roman church priests cannot. in the orthodox church they use levened bread, and in the roman catholic church they use unleavened bread. i think the real hurdle toss

overcome is power. who is going to have pow over the entire church. who will concede that power. i don't see that any time soon. you're right, it's not true reconciliation where these two christian churches are coming together and will act as one. >> is there any sense of a political agenda at all behind this meeting? i've noticed some analysts are saying that it has come at a convenient time given what it is doing with its campaign in syria. >> well, there is no doubt that for putin and the russian government, it will be very helpful to have some channels to the west and definitely the roman catholic church could have one of those channels to have conversation that will be difficult to have with tensions that have occurred specifically due to the ukraine and russia's

involvement in syria right now. >> it's become an unity capital this is a big deal for cuba, isn't it. >> oh, it definitely is. cuba was left out because of the cold war, and with the issues with the united states. all of a sudden cuba is becoming a pinnacle location for where reconciliation and unity course. occurs. definitely this is very powerful and very good for cuba. >> it's been great talking with you. thank you very much for joining us on the program. thank you. >> my pleasure. >> okay, you're watching al jazeera, and still to come on the program we're going to have the latest on the trial of kenya's president. plus what happened to the cease-fire? we meet the children caught up in ongoing fighting in eastern

ukraine.

>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. >> again a reminder to all the top stories. bashar al-assad has vowed to retake the entire country. comments come as world leaders agree to aim for a temporary halt of hostility in syria within seven days. violence in athens between police and thousands of farmers during an anti-austerity protest. and in an historic meeting pope francis and the orthodox

patriarch meet together, the first time in almost 1,000 years. thousands of egyptian doctors have been protesting against alleged abuse by the police. they say certificates who attack their colleagues have not been held accountable. the doctors are now threatening to go on strike. >> this is a rare scene on the streets of kay row. thousands of doctors say there has been abuse by the police. their accusations come after two doctors were reportedly beaten by police. at the headquarters of the doctors' union, doctors threaten to begin a gradual strike if the police are not held accountable.

>> the protest is to defend emergency doctors across egyptian hospitals because what is happening now we can't tolerate. we're not only faced with aggression from patients, relatives, but also from the police. who are supposed to be defending young doctors who need to work in a safe environment. plus public protests are rare under egypt's president el-sisi, following the ousting of president mohamed morsi, gathers are effectively banned in egypt. but these doctors insist they will not be silenced. they say they're defending their professional dignity, and they're calling on the health minister to resign. paul brennan, al jazeera. >> five u.n. peace keepers have been killed and another 30 injured in an attack on the base in northern mali. an u.n. spokesman said that the shelling early on friday and people reported seeing u.n. helicopters in the sky and

hearing an exchange of gunfire outside of the city. no group has has claimed responsibility for the attack. the additional court case has been weakened with key evidence ruled inadmissible. facing crimes against humanity charges at the hague. five witnesses have asked that their testimony to be withdrawn. prosecutors say there is evidence that links them to violence around the 2007 presidential election in which 1200 people died. for more on what this means, we have these updates from nairobi. >> the appeals bakley say that the evidence would be unfair to the accused because the witnesses were not cross examined. this is a big blow to the prosecutor. who have said without the them, the case is greatly weakened.

the reasons link the defendants to some of the crimes they are accused from. they say that the witnesses were bribed or intimidated by people who are said to be associated to the defenders. now what happens next? two things. the prosecution will drop the charges, something many people who follow these cases say might not happen. or the trial judges rule in favor of another case to answer motions which were filed by the defense. the defense saying there was no evidence against the two witnesses, they're not credible, and they need to be compromised by agents, the prosecution, of course, will be trying other words. >> an agreement signed one year ago was supposed to end fighting in ukraine between government forces and pro-russian separatists. but as both sides accuse each other of breaking that deal, orphans are among the civilians who are still suffering. there are reports from eastern

ukraine. >> these children used to live in an orphanage, and now they live in a war zone. they will now live with their adopted parents in a so-called gray zone between pro-russian separatist fighters and the ukrainian army. there are calls for a cease-fire, but the fighting conditions, especially at night. >> nadia is very afraid when there is shelling. she crisis at night. we try to keep the girls calm. we try to show them that we're not afraid. >> an agreement signed last february in the capital of min mins minsk, they continue the fighting. heavy weapons are supposed to have been withdrawn as part of the minsk deal, but both sides

accuse each other of breaking that agreement almost every day. this area has seen some of the fiercest fighting since the conflict began. now the separatists rarely target their positions using anti-tank weapons and mortars. they also tell us that the two towers there on are two and a half kilometers away, and they say that the separatists use those towers as lookout posts and sniper positions. they've moved the 78-year-old grandmother to so-called safety four times since the fighting started, but they have come under fire every time and every house has been destroyed. >> i'm not going anywhere because i got married here. my children were born here. my grandchildren were born here. everyone is gone and i do not want to go. if i do, how will they find me. i won't move until there is peace. >> the conflict has not finished. i personally believe that the

military are needed here to deter the enemy's onslaught. we have to be here to protect and help the people who have decided to stay and bring an end to the conflict. >> at a nearby checkpoint the ukrainians volunteer to entertain soldiers. they're fiercely patriotic and anti-moscow. >> it is important because people are strong in their unity when we are united and together we will defeat our enemy and the evil moscovite. >> when the destruction of war people across this region have no interest in talking victory, wishing only the fighting would end. charles stratford, al jazeera, eastern ukraine. >> two buildings have collapsed on a busy shopping street in turkey but no one is thought to have been injured. the buildings, one a hotel r evacuated before they collapsed, and no one was inside when they went down. it happened to a street close to

a pedestrian avenue, a main shopping district. south korea has cut off power and water supplies to industrial complex in north korea. the jointly run factory park is the latest slash point. as the relations between the two deteriorate after the pyongyang rocket launch on sunday. the south said it fears the park will be turned into a military base. >> they expelled our people in a very short amount of time. >> the conduct of the north is very regrettable and we make it clear that the north will be responsible for everything that happens. >> forces fired tear gas people on the streets through stones at

armored vehicles. it occurs ahead of sunday's anniversary. canada is on track to welcome 25,000 new refugees from syria by next month. 14 house have already arrived from camps in jordan, lebanon and turkey since the end of last year. daniel lack reports of how the government and community groups are helping them. >> pediatrician will treat newly arrived migrants to toronto for two years now. but her patient list these days are overwhelmingly syrian as many people, mostly young families, arrive in canada's city every week. >> we've had a great work from the canadian government, and the red cross has helped us so much. the organization that is helping us with allowances and

paperwork, and we can look for a house. >> getting them situated is crucial and it is important to make sure everyone has the right clothing for winter. these boots, clothes and toys were donated after a couple posted on facebook with a personal reason. >> my husband, he is from syria, he lost his uncle and cousin in a car bomb. >> there you go. very warm. >> canada's new prime minister justin trudeau was there in person to welcome the first arrivals, more than 13,000 have landed so far, and it has become difficult for some to find permanent acome days. hundreds await resettle in hotels best described as modest.

>> it's been a long journey from displacement in syria to this suburban hotel, but for hundreds this represents a new start, whatever the difficulties of finding them a new place to live. >> canada allows private spons sponsorship of refugees, community groups raising money to help families. this group is looking for volunteers to help newly arrived volunteers and there is more going to families who are in hotels, offering to set them up with accommodations and a path to a new life. >> we'll sponsor a family for a year. we've all been approved by the sponso sponsorship agreement older, we're all set to go. let's go. >> young syrian refugees fitting right in. so far this country and it's

newcomers seem to be adjusting to each other rather well. daniel lack, al jazeera, toronto. >> you can find much more about many of our stories on our website. the usual address to click on is www.aljazeera.com. www.aljazeera.com.