right. a u.s. requested u.n. security council meeting on recent protests in iran looks set to stop despite russia's attempt to stop it. this is live from london also coming up in the program. they say he's. a

moron and. the author of a tell all book about donald trump insists his work is fact is that it stalls despite a bed by the president to block it. first the phone call now the two sides will be face to face north korea agrees to hold talks with the south plus. i'm wayne hay in northern thailand home to many ethnic minority groups many people living in these hills who lived generations but still can't officially call thailand home. so that the u.n. security council is jus to hold a special session to discuss recent protests in iran this with the united states accusing tehran of stifling the voices of its people iranian leaders say larger pro-government rallies suggest other was otherwise this is the scene at the security council ahead of that meeting the situation is that it's an open meeting on the protests in iran it being made the request the united states but it's likely

that russia will cool a procedural vote russia and some of the countries that believe these protests should be on the council agenda later view is that perhaps the united states will get its way and the talks will proceed will learn more about that in just a moment from across what mike hanna who's live the united nations but first let's head now from ravi who's in the iranian capital of tehran. another day of pro-government rallies in iran seemingly part of a two pronged approach to keep detractors off the streets a large show of public support and a heavy police presence across the country with critics inside and outside iran predicting the downfall of the islamic republic the government is determined to publicly project the power of the state at friday prayers in the capital to her own a senior cleric reminded people of iran's real enemies who he says are behind the

unrest in the country it's say announced this is what is happening saudi arabia gave the money the u.s. did the planning it was coordinated from u.s. control very names and have gotten a bail weapons are being transferred little by little to iran they wanted to finish is in february that was the plan but he also sympathized with public demands for better economic conditions it ted was thought to have the protests was right those who lost their money and it's not too long protest for them people are saying death to high prices we're saying not what people are saying should be heard people's rights shouldn't be missed in the middle of this mess. meanwhile what was essentially a leaderless protest movement with competing demands seems to have fizzled out but on social media sites people are still sharing we told videos of anti-government demonstrations. protests last week were the boldest challenge to run stablish mint in nearly a decade but crowd sizes only ever numbered in the thousands in contrast in two

thousand and nine more than a million people came out into the streets to protest the reelection of president mahmoud ahmadinejad but for now activists who oppose the government have been sidelined by much larger crowds who support. our well that's a picture and tear on that says makes my kind who joins us live now from the u.n. in new york and we were just looking at the pictures of the u.n. council chamber a lot of milling about you getting a stairs to what's going on. well a trifle confusing at the moment nick there has just been a harf hour meeting behind closed doors which this vote was most likely discussed russia likely to be making its objections to discussing publicly what it sees as an internal domestic matter this is a public position that russia has adopted in recent days since the us ambassador announced that she was going to press for a security council meeting on the issue now the security council meeting about to

get underway there's various ways it could go if russia continues to press its protest it may call for a procedural vote that would require nine of the members of the security council to vote in favor of continuing with the meeting the u.s. ambassador apparently saying that she believes that she has got those nine votes should go to a procedural vote to go on with the meeting but that is something that's going to be happening in the next few minutes here will have the president of the security council declaring the meeting open and then we will hear opening statements now with the meeting goes ahead it will be briefed by the you when deputy political affairs chief zero one who will brief members as to the current situation on the ground in iran with the current wave of protests after that we should hear from the various parties the u.s. obviously likely to be at the top of the list having called the meeting and then

those who may object to this being discussed such as russia and possibly china so that is what is going to be happening in the next half hour or so the u.s. having called for this meeting only announced officially on tuesday last week when the u.s. ambassador said stated at a news conference that the u.s. was going to press ahead with moves to get this meeting in place now interestingly enough that was not something that was discussed when the security council met to discuss its plan of action for the. and importantly on that tuesday which is tuesday of this week of course there was a breakfast meeting of the five members of the security council and according to several there there was no mention from the u.s. of the intention to bring discussions about iran so it's it members somewhat out of the blue what we do know at this stage members going into the meeting france saying that it's probably going to back the vote should a vote take place the u.k.

saying that yes it will vote should there be a procedural vote in favor of the u.s. the u.k. incidentally quoting article thirty four of chapter six which makes it very clear that any of the end that could have international repercussions can be discussed in the chamber so that is a justification coming from the united kingdom they were looking at the council floor right now a lot of talking to lots of huddles people talking animatedly if these talks do go ahead do we expect to see any any action on iran. well there's no resolution introduced so there's not going to be any sanctions or any muscular action taken by the security council what the u.s. says clearly doing is attempting to cast a spotlight on events in iran and something that the u.s. administration has been doing president trump has been tweeting repeatedly on what is happening within iran the u.s. ambassador pushing for this meeting but it may go

a bit further than that the recent wave of political protests we've heard as well from the u.s. ambassador that she wants to why didn't the scope of discussions to perhaps include iran's ballistic missile development to move it along more from the purely domestic protests that we have been seeing in some of the cities in iran and to move into some wider issue in which iran becomes a wider focus for international inspection. very very clearly it's all about getting the spotlight on events in iran and perhaps the yet another step in a us campaign to throw iran into the international spotlight not only with regard to political opposition that may manifest itself but also with regard to its wider impact in the region or i might we'll leave it there for the time being back with you as and when we get progress there at the u.n. security council you can as i say you can see a lot of people milling about

a lot of talking going on looks to me that nothing much is going to happen imminently but we will come back to that just assumes it does. say the author of a controversial book on donald trump says the u.s. president has no credibility and his staff say he's like a child the book by michael wolff is going on sale for days early despite threats of legal action from trump's lawyers the president has described it as full of lies insisting he never even spoke to that claim was refuted by the author who said he spent three hours with the president as a story i will quote steve bannon. he's lost a damning and damaging portrait of president double trump from author michael wolff his book fire and fury released early despite the president's unprecedented attempt

to stop it it describes a leader who is mentally unstable often repeating himself no longer recognizing longtime friends wolf says literally trumps entire staff think he's not up for the job they say he's. a moron and. i say there's a competition to sort of a get to the bottom line here of who this man is let's remember this man does not read does not listen trump responded in his usual way attacking the author writing on twitter i authorized zero access to white house actually turned him down many times for author of phony book i never spoke to him for book full of lies misrepresentations and sources that don't exist look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and sloppy steve a new nickname for his longtime strategist steve benen who was quoted extensively

in the book where he alleges the president himself met with russian operatives during the campaign if true that could lead to charges of collusion as for the assertion that trump didn't let wolf into the white house somebody cleared him and he was often seen hanging around the west wing this is a president who despises being called stupid now reportedly being called that by everyone close to him by a very intelligent very serious so far no one has denied making those statements if they do wolf says he has the tapes to prove it making it likely what is already described as an erratic leader and a chaotic white house will be much more so in the days and weeks ahead. al-jazeera washington well. things are happening at the u.n. security council in new york now that it's one hundred it's a matter of who see as you can see the external to the united nations and also the u.n. security council president at this time i think he said he of the gender so let's

listen to what he says what he's going to say i invite mr tiber the assistant secretary general for political affairs to participate in the meeting. it is so decided. the security council will now begin its consideration of item two of the agenda i give the floor to mr di broke variable. thank you mr president. as requested i would like to brief the security council. own ongoing developments in the islamic republic of iran under the again. the situation in the regions. as this is the first public meeting of the security council in two thousand and eighteen i would like on behalf

of the department of political affairs to congratulate the six new elected members of the council on the assumption of their important responsibilities our so wish the security council successful he. is the president the protests in the islamic republic of iran started on twenty eight december two thousand and seventeen when hundreds of iranians gathered in a largely peaceful manner in mashad the country's second largest city chanting slogans against economic hardship. over the following days. protests or kurds in other cities other urban areas including. as well as in many other areas some of the slogans also expressed disappointment

at slow or limited change in social strictures and political freedoms and criticized what the demonstrators decried as the privileged position of the clergy and elements of the country's security establishment in other cases demonstrators demanded that iran sees costly involvement in the region as the protests escalated some turned violent videos posted on social media platforms several of which remain largely blocked by the government and footage broadcast by state t.v. channels showed the beating of protesters as well as the burning of government offices banks and religious and yes according to reports carried by official raney and media more than twenty iranians including

a teenage boy and a policeman have died during the protests iran's military of interior stated that over one thousand protesters have been detained although many may have scenes been released with very limited process presence on the ground the secretariat cannot confirm or deny the authenticity and the city of the midges that had been broadcast or the extent of the violence however we have received reports that the police rather than the military forces where responding to the darkest. on the third of generally iran's revolutionary guards announced the end of anti-government protests recent reports indicate smaller and scattered demonstrations meanwhile

from the third to the fifth of january large pro-government rallies were reported to be held against across the country with but dispense expressing support for the supreme leader and condemning violence mr president members of the security council on the thirty first of december two thousand and seventeen president rouhani told a cabinet meeting that the iranian people should be allowed space to protest and criticize their government at the same time he stressed that violence will not be tolerated two days later on the second of january the supreme leader ayatollah khamenei accused iran's enemies without naming them of starting their best on the third of january the permanent representative of iran to the united nations

brought to the secretary general accusing the united states of stepping up and i quote it's acts of intervention in a grotesque way in iran's internal affairs under the pretext of providing support for sporadic protests in iran and of course the president. the outbreak of violence protests in iran has focused the day attention to events in the country a number of world leaders have expressed support for the iranian protesters others including the european union have called on the iranian authorities to respect the right to peaceful demonstration and freedom of opinion yet more have supported the government of iran calling the protests an internal matter on the third of january the sekret general issued a statement deploring the loss of life in the protests and urging respect for

the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and that demonstrations take place in a peaceful manner the same day the united nations high commissioner for human rights called on the iranian authorities and i quote to handle the wave of protests that have taken place around the country with great collector care so that so as not to further inflame violence and arrest and investigate all deaths and serious injuries that have occurred so far and of course on the fifth of january for united nations special rapporteur has stated that and i caught the iranian authorities should take immediate action to ensure that all citizens can exercise peacefully the right to freedom of expression in assembly and should ensure that these and other fundamental rights are not met with violence and of course mr

president members of the council as of today. united nations development work in the islamic republic of iran has not been significantly affected by the recent events the secretariat will continue to monitor developments on the ground and engage rein in authorities with a view to contributing to efforts that address as the sexes general underscored in his statement one third of january there are legitimate concerns of the population through peaceful means and help to avoid violence own distribution against peaceful protesters i think it was the president. i thank mr they're going for his briefing and i will give the floor to those council members who wish to make statements or give the four to the representatives of the united states thank you mr president

and happy new year to all of the members of the security council and the general assembly in the past week what has happened on the ground throughout the nation of iran is something the world must take note of it is a spontaneous expression of fundamental human rights the iranian people are rising up in over seventy nine locations throughout the country it is a powerful exhibition of brave people who have become so fed up with their oppressive government that they're willing to risk their lives and protest the world should applaud their courage the voices of the iranian people should be heard we have debated the proper role of human rights in the security council some of our colleagues believe that human rights have no place here they believe human rights and fundamental freedoms are the business only of the governments that control them the united states does not share that belief human rights are not the gift of

governments they are the in alienable rights of the people themselves. freedom and human dignity cannot be separated from peace and security when the rights of the people are denied the people rightly resist if the concerns are not acknowledged then peace and security are inevitably threatened we have seen that repeatedly throughout human history the case of syria provides a horrible recent testament to this best and what is happening in the towns and cities across iran right now bears out this fundamental truth the iranian regime has contempt for the rights of its people has been widely documented for many years the people of iran have finally had enough and they are showing it by taking to the streets the iranian people understand the nature of their regime they understand that their lack of voice in their government has allowed the regime to ignore them

and it has allowed the regime to spread conflict and instability far and wide if you listen to the slogans they chant in the street this understanding comes through loud and clear. the united nation reports that the iranian regime spends at least six billion every year propping up the murderous assad regime in syria the people of iran know this and so they are telling the government quote. let go of syria think of us iranian regime spends millions on militias in iraq each year it gives millions more each year to the hoop the rebels in yemen including sending them ballistic missiles to fire at other countries meanwhile the average iranian family is fifteen percent poorer today than it was ten years ago so the iranian people demand think of us. the regime gives low interest loans to the elite and while

connected it rewards construction contracts to corrupt islamic revolutionary guard corps affiliated firms they construct buildings that skimp on safety thousands of these buildings collapse during an earthquake hundreds died and the iranian people chant think of us today the people of iran are speaking to their government and their message is undeniable stop the support for terrorism stop go giving billions of our money to killers and dictators stop taking our wealth and spending it on foreign fighters and proxy wars think of us freedom loving nations worldwide have spread support for the cause of the iranian people canada norway the united kingdom israel france sweden the european union we honor and appreciate all of these statements of support for universal human rights but we

must do more the iranian regime is cutting off internet access in attempt to shut down communication among the protesters they are attempting to silence the vote the voice of the iranian people we cannot allow that to happen every u.n. member state is sovereign but member states cannot use sovereignty as a shield when they categorically deny their people human rights and fundamental freedom. i call on all of my colleagues to join me in amplifying the message of the iranian people and i call on the government of iran to stop censoring the voice of the people and to restore the access to the internet because in the end the iranian people will determine their own destiny and let there be no doubt whatsoever the united states stands unapologetically with those in iran who seek freedom for themselves prosperity for their families and dignity for their nation we will not

be quiet no dishonest attempt to call the protesters puppets of foreign powers will change that the iranian people know the truth and we know the truth they are acting of their own will on their own behalf for their own future nothing will stop americans from standing in solidarity with them in two thousand and nine the world stood by passively while the hopes of the iranian people were crushed by their government in two thousand and eighteen we will not be silent once again the people of iran are rising up they are asking for something that no government can legitimately deny them their human rights and fundamental freedoms they are calling out think of us if the founding principles of this institution mean anything we will not only hear their cry we will finally answer it the iranian regime is now

on notice the world will be watching what you do thank you. or thank representative of the united states for her statement i now give the floor representative of prongs. this your lip as you don't. messy there are no hard there you ball there you wouldn't. zillion model pharmacia is very cool if you live in moscow for the very specific briefing elements that he shared with us on a recent events in iran we are keeping a close eye on the situation on the ground and i would like on behalf of fronts to share with you tomorrow the main messages this afternoon. firstly. we have met together this afternoon on the situation in the middle east and more specifically on the question of iran as everyone knows that within the security

council there are several agenda item is that allow us to discuss and deal with the various matters relating to international peace and security in the middle east region whether that be the implementation of resolution twenty two thirty one or discussions on actions pertaining to lebanon syria yemen or iraq. in this commentary most our role indeed our responsibility is to do all that we can to find a solution to the flashpoints in the quite seal's in the middle east. and it is in that understanding. that we must commit to a fully up holding the nuclear agreement with iran on the joint command so plan of action i j c p o m and we must also commit to fully promoting its implementation to the lesson with this was the approach that enjoyed consensus during the council's meeting on the nineteenth of december last year the letter said nuclear agreement

with iran concerns each and every one of us on the matter at hand is to ensure that it is rigorously implemented with the agreement is one of the cornerstones of stability of the region of the middle east as a whole to lose this hard one ground to which the agreement would be a major setback not just for the region for the region but also for the entire international community and for the nonproliferation regime of the un the consequences and fall out might be very heavy. we must also pursue a realistic and robust dialogue with iran to regulate its ballistic activity and restricts it in order to ensure that it doesn't pose a risk of further stoking regional means that is why we must moreover all of the engaged. in frank and open discussions with ron where you know so that together with the knowledge we can address the concerns pertaining to iran's influence over

the middle east and its role in regional crises more specifically iran's actions in iraq and syria lebanon and yemen why and what you each of the aforementioned countries we need to find the ways and means that will allow us to respond to attempts at external in a mentally and preventing such external maling that is how we can gauge our attempts at stabilizing said country of stability and said countries will stand or fall by granting a set of external meddling you mom. this is the only way in which we should seek peace and bill to find inclusive political solutions to the conflicts that have buffeted the middle east over the last few years despite our sometimes deep division this dialogue is essential for all of us each and every one of those needs to engage in this dialogue and france intends to get engaged in this dialogue going forward and not to walk away from it we're going to be open i pursued said you're not engaging in dialogue with iran soberly and honestly on my second point two

concerns the specific issue that has brought the council together today i would like firstly to express my alarm in light of the violence with which the loosened protests in iran were met as well as a number of victims are said violence near rest suffered by the protesters we call upon the iranian authorities to exercise restraint and calm it is essential that fundamental freedoms such as the freedoms of belief and conscience freedom of expression freedom of communication and the right to protest are fully up held and respected iranians should be able to peacefully protest and have their voices and views of openly hurt we must be watchful you know driven sure that iranians rights and freedoms are not flouting and this is what president micron's said to his a ring in counterpart hassan rohani during their conversation on this and you know january. president it is up to the arena and to the iranians to pursue the path of a peaceful dialogue a dialogue based on full respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the

rain people. however worrying the events of the last few days in iran may be and if they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security we must react appropriately to what has been going on in other words we must ensure that we remain watchful we give proper vigilance is what the troops what is happening and to these peaceful protests makes it a given the risk of violence in response to the protesters but with we must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for her. which would have diametrically opposed. outcome to that which is wished. to conclude president change will not come from without it will come from the iranian people themselves thank you i thank the representative. i. so that was the french ambassador to the u.n. of france what a lot of dressing the floor saying that we must commit to fully fully commit to

upholding the nuclear agreement with iran and must ensure that it is rigorously implemented donald trump of course is disapproved of that agreement to lose this hard one ground would be a major setback earlier we heard from the u.s. ambassador to the united nations who said that what we were seeing in iran was a spontaneous expression of fundamental human rights the iranian people are rising up in a powerful expression of brave people and called on the government to stop centering the voice of the people of the government on the consumer credit of the internet was trying to silence voters in her view let's speak now to mike hanna who joins us live from the u.n. has been listening. mike what's your assessment of what you've heard so far which are some of. the both very interesting comments we just heard there from the french ambassador who focused in his speech on the importance of the iran nuclear deal the joint comprehensive plan of action something as you said that the u.s.

has been exceedingly skeptical about and to the trump administration making very clear in his statements to the chamber that he does not believe that events in recent days in iran constitute a threat to international peace and security in other words he's attempting to drive this conversation along the importance of maintaining wider links with iran through that iranian nuclear deal rather than focusing on what he sees very clearly as a domestic internal matter which is the on. going protests in some of iran cities now that is in direct opposition to the united states who sees these protests as part of a why the whole we heard there from the u.s. ambassador the clear statement that the iranian regime is now on notice she said the world is watching what you do earlier we heard from the deputy political.

leader for the united nations he stated very clearly that there is a lack of information on the ground because of the lack of actual u.n. personnel on the ground he also made the very important statement that it is the police at this stage not the military who are a start responding to the protests he reiterated as well the statements made by the u.n. secretary general earlier that there should be peace that violence in any form from any sector should be condemned so that is where we are so far what was interesting to nic is that there had been much speculation that russia who are very opposed to this meeting being held publicly would have called for a procedural vote forcing the u.s. to get support from nine of the council's members before this meeting went ahead however it would appear that the for whatever reason perhaps knowing that the u.s.

would get the nine votes russia did not call for that procedural move what we are expecting when we hear from russia later on in the course of this meeting they are present slated as the second last of the speakers. is intense criticism of the u.s. in bringing this motion in public arguing just what we heard there from the french ambassador that this is an internal domestic dispute and should not be discussed within the security council michael mckinley the u.s. to the u.n. a pretty pointed in her remarks as you say she said. what is happening is that the iranian regime's contempt for the people has been which has been widely documented people have had enough and they're showing it by taking to the streets they are rising up is the situation as bad as she depicts. well according to the grief from the united nations the answer is no briefing from the u.n. deputy political affairs chief. made very clear that although there have been

antigovernment protests in various parts of the country there have also been in recent days very significant pro-government protests and also that point that i mentioned that it is the police who are containing the protesters not the military at this particular point all of these would be in accordance it would appear with normal policing of the political protests certainly he did make mention of the fact that there has been interference with the internet that there has been a cutting of certain social media but at the same time the report that was given by the head of the secretariat was not one of chaos within iran rather one of protests in various parts of the country both for the government as well as against it now that's a slightly different picture from what was being painted by the u.s. ambassador who was very adamant too that in twenty thousand and nine as she put it

the world stood by while iran went up in political protest and twenty eighteen she says the world should not stand by it should actively engage in terms of protecting the interests of those protesters who are seeking a better social economic and political life so this gets back to the point though of what is the driving force we have behind the us introducing this public discussion is something why the current approach. the u.s. ambassador has made very clear that she wants to throw the focus not just on political demonstrations within iran and what she claims is the iranian government's attempts to suppress them but also the wider impact that iran has in the middle east through its use of ballistic missiles through its export of arms all of these are accusations bayed by the u.s.

in recent months and by the trump administration since it came into power so she is perhaps this is the beginning of a sustained u.s. campaign to widen the focus of debate about iran remembering two very important iran nuclear deal which we've had from the transplant ministration complete rejection of at this particular point this is another schism that we are going to see emerging within the security council as the u.s. continues what is very clearly the beginning of a strong campaign against the current rulers in iran and their actions we're going to keep on talking well as you can see the ambassador from kuwait is addressing the u.n. security council we're expecting matthew right across the u.k. ambassador to libya and to speak shortly we're going to dip into listen to him until he does let me just ask you this how unusual or not is it for a matter such as this to be discussed with the united nations in this way without

an actual resolution so. well it is very unusual that they are matters that are brought up by consensus among members various times that do not need full consensus but you have had various stages briefings on various crises and away without any resolution being introduced all in the vote being taken or sanctions of some form legislative or economic emerging but the very nature of the discussion. is different and why it's different is because it has hit the members of the security council so suddenly. as mentioned earlier the fact that the us was seeking to get this onto the security council agenda came as a surprise to many members particularly as it was not mentioned during the monthly report this between the permanent five it was not mentioned when the security council was planning its monthly agenda it came out of the blue completely for many

members when on tuesday of this week the u.s. ambassador suddenly announced to the news conference that she was attempting to bring this before the security council this is unusual matters like this normally are brought about through ongoing discussions between members if there is going to be the agreement to cast a spotlight on suburb bent there is discussion beforehand there is agreement as to exactly what format the meeting would take so yes this is in some ways a very unusual proceeding that is happening here and one that has been clearly engineered by the united states compete with that intervention i draw a little i was here yesterday probably for the updates on the situation in iran and a very warm welcome to all the new members of the security council we look forward to working closely with all six of you to enhance international peace and security the united kingdom is watching events in iraq very closely we regret the loss of

life that has occurred during the protests we call for an end to the violence and for the government of iraq to comply with his international human rights obligations in dealing with these protests there needs to be a meaningful debate about the legitimate and important issues that the protesters are raising by note here that president rouhani has said that the protesters concerns are legitimate and that they have a right to peaceful protest. people should be able to exercise their right to freedom of expression and demonstrate peacefully and lawfully we encourage the iranian authorities to commit to this no one is forcing iran onto our agenda the security council is perfectly empowered through article thirty four of the un charter and i quote to investigate any dispute or any situation

which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute in order to determine whether the continuance of the dispute or situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security the united kingdom's concerns about the human rights situation in iran extend beyond the recent treatment of protesters the continued use of the death penalty including for juveniles weak rule of law restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief are all deeply worrying we call on iran to adhere to its international obligations to respect the rights of individuals to freedom of expression opinion and peaceful assembly we also urge iran to permit full access to the special rapporteur so she can fully assess iran's actions on areas of concern at the same time as the president it is important to recognize that iran has

legitimate security interests in the region iran suffered hugely in the iran iraq war we worked with iran after nine eleven the iranian people represent an ancient and important civilization that has a right for place in the modern world with a modern economy. but too often iran's security interests are pursued in a way that destabilizes and at times directly threatens others supports terrorism and distorts the iranian economy these regional activities risk increasing international conflict and threaten international peace and security we are deeply concerned by iranian assistance to groups in yemen and yemen lebanon syria and iraq this includes reported transfers of iranian ballistic missile parts and related technology to the hooters in yemen such transfers violate our resolution

twenty two thirty one which prohibits such transfers without the authorization of the security council they also violate our resolution twenty two sixteen which prohibits the sale or transfer of arms and related material to the huth is who the missile attacks in november and december targeted civilian areas that they landed as intended they would have caused suffering and chaos and there are press reports even today of a new launch this is unacceptable we call on all member states to implement un security council resolutions and prevent such attacks which increase regional tensions and threaten peace and security the transfer of weapons to the booth is will also prolong the conflict in yemen and the suffering of the yemeni people as i have said previously it is essential that the u.n. conducts a thorough investigation and informs the security council of its conclusions as soon as possible we strongly support the second general's call for a joint meeting of the twenty one forty committee and the twenty two thirty one

format we look forward also to the yemen panel of experts report this month the suppressant united kingdom remains fully committed to the joint a comprehensive plan of action it's one of the international community's greatest successes in recent memory we welcome iran's compliance with its nuclear commitments we encourage all member states to uphold their commitments so the iranian people see the tangible benefits of this deal. we also encourage iran to up hold its commitments especially with respect to the provisions of annex b. as highlighted in the secretary general's fourth report stipulated by security council resolution twenty two thirty one iran continues to invest heavily in ballistic missile development despite u.n. sanctions we saw launches of ballistic missiles and twenty sixteen and twenty seventeen that were inconsistent with the resolution that we have to refrain from such activity and our school partners to report any evidence that iran is conducting activity inconsistent with resolution twenty two thirty one to the u.n.

security council in conclusion mr president let us not forget a prosperous stable iran is beneficial to us all in the region and beyond we will continue to encourage iran to comply fully with security council resolutions to respect their citizens human rights and to reduce regional tensions this is the only way to achieve the peace and stability we all endeavor to achieve are very. united there was about the right across the u.k. and all the ambassador to united nations saying the u.k. like the others are watching events very closely calling for an end to the violence and for the government to comply with its human rights obligations he did mr. president rouhani has said the people's concern is president rouhani has said the people's concerns are legitimate and he called for iran to grant special access to

grant access to the un special rapporteur and then went on to talk away from the protests about the security concerns in iran and how iran has a rightful place in the modern world but that iran and regional activity is threatening international peace and security let's speak to our correspondent mike hanna who has been listening in. on what he hates the u.s. ambassador have approved of what she just heard. well she would certainly have approved of the u.k. ambassador widening out this discussion from one political protest in iran to the role the wider role that the country may or may not be playing within the region we heard there as you mentioned from the u.k. ambassador the threat that iran poses in many ways he also made direct reference to its ballistic missile system made reference to what he regards as its interference in regional states like yemen so certainly the u.s.

ambassador would have been very pleased with that given the fact that she is intent on why doing this discussion about iran beyond what has been happening in recent days she would not have been that pleased that even the u.k. ambassador made reference to the extreme importance of the iran nuclear deal once again recommitting the united kingdom to that deal just as the french ambassador did earlier during these proceedings also insisting how important that deal was within the why it is scheme of things in terms of relations with iran and in terms of iran's their relations with the rest of the world the u.s. completely opposed to this deal publicly it has made clear threatening to pull out of it the president president refusing to certify the deal recently so certainly this goes against the position of the united states and eyes such as france and the united kingdom while apparently backing the u.s.

within the immediate structure of this particular debate making very clear that the overarching concern of security council members is in fact the continuation of that iran nuclear deal which they see as central to the relations of the international community with iran in the weeks and months ahead or i might well leave it there for the time being mike hanna reporting there from the united nations as the discussion it goes all the u.n. security council on the current situation in iran. after more than two years of silence north korea and south korea are ready to reopen direct lines of communication choose days face to face talks will focus initially on the north's participation in next month's winter olympics in the south bout officials in seoul say discussions are expected to move on so what they describe is of a areas of common interest for as many as this report in a few days the truce village of panmunjom on the demilitarized zone that separates

north and south korea will be a hive of activity representatives from the two countries will hold high level talks here for the first time in more than two years earlier this week north korean leader kim jong il dialogue and his new year's day address four days later his government agreed to hold talks the announcement came just hours after the u.s. and south korea agreed to postpone and your military drills for the end of february these have long been regarded as provocative by pyongyang. the two leaders agreed not to conduct south korea us joint military drills. olympics and to do their best to ensure the security of the olympics. next week's discussions will center on north korea's participation in the upcoming winter olympics as well as generally improving career relations. but officials here in south korea are also hoping that

negotiations will eventually lead to north korea returning to international talks on its nuclear program even so president when jay and it's cautiously optimistic saying we should refrain from making premature judgement expectation. the japanese defense minister also sounded a lot of caution but successful. north korea goes through phases of apparent dialogue and provocations but either way north korea is continuing its nuclear and missile development we have no intention of weakening our warning and surveillance . it is new year's day speech said north korea would meditate its nuclear weapons program and even called for the mass production of deployment of nuclear warheads and it sounds from the conservative perspective in north korea trying to buy time the majority seems to believe the north korea is trying to finalize its technical development to to achieve operational i.c.b.m. so you know as us the cia has announced before they are talking about two three

month time in terms of finalizing the i.c.b.m. system and it looks like this is a perfect action on their side you know to buy time. last year growth korea test fired three intercontinental ballistic missiles or i.c.b.m.'s including one that it says it's capable of reaching the u.s. mainland but he hopes the upcoming talks remain the best option for now of deescalate the crisis on the korean peninsula largely al-jazeera so. the un has condemned the recent series of death sentences in egypt with twenty people reportedly executed there in the past ten days for human rights office says that sentences should not be used to combat what they call terrorism and also expressed concern that the use of military courts to try civilians was seriously concerned that in all of these cases due process and fair trial guarantees do not appear to be followed as military courts typically deny defendants rights accorded by

civilian courts reports also indicated the prisoners who were executed may have been subjected to initial inforced disappearance and torture before being tried well the united nations humanitarian chief says yemen could become the worst humanitarian disaster in fifty years war is having a devastating impact in yemen with widespread food shortages and a major cholera outbreak is fighting continues in many parts of the country stephanie decker as this report. forced to live out in the open these yemeni families of escape the fighting near the border with saudi arabia now they have to bear the elements on the streets of data their daily routine now for everyone to see this war has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. i came from we ran for our lives now we sleep on the floor no mattresses or blankets and it is really cold we have no income our children are suffering if any of us fall sick we

cannot afford treatment or our condition is really terrible needless to say we are living in fear. this war now almost into its third year is all about regional politics and control the consequence of that has created what the u.n. calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis the situation in yemen today right now to the population of the country looks like the apocalypse we need to scale up our response the cholera outbreak is probably the worst the world has ever seen with a million suspected cases of the under twenty seventeen this terrible news demick of diptheria a bacterial disease which should be completely preventable by immunization as already affected it's up to five hundred people with dozens and dozens of deaths in the last few weeks that is going to spread like wildfire and aid agencies are not able to access the majority of those in need them xanana we had to escape the war our life has turned upside down we can't afford

a decent meal we're now begging to eat and feed our children were living in the streets on charity and. some basic supplies are getting through a blanket to keep warm it is winter now and temperatures drop at night in a fire offers little comfort these people face an uncertain future with no idea when they can go back home what will be left of it once they do stephanie decker al-jazeera. zimbabwe's new president has ruled out for me a coalition government with the opposition i was in when a guy made the statement after visiting opposition leader morgan tsvangirai he's suffering from a kind of hands at his home in god came to power in november after forcing out longtime leader robert mugabe. zambia has laws a major military operation to contain a cholera outbreak that has killed more than fifty people in just over three months the u.n. has lent it support providing two million vaccines and beds for six hundred people to or again be as more. extreme measures to contain

a national health crisis this is a barricade in zambia's capital lusaka street says pitching in to help the military close off one of the city's crowded marketplaces that have become a breeding ground for cholera before day one said though that in season there was this petition that ready to terminate but because that in season is getting. deeper into a period where there will be crowded what does in several places the government decided it's needed discredited air force and get in the military the outbreak began at the end of september with bacteria showing up in shallow wells into densely populated areas on the outskirts of lusaka the wells were filled in but not before the disease spread to the city more than two thousand people have been infected in just over three months color is a bacterial disease usually spread through contaminated water it preys on the most vulnerable the frail and weak but even the healthy are at risk left untreated it

can kill within allies with the backing of the un zambia has launched a color a vaccination campaign set up treatment centers and closed off some public spaces. church gatherings in the air the same tests in areas where the epicenter was at the center is god now much pipe that god didn't and the lists as has been provided by our colleagues from the command center are not allowed funeral gatherings and not allowed public gatherings are not allowed. the ban extends to schools due to regime classes this week and two restaurants where health workers have found contaminated food the government says it's confident the outbreak can be contained within the next few weeks but spreading the message of proper hygiene and sanitation may take longer than that victory gates and the al jazeera. still talking back at the united nations the ambassador of netherlands is speaking the

security council about the current situation in iraq we're going to be dipping back into that when the russian ambassador to the u.n. misapply halves addresses the u.n. security council but that's it for this segment and you've got four news are coming right up in just a couple minutes even. holloway have warnings in force right across victoria for the pending heat away much of southern most right it does look fine and dry further north around the top and in all the possible ways that we've got some very heavy showers but down into the

southeast this is where we're going to say some extreme heat i mean the next at two adelaide forty one celsius be could touch forty two in melbourne with the winds coming in from the north that great for a little wind coming in really lifting those temperatures on saturday afternoon. come sunday it's twenty one celsius noticeably fresh direct coming in by that state in the face of cricket temperatures in sydney at around thirty seven celsius so some glorious sunshine there in sydney twenty six celsius the top temperature the full path getting up to about thirty seven in alice the showers continue across northern parts of australia some rather disturbed weather today making its way across new zealand this book of clap bringing some very wet and windy weather in for a time said blustery showers coming through twenty two cells just for old and over the next couple of days increasing clasping into southern parts as we go on through sunday meanwhile little bits and pieces of cloud coming into japan over the next

couple of days but the many it was they thought it dry tokyo at nine. in the philippines millions live in overcrowded slums but some have found another place to call home public cemeteries one of those living among the dead at this time on al jazeera. this is al jazeera. kind of there on the cloud this is a new life in london coming up in the next sixty minutes the u.n. security council holds a special meeting on ninety government protests in iraq.