this is bbc world news. we're bringing you live coverage from rome of a press conference by raffaele sol see toe, one of the accused in the murder of meredith kercher in italy. he has been fully acquitted. these are his first comments. let's rejoin this news conference. >> translator: but undoubtedly, my mind and my soul will always be marked of this wound that will never cease to bleed.

it will still remain on my skin. there will never be a scar. before being involved in this -- in these facts, i did not know any concepts of trials and so on. to me there has always been just one truth. i have always faced everything knowing that i knew the truth. the truth was in my hands. i found out after i was -- i knew that the truth was a different one when i was sentenced. i have done nothing. i know nothing about what

happened. nonetheless, i had to respect the verdict, but i have always been convinced that sooner or later, the justice would find the truth, which is what happened. however, i cannot say that i have left the pain behind. the pain stays. after seven years and five months, a few days are not enough to get rid of the pain. do not ask me if the justice worked because i'm not an expert, but if i look at the final result i can say it did. if i think of what i went through, it is very difficult for me to express it. over the past last few days

unfortunately, there are many television debates talking about the trial. of course, everybody is free to talk about this trial as they wish. however, i would appreciate it if people would base themselves on facts from now on. having said that i would like to point out that you must be very careful when you write about what happened because i am not going to accept to be defined a killer or to be suspected, and i am going to be prepared to protect my dignity if i have to do so. so please be very careful. >> translator: so these are the notes that raffaele wrote.

he wanted to read them to be as consistent as possible but also to pre-empt any questions so we can imagine he has already answered many of your questions. maybe some of you have other questions to ask him. i don't like to play the role of a tv presenter, so i would ask you to raise your hands and ask brief questions on how raffaele feels. so we are not going to talk about the trial again. >> translator: you haven't mentioned meredith. a thought about meredith?

>> translator: we're going to gather all the questions, and he's going to give you all the answers altogether. may i have a pen, please? so the first reply about meredith. >> translator: how can the system be changed? >> translator: we are going to answer this question as lawyers. any other questions? >> translator: are you going to ask for compensation any legal

actions? are you going to meet amanda again? >> translator: have you heard from amanda over the last few hours? >> translator: next question. is that it? >> translator: do you think you're a victim of the italian judicial system? >> translator: well i had more or less answered this question but i can answer again. >> translator: any projects for the future? >> translator: any other questions? now we're going to reply all the

questions. the question on meredith. would you like to say something? >> translator: i am very sorry that meredith's family -- i'm going to repeat because i wasn't speaking loud enough. i am very sorry that meredith's family is disappointed about this verdict. the verdict reflects the truth. it reflects what really happened. i have nothing to do with this crime. i hardly knew meredith. i just said hello to her a few

times, and i had no reason to hate her or to be part in this heinous crime. i hope that through their friends and family they will be able to believe what i'm saying and recognize the truth. the question about mr. guede, i don't even know him. i know nothing about him, about what is written in the trial's documents, and i have nothing to say about him. >> translator: have you heard from amanda, and would you like to meet her? >> translator: yes, we spoke very recently. i wished her well. she wished me well. we are both very happy,

obviously. she, too, celebrated with her family. this is what she told me on the phone. it was a brief telephone conversation at the end of which we wished each other well for the future and we were very happy for the results. i don't know if i will ever see her again. i am not particularly anxious to see her. i would like to clarify that we are just friends. we are still friends today. it is a friendship like so many others. obviously what happened to us

created this sort of darkness in our relationship and sadness. >> translator: do you think you're a victim of the system? >> translator: as i was saying before in the light of this latest verdict, i can say that in the end, the system worked. but seven years and five months to get to this result when we already knew the facts, well i think that it's a very long time. too long. if i have to look back it is very difficult for me to make any comments on the italian judicial system. is there still something which did not show the truth? well the truth was not visible to the public opinion and to the

media. only because of the accusations that have been invented over the last few years, which created this veil of mystery. however, what really happened was clear just a few months after my arrest. >> translator: over the next few weeks, we're going to assess -- we're going to pull away from that news conference with raffaele sollecito, him answering questions, saying that he is very sorry that meredith kercher's family are disappointed with the court result, which has acquitted him after a number of changes and

shifts. the final court in italy has cleared amanda knox and raffaele sollecito of the murder of meredith kercher. he said he's disappointed obviously that it's taken seven years and five months to come to this final decision but repeating there that this is the right ending, that he was completely innocent that he had nothing to do with what he called a heinous crime. he said he had only met meredith kercher a few times to say hello. he had no reason to hate her. he said that he is still in touch with amanda knox because there's a huge amount of attention in america still. he said they're still friends after what created a darkness and sadness between us. he's obviously been able to move on with his life. those are the first comments from raffaele sollecito in rome. let's move on now, because here in britain, campaigning is getting under way for the general election. one of the most unpredictable

contests for decades. parliament has been dissolved just after midnight ending five years of coalition government between david cameron's conservatives and the liberal democrat party. our correspondents will be following every twist and turn of the campaign. for a taste of what to expect let's cross live to phillipa thomas. david cameron will be stepping out behind that famous black door behind you very soon. >> reporter: he will. in about 40 minutes' time david cameron will leave downing street. he'll be making his way not far. just around the back of buckingham palace to see the queen. we'll have the helicopter up. you'll be able to see the formal procession to buckingham palace where, actually, parliament is already dissolved. it's a formal end to this parliament if you'd like. mps are no longer mps. they're candidates. the full campaign is getting

under way. it's going to be a really exciting one because there is so much uncertainty about which parties are going to maneuver their way, if they can, into a majority position, which other players are involved. what's going to happen in scotland? will immigration be really high on the agenda? lots to talk about. but first, to take you through are some of the permutations about what's about to happen. >> becoming the prime minister is simple if you can win more than half the seats in the house of commons. margaret thatcher managed that three times in a row. that's the result from 1983 well over half the mps were conservatives, which meant if they did what she said she could win every vote. tony blair also managed it three times. that's the 1997 general election result. well over half the mps were from

the labor party. but at the last general election, david cameron fell short. so he needed the liberal democrats to get him over that crucial halfway line so he could be certain he could win votes in the house of commons. but what is either of those two big parties, labors or conservatives, with the lib dems emerge the general election without more than half the seats between them? well, then the smp could surface as a powerful player here at westminster or perhaps the greens or maybe parties from northern ireland or the dup. it could all get pretty messy. the polls suggest this place is no longer dominated by two big parties like it once was. instead, the politics of the u.k. have become much more complicated. so unless like margaret thatcher or tony blair, one of

the party leaders gets enough mps to sweet into downing street here, they're going to have to do a deal. that could mean a coalition when mps from other parties get ministerial cars and jobs like the lib dems at the moment. all they could do what's called a confidence and supply deal, where they persuade other mps to support the government and the budget and any attempt to chuck it out of office. or run a minority government with fewer than half the mps trying to persuade other parties to support them vote by vote in the house of commons. it all means this general election could be the first step in a long negotiation to decide who gets to move in there and just how secure they'll be once they get inside. >> reporter: well we'll be showing you the very opening of this process in the next hour. david cameron will come out of this door behind me.

our political correspondent, tell us a little more about what happens this morning. >> yes, well, as you mentioned, he'll make the traditional visit on the queen. in theory they don't actually need to do this anymore because they changed the constitution. so the prime ministers don't have it in their power to just surprise the public and say, right, we're going to have a snap general election. we've known for years this was going to be the moment which parliament was dissolved. but he's still keeping the tradition of going to the queen to ask her permission in theory to have a general election. also going to see the queen will be the deputy prime minister. of course, he's been in coalition with mr. cameron these past five years. that will be very interesting because these two men have been partners in government. they formed a bond. but from today, they're back being opponents and fighting it out on the election trail. >> reporter: and it's worth noting that five years ago, i think many of us thought this coalition government might not make it through the five-year parliament. it was a real experiment

politically and could it hold together and it has. >> it has. it was the first coalition in britain for 70 years. as you mentioned, many people thought it would fall apart perhaps an issue like europe would split it apart. also, people thought it wouldn't be possible to go to fighting it out on the election trail. yet, it has somehow stayed together. and that's what's going to be very interesting in the coming weeks, to see how david cameron and nick claig go back to taking chunks out of each other. >> reporter: just briefly, some of the things they'll all be fighting about. i guess key for many voters is the economy because there are possibly still more cuts to come to public spending. >> all the main parties admit that more cuts are on the way, probably in the welfare budget in particular. but david cameron's big picture will be on the economy. he will argue things are getting better and it's time to give the conservatives a bit more rope to

achieve a full recovery rather than throwing them out of government now when things aren't yet back on the right track. >> reporter: thank you very much. we're going to have a busy day. it's going to get extremely busy here in downing street in just the next half hour or so as the cars roll up the prime minister leaves, and he makes his way to buckingham palace. >> we'll be back with you, then. thanks a lot. do stay with us on "bbc world news." much more ahead. we'll be back. push your enterprise and you can move the world. but to get from the old way to the new, you'll need the right it infrastructure. from a partner who knows how to make your enterprise more agile, borderless and secure. hp helps businesses move on all the possibilities of today. and stay ready for everything that is still to come. you can call me shallow... but,

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very tight race between current president goodluck jonathan and the former military ruler muhammadu buhari. voting was extended to some places into sunday because of technical problems. >> reporter: nigerians have to show extraordinary levels of patience when they were made to queue all day to choose their next president. then came a second day of voting in areas where there have been some logistical challenges. and now another longer than expected wait for the outcome. here one set of results is rushed to the capital under tight security. as well as some incidents of violence in the north, there was a protest in the niger delta after militias backed by the governing party disrupted voting

there. the head of the electoral commission says he'll look into those allegations. he hopes election results will start to come out later on monday but says people must wait for the official announcements. >> the commission warns strongly against premature publication or announcement of results by unauthorized persons and media channels particularly on online sites. >> reporter: these have been the most expensive elections ever to be held anywhere in africa. the prize, of course, is enormous. the winner gets to control the largest economy on the continent. but we are now entering what feels like a dangerous stage. both main political parties are confident of victory, and that's fueling expectation across the country as well as tension. will ross bbc news. now, foreign ministers from six world parties are holding

sessions with iran ahead of the nuclear deadline. philip hammond says an agreement is possible but an atomic bomb has to be put out of tehran's reach. our chief international correspondent has more from the talks in lausanne switzerland. >> reporter: well let's be clear this is a self-imposed deadline. the real deadline for a final deal is the end of june. the americans have their own deadline. that's when congress is going to convene on april 14th. new sanctions against iran are on the agenda. so what the pressure is here now on the edge of lake geneva is for the negotiators to come up with what is described as a framework, an understanding. it will send a signal to all of the countries involved in these negotiations and beyond that they have come to an agreement on the basic outlines of a final nuclear deal. that would represent huge

progress. as they come toward the 11th hour, the pressure, the pace is picking up. they are closer than they have ever been before in this it12-year nuclear standoff but there are still gaps. for iran it's what sanctions will be lifted and when. iran also wants to maintain research and development program despite caps on its nuclear enrichment. the world powers are pushing back on that. as i speak, they're gathering at this historic location sitting down for their first full meeting of foreign ministers to try to wrestle with these last crucial details of what would be truly a significant deal on iran's nuclear program. an akive volcano in mexico has sent large columns of ash into the air. the volcano in western mexico has been showing activity since

saturday morning. local residents are on alert, ready for a possible evacuation. you can get in touch with me and the team on twitter. let me know what you think of what we're doing today. i'm back in five minutes with a full roundup. stay with us if you can. you want an advanced degree, but sometimes work can get in the way. now capella university offers flexpath, a revolutionary new program that allows you to earn a degree at your pace and graduate at the speed of you. flexpath from capella university.

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our top stories. the prime minister david cameron fires the starting gun in the u.k.'s general election. >> reporter: in just about 20 minutes, david cameron will leave number 10 downing street and head to buckingham palace to see the queen, and then the general election is formally under way. in nigeria, where presidential elections were held over the weekend, officials now say the overall results will be announced on tuesday. more air strikes on the yemeni capital as the arab league agrees to form a joint intervention force to defeat

shia rebels. and a night flight with a difference. this solar-powered plane takes off on the latest stage of its around-the-world odyssey. campaigning finally properly under way for britain's general election. one of the most unpredictable contests for decades. parliament was dissolved shortly after midnight ending five years of coalition government between david cameron's conservatives and the liberal democrat party. here on bbc world news our correspondents will be following every twist and turn of the campaign. for a taste of what's to come let's go live to phillipa on downing street.

that door is going to open soon with lots of cameras. >> reporter: it is. in about 20 minutes' time david cameron will come out of downing street. he'll go down to downing street. helicopters are already up. this very short journey from downing street around to the palace will be following it. it's the ceremony. it's not necessary technically because parliament has already been dissolved earlier today. but it's the courtesy of david cameron, the outgoing prime minister, going to see the queen, with whom he's had those weekly audiences for five years now. and that is the point at which everybody prepares to start campaigning in earnest. there are no longer members of parliament. they are all candidates. and it's a very open campaign. very exciting. because from the state of the polls at the moment it's just not clear whether any party can get a majority or whether we'll be back again to coalition governments.

>> and we could be in some very sticky negotiations, phillipa and speculation where you have one party getting more seats but the other getting the larger share of the vote. also big questions about scotland and europe. >> reporter: there are a lot of questions about electoral mathematics and whether the conservatives or the main opposition labor party can sustain a majority can get enough seats for a majority, or whether there will have to be some sort of coalition. that's a really interesting part of politics here right now. the upsurge in national sentiment in scotland because of that independence referendum last year well the smp is feeling pretty confident it can do very well in these elections. so you have that with the future of scotland in the u.k. if they do well could there be another referendum within years?

we also have the possibility of a lot of talk about europe. if david cameron comes back in as prime minister he has promised that british voters will get another vote on whether britain stays in the european union or not. all that plus the really big issue for very many voters on the economy. we know the figures are such that there may have to be more cuts to public spending here. austerity hasn't gone away. but there are very different prescriptions from the different parties. the conservatives all through this campaign will say, look we're bringing you back to the right place. inflation is down. unemployment is down. things are starting to look good again for britain, and the labor party will be saying well you may say that but a lot of british voters just aren't feeling it. opposition parties will be saying well, you know the economics may look good but are we all sharing in that? or is there more that should be done? so a huge number of issues at stake. a lot to be said about britain's

place in the world. >> so much to say. you're dressed appropriately. the two main party colors there. we'll be back to you in about 15 20 minutes when david cameron emerges on his way to see the queen. thanks for now. now, arab coalition war planes have carried out a fifth successive night of air strikes against shia rebels in the yemeni capital. on sunday the heads of arab league countries met in egypt and agreed to create a joint military force in response to the crisis. reports on fears that violence across the region is spiraling out of control. >> reporter: rebels in battle in syria. images from the fight. across the border in iraq, more mayhem. iranian-backed militia confronting islamic state militants. there's trouble, too in parts

of north africa. these scenes from the conflict in libya. when arab leaders look across their neighborhood they see too much of this in too many places. they worry about the rise of islamist radicals and some fear the growing military and political influence of iran. the region's leaders gathered for the arab league summit with much on their mind and agreed that part of the answer to their problems might lie in combining their strength. >> translator: arab leaders have decided to create an arab military force based on the creation of an elite team in order to study all sides of the situation in regards to creating a joint arab force and its formation. >> reporter: it's been suggested

that the force could be 40,000 strong headquartered in cairo or hiyadh supported by war planes and ships, but the details are yet to be worked out. some observers will be skeptical. the arab world is so often badly divided. how much military cooperation might really be possible? but a joint arab force led by the saudis has managed to come together in recent days in response to the crisis in yemen. and the coalition claims to be hurting the iranian-backed shia muslim rebels known as the houthis and their allies. the saudis insist that the mission is on track. >> the decision to use military force was made at the last moment because of the developments that were happening with regards to the houthis' potential occupation of aden. we hadn't made a decision to send ground toos in so far.

so far it's been an air campaign, and we have a plan in motion and we're executing this plan. >> reporter: perhaps a joint arab campaign in yemen will be a model for future combined arab military action but these are early days and developments in yemen might reveal how hard it is to fix the region's problems through armed forces of any kind. >> the tv news editor of bbc arabic joins us. it seems extraordinary. quite a big development to see some of these arab countries coming together. we've been covering so much about this growing sunni-shia split. how big a moment is it? >> this has been a dream for the arab countries. it's not something that just happened now. egypt has asked for arab joint

forces, like nato style, months ago. they think we need to have our own force intervention military force, to respond to any danger in the region. and this came after the islamic state's expansion in iraq and in syria. but now with the yemeni problem, this is a coalition de facto, if i may say, that the arab countries who are fighting against the iranian influence are joined altogether to lead on this operation, to stop the iranian influence. and this is not coming out of the blue. it is coming just days before possible deal between iran.

it's about the necessity of having a clear front all together. >> there's obviously been a lot of focus on the sunni backed groups like al qaeda. they're in so many countries with the shia-sunni divide and all the money and arms pouring in. what does this new military grouping mean for all of that? >> well this military group is supposed to fight against two enemies, so-called enemies. the iranian influence in the region and the islamic state as well. >> and how strong is it? how strong a fighting force is it going to be? >> these groups or these countries are the most powerful countries. we're talking about egypt, saudi arabia. we're talking about kuwait and other countries who are -- they

have very powerful war machines and they have spent huge amount of money on their technology. they are able to fight. but on the ground. if we look at yemen, for example, now we are on the fifth day of this operation. nothing major has changed on the ground. they only stopped the expansion of the houthis in some areas, but the war is still taking place, and we are still in the early stages now. so we have to wait and see. this is a conventional war, technology war against rebels. this is very difficult. >> thanks a lot. to nigeria now, where votes are being counted in what's being seen as a tight race between the current president, goodluck jonathan and the former military ruler muhammadu buhari. the u.n. has praised the process despite polling in some places being extended into sunday because of technical problems. a short while ago, we got the latest from the electoral

commission. >> reporter: well the chairman of the independent national lek trorl commission here in nigeria spoke to the bbc's house of service last night to say that the final results are likely to be announced on tuesday. but by this evening, we should have a clear indication of the way things are going. the results will be released state by state. there are 36 states here in nigeria. then the federal capital territory. by tuesday we should have an indication of the way things are going. final results are likely to be announced on tuesday. >> and if it is a very tight race as predicted, all eyes will be on the response of supporters of both sides. >> reporter: absolutely. in the past here in nigeria, we've seen where supporters of the loser actually get out on the streets, protests turn violent. four years ago in the north when

general buhari lost to goodluck jonathan, about 800 people were killed in the north. this time around, just two days before the election both men signed a peace pact and called on their supporters to remain peaceful whatever the results. any candidate who doesn't accept the results has the ability to seek redress in the locals. that's what they're telling their supporters. nigerians are hopeful this time optimistic that things will remain calm and that people will not take to the streets. >> whoever takes over has got a lot on their plate. the country's been very much in the international spotlight in recent month, hasn't it? >> reporter: well, just makes you wonder why anybody wants this job in the first place. take a look at the insurgency in the north. boko haram has been around for six years. in the last six weeks, they've recorded some amount of success, but there's still a lot to be done there. then the economy. nigeria is an oil-based economy.

and with low oil prices the economy needs to be shored up one way or the other. they've also got to tackle a lack of electricity. people want good schools for their children. they want good cheap health care. nigeria a very wealthy country, africa's largest economy, but this money, this wealth hardly trickles down to the ordinary people. now, there is bad news coming up for the french elections, for the french socialists. more of that in a minute. first, we're going to be bringing you more from downing street in a few minutes because when that door opens in the next few minutes, david cameron is going to be on his way to buckingham palace. er. it begins from the second we're born. after all, healthier doesn't happen all by itself. it needs to be earned... every day... using wellness to keep away illness... and believing that a single life can be made better by millions of others. healthier takes somebody who can

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we're going to go live to downing street because the british prime minister david cameron is due to be leaving in the next few minutes, five minutes or so we think, for an audience with the queen at the formal start of the british general election campaign. phillipa tomas is there for us. it's a very emotional moment when governments end and they go back out on the campaign trail. >> reporter: yes this is a historic moment. it's the end of the five-year coalition government. a lot of people thought the coalition government might not make it to the end of this six-term parliament. but we're now watching this door. with me is rob watson our political correspondent. rob, is this marking a little moment in history here? >> it certainly is. i think there's always a palpable sense of excitement any time you have a general election in a big place like britain.

you can just feel it. suddenly the power is back in the hands of the people. added to that excitement is yes, the passing of history. the first coalition government, which as you say, people thought, they're never going to make it. the first coalition government since the second world war. we've had that. we've had a period of austerity. now we're entering into this new territory, a truly unpredictable election. >> reporter: and david cameron which he comes out, he's heading to buckingham palace. he doesn't actually have to ask the queen permission this time does he to dissolve parliament. >> no absolutely. it happens automatically. it may puzzle a lot of people looking on. until recently, until this parliament, a prime minister could just say oh i think this looks like a favorable moment. i'm going to go to the country now and take their advantage. but a law was passed that said you will have elections in this country every five years unless that law is changed. there are 25 days of official

campaigning. so again, it's rather historic that we have a little bit of a new system and things in britain constitutionally are happening rather slowly. >> reporter: so any minute now, rob, that door between us number 10, david cameron will come out. the drama building. >> there is a big turnout because it is a big moment. if we could see down behind you, there's also a crowd of people gathering at the gates to downing street. of course, when the prime minister makes the journey to buckingham palace which is incredibly short, there will be a pretty big crowd there. and this is of course one of those kind of great show pieces of british politics and of british democracy. the bit where the prime minister sweeps out. he's no longer an mp but yes, the government is still in power. parliament has risen, the mps

have gone back. everyone about to hit the doors, beg for the votes. >> reporter: they're all watching what we're watching, which the fact the driver has just come out. the car is being readied. pretty soon we're going to see the door open again. david cameron doesn't know whether he's going to go back in again as prime minister re-elected. >> no, he doesn't. and that of course is part of that -- we're getting back to the original drama of this moment where suddenly it's all in the hands of the people. interestingly, of course david cameron has said if he does win election this time, this would be his last time as prime minister. although, that's not exactly as if he was bowing out of politics early. he would have done five years as conservative party leader and ten years as prime minister. but no, he doesn't know. that brings us the opinion polls, reminding us that as he leaves this door labor and the conservatives, they are neck and neck. >> reporter: and here we are. david cameron leaving downing

street to make that trip to buckingham palace. and now, rob, we have the helicopters up. our viewers can see this trip beginning from number 10. he's going to go up white hall and make that trip to the palace. >> absolutely. as i said honestly it's the blink of an eye. he's not going to be waiting at any traffic lights. the riders will clear the way. he'll be there in a matter of minutes. it won't be a big, long audience. he's only expected to be with queen elizabeth for a few minutes. maybe about ten minutes. the deputy prime minister and leader of the liberal democrat party, nick clegg, will also go to buckingham palace. >> reporter: the queen represents continuity. she began with winston churchill. she's had the weekly audiences for decades now. she just has to be prepared for anything to happen. she's a steadying hand too, i

suppose. >> she is. interestingly, prime ministers of left, right, and center have all said how much they've really enjoyed their audiences with the queen. now, i'm sure i am absolutely sure although we don't know, that there have been some she's liked more than others. not sure we'll ever find out. i think all of them regardless of political persuasions, have said exactly they've valued that continuity the queen represents. and of course we don't know what happens at these kweekweekly audiences. it's one of the most private parts of our constitution. interestingly, people will be thinking about the queen. they'll be saying well what happens if there's a hung parliament? what role does the queen have then? and of course, the truth is she won't -- she doesn't vote. >> reporter: she doesn't decide. >> but it is her majesty's

government. the people have their votes, they have their say. then someone has to go to the queen and say, we're ready to form a government. >> reporter: there will be another departure from downing street soon. that will be the deputy prime minister, nick clegg. there are two parts to this government. >> absolutely. nick clegg who is of course the leader of the liberal democrats. we may ponder briefly about the fate of the liberal democrats. again, that's one of those fascinating elements to this particular election. when we talked about a two-party system, but i guess the last election had three parties. the big conservatives, the big labor party, and the liberal democrats. poor old mr. clegg and the liberal democrats, they're having gotten an almighty kicking for going into government with the conservatives. but we shall see. >> reporter: on the way to buckingham palace.

he'll be there very shortly for his last audience. >> as i said it's an incredibly short journey. interestingly, i think there are some people on the road who are not entirely sure what is going on. that's partly because, you know, you got a couple of cars and a couple outriders. but this is not the united states. in some ways it's all remarkably, i suppose, european in scale compared to the united states. but just about to get into buckingham palace. just sweeping in there. lots of tourists getting a totally fantastic view. probably see the old selfie stick in a minute. >> reporter: we also have our camera inside. we don't often see this. there we go. the car going in with david cameron as prime minister about to bid farewell at least for now, to the queen at the end of this five-year term this sixth term of parliament. he's going through there. we can see him coming into the quadrangle in buckingham palace.

he knows the way. he's been in there, seen the queen for these audiences every week. he will formally bid her farewell, at least for now. >> and it's quite an extraordinary thing, really. i don't think there are many modern democracies where you have this weekly audience between the head of state, who's the queen, and the head of government. it is quite extraordinary. it's one of those things nobody in this country thinks hang on a minute maybe we should change that. again, it's one of those moments where one pauses and reflects on the british system and the relationship between the monarchy and the government and the people. >> reporter: a fantastic aerial shot there. of course we just had buckingham palace with david cameron going in. he goes to see the queen, then i think nick clegg goes as chair of the privy council. this is all british history going back a long time. i would say almost a council of elders who advise the queen.

what would you say? >> i don't think i could improve on that really. it's the elders the wise men of politics. it's one of those backstops of british politics. i don't think i would improve on that necessarily. and he will be there. he'll be there in about five minutes after david cameron. then strangely enough after having been here in downing street, and forming this relationship -- i mean, at the start of the coalition, it was quite clear there was quite good personal chemistry between mr. cameron and nick clegg. since then, they've tried to distance themselves. obviously they have to go on to the road and market themselves. >> reporter: and they will be fighting hard. well, we'll be across this story and of course the next few weeks of campaigning for you. >> thanks very much indeed. just to repeat david cameron, the british prime minister has left downing street to go to buckingham palace to formally

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hello. you're watching "gmt" on bbc world news. our top stories. the starting gun has been fired. britain's election campaign is under way. prime minister david cameron has left downing street and is right now meeting the queen at buckingham palace. >> reporter: this is expected to be one of the closest, most unpredictable polls in recent history. the deadline looms on a deal over iran's nuclear problem, and key differences still remain. we'll take you live to switzerland to assess the chances of