a desperate search is under way in mexico after a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed at least 140 people. in the capital alone some 50 buildings, including at least one school and a large office block, are reported to have been destroyed or damaged. rescuers have been pulling survivors — and bodies — from the rubble — and their work is continuing into the night. hurricane maria has strengthened as it sweeps west across the caribbean with winds of more than 280 kilometres an hour. the virgin islands and puerto rico are facing a potentially catastrophic impact. president trump has said the international order is under threat from a small group of rogue nations. addressing the un general assembly, mr trump said he would totally destroy north korea if it threatened america. he also claimed iran was being run by a murderous regime. now on bbc news, hardtalk.

welcome to hardtalk with me, zeinab badawi. i am at the un's headquarters in new york, where world leaders are gathered for the annual general assembly. now, one country that finds itself at odds with un policy on migration is hungary. the un high commission has criticised it over its refusal to accept a number of asylum seekers, which has put it at odds with eu governments. my guest is hungary's foreign minister peter szijjarto. is his country set on a collision course with the european union and its values? foreign minister peter szijjarto, welcome to hardtalk thank you very much.

you are at the un general assembly representing a country which frankly a lot of governments have issues with over your values. that will make your meetings here rather difficult? i am sure not difficult but exciting. we have other occasions and opportunities to talk to our eu counterparts, we don't have to come out far. i don't have to count on, let's say, difficult negotiations, because the most difficulties as we move forward are among us and the european union, european institutions. sometimes some accusations within eu member states. is that the case? it is notjust eu member states with whom you have an issue. you have an issue with global policy, un policy on migration for example.

you are at odds with the united nations high commissioner for refugees, when he visited hungary he said you treat migrants like detainees. actually, i have met the high commissioner and explained our policy on migration. i have explained that i totally disagree with this position of him, that this happens in a democracy, that we disagree with each other. we look at illegal migration as a very serious security threat on europe. we think it is a huge problem that the eu was not able to divulges this phenomenon from the beginning, because now you see the consequences. more than 1.5 million illegal migrants entered the eu, uncontrolled and unregulated,

that is unacceptable. we see the consequence as the most serious threat of terror and the serious situation regarding security in europe. when you said that to the high commissioner, in return, he told you that the united nations refugee agency recognises the right of every country to protect its borders, but he says refugee protection and security of a country can be accomplished at the same time. you posted as an either/or, it is not. we don't pose it as either/or, we have a different approach. whether we should encourage these people to come to europe, or we have to bring help where it is needed. we are definitely representing the second approach. we should bring help where it is needed. we say that turkey, jordan, lebanon and the kurdish region of iraq should be more assisted financially by the eu and the international community much more than they are right now, we should help those

people who are in need. the people who have to escape from their homes, we should help them stay close to their homes as is possible. you are not practising what you preach. most of your development budget goes to ethnic hungarians in countries like serbia. that is just partly true. we have paid millions of euros to the eu—turkey deal, and we have spent more than 15 million euros supporting the kurdish region of iraq and in lebanon to be able to stay there, to fend for themselves and take part in the reconstruction of their areas. we are paying for building christian school, the renovation of churches in lebanon. we are paying for medical expenses for hospitals in the kurdish region. so it is not true.

a little bit, but you are also spending money on physical barriers including razor wire fences along your borders. in 2017, the high commissioner said that this practice means that every asylum seeker, including children, would be detained in shipping containers surrounded by razor wire fences. is that really necessary? everyone including high ranking officials should respect rules and regulations in europe. according to european regulations, those countries located outside the external border of the schengen zone must make sure that their borders will only be crossed through the official border crossing points, with the appropriate travel documentation. this is a must comply regulation,

not a matter of choice. but razor wire fences and even children, from the ages 01:14, are being detained? because we have more than 500 kilometres of external border, the eu, regarding the schengen area. it is our duty to protect the border. tens of thousands of illegal migrants have entered the territory of hungary. who would say that we as a country must let that hapen, who is to say it is normal that tens of thousands of people behave aggressively and invade your borders, they demand supply at railway stations, occupying public areas. that is what your government says, but as i said, you are at odds with eu policy on migration. a un hcr spokesman said hungary has violated its obligations under eu

laws and will have a terrible impact on women, children and men who have already suffered greatly. it is really bad for your reputation, and that is why i said it is notjust eu member states who have... that is a terrible accusation, we have met all the international standards and fulfilled all of the obligations. we have secured a supplly, supplied the necessary supply at a refugee camps. we have not supplied them on public areas like train stations, because we told them, you have to co—operate with local authorities, identify yourself, register according to eu regulations and go to the refugee camps. they rejected any kind of cooperation with local authorities. my question is, what should

hungary have done? i just want to clarify that the us says the migrants are being treated well by hungary, but in a confined situation. your stand has also got you into problems with the european court of justice. they said that hungary is in violation of its obligations to the eu because of your refusal to accept something like 1300 asylum seekers under an eu wide plan. why won't you comply? we take the ruling very seriously. based on that, we have looked at the ruling. my experience is that there are many people, internationally, people and institutions who have straightforward opinions about this regulation without reading it. the ruling says that the process is through which the interior ministers of the european union made the decision about this was in line with the european regulations, period.

that is why they said that the debate, the legal debate, it has just started now. the european court ofjustice said that the decision was according to european regulations. i don't want to make it too complicated, the fact is you are in violation and the european court ofjustice said you are not in your rights to do this. the figures are quite startling, you're supposed to take 1300 asylum seekers from italy and greece, italy had 180,000 people come to its shores last year, greece, 50,000. how many did hungary take last year, asylum seekers? 15a, that's the answer. we have received 400,000 illegal migrants, marched through hungary in 2015. last year i am talking about.

we have to put this phenomenon into consideration. we made it clear that we have to protect ourselves. we have spent 800 million euros on protecting the schengen area. you know how much support we received from the eu? zero. when the big eu member states, speaking about solidarity, they are just not fair. italy is bearing a huge brunt and they have also said they are not receiving enough funding. that is why they made a proposal at the beginning that we have to be able to protect ourselves. i understand that protecting the maritime border is not easy, but that does not mean it is impossible. we are ready to take part to put together a common agreement for the european union to protect our borders. in the last two and a half years, nothing happened. what are you going to do now? the german chancellor said, if one government says it is not

interested in a verdict with the european court ofjustice, that cannot be accepted. jean—claudejuncker says they have to be respected by all. that is the fact of the matter. you are isolating the leaders of europe. that is not right. what are you going to do now? we have a serious debate. we take the ruling seriously as we take the german chancellor seriously. but i have to tell you that illegal migration should be addressed seriously as a challenge. we should carry out a rational debate instead of an emotional one. we have to start with protecting our own borders, and then the debate goes immediately emotional. were the judges of the european court ofjustice being emotional? i'd think so, yes.

crosstalk democracy is a phenomenon where you are allowed to represent your position. if you take it seriously, then we should respect each other a little bit more. accusing the other person immediately after he or she expresses her opinion... 0ur position is, yes, the european court ofjustice made a political decision that is against the interests of some countries. there is clear unity night in central europe. you are talking about the czech republic, slovakia and poland ? you just said, look, it is your right to take this stand. you have to accept the consequences of that. the swedish prime minister said in april that countries who don't take their responsibility regarding migration policy seriously should not be supported by the eu in the same way,

do you accept that if you take that stand you may have to suffer the consequences? you are the third biggest recipient of funds in the european commission. this position is unfair and unbalanced. it accuses hungary without regarding solidarity rear in the humanitarian crisis. we have spent 800 million euros on protecting the border without help. european forces are based on contracts. many european sources are taken advantage of by western european companies. in the construction... are there any benefits that western european countries... don't try to make me say what i didn't say. these resources are not usable for us based on contracts.

that has nothing to do with the migratory policy. if we speak about that, we have to speak about the fact that these resources are taken advantage of by western european countries. we are very happy with the western european and american companies in our country. we are very happy with that. 0ur achievement mainly depends on foreign exports and investment. but if they both take advantage of this situation, don't make unfair treatment is about hungary. what's going to happen, though? you've said the verdict is the start of a battle. briefly outline what you mean by that. we will now have a debate with the european commission, as it has launched infringement procedures on hungary on many issues and i'm pretty sure that this will continue. another area where the hungarian government has received criticism is over a new law governing ngos, non governmental organisations, that receive foreign funding, more than 28,000 us dollars. they've got to register with the authorities.

un special rapporteurs have called on you to withdraw this action. yeah, but if they do it they should do the same or even more regarding the us, because... but the us is not a member of the eu and so... ok, i said un special rapporteurs, 0k. all right, the eu. yeah, the us is still a member of the united nations. eu criticism then. i am very happy to address that. number one, this law of ours is putting much less burden on ngos, like in the us. number two, the only thing we ask the ngos for, if they get funding above a certain amount of money on an annual basis, they have to announce it on their website, because we think it's a very legitimate demand from the people to know from where those organisations are being financed, who try to influence public opinion. because it's a very legitimate demand towards parties,

right, and political actors, that they have to be open with their finances. then ngos who would like to influence public opinion must register, if they get foreign funding. i don't know why there's a problem. similarly, a new law that tightens control over foreign universities in hungary? again, it's not true. sorry to say that, but it's not true. they have to reveal their sources of funding, you think, in the interests of transparency? no, the law on higher education is about the following. if you are a foreign—based university, based outside of the eu, your operation must be based on an intergovernmental agreement, number one. number two, if you issue a diploma registered in another country, then you need to have a school, campus or education programme in that given country. we now have 21 foreign based universities in hungary. i don't think you've heard any complaints from anyone, except for one.

i'll tell you that one, though, of course the central european university, the ceu. .. this is the only one out of the 21. ..funded by george soros, the hungarian—born financier, but you know what the director of the ceu, michael ignatieff, a highly respected international figure, former canadian politician, renowned academic, said in the fight to save ceu, "we are fighting for the academic freedom of all hungarian institutions of higher learning". but that's basically and simply not true. why would he say something like that? and that view is supported by frank—walter steinmeier, the german president. yeah, but we are hungary and we are very happy with... i'm just giving you these criticisms. no, we are very happy that others are considering us very important, that they usually make comments on our domestic issues. but proportionately speaking, i would be very curious as to how

many foreign—based universities are operational in germany and even if i knew the figure i wouldn't make a comment. all right, 0k. .. sorry, just to be...because you put an accusation on hungary. so we have 21 foreign based universities. if the situation was that bad as mr ignatieff put forward, why don't you hear complaints from the other 20 foreign—based universities? how is it possible that a couple of weeks ago i came to maryland and signed an agreement with the state of maryland about the future operation of the mcdaniel college, which is another american university in the country? if the others can comply with the hungarian regulations, why can't ceu ? the point is you are stamping on the kinds of views that may disagree with yours. i'll tell you what george soros himself said injune this year. "the prime minister viktor 0rban has sought to frame his policies "as a personal conflict between the two of us and has "made me the target of his unrelenting propaganda campaign. "he cast himself in the role of defender of the hungarian sovereignty and me as the shady currency speculator." you know, we have a serious debate with george soros.

george soros would like to see at least1 million illegal migrants in europe on an annual basis, with which we definitely disagree. it's a security issue and we will... he says that's not the case. now you see you're saying something. he says... it is written. you can read it on internet. he says you accuse him of using his money to flood europe with illegal immigrants as part of some vague but nefarious plot. he refutes what you've just said. the truth is that he finances himself and through his organisations, ngos which are pro—migration, which plans to bring more people, more illegal migrants, to europe. this is a fact. it's another fact that we have a serious debate with him and a fact that he would like to see this government out of power. we understand that. we have this debate. but debate is a democratic right and why should we agree with someone with whom we do not agree? it's a matter of democracy again, that we are allowed to express our opinion. but is it more than

expressing your opinion? the ruling fidesz party, the central right party of which you are obviously a member, the prime minister, viktor 0rban, has made migration a centrepiece of yourcampaignfor re—election next spring. he says europe is currently being prepared to hand its territory over to a new mixed islamised europe. he talks about the de—christianisation of europe. this is really about keeping muslims out. no, we are christian country. a christian democratic government. if you are a christian and christian democratic you must not be anti—anything, so we are not against anyone. but you are anti—muslim, really. no, no, no, we are not anti anything. we have a muslim community in hungary. not big because of historic reasons, but they are very successful and very respected members of our society. but if you look back at the last two to three years, the challenges ahead of the european union,

you see that illegal migration posed an enormous security threat on europe and you see the consequences. the terrorist attacks and the threat of terror and the serious security situation there in europe. and we are responsible for our own countries, the security of our own country, and we would not like to see again those scenes that happened in 2015, when hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants occupied our public areas and i think that's a matter of sovereignty. let's look at foreign affairs. again, we heard from jean—claude juncker, the european commission president, in his state of union address last week, talking about a more centralist, integrated europe that he would like to see and a more integrated foreign policy. with the background of the russian military exercises that have been taking place, involving belarus and so on, do you see greater unity on european union foreign policy vis—a—vis russia ? we are a small central european country and we have a very clear understanding of history.

this is that whenever there was conflict between the east and west, regardless when, regardless of the countries, whenever there was conflict between east and west central europe always lost. that's what we know from history, a simple historic lesson. so what we know for the future is we don't want to be losers any more. that's why we cross fingers. we can't do anything more than that because we are a small country. we cross fingers and we cannot really influence global issues. so we cross fingers for better cooperation between east and west in the future because that can help central europe as such. and we do hope that in the future there will be a better cooperation between the european union and russia, the us and russia. we see this is not the case now. we see that the direction we are going is not that direction, so we have to understand that

currently the situation is very bad. there is a lack of trust. you wouldn't use the word antagonism, though, as borisjohnson has used, to describe russia? i don't want to comment on the words of boris, in his job that's how he calls it. it is a totally different situation to be a foreign minister of the uk and being the foreign minister of a small central european country. what i can tell you is that we are pretty much concerned about the situation and concerned about the relationship between east and west and we hope it will improve in the future. in 2014, viktor 0rban said, "i don't think our eu membership "precludes us from building and an illberal new state based "on national foundations." are your illiberal ambitions and actions not putting you at odds so much with the european union that actually your party may as well advocate leaving the eu? well, our place is in the eu, so hungry can only be strong in a strong european union. we are part of the european union, we are members and we will remain members of the european union. foreign minister peter szijjarto,

thank you very much for coming on hardtalk. thank you for the invitation. thank you. hello there. we are starting wednesday on a fine note for many, bright with some sunshine, largely dry. but across the north—west corner, another weather system moving in, bringing thickening cloud, outbreaks of rain and strengthening winds. by the end of the night, it could be quite wet in places, same too for western scotland. towns and cities, temperatures by the start of wednesday around double figures, but cooler in the countryside with mist and fog. this is the way the system responsible for bringing

that weather front. high presure moving into the near continent. this is something we will see for the rest of the week, lifting mild airfrom the south, picking up south—west winds. starting off on a fine and bright note this morning, good spells of sunshine. cloud increasing across western areas, showers developing ahead of this rain. that will get going this afternoon across northern ireland and in too much of scotland, getting into western wales and the south—west of england. ahead of this, waking up to brightness. 19, 20, maybe 21. warmer than it has been over the past week. wednesday into thursday, that rain continues to spread east. some heavy bursts through the night, especially in south—west england and wales, north—west england and scotland. by thursday afternoon, across central and eastern areas, the far south—east seeing some warm sunshine, 20—21 degrees, cooler and fresher further west. low pressure moving

off into the north sea as we head into friday. a brief ridge of high pressure before the next weather system comes in off the atlantic. starting friday on a brighter note with some sunshine, especially in central, southern and eastern parts. in the west, downhill with wind and rain pushing in. across northern ireland, then into scotland, england and wales, fairly heavy bursts. fairly warm across east and south—east areas, 19—20 degrees, fresher further west. looking at the caribbean, hurricane maria ploughed through dominica and martinique on monday night into tuesday, causing devastation. the storm is continuing to maintain its strength, ploughing across the british and us virgin looking at the caribbean, hurricane maria ploughed through dominica and martinique on monday night into tuesday, causing devastation. the storm is continuing to maintain its strength, ploughing across the british and us virgin islands and puerto rico, it could cause on devastation on wednesday morning as a major category five, and thereafter pushing

to the north of hispaniola. this is bbc news. i'm david eades. our top stories: a powerful earthquake strikes central mexico, bringing down buildings and leaving at least 140 people dead. many are feared to be trapped in the ruins. i don't know the extent of the damage. what i do know is that dozens of people are desperately removing rubble here because they believe that someone here is trapped. hurricane maria strengthens as it sweeps west across the caribbean. the virgin islands and puerto rico are facing a potentially catastrophic impact. the vast majority of people hunker down and hoping that this, the most powerful storm to strike the island innermost 100 years, doesn't bring

too much devastation