>> welcome "journal." our top stories at this hour, in brussels, finance ministers are divided on the way a lot of the signal currencies debt crisis. iran needs were powers in geneva to restart talks on its controversial nuclear program, and the polish prime minister and his cabinet visit berlin ahead of a historic anniversary for both countries.

divisions have emerged in europe over the approach to resolving the debt crisis. finance ministers are currently meeting in brussels, examining proposals to create a joint eurozone government bond and extending the financial safety net, but there are obstacles in the way. >> germany has firmly rejected calls for an increase in the safety net from its current 750 billion euros. the international monetary fund is boosting that fund would -- germany has also dismissed calls for creation of a eurobond. >> the notion of eurobond instead of each member country organizing its own loan has been touted since the bureau was created. but it has been given fresh impetus by this year's troubles. >> there has been a long debate on the eurobond.

i find the idea intellectually attractive to correct the chairman of euro group of countries that share the common european currency says the debt agency issuing eurobonds could halt the debt crisis. germany rejects the proposal outright. >> everyone says we should not keep shaking the markets with constant talk of changes. the german government has avoided those discussions. we have decided what is necessary, made the necessary preparations, and will be doing that today and tomorrow. >> it is not ripe for countries like austria to keep the country stable who should not be expected to pay up for others. >> markets are waiting to see what the ministers decided in brussels. the ministers themselves do not know -- note is time to put on a show of unity. >> we ask the former georgia

bank chief economist which solution he favored, if any. >> i believe all of the suggestions do have some trade- off that is unwelcome. therefore, i guess at the end of the day there will be combinations of the three proposals being made. for my part, i believe the best way would indeed be that finance ministers and european parliaments decide on a eurobond that is then guaranteeing and allowing those countries that are trying to improve their fiscal policy to not be burdened by excessive risk premiums on their bonds. this would be my preferred solution. however, there's a political obstacle, but i guess any other solution would include even more difficult implications. at the end of the day, if we buy

in the federal reserve and european central bank war john bonds -- more in job bondjunk be would be in the deepest trouble. >> major talks on iran's disputed nuclear program are under way in the swiss city of geneva. the first such negotiations in a year. >> officials say the discussions were constructive and will continue on tuesday. tehran's chief negotiator held talks with katharine ashton is negotiating on behalf of the united states, britain, france, germany, russia, and china. western countries believe iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, but tehran insists it is pursuing a civilian program. our correspondent frank hoffman has been observing those talks

and gave us this assessment of the significance of the negotiations. >> the best expectation is that the talks will continue. the rumors were heard from brussels, they do not want to do anything that could give tehran a chance to step back away from these talks. the chief negotiator from iran arrived here in geneva saying it is only the other side of the security council members and the european union that could do something so negotiations would be stopped. those rumors were put into the dia from the iranian side, saying that the iranians also put one crucial issue on the table, talking about the nuclear researcher that has been killed most recently.

>> at least 40 people have been killed and 100 wounded in a double suicide attempt -- attack in northwestern pakistan. it was in 8 semiautonomous tribal region. local leaders were reported to be discussing the possibility of forming an anti-taliban militia at the time of those bombings. a spokesman for the taliban has claimed refunds ability for the attack. how well our foreign troops winning over the hearts and minds of afghans? according to a new survey released in germany on monday, not very well. the reputation of foreign troops in afghanistan has dropped to a new low, and the poll also poor opinion of international aid efforts. >> ever six the bundeswr stepped up its efforts to fight the taliban, they have been increasingly been seen as the warring party by the civilian population. the image of germany, especially

in areas where troops are stationed, is now very poor. in 2007, 75% of afghans in the northeast of the country had a positive opinion of germany. now only 46% look at germany favorably. 50% have a negative opinion. dissatisfaction with the west is turning into outright rejection. in particular, people's hopes of reconstruction help from abroad have been dashed. 67 percent of those surveyed think much of the money is being misappropriated by government officials for their own gain. just 27% believed only a small amount of the money is misdirected. many afghans identified high prices for food and heating oil as a continued problem. not even one in three has a secure job. >> to south america now where colombian authorities say 16 bodies have been recovered from a landslide triggered by the

country's worst rains in years. more than 100 people are still missing. hundreds of rescue workers have been dispatched to the affected region. the mudslide occurred in the northwest of the country or around 50 homes were buried. >> rescuers and residents have been digging through the mud and debris, searching for survivors. but there seems little chance that anyone else will be found alive. and is still not clear how many people are missing. one of the few people who survive the mudslide describes what she experience. >> what are remember is an avalanche of earth that fell over us. it was a three story house right next to ours that fell on us. i ended up inside a closet and my partner was left lying by my side. i think he died. >> the day after the mudslide,

many residents could only sit in shock at the edge of the ruined settlement. this hillside collapsed on sunday after weeks of rain. aerial shots showed the roof at -- the route the masses of earth took. residents said that have long since warned authorities of the potential danger actors landslides in the area two years ago. >> to the ivory coast. the un has supported the election results to give his rival victory. he held the first meeting of his parallel cabinet on monday after bode miller separate sworn in as president over the weekend. -- after both men that were separately sworn in. it looks like one of germany's

big construction companies is not going spanish. >> the company has found a friendly investor to ward off a hostile takeover. it is a gulf state of qatar which has bought more than 9% of the company for four hundred million euros. a statement says the investment will strengthen its financial position and fund growth. it also waters down the nearly 30% stake held by a c.s. and makes a takeover by the company less likely. >> germany's third largest utility will be going public as basf is promising investments in

asia. this was well received on the stock trading floor, but has not managed to climb this monday. has to do with the fact that the german stock market is trading not far away from a 2.5 year high. on this high level, it needs a littleit more bullish sentiment to push the stock market further. >> let's take a look at some of the closing figures, starting in frankfurt with the blue tripchi. in new york, the dow industrials lower, and the euro trading at $1.33. newspaper reports suggest volkswagen plans to create some 50,000 new jobs worldwide by 2015. currently, europe's largest car maker employees of around four hundred thousand people. between 5006 thousand new jobs would be based in germany while others would be created in

china and the.s. they are considering hiring thousands of temporary workers to replace those going into retirement. the sudden onset of winter has caused a surge in demand. tire manufacturers say they are delivering 20% more winter tires to dealers, compared to last year. that is enough to fit 5 million vehicles for icy road conditions. despite the extra, car owners are having to wait up to 10 days to get the new tires. >> and that face vying for having summer tires beat they face fines for having summer tires. to athens, where police and rioters have clashed during a protest there. thousands of demonstrators gathered to mark the anniversary of the killing of a teenager who was shot dead by police to years ago. the march turned violent and some protesters hurled firebombs

and stones. riot police responded with tear gas. in october, a greek court sentenced a policeman to life in prison for the murder of the teenager. chancellor angela merkel has been hosting poland's prime minister donald tusk here in berlin. members of their cabinets have also taken part in those meetings. the talks come one day ahead of a significant anniversary in german-polish relations. tuesday marks 40 years since the former german chancellor knelt at a monument of the jewish ghetto in warsaw. the gesture was known as a turning point between the two countries. >> it was an image that touched e world. 40 years ago on december 7, he knelt in front of a monument to the victims of the warsaw ghetto uprising. the gesture was seen as a turning point in german-polish relations. in berlin, his former state secretary recalled speaking with him about the move.

>> it took an effort. it was hard for me to even tell him that what i thought he did -- that i thought what he did was really great. when he responded, he told me he had suddenly had a feeling that laying a wreath on the monument was not enough. it was a spontaneous decision. >> of the current leader of germany's social democrat party said the legacy is still important today. >> we share a common and painful past. we can draw strength from that relationship. poland and germany can be worked friends within the eu and nato and push for closer ties with russia. >> chancellor angela merkel received polish prime minister donald tusk in berlin this morning. the two leaders and cabinet members held talks on the eurozone crisis and other issues. >> we have a close, friendly

partnership with each other and our relationship is strong enough that we can discuss any problems that arise. >> despite the current euro crisis, prime minister tusk said poland still wants to join the eurozone once the government feels the criteria to adopt currency. >> german government officials will meet with representatives of the internet industry on tuesday, with privacy issues high on the agenda. chancellor merkel has warned germany will not permit the internet to become a lawless zone. lawmakers are currently drawing up legislation on enhancing data protection for users here. >> information put on the internet space forever, and that is increasingly a cause for concern for users. privacy protection adds to save user information should not be on the internet without user's permission, and should not be gathered in the first place.

there should be an obligation to obtain consents, meaning that the user must give permission before his or her data are consolidated into profiles, and not when his or her dad are made public on the internet. consumer protection advocates think the government is not being tough enough with the internet sector. they are calling for clear laws regarding the way companies have a personal data. >> i should not first have three pages of terms and conditions before i see whether a social network grants rights or not. it has to be easier. it has to be transparent. >> critics say that is the only way users can main control -- maintain control over their personal information. it will only help if laws to protect them are made on an international level. berlin is to present specific suggestions at the i t summit on tuesday.

>> they tune, i will be back after a short break with more on the iranian nuclear talks in geneva. don't go away.

>> welcome back. world powers have been meeting with iran in geneva. these are their first discussions in 14 months on iran's controversy and nuclear program. expectations are low and there is a lot of public posturing from both sides. the u.s. secretary of state has challenged the islamic republic to prove to the world that it is not seeking to build nuclear weapons. iran's chief nuclear negotiator says his country's right to seek nuclear technology is non- negotiable. here is a look at the background. >> diplomatic attempts to persuade iran to rethink its nuclear program have failed to make progress in recent years. there have been many promises, but mainly delays.

so far, the process has resulted in little more than iran winning more time to pursue its nuclear agenda. in 2007, president mahmoud ahmadinejad announced iran had started enriching uranium at a facility in the center of the country. tehran says the uranium is for civilian use in power generation, but western governments suspect the reins of seeking to enrich the material to weapons grade, enabling the islamic republic to build a nuclear bomb. iran rejects those allegations and insists it has as much right to a nuclear power program as any other nation. we put that position to ordinary iranians in the streets of tehran. >> we know we are expected to repeat the slogans about it being our right, but we are tired. we know full well we are wrong.

>> the catastrophic economic situation in the country is also wearing people down. with high inflation and widespread unemployment, iran's and youthful population is lacking perspectives for the future. >> if people are hungry, and more and more young people are turning to dru and the government restricts our freedom, that i really cannot see what good and nuclear program will do. >> but the iranian regime is not backing down, despite for un resolutions and international sanctions. only last week, washington tightened measures against iranian companies and officials. the iranian nuclear program has also suffered technical problems in recent months. a computer virus attack software at the nuclear plants. iran blamed western intelligence agencies for the attack and admits that " malware hedgecock -- has cost this russian.

-- has caused a disruption. >> we have solved the problem. it was not a noble act on their part. >> iran is paying a high price for its nuclear program. this by the joint pressures of economic sanctions, cyber attacks, and diplomatic isolation, the regime is showing no signs of compromise. >> we will continue on our path, despite sanctions and international pressure. the west thought we would give then. they are mistaken. given this atmosphere and the huge gap between the iranian and western positions, progress on finding a compromise could prove hard to achieve. >> making things even more difficult, iran's president mahmoud ahmadinejad has said the key issue of uranium enrichment

will not be discussed in geneva. asked upon arriving in switzerland whether they are optimistic, iranian officials said everything depends on the other party's attitude. the west has tightened sanctions on iran in recent months, and the united states has warned of even more pressure. also, israel and many arab nations are looking on with concern at the iranian leaders direction. >> sometimes he is aggressive, then preaches peace. and unpredictability that puts his neighbors on edge. israel feels threatened by iran's rising power. for years, the government in jerusalem has been making emergency plans for a pop group -- for a possible nuclear strike. >> a radical iranian regime, armed with nuclear weapons, could bring an end to the era of nuclear peace that the world has

enjoyed for the last 65 years. >> iran's biggest competitor in the gulf region is saudi arabia. king abdallah has always publicly emphasized diplomacy in dealing with its neighbors, but behind-the-scenes, the world's biggest oil producer is fighting to maintain its pre-eminence. a website suggests that have been pressured to end their nuclear program. the saudis called on the americans to cut off the head of the snake. sunni islam is the dominant tree in saudi arabia. king abdullah fears the rising influence of iran and is arming to meet the threat. at the gates of europe, turkey has become a hub of iranian trade. the prime minister cast himself as a mediator between the west and ahmadinejad. in june, turkey voted against

tighter u.n. sanctions on iran. >> from the beginning, we have always advocated a diplomatic solution to the standoff. that is why we voted against the resolution. >> recently, moscow has shown more willingness to accept sanctions against iran, but president medvedev rejects a military strike on the iranian -- on the iranian nuclear program. a russian company helped build the reactors, and russia supplies nuclear fuel rods to iran. this is a tactic also mastered by iran, something which makes pteron so unpredictable for its neighbors -- which makes tape arountehran so unpredictable fos neighbors. >> iran is finally returning to the negotiating table, but at the same time, it seems that

pteron is still insisting on its right to nuclear program. party see any progress at this time? >> everybody must realize that there is no other way to have reasonable discussion and negotiation about the problem. what else could they do? they are under tremendous pressure, so they try to at least convince their own population that they are starting negotiations as a position of strength. >> how strong are the indications that iran wants a nuclear bomb? >> the problem is, even without the bomb, iran's nuclear program has a design which would allow them to be nuclear capable. even if they do not go for the bomb, it would change the strategic balance. to overcome that, it would need trust on both sides. here is where the problem is. you have the technology, but if

you do not go for the bomb yet, people have to believe that you will never go for the bomb. this is what the negotiations are about, actually, to create the necessary trust. >> some of the cables that were published last week by wikileaks appeared to reflect a growing desire, not just on the part of israel, but other arab nations, to launch a military attack on iran. how great you think this thread actually is? >> i don't think there is an immediate threat for an aerial attack on iran right now. but the cables really show is a big -- this is something we knew already. if you look at last week's statements, both sides, arab and iranian, played down the importance of the cables. >> thank you very much for that assessment.

stay tuned for more on the geneva meetings and other international news. thanks for joining us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--