>> economics and politics. people. and france24.com, it is 1 p.m. in the french capital. let's look at what is taking the headlines this hour. a flurry of diplomacy as the syrian administration prepares for an all-out offensive. the u.n. is warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. also brazilian presidential is adate jair bolsonaro serious, but stable condition

after being stabbed at a campaign rally. an op-ed editorial said to administrationmp says that they are doing what they can to limit president trump's agenda. ♪ forced to our top story. a flurry of diplomacy taking place from both sides of the atlantic this friday is the in the syrian province of it live. not only is the security council meeting to discuss the potential onslaught on the rebel stronghold, but leaders of turkey, iran, and russia are gathering in tehran where they are having a summit as we speak.

the u.n. says a humanitarian catastrophe is imminent if no deal is found to stop the assad government from launching a full ground and air assault. let's go to tehran to speak to our correspondent residence sire our correspondent. we were hoping that would be a press conference. there is no press conference so far. has anything emerged yet from the meeting? the outcome, certainly has presidents, but met severaldogan hours ago, meeting together and then mr. erdogan met with president rouhani. they will have that i live the leading and a news conference. they are running late on that

one. we are standing by. this is the first time the three presidents have met. each time, they focused on the situation in syria. with this one, the focus specifically will be on the rising tensions in it live -- in and an onslaught on rebel groups. this i is the last stronghold of the opposition forceses. the syrian forces have steadily taken back territory a and have pushed the remaining opposition forces into idlib and are seemingly poised for what could be described as the final offensive to take idlib. there's about 3 million peopople remaining in idlib. some are armed rebel groups.

some are linked d to al qaeda. there are also womemen, childre. that will not be eaeasy. there's a potentiaial of bloodshed.d. th summit will e explore the mot effective way y to take back idb without bloodshed, without a flash from the international community, and all the while addressing the conflicting russia, andat iran, turkey have had the last couple of years. turkey is indeed the one out amid thesese three powerers, and ankara is extremely concerned that if there is any bloodshed dlib, is that this all goes ahead, there will be a massive overhaul refugees into turkey.

given that russia is a keyey aly operon, how much are they listening to the turkish -- a key ally of iran, how much of a listening to the turkish president? they will be listening. the turkish president, a member of nato, allies with the u.s. they have a card to play. they have a lot invested in northwesestern syria. have funded these so-called moderate opposition groups and certainly, they have a key part to play as they have a cold in that region. at the same time, these three countries want to show they are united in the face of pressure, growing pressure from the international community, including the west. the key question is how do they resolve this matter? can iran and russia convince turkey to back off and allow

them to take idlib. can turkey convince iran and russia not to launch an offensive that would jeopardize their interests in idlib? these are questions being explored today and much of the world eager to see if they come up with a solution. in tehran,espondent obviously in for a busy few hours. thank you. joining me in the studio, our guest who was listening to us chat. as we were saying, time is clearly are the essence. but how likely are w we to get concrete results from today's meeting echo -- meeting? is more intense than in previous meetings of this kind and keep in mind this is the third summit these countries have held on syria. of course, the reason it is more urgent is the warning of the

humanitarian catastrophe in the making and it's basically more urgent because the syrian war has reached a critical point. idlib is such a heavily populated province and compared that in comparison to others were the war has raged. feels victory in his grasp. he is flushed out the opposition in other areas. he has been cornered in the northwest. this is why it is such a crucial moment to find some arrangement on who will have influence in syria after this offensive fishes, which, presumably, yes, it will at some point. that is really why the stakes are so high. and of course, the summit marginal the u.s.

and the west have become. we have seen the u.s. come back -- try to come back into the fray, making was about chemical change, but none of this is that these three countries are effectively in the driving seat and the geneva process has not happened in practical terms. these countries want to determine the future of the country. is extraordinary given that turkey is a nato member and the only nato member resented at this actual gathering -- presented at this actual gathering. one -- won out among these countries. there's no love lost between assad and you want. that puts russia in a difficult position, doesn't? the relationship between turkey and russia has become closer in

recent months. situation difficult with russia being an arbiter between the syrian government and the turkish government. what turkey's strategy is likely to be here, in its own view that not all of the groups fighting in idlib are terrorists. that there should be a distinction between the most prominent group that has its roots in al qaeda -- turkey will say basically, we can get on againstth any offensive them, but we should not lump the other groups into the terrorist bucket. but here is the problem with that. the syrian government, first of all, keeps talking about wiping .ut terrorists russia has not shown mean deviation from that syrian position either. iran would very much like to see an offensive against terrorist groups in general along the same lines as the syrian regime, so turkey will have a very

difficult job persuading people to take on these nuances between the different groups of who is a terrorist and who is not a terrorist. you for that. just a reminder to our viewers that as soon as the press conference gets underway with the three presidents of iran, turkey, and russia, we will go live to tehran to bring you coverage of that. to the other big story of today, brazil's presidential race once again in chaos. the far right candidate jair serious, buta stable condition in hospital .fter being stabbed it may take up to two months for him to recover. our correspondent has more. streets of saoe paulo, it is turning ugly. left and right -- a candlelight

vigil. supporters,onaro's their man is now a hero and a shoo-in for the election in two months time. >> he is a martyr. brazilians -- reporter: it was while on the campaign trail that bolsonaro was stabbed and taken to the hospital with severe damage to abdomemen and intesesnes. he barely made it in time. >> he went in from urgency surgery because of heavy leading from the -- bleeding from the abdomen. thelength of hospitalization is unknown. it could be a week to 10 days. then there's the recovery period. reporter: bolsonaro is coming in second in the polls of brazil's presidential elections. the front runner is behind bars on corruption charges. bolsonaro is the figure on the

extreme right of brazil's politics. 's is known -- bolsonaro stabbing's affect o on a promisg presidential win is unclear. staying in the region, the bodies of at least 166 people have been found in the mexican state of veracruz. it's the latest in a string of grim discoveries made in the easton -- in eastern region in the last two years. this is an important trafficking movingor drug gangs narcotics north toward the american border. and we hunt is going on as to who was the author of that anonymous op-ed in "the new york thes" that claims people in white house are quietly

resisting parts of president donald trump's agenda. so far, 11 top advisers have denied they were b behind the explicit ediditorial describing the president as impulsive, erratic, and immoral. this, as the president has announced it is tantamount to treason. reporter: a game of guess who? washington scrambled to findnd t who auththored the op-ed that enraged president trump, written figure in thes administration. it described the president as erratic and reckless. >> i think it is probably a real source in the administration. >> any agency intentionally commando undermine the from up top -- is a horrible employee in any circumstance. reporter: one by one, top officials lined up to deny authorship. from a position where if you're in a position to execute the commander's

intention, you have a single option and that is to leave. this person chose not only to stay, but to undermine what president trump in this administration are trying to do. i will answer your other question directly. it's not mine. reporter: under the microscope, vice president mike pence. the word "lodestar" is used in the op-ed, a word that he uses himself. he was quick to issue a denial. vice president pence: i think it is a disgrace. this represents a new low in american journalism and i think "the new york times" should be ashamed and i think whoever wrote this anonymous editorial should be ashamed as well. reporter: slammed by republicans, but the author of part of a quite resistance working from within. the author says that group came

within steps to remove the president, but openly decided against it. he or she says the difference now will be made by citizens rising above politics. >> a reminder of what is making news this hour. a flurry of international diplomacy underway as the syrian regime prepares for an all-out offensive in the last rebel stronghold of idlib,. this with the warning off a humanitarian catastrophe by the united nations. and brazilian presidential candidate jair bolsonaro is in serious, but stable condition after being stabbed at a campaign rally. and the hunt goes on for the person who authored an explosive "new york times" editorial said to be written by a senior white house official declaring that people within the trump administration are doing what they can to limit the

president's agenda. ok, at this point we were going to go to our business news. instead we will go live to tehran where these three leaders of iraran, russia, and turkey he been meeting. and hear whatss they have to say. >> the processss in line with te majority of the syrian people. also, the summit presents an opportunity to look into our in future stages. bloodshed and to extinguish, it was crucial that to thisnd turkey came

framework in order to extinguish the blazaze of war in this context. to as very crucial to come joint framework informed by a fundamental principle of maintaining the integrity of sovereigntying the of syrians and their a ality to determine the future of their own country. very outset -- we are glad now that after seven years , the peacefuless resolution is another reason this has become a sure on the st

influential regional actors. particular, after pursuing limited with the framers of the peace process, we have been seeking to facilitate talks and encourage the government and the opposition grououps to join this process. this appreciating the martyrs who have laid down the lives to fight terrorism and appreciating the international community like it united nations, i deem necessary to proudly announce on -- we have put the blazes

of the war in syria on the verge of extinguished. brought the tourist acactivities in syria at a standstill. in syriasked the lives and by extension the war. different people of different denominations. based on presidents -- , itshift of this country will continue for the same cause . --ever, we have never

such line ofue action in the futurere. instead, wee support the syrian nation and the building of the syrian nation and follow the national call. , this is the recognized border.. [indndiscernible] understand the concern of terrorism and sensationalism. the way to maintain the syrian government. [indiscernible] without any coordination with

the syrian government, it w woud exacerbate the crisis. approachther hand, this takes every d dimension of this situation into account. however, this campaign must not fold in any part t the civilians. .. are fighting for peace been taken by terrorist groups and regime change is always in our view.

achieving peace is our ultimate goal. no proposal to fight terrorism would be complete without attacking the root causes of the -- there's occupation terrorism and also this determination. [indiscernible] the regime that has followed the policy of ethnic and releligious existence thatat has been shaped

by occupation. [indiscernible] h hope of everyed syrian. illegal presence of the u.s. in syria -- states cannot be expected to play a constructive role. the u.s. in syria is in conflict under it every international rule. this not only intensifies as the current problems in syria, but problems withus

achieveving a sustainanable pean this country. , younguished colleagues will bring about negative .onsequences also, the international community shows the -- [indiscernible] there is no doubt the repeat ratio of the displaced people will can -- repatriation of the disposal -- of the displaced people will continue.e. in the first and foremost role of shaping the syrian response will be plagued by the syrian people. the u.n., and other representatives of these functions as guarantors of the peace process, who are in regular communication with the

syrians are working for t the fr purpose of helping the syrians like arrangementnts for t the constitution. they can continue providing humanitarian aid, repatriation of the displaced population, and the withdrawal of the foreign troops from syria. the diversity of the current syrian society must be taken into account and honored. --will start exporting arms [indiscernible]

as a democracy in the regi, we democracye road to goes through the barrels of guns. it is a democratic social commands. -- demand. , for any guests particular reason, -- unilateral .olicies and adventurism they may experience foreign interference in the past. is not anothther similar crisisis in the war.r.

however, therere is the and ittionn of terrorism is not be guarantee peace and stability for syria or another crisis in these countries.

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