we could see russia's ratification of this new treaty as soon as tomorrow actually because both chambers of parliament the state duma the lower chamber and the other chamber the federal council very keen to start the voting process but it all depends on what amendments have been made to the by the u.s. senate to the ratification document is called the ratification resolution it's in the hands of russian legislators now we have learned there are some amendments we don't know how significant they are and it all depends on that significance because that is the deal breaker right tomorrow they'll go to the stadium or they'll study it and see if those terms and conditions set by the u.s. are the ones that they originally agreed on if they're not it's a very significant changes then and they may not end up ratifying it at all if they minor changes than they could end up voting on it tomorrow not just them but also the federal council because both houses of parliament are very keen to push this medication through soon as possible and so is president of yet if he can hope both the house of commons would do that as soon as possible and that's because russia wants to honor the original agreement there but that the ratification process not

only in the us but in the in russia will be synchronized and this is what russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov said earlier today. look at the door of this president to us you see you know as the president agreed ratification will be synchronized we have passed all the hearings in the committees of the state duma and federation council the foreign ministry has kept lawmakers informed on the senate plans for its ratification resolutions this is very important because on each text depends what wording our legislators will use in the russian ratification law for me a little girl i just saw one of the club just under twenty four hours that new start treaty eventually was approved was named by seventy one votes to twenty six in the u.s. senate getting there for more support than was expected year. well karen they thought they had seventy so it's one more vote than the exact then they expected but actually the treaty deserved more votes everyone has been saying that all the previous arms reduction treaty has received no less than ninety votes. approval but

this was a special year and congress was not at its best a number of senators were going out of their way to undermine the treaty many say mostly for the sake of denying obama is arguably major foreign policy achievement although the country's top security experts were saying over and over again that it's a win win deal at some point it got really nasty you could say as something was rocking on capitol hill it was all about politics not about the substance of the treaty but really we have to give credit to those senators who've been parsley the fanning the treaty on the senate floor over the seven days of excruciating debates and to the president of course who was fighting very hard to get the twenty past. the democrats and republicans came together to approve my top national security priority for this session of congress the new start treaty this is the most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades and it will make us safer and reduce or nuclear arsenals along with russia was a lot of doubting russia to whether or not the u.s.

senators would be able to overcome all the politics and get down to the substance of the deal here is what the head of the most foreign relations committee has said on this. the fact that the senate has been working on the treaty is ratification so long and so thoroughly means that there is still some of the votes are relevant in the can now be questioned by anyone the american right if the creation took place despite all the speculation surrounding the procedure which was based exclusively on the interests of domestic politics it's great that an obsolete majority of the senate including a major group of republican senators decided to rise above forty interests and act for what's best for the united states and in this case in global interests. russia has been a close knit all the way along the line in the process we just heard about there from the in the u.s. congress what was russia so interested in the passage through the washington machine. very keen both sides being keen for this to reach the

stage for this new treaty to be ratified because this marks a very significant state in the road to reset of course it's been eight years since the last treaty exploits and now was agreed upon over twenty years ago and so this really reasserts that both sides are on the same page on the long road to nuclear free world that's a long term goal obviously not only will this reduce the arsenals but it also mean that the russia can monitor the u.s. arsenal and vice versa so it's all about transparency and so russia was very keen that it went through the u.s. senate i'm sure the u.s. senate will be very keen that it gets ratified here early last of the year in the body to talk about how we've got this far out of the treaty go verse if and when it is finally fully ratified now here in moscow when are we going to see some concrete evidence of the treaty and those cuts taking place. kevin sooner love the u.s. to negotiate or i'll start said they might start the verification process this

spring you understand that only when both countries have their treaty ratified it will come into a fact now that the senate gave its approval it's russia's turn and there really are not many obstacles left as my colleague in moscow said russian ma makers generally made it clear that they have no objections to the treaty what will follow we all know they will start dismantling the bombs and traveling to each other to see that the other side is complying with their obligations under the treaty both countries have some very significant reductions under way they will cut their nuclear arsenals by a third down to some fifteen hundred fifty warheads the treaty also limits the number of delivery vehicles and launchers but even with those cards the countries will still hold more than ninety percent of the world's nuclear weapons so anyway that the value of the treaty is not just in reductions but in the trust and cooperation that comes with it and of course it's meant to be an indication to other countries that the two nuclear superpowers are committed to the goals of nonproliferation. while politicians are still engaged in the formal process towards

final ratification the russian military have already been taking steps needed on the ground for compliance with the deal us officials have confirmed that the russian side has already submitted a list of thirty five nuclear facilities to be open to american inspections start provides for a new monitoring mechanism to ensure that both countries are cutting their arsenals u.s. assistant secretary of state for arms control mueller has confirmed that russia has already cut the number of deployed weapons below the seven hundred level stipulated by the treaty former democratic party strategist and white house insider robert grenier believes the argument could help bring a nuclear free world closer to. one of the debates that made no sense was the republican saying that it wouldn't when this allows inspections on both sides and that's really what counts as reagan always said trust but verify and this treaty gives a very strong verification apparatus it was an amazing development that the

president would get seventy one votes when only sixty seven were required for the supermajority and the reason for that is finally the republicans have decided but only after the election that it's time to govern not to play partisan politics the fact that we're willing to cut is a moral statement that the world will pay attention to and it gives credence to the dream from reagan to obama and all the secretaries of state in between from both parties that perhaps someday we can have a nuclear free world that really is the objective that we all want and everybody makes fun of the dream but i think we none of us wants to die. in his final speech of the year u.s. president obama has described the start treaty as the most significant agreement for his country in decades on friday his russian counterpart dmitri medvedev is also planning to give his thoughts on the deal and the year's other key moments it'll be at the end your meeting between president heads of russia's leading t.v.

channels covering this for you on friday and of course it will be available any time on our website at all. if you had there are now there's plenty for you to watch here is a quick look. well and truly coming to moscow fifty cents from around the world to hit the capital gift giving. right there watching the season spirit come alive also. and the chapman moves from being the world renowned. to a leading role in russia's next generation politics but details right now. north korea's state media has quoted the country's defense minister minister as

saying it is prepared to fight what's termed secret nuclear war against the south if seoul strikes first the north korean minister accused seoul of making a bad situation worse by holding live fire military drills along a disputed border he said the latest exercise one of the largest in the south history was an unmistakable preparation for an attack on the north the exercises brought heavy military machinery fighter jets missile launchers and troops within thirty kilometers of the border with north korea the new drills follow an attack by . island in the south killing four foreign policy analysts stephen go. told r t that seoul is developing a military strategy towards reunification. i think that peeling. has very few options you must recognize that north korea is a military pipsqueak in relation to south korea whose military budget is many times

larger than north koreans and south korea is integrated with the preeminent military power in the world today the united states. so the options available to the yang are very limited to. the best they can do is to develop what deterrence it can but it's clearly being provoked and it has been provoked for some time ever since the current south korean president lee myung bak has come to office lease policy is to confront north korea to seek its collapse and to absorb it into the south it will take for example the life fire exercises south korea has conducted forty seven live fire exercises this year alone. there was a forty eighth ones that has been carried out yesterday. that was initially scheduled but one south korean officer said that the head anyway because of the tensions on the korean peninsula which only makes sense if the intention is to

escalate and aggravate those tensions the united states policy for the last sixty years has been to see the collapse of the north korean state and its absorption into the side of. the league government is more closely aligned with u.s. foreign policy goals on the korean peninsula then say the government's president's role in president kim i don't believe that peeling yang wants to retaliate but if it's attacked it really has few options to retaliate but at the same time recognizing that if it does. it will be pulverized president obama speaks of his dream of having a nuclear free world but that's a nuclear free world which is free of nuclear weapons except in the united states one of the principles of nonproliferation is that you don't provide smaller countries with a motivation to acquire their own nuclear deterrent the united states has targeted

its strategic nuclear weapons on many north korean sites and it's because of the. north korea's decided to acquire deterrence so if you want nonproliferation if you want to nuclear free world you have to stop threatening other countries with war and invasion and nuclear annihilation we also spoke to alexander avan solve from the institute of oriental studies he claims that chinese and american involvement in the korean peninsula could lead to a global conflict. will be a nightmare for many countries and first of all for the six countries in the six party talks we share the common border with giving control and chang also and of course china can be involved because it gives a treat to the alliance to reach a business career first and they do most three through the recently. read in the

stool prevent collapse from north korea and that you will be true supercar where you will treat the united states and china. it's possible. through a world war can start to careen financial unfortunately. suffers of the horrific disease leprosy in russia say that with a cure now possible their biggest battle can today be with the stigma associated with the condition. reports on those living with the condition and how some feel they're shunned you may find some of the in midge's and her report disturbing. last image best fairly is russia as old as slap a village has no streets all in one but houses with its own fire brigade ambulance service and kindergarten it's a home for many people affected by leprosy away from the eyes of a public world little understanding of the disease when the first patients arrived

they have to know if they were packed into just one house but now there is this a building big enough to house two families and given the patients more privacy and dignity larry like the vast majority of people in terror has been cured he could believe but says it's not the ethics of the disease which made him stay but people's reaction who are doing the road sometimes is like a man in a snake you see a snake and get frightened but someone who knows the snake a snake catcher is not afraid he knows which ones bite and which is dying and how the bites are snakes don't just wind out of the blue the same with letters if you hear this word you get scared once you know would swats them is different. most people's knowledge of the disease comes from engine bible stories if you realize that they're most likely immune or that after treatment for myself or is a no longer infectious in any case the condition is extremely rare it's that

ignorance which stops many of the residents of tara ski feel unwelcome in the outside world series. most of us are cured so where will we go there were many cases when people were discharged and they got on ok until the neighbors found out about their disease and. we don't want to leave next door to the so and so's we've got kids who sometimes cure leprosy patients have to move bounce to laser nobody knows that. but a very vital no was among the first to receive multi drug therapy for leprosy and the you were ceasar in many ways she was lucky to be treated at all at a time when diagnosis was hard the telltale patch on her food was missed by most doctors. but i will look at my hands it's weird that they did this and they're worn all the time in bronze in the cool barbara found her curing tarrasque show also find a husband and i live it off of her and many others the chance of

a relatively normal existence you know it's hope centers like these will no longer be needed in the last decade they have been hardly any new cases of leprosy in russia however doctors say the risen need to keep institutions open even if they're virtually empty. if we don't leave any signs how what where and why it will be very difficult for men kind of to start combat in leprosy all over again it's possible that one day due to poor living conditions and things like that the pandemic will return to you for now those still live in interest no longer need a medical care but a change in attitude in the outside world a society where people care and don't stare. what r.t.e. staff are full of region and now on to some other news are also making headlines around the world now. italian police are saying and our kids to group has claimed

it carried out two parcel bomb explosions at embassies in rome injuring two staff the first device went off at the swiss ambassador's residence seriously injuring the post worker who opened the package a few hours later the second letter bomb exploded at the chilean embassy leaving of the male hamburger with minor wounds italy's interior minister said the devices were similar to the mail bombs sent to fourteen embassies in athens last month. the un has formally recognized the ivory coast opposition leader. as the winner of the country's presidential elections it follows mounting domestic and international pressure. to step down from the presidency u.n. secretary general ban ki moon has warned the country risks. to civil war if the election impasse is not resolved television controlled by. has been taken off the air outside the capital. it's the country's only source of news after foreign media

was banned three weeks ago. or maybe as parliament was a session earlier. from the chamber balcony allegedly in protest over budget cuts that would affect his family a romanian politician identified as an engineer working at the building incredibly he was not seriously hurt parliamentary vote was abandoned as shock opposition m.p.'s left the chamber and the ruling party chose not to cast votes. wiki leaks founder and editor in chief. told television he has nearly four thousand pages of documents yet to be released about israel's. more classified information on the two thousand and six war with lebanon as well as. by the israeli intelligence services. the operations that detailed include the killing of a hamas leader in dubai earlier this year. said that western papers have been

hesitant to publish sensitive materials relating to israel. our interview. with dr ronen bergman an israeli military intelligence analyst about recent wiki leaks disclosures have revealed.

with me i have dr been in birdman a senior israeli military and intelligence analyst and author of the book the secret war with iran dr thank you very much for joining us here on r.t. most welcome so to cut to the chase is israel planning an attack on iran well i put it i would put it this way israel wouldn't like to attack israeli leaders understand the possible horrendous results of such a coup the possible intervention of. possibly syria condemned nation from europe the ballistic. from from the united states in the outcomes therefore israel would be able to stop the aremu nuclear initiative using diplomatic pressure economic sanctions or supporting it. imposed by the international community in. operational

intelligence means israel would prefer to take this path and the latest wiki leaks reports suggest that some arab leaders are pushing pressure on the united states to attack iran's nuclear reactor is there anything new in this and do you think america could follow the wiki leaks documents on the issue of arab pressure on the united states to take harsher steps these of iran. new to some of us we have tried to publish some of this information with a book by israeli military censorship unfortunately tried to fight some of that but basically it says in writing what we already know but the fact that it is in reality this is an official secret the american kid has an importance by it's own it emphasized how profound is the fear from iran not just from the eyes of israel

but also from. moderate countries in the middle east if because this is not new in because all these countries leaving. egypt who persistently continuously told the americans to not engage iran. in a sort of do not enter this sort of a dialogue. it would not help and president mubarak calling the iranians. back a big fat liar. i don't think that the revelation would change anything but there is something on the go not so long ago there was movement in the mediterranean sea and reports suggested that saudi arabia had given israel permission to use its airspace so do you think that something is happening below the surface i read but far as you know. all the news and they were not they did not appear just recently.

about saudi arabia given permission to israel to have free passage through its area of space to iran in barrack size and these are all force you are currently writing a book entitled mo side and the art of assassination is there going to be anything new about the mossad the israeli secret service in this book that has not already been written before we have a lot of the details. of numerous assimilation the took place. from the establishment side nine hundred forty nine until today but we also have a lot about the decision making process how. in a summation a targeted killing is being authorized what is the procedure what are the limits. who are the people involved in just to give you one very interesting question about the people involved many of the leaders of israel in the villages of the army or the political of the political level have been personally involved in nation

operations what does it do to a person to a man who was personally involved in such operations when he needs to deal with the at least past. when he had the enemy on the inside of a sniper get him and now he needs to has sort of a dialogue what does it do to use psychology to his decision making process. we are going to have the history of israel. portrayed in weave through the use of target at the station it's a nation israel surprisingly maybe israel was the is the country who uses this. far more than any other country in history what kind of covert operations do you think are happening at the moment not so long ago the israeli defense forces unit a two zero zero was suspected of inflicting

a rainy and computers connected to ransom nuclear program so do you think that there are other things like this on the go the discovery. of the. stocks that. talk the world of of computer security this is by far the most advanced and most lethal virus computer virus ever discovered i'm not saying it's the biggest or the best book ever produced but the best that was ever discovered. the the ability of stocks that to jump from a computer to a computer reaching stand alone computers that are controlling the velocity of the centrifuges inside natanz and calm be enriching you run your facilities. in its ability to trick to play. in to exceed

in to change very fast the velocity of the centrifuge. causing it to collapse these are all extremely extremely clever sophisticated and can be the result only of the work of a country of a very advanced technological country behind the scenes as. between the secret services of the countries who were able to produce it germany france britain the united states and israel accusing each other in bringing. this to the world and why accusing you for such an in such a big success because the discovery of stuxnet is a huge intelligence fiasco because now the iranians are aware that someone is able to penetrate their standalone computers they know how it was done. in they came to take it out or they can prevent it not just regarding stuxnet it but all next cyber attacks talk to bagmen thank you very much for joining us here on r.t.

. in. truth.

in israel.

could. talk about war. special report coming up right now. there was one particular incident that still disturbs me today i wish i could take that day back give anything we went into an area near the baghdad stadium this kiya came into our area and actually stopped about seventy five meters in front of my vehicle that tells you how far the.