air force general scott rather soon to say yes libyan skies. historical hotels have escaped capture in the city. called small. mid-air elegance of until close the struggle for mr tropicana hoto. could syria be the new libya europe and the u.s. consider sanctions in response to a violent and often deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. prime minister vladimir putin heads out of the use of force in conflicts all nations saying politicians are not practicing what they preach. and protection violations the french government puts on soldiers on the streets to protect against terrorism but some members of the public say they feel targeted and spied on.

international news live from our studios here in central moscow this is r.t. we're just past eleven pm in the russian capital in the syrian army is sending in more tanks and reinforcements as part of a crackdown against anti-government protesters in the south among the u.n. is urging an investigation into the government violence washington is pushing for sanctions somebody the west may be gearing up for yet another intervention as. has been finding out. but what if human rights groups at least four hundred civilians have been killed in the last month of violence in the country and in the last few days alone since the lifting of the emergency law some five hundred people have been arrested now the white house is considering introducing new legislation new sanctions against the regime in damascus as a form of punishment for this violent crackdown the hope is that european countries will follow suit in addition to this in another example of the increased diplomatic

activity and the call for sanctions against syria we are seeing in the u.n. security council debate over a draft statement that calls for restraint and also contains the violence and it does see the stage for the eventual imposition of sanctions against the country it's thirty backs of course by the un secretary-general ban ki moon for an investigation into the killings against this backdrop there is more concern being expressed by experts in the international community that not only the increased diplomatic it typically against the country but also the possibility of a future intervention and that this will spark a reaction from arab states in washington and brussels there are a lot of concerns about the fact that syria are like libya is part of an alliance and there is very wide it begins in iran some elements in iraq's government are part of the syrian regime has war in lebanon on hamas in gaza so if the

international community or united nations all united states are going to apply to theory or measures other than economic meaning a direct intervention or political tremendous pressures what they may get in return is a reaction by the iranian regime by hamas by hezbollah and others what the consequences if nato and the u.s. step up their operations in syria many fear could be the same consequences in terms of what we've witnessing in libya. and maybe but missing an operation that's already be on the go for several months and many fear it could continue for months if not years really the situation in libya is a parallel to what we're witnessing happening in syria today they were experts who are suggesting that this could lead to the eventual supplying of weapons to the opposition in syria in libya we heard nato and the united states saying that the libyan leader moammar gadhafi is not a target now we're hearing some western powers saying that he is could the same parallel been formed with syria so against the pretext of actually coming in and

wanting to assist the local population and actually prevent to use this terminology a slaughter the waste could be preparing the ground for foreign intervention in syria. the russian prime minister says he's alarmed by nato his approach towards bombing libya at a news conference following russian swedish talks putin said the coalition is quick to act no matter the cost. it's well known that i used to serve and he be at the time the soviet union was waging a war in afghanistan many of my friends served in afghanistan one of them was the head of the advisors group on the security bodies in herat one day he went on leave and i asked him listen sasha how's the situation down there and at that time our country had a very patriotic spirit we believe that we're doing a very good thing having this war in afghanistan his reply came back and expectedly up you know without my signature not a single missile or blond can be fired so what i asked i assess my success and my

achievements by the number of orders that i don't sign for me the sound of chocking can you imagine hearing that from a k.g.b. officer at the time i asked him why he said do you know how many peaceful civilians perish because of these missile attacks but no matter what reasons are behind them sometimes i contemplate how easily decisions on using force are me today in international affairs and it leaves me gobsmacked and that happens against the background of all the fuss around the human rights and humanism which the modern civilized world seemingly practices but don't you see significant contradiction here between fearing the words and deeds and the practice of international affairs and we should do our utmost to eliminate this imbalance. but you know it was. well the director of international studies at trinity college in the u.s.

joins me live now to discuss the unrest gripping the arab world thanks very much for joining us on our team of the u.s. is sending libyan rebels a work something like twenty five million dollars and nato military officers are already on the ground training rebels what do you make of this is that in breach of the u.n. resolution. well it's lamely in breach of resolution one thousand seven hundred three resolution one thousand seven hundred three was essentially about creating in no fly zone which would have meant preventing the libyan air force from conducting any operations in its own sovereign airspace there is no mandate in this sense for attacking get out he's compound on no mandate for directly assaulting troops now there is was a clause would be in by ambassador susan rice which allowed the resolution one thousand nine hundred eighty to override the previous resolution where there was an arms embargo the very cleverly the american government it slipped in clause in the

resolution that's currently in force in libya which actually you know if you interpreted widely allows them to supply arms but still it's in absolute violation of the spirit of the resolution as some would say the u.n. resolution is actually limiting nato his actions now maybe a new u.n. resolution should be put in place an order for later tricks to go on the ground and end this conflict once and for all to get it over and done with is not a fair point that's a very fair point but as we speak right now the united nations security council is debating leave syria and the head of the. security council has made a claim that there's drafts going around but there's nothing concrete this seems to be no consensus on syria so if there is no consensus on syria i don't think there's any stomach among the fifteen members who sit on the security council to revisit libya at this time so i think it's very unlikely that we'll see

a new resolution on libya come out before the ambassador is have you know gone through it at least the motions of having greeted deliberation on syria i mean the problem for the united nations security council is this confounded. by having rushed into libya and now trapped themselves in the city in case i don't think there's any stomach for news or resolution what about sanctions being suggested against syria economic sanctions the u.s. is calling for what will aid in the united states the united states can unilaterally provide you know sanctions the economic nature but it should be pointed out that the syrian political class has very few assets anyway in the united states there. lean your head it just to your depth that the syrian political class have big egos called big cations and things like that so unless the europeans

are going to come out of on the front of this and say that there should be economic sanctions it's willing to have absolutely no effect and right now it seems like the europeans have been doing a little more then standing on syria then actually coming up with any concrete platform so they had the legal situation is i may say the situation in ripe enough intervention but actually if u.n. sanctions are imposed and it has little effect do you think perhaps we could see maybe a step towards a no fly zone resolution and in the nato intervention there in syria after all if there's one rule for libya and humanitarian basis to protect civilians are being targeted by the authorities surely should apply that rule syria because the syrians want help on the looks of things of course i mean by the way hypocrisy is the rule of the big one can never charge anybody here with the clock to see and be confronted by that it is in fact the wind which the security council has been proceeding but i think very important given disturbingly ambassador susan rice has

already started to say that the syrian regime is being held by iran in other words they're trying to corner the struggle in syria to american policy of around here on it and i think this is very disturbing there is no way that most. the countries in the region are going to go into a new kind of resolution in a second no fly zone as it is the united states military is grossly overextended the iraqis have just said that they would like american troops to remain longer so i don't think there is any stomach in the region which is why robert gates pushing back against the american political side on the military side has said we cannot countenance at this point a no fly zone over syria but what about ok you say that the u.s. is overextended many are saying that the u.s. has an intention obviously to impose influence across the region to

a baby create some sort of democratic wave a new wave of governments and you're mentioning iran there put the situation with iran and israel as well if you perhaps the situation in syria making a profit cation towards iran i mean do you think the u.s. really would want to see the iranian regime toppled. well i mean you know it is an open secret since the nineteen nineties that the united states has said it is want to depart libya you know syria iran north korea and other so-called rogue states when a massacre i said that in her words there is activity iranian support on behalf of the syrian government that to me is a very chilling statement no i think it's also in seeing you in this you hear provoke iran. and in a sense that israel against the world it might act out in some remarkable way so i think i ate would constitute the fifteen members of the u.n. security council should say let us just breathe

a little bit latest put somewhat pressure on rational and let us try to find out what's happening i think it's very clear when. the head of the human rights commission said we would like to send a team into syria to see what's going on i think that's a very reasonable suggestion in fact the syrian authorities are saying that the people outside don't understand what's happening inside syria but it's a good reason to let the media come in so i don't actually grasp what is happening in damascus if it is true what they are seeing that is the assad regime that things are very complicated inside syria why don't you try to unplugged at the complication let the media come in and let the u.n. human rights commission i mean i'm asad and i we believe the critics that have been close and i don't understand why damascus is not allowing people to come in b.j. thanks very much for your time he had a crush on the director of international studies a pretty college there in the states thank you pleasure. this is r.t.

life here in moscow coming up this hour still for you shuffling the defensive line in washington for the farmer rumored to be preparing to appoint new heads to several key posts we get expert opinion on what sort of direction change that could bring. and france's increasing security at home revenge attacks linked to its campaign in libya armed soldiers patrolling the streets become a common sight the government says these measures are necessary to prevent a potential terror attack but as to reports many see the policies as the scaremongering tactics of a big brother state. soldiers on the streets with machine guns this is france is the sheep here at fifty of your most expensive anti terror programs to fight what it calls the growing terrorist threats the government claims troops make the public feel safer but that's not what people think they're like a little bit dangerous they can. use the force and the other way there is

a bit frighted to guard. the. premier francois feel says troops are required because france bombing libya threatens a terror attack at home you'll never find soldiers at shops tourist sites government buildings train stations airports schools and churches but exposed to the system doesn't even work in the main feature of terrorism is that it's impossible to foresee. real targets is not to catch terrorists says one investigator but to monitor the public it's easy to persuade people that there could be a terrorist list metro station it's easy then for people in france to believe well they may have a right to listen to my phone calls which they do they do do it they have a right to monitor my emails and facebook because they're really protecting us troops are only the visible part or thirty's canel read people's emails under

a law passed quietly in february president sarkozy also signed a bill for police to tap phones with belts getting judges authorization to justify the invasion of people's privacy says one author because he makes france's six million arabs a scapegoat he has to make them afraid thinking that there is another up with a bomb here down down. a government recently branded muslims a problem and burn the muslim food. some already mocked the band and what they see as an arab witch hunt by going out in vocals and mini skirts there's also the law cost world workers continue to be laid off in the economic crisis video pirouettes estimated prices eighteen billion euros each year enough to create a million new teaching jobs and embarrassed government analysts say tries to hide

the amount. is very expensive because the executive can move if all things from one area it's another quite quickly it's very difficult to find an exact figure critics like. the video system vishy pierrette vishy was france's first in the second world war it spied and inform people and told that it ethnic minorities the french government today stands accused of doing the same to its own citizens don't you bush or r.t. paris u.s. officials say barack obama is about to announce big changes to his national security team is expected to appoint a new defense secretary head of the cia commander in afghanistan and a new ambassador to kabul well to talk more about this we can cross live to the u.s. capital and talk to investigative journalist way madson good to see their way thanks for joining us now the u.s. is involved to be libya is now caught up in three conflict zones all while trying

to minimize its defense spending so why make such wide ranging changes now. well there is a belief that as far as replacing bob gates at the pentagon it secretary defense gates has been somewhat reluctant to commit u.s. ground forces or even u.s. special forces personnel on a limited basis in the libyan khan conflict so what we're seeing now is obama warning to put leon panetta who is basically a former democratic congressman he was chief of staff to president clinton he's basically a democratic party hack although he has had had as served as term at the cia as a director and the other issue of course is making general david petraeus the director of the cia replacing mr panetta and we all know that betray as the author of

the guy who came up with this whole surge in iraq in afghanistan is somebody that the neoconservatives certainly like they even were talking about running him for president on the republican ticket with some may question his role there in afghanistan being the u.s. commander that i mean some may say perhaps he hasn't done such a good job i mean they may say is he actually qualified to lead america's intelligence service as a result of what he's supposed to achieve there in afghanistan. this is a dangerous trend we know that michael general michael hayden after he was the n.s.a. national security agency director was placed by president bush over at the cia and now we have general petraeus going in as a director of the cia i think this is what this is showing is that there is a trend to militarize the central intelligence agency which is after all and has always been run by civilians so i think this is yet another dangerous trend across

the board we see this steady militarization of the american executive branch and we certainly see it in the homeland security department and now we're seeing it once again play out in at the central intelligence agency and the current head of the set of content is as they see it then leon panetta becoming the next defense secretary i mean what what sort of message does that give. well it's it's been pointed out that leon panetta is actually the first democratic secretary of defense since one nine hundred ninety seven we had of course bill cohen a republican an air under clinton and we had rumsfeld a republican and gates a republican but i think what this shows is with panetta he's going to be somebody who is going to be totally in lock step with the obama administration as a former democratic congressman from california so there may not be as much

independence in reluctance issuing forth from the pentagon when obama wants to place the u.s. and yet additional wars in libya potentially in syria and continuing this covert war it in pakistan and possibly even yemen we could see u.s. troops but what about the ongoing situation in afghanistan and tress leaves there do you think perhaps the introduction of a new military commander and indeed they're talking about a new ambassador do you think that will in any way improve the situation because clearly at the moment the fight against the taliban doesn't seem to be working. well i think one of the problems is one of the people being replaces are u.s. ambassador to afghanistan former general carl icahn very who we know has. had a cool relationship with the obama white house and also a cool relationship with petraeus looks like president obama is basically cleaning house of anyone who might question his very aggressive foreign policy which has

some people in washington here saying all obama is really he's the third term of george w. bush and some people say the fourth term of george h.w. bush do you think he just followed the goalpost could change with afghanistan there they are saying come hell or high water the americans will be out of afghanistan by twenty fourteen but do you think maybe a change in tact there a change in leadership as such would make any difference to that. i think with petraeus says the cia director we're going to see a lot more games being played in a covert way and in afghanistan and elsewhere as is known to be an arch war hawk a neoconservative and now he's going to be heading out the u.s. central intelligence agency there's a there's a dark clouds looming i'm afraid for us involvement in afghanistan and other places wayne madsen was interesting in what you have to say thanks very much for join joining us live from the u.s. capital thank you. all the time that up there you have some international

news in brief for you this hour in our world update rival palestinian parties fatter and hundreds have agreed a reconciliation deal that's according to officials under the agreement a temporary government will be formed and the election date set and isis been in power in gaza in fact has been running the west bank for more than four years the two factions split when violence erupted author hamas won the palestinian election in two thousand and six. and after an air force pilot shot dead eight u.s. troops and a contractor at an airport in kabul the gunman was reportedly suffering from mental illness and either got into a fight with these foreign colleagues or planned the attack after being recruited by the taliban incidence is the deadliest of a number of recent attacks in foreigners by afghan security personnel. the white house has released president barack obama's original birth certificate to prove he was born in the state of hawaii so-called birth is a claim that obama was actually born in his father's native kenya making him ineligible to be president obama did release a less detailed version before he's elected in two thousand and eight but have refused to make public his original one until now. just to remind you can log on

to our team dot com that's our web site online all the time for more on the stories we're covering on the screen as well as blogs and videos from our contributors here's what else is online right now for you the world figure skating championships returned to russia put on short notice and worship will take place in japan but after the devastating earthquake hit the country moscow volunteered to host the event and we have the opening ceremony for you covered online plus the russian prime minister's speech. was that on the web site a famous russian violinist turns in lights one of the world's most renowned musicians but a mere supreme court is awarded with the highest decoration of france the legion of honor medal you can find out all about that at r.t. dot com. plus i'm ready for this set ball and then your baby calling championship is being held in the russian city of june. if you check out our team to come for more durable footage and find out who won that's all online for

a. few . feet. you. are about in the summer of i'm a new stories for in about six minutes from now in the meantime business is next with me trying. very warm welcome to business our senior russian oil companies rosneft lukoil are expected to present plans for the first exploration project of the arctic shelf by the first of september wells already operating offshore and pledges to invest dozens of billions of dollars into sharp exploration in russia and abroad. it's not another disaster in the ocean it's a state of the our training center for workers developing offshore oil and gas

deposits the complex is built by luke oil who has just signed a deal with rosneft on self exploration how to talk on these and more i'm joined now by they had of course here of. when b.p. planned to sign a deal with ross nast on the arctic exploration they have pledged to invest this fast billion dollars and provide technologists what will be your contribution to the corporation. we have unique staff who are already developing some of the world's largest offshore deposits such as the west. we are financially stable we can take on some of the financial risks we are hearing there is for rosemary. because it is possible when i am planning to start a joint exploration of the shelf deposits and how much you read that invest. in first will have to present concrete feasible projects by the first of september and

the government should approve them it's mostly the projects or in the black sea or in the caspian sea each cycle of geological exploration especially in the arctic is a very three two seven wells in guyana we spent about a billion dollars to drill these kind of wells i think their minds will be similar here is spatially if you talk about exploration of the arctic. you. but before the b.p. rosneft deal go through how might it affect your corporation over the last nafta. or partnership and rosen if partnership with b.p. are very different projects which are not connected and they're economically family logically or politically when we're talking about cooperation with rosen left we're not talking about exclusive partnerships but about corporation on concrete projects and you may finally resolve this dispute with its russian oil partners he says it's

ready to sell its stake in the joint venture there one of the partners in the consortium of germans fifty percent of the says the sale will be possible if they're offered a good price he wants to buy out his russian partners after the british share swap and i think exploration deal with rosneft earlier if you use the piece twenty seven billion dollars often suggest that the price should be forty billion dollars. yes that's what the forty billion dollars stake it's a sixty percent premium to the company's current market rates that's too much but i think thirty billion dollars is more realistic however given the situation in which b.p. is struck it will probably come to terms with. b.p. has enough money it had around twenty billion dollars unsecured as of the end of last year or also which really sure they're technically capital is twenty seven percent quite a comfortable level so we p.

shouldn't have any problems in getting a loan if it decides to buy you know t.v. people. and russians markets ended wednesday's session on the negative notes energy stocks were among the main news a spike high oil prices banking stocks were also on the downside take a look at some of the shares on the my sex rosneft is down almost two percent at the close the was down two point four percent despite posting record high annual profits. and coming up next time out see the headlines and stay with us.

template the official antti of location q i phone the i pod touch from the i.q. saps to. life on the go. video on demand on cheese minefield comes an r.s.s. feeds now in the palm of your. question on the t.v. jobs come wealthy british style. is no time to write.