tv [untitled] June 27, 2011 10:31pm-11:01pm EDT
10:31 pm
more news today. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. trying to corporations rule the day. in the czech republic is available in it's generally hutto and civilians the central hotel dream of a room nice on the street will still lead to. in bosnia and herzegovina available in. who chilled to the beach. but you know what you know. hotels you. go to and you're like time. in serbia is available in the hyatt regency.
10:32 pm
six thirty am in moscow these are your r t headlines criminally responsible libya's colonel gadhafi officially charged with the killing of anti-government protesters international criminal court also wants his son saif and another close aide in the dock for the deaths it alleges happened during the beginning of a popular uprising. the troubled waters ahead a fleet of ships carrying humanitarian aid bound for gaza gets ready to leave agrees israel says it's gearing up to intercept the convoy after withdrawing earlier threats to ban and important journalists sailing with the flotilla. public anger growing at tokyo's handling of the fukushima nuclear disaster is fifteen people living outside the exclusion zone are diagnosed with radiation poisoning the government has stepped up health checks but official figures have been met with skepticism and mistrust conflicting reports from authorities. war the
quote
10:33 pm
thousand people dead and months of protest against the presidency of bashar assad that's the political reality for today's syria. day from the syrian center for political and strategic studies discuss what lies ahead for the troubled country spotlight coming up next. well. bringing you the latest in science and technology from around the world. we've got the future covered. with. paolo yellow welcome to spotlight the interview
10:34 pm
show part of the pile i'll do you know already today my guest on the show is about the one zero. four months of protestant syria have left over a thousand people dead their rights are the biggest challenge for the past sad family they have been ruling the country for fourteen years but today and spied by the revolutions in tunisia and egypt syrians one to oust president bashar assad. what's the most probable scenario for the syrian crisis here's the executive director of the syrian center for political and strategic studies ziad. trying to hold on to power president assad is introducing some political and economic reforms to change the election process and local governments corruption and give more freedom to the media but protesters have little faith in this
10:35 pm
rhetoric saying just nice words with no real meaning behind them the syrian ministry of defense has imposed serious restrictions on communications and introduced a complete ban on internet access in some areas of the country. meet. the welcome to the show thank you for having me thank you for coming. in the studio first of all i wanted to i want to check what people especially when the when they publish interviews with you or your article or the press they label you as an after the should leave you are one of the one of the members of the opposition so so you do you do do you agree that there do you position yourself as in the opposition is that true yes i have been active in the opposition since two thousand actually i i've been ice cube layers in the damascus brain spring it's at this is period after the. former president how for the last said we're actually when bashar said came
10:36 pm
into what i said succeed his father there is a. few months when he'll arpan. in their political house some operative but it got openings and allowed for some activist actually to write big decisions and thought to form some forms to ask for political change i was an activist that period and i formed with other activist this year human rights are. being active as a human rights activist since i left syria in october two thousand and seven later on this year and government issued. a travel ban and issued worry stari an arrest warrant against me in in february two thousand and eight what was the reason why did you leave syria it's except to be a senior figure to us and it is to be did i became professor visiting professor at harvard university and now a george washington university well the syrian opposition very subtle national
10:37 pm
council they're called national council and the a.t.m. is to continue the fight against the regime they claim to represent i quote all communities and all representative of national political forces inside and outside syria and quote well is there any way that the. opposition leaders today can communicate with ordinary people syria of course now and issue they sure unfortunately even that the syrian opposition even that they don't don't have right now and and united leadership but at least they have unified agenda now all the syrians inside and the syrian opposition inside and out of there said their country they have this seem this emoji into the door that a consensus among them actually there will not accept there is any kind of the honor with my shot i said since actually he's responsible of. more than
10:38 pm
fifteen hundred and he had been detained more than fifteen thousand in the country and also this is why i. agree that the uprising in syria is a cross there sicked it's. being called out how it had been career killed and this is why this is uprising. kitty it is such kind of a moment among the syrian this is because the spirit of unity among the syrians what are the demands of the syrian opposition we they want to overthrow us this is a understood but what else what specific things do they demand for their country for the people but as symbolize it is we need actually to move from under a dictatorship regime to be a democratic country c.n.d. fifty's has a long tradition of for democratic institutions in one thousand nine hundred fifty four for four has free and fair elections at that time we have the march to
10:39 pm
progress of going to situation with the give their ideal meant to avoid and participate in their. there was a little bit of this sort of that was in the fifty's which you know that this moral qualms road that that. any country any people deserves its government so if you moved from. mark receive you have a progressive constitution to or through syrian regime you have no don't you think that the this is what the people really need know i learn the actually the symbol answer the uprising right now why there be one of the able to in their lives enter at risk even that even that they know that they be in fear spy laffey munition but every day every day will see their courage people that. they go to street to protest against bashar said it beating a very the they are asking to are set off by shot i said as and and there have been
10:40 pm
accountable in front of the international courts then what would you explain this shift the place for nearly fifty years from a democracy to. a talk recy when when syria has a democracy and institutions that by its bartie came all of our antics there boa in one hundred sixty three and sense not the sixty three there is no free and fair elections we have one monarch bully. bharti according to the constitution article eight the bath party is that they need their own in their seat on the society and this is actually destroying all the traditions that they see it and have in their fifty's regarding their short of democratic period and this is why we need to build our democracy again and and this is the main point for this syrians we need a democratic system transparency we need accountability and we need the right for their people to choose their president and to to their government and this is why
10:41 pm
none none of this will accept less than that we did a higher price we did fifteen hundred and maybe their numbers are much higher and this is why our will not accept less than having a democratic system will allow us to call look at the situation in syria now in a report by spotlights you learn the. when this storm of revolution swept through the arab world at the beginning of the year syria begin to feel the ripples march it had turned into a full scale of prizing president bashar al assad fired his cabinet in april we did emergency powers more and more inched constitutional reform how will only the months he decided on the street view crack down and the police stepped up the violence against the opposition finally june syrian human rights organizations estimated some thirteen hundred people have been killed and more than ten thousand
10:42 pm
arrested escape in the on the rest refugees have been crossing the border into turkey more than twelve thousand syrians are housed all seeking shelter in turkish refugee camps in early june president assad announced the junior minister for political prisoners however his concessions have neither it pleased the opposition nor stop the e.u. and the us from imposing sanctions some experts speculate syria may fall into a virtual civil war. or do you think that the syrian scenario can follow the example of libya as we just heard about i mean well the degenerating into into a full scale civil war knocks syria to different than any via the civil relation in c. care syria it's to twenty two million on in any way is five million and syria has
10:43 pm
no history of civil war syria actually in one thousand back in the fifty's their prime minister was as actually christian and been supported even that there at that time there were four members in the muslim brotherhood and they said boy the christan to be prime minister syria has such kind of for addition and still we remain there sam which is their right of their. it is will be respected and they are the unity among their people and this is their main concern that even though there she is this year regime now being gone this sixteen and violence and you playing on does to stand by what and to survive but actually we believe the wisdom of the syrians who are actually taking the arrives at this at least will it will challenge this risk and will it will the right of the people will prevail at the end do you think that president assad to do he still does have genuine support among the population look at the uprising started in daraa so bored i it's not like
10:44 pm
it has no history in there and raised like in the kurdish areas or like how much in it we're actually his father actually in more of the horror city and killed at least twenty thousand started in the south and city of daraa where actually many politicians among them divisive president and others who are from that are this you give you a sense. of this you know to you is very narrow and there is not a chance for bashar said distin bowler what's what will we believe that right now that the international community should help us now that of course no question that with bashar said good for at the end but the time about the time and the course and this is the question so you think that she's due really of course it is he himself does he understand it does versions of know they're there that he's there is accounted i mean there's an office this is a fortunate that's from his last speech give you a sense that he understands of the you know i he said that for the first time you discover that's how much this you know he was they love him this is state of the
10:45 pm
united and this is why we really concern about this situation our country because that we have seen such kind of things in our cars their feet even doubts and bush and i said this seems he blamed their conscious brain see he blamed. the other countries who blame me a whole bit being to be in the. and this all nobody would even back on syria and now we see that their victory is across daws. says about the violence ziad the big secular director of the syrian center for political and strategic studies spotlight will be back shortly after we take a break so stay with us though. i
10:46 pm
was just thinking about my future before the foreign companies came i dreamed of owning a can cabin factory. but we have less garbage now. some has interests who come here make fun of me. regular garbage boy i'm not bad like people think. i'm a good person. it's just that people don't see me. but i feel it was time people like me as. i feel people will start to appreciate us.
10:47 pm
10:48 pm
executive director of the syrian center for political and strategic studies we're talking about the the situation in your own country. the uprising is going on but you mentioned that the president bashar assad is in the state of denial he didn't know years that his days in office are counted and he still has two tries to stick to power well syria's deputy foreign minister mr feisal mig died he claims that i quote the killing was initiated by extremist religious groups that are financed from outside syria and the unrest. is is comes from the same place and these groups do not want to achieve reform in syria unquote is any foreign government involved in today's unrest uprising in syria can you confirm that nuclear tazz been now three months and this
10:49 pm
syrian state media beating every day the killings are actually done by the armed gangs nobody you know who are actually behind these armed gangs or who is all of this on gangs and why this on gangs they don't try are born in a city they have brought is why did not show up in this city they don't have brought this like any book and this is why it it's here if this year in government do we leave on die why will not our up in the country for the international media to have an access wise or kicked out already porter's question asked are often is do the islamists play any role in the wrist not to are not all if if the islamists they they have on should the uprising started from hama the other isaac started from that are look this is this sort of illusion this is evolution for dignity and of freedom exactly like life tunisia is this is that we
10:50 pm
have popular disorganized but. it ideology less and leaderless this is why quite difficult. for this series you took it out down the whole movement because if there is their leaders the next day will be america's other leaders and this is why there is no chance for that he is this you know g.m. to succeed to crack down the whole movement it's a clear right now it's that the syrians will discover it hear their voice and the discoverer of their power for our will not at war not accept less than what the tunisian and egyptian achieved turkey is a powerful neighbor with extensive economic ties with syria and. to do. the news that turkish officials inform the western nations that i'm karrar is ready to launch a military operation against asset do you think this will happen no no i don't
10:51 pm
think so on our the syrian opposition inside and outside the country against any military operation on syria we do we believe that this syrian they are able to topple bashar al assad's in their hands but we need for on the international community to much more savor in political ball speciating in the security council and fortunately after after eleven days the security council acted very quickly and that is illusion nine hundred seventy one are qaddafi now in syria it has been said of teen weeks and the security council is still silent is cannot even that our dogs can diminish our resolution this is why our visit to moscow actually to address some of the of their concerns of the russian of the russian off the shelves and you know solution it can be lead to their military intervention we are that is their concern that none of this you know wish an insider our side the country with
10:52 pm
military intervention but we need for their security council to our very quickly because actually the size of the security council says so. and there on the message to the syrian government so so when you talking about international support you know sort of talking about intervention you know talking about guns and weapons you're only talking about polar political support united nations resolutions but listen. leaders are leaders that are afraid to be overthrown live or listen to u.n. resolutions and they never help so what why do you need this resolution do you think as it is going to listen and say oh we've got the u.n. resolution so but i am i'm stepping down that one hour from now and i don't think sure that this is this is to a scene in syria now this issue asia under very severe economic crisis if they if their security council adopted a solution to war sanctions on bashar assad and other security officers who are she
10:53 pm
of when their firearms are brought their stars this is will make the situation much more harder for that said family to survive in bar this is why it's bored and for the international community to wark to talk to have one united voice against the killing of this cd and people and this is the army there are only seeing that then that family will understand there is no more there is no chance for them to stand by our and the most involved i think we need that turkey and russia both countries they have some leverage on the syrian army we do we that they see it on armies or afficionado one is not likely but also is not like egypt is something between this is why if russia and turkey use its leverage to their syrian army and encourage their syrian army to break through with this series and this is why and to protect their protesters this is would be the end of the any stability in the country you mentioned as you mentioned russia and turkey will turkey is hinting that they may
10:54 pm
start a military operation against us russian prime minister vladimir putin recently rejected the possibility of. foreign intervention in syria world russia is in general pretty cautious about developments in syria and everything this is because the term the naval base that russia is afraid to lose do you think that if assad's regime will fall this will mean for russia. the loss of a partner and the loss of a naval base now it's involved and for russia to understand to to is to go on this side and artistic side of history we don't want actually there are sort of flags to be burned in damascus them are supposed to be friendly secret of that russian of flux and this is why there are government has to understand this message actually this is why we came here for fourth thing starts for the russian officials first of all that we have a shared invitations why then mr maher get off and other russian officials and this
10:55 pm
is actually it's a good beginning to have a channel with this year an obligation and a we we need to oversize above the historical relationship between syria and russia syria has a large community and russia and russia has a large community in them are in in syria and this is kind of relationship we need to steer and we it has to continue because actually this is the build the relationship between a lot of tunisians then the second issue are actually will and that is the concern any any regime after i said i after i said hours after the fall off i said the regime actually will continue or that with their foreign body see toward toward russia russia it's actually a powerful country and we need to have a good relationship with russia sense actually i told you the historical relationship and the taylor thing russia task on syria about military intervention
10:56 pm
we actually we have the same concern about that and the last thing that if that russia help us actually in our. cause for democracy and human rights this year and we will really appreciate that russian and now they are this year and we want actually it is ing the turkish flag and this is why we think for this year to wave of the russian of flags on you you mentioned influencing the army how important this is well actually. see that protesters in the in syria are opposed by predominantly how weak the units on the that are. taking orders from the president's brother so is there a possibility that the wrists of the r.v. other than the units will be will be supporting the uprising like you have been doing tunisia or at least staying neutral waikato like for example in the yeah
10:57 pm
let's add something about their actually their statements of their prison at me in view and their prime minister mr putin to us but very powerful message to this regime that russia has nor special interest in syria rather than they condemning actually the violence done by by and by the syrian government otherwise the guardian the army which which it's important that the syrian army as i told you before it's a professional one it's and this is why when when when when russia and turkey use its leverage to and carry the army the syrian army is made by their people every seat and has to see of the army in two years i see of the army and our. my brothers and others serve and army two years and this is why they see it an army made by their be bored just to mention want is too many of them most international there are actually this all does he actually has you know from dara is born and raised in daraa and the syrian are the we need or should send him actually to serve in house
10:58 pm
and they give him in a suction stop in the fire on the protesters and they be born inherits their started. chanting on the seder there are three of daraa his hometown this is why he was in china in chinese and himself how can i open fire on the people actually they are calling until a day to my own my home town don and this is why the dilemma i won't call the soldiers and among the officers in the syrian army it's that they see it in our me it's only the fourth division which is the most loyal one to bashar and i said this for division and are sober vision off my head and i said the brother of bashar i said make it making this huge and on and invading it many cities and you could whining this it is but other other other divisions and unit is in the army is not supportive of that said and now there is a lot of defection along the army so we're not talking about into confessional
10:59 pm
violence in syria no no this is it's a it is not that he is making a sunni's the allawi doesn't matter as i told you that this uprising for us there said ok thank you thank you very much and just a reminder that my guest today on the show was arrived one day the executive director of the syrian center for political and strategic studies and that's it for now from all of us here if you want your years in the spotlight or if you have someone in mind who you think i could interview next time just drop me a line allred of r.t. t.v. dot are you and that's huge spotlight interact spotlight will be back with more christiane comments on what's going on in and outside russia until then they are out see and take care. thank you.
36 Views
Uploaded by TV Archive on