twenty years ago are just countries. suited to the. one. trying. to teach began the journey. where did it take them.

it's five thirty pm in moscow believes other top stories on our prosecutors in the hague call on the libyans to turn over colonel gadhafi for allegedly ordering the killing of civilians but the country's leadership refuses to recognize the tribunals legitimacy labeling it a cover for nader illegal actions in libya. verging on the brink of default greeks go on strike but hundreds of thousands taken to the streets to march against austerity cuts by china's prime minister on tours through europe has offered to buy the embattled euro out of its troubles. israel says the latest aid flights to what heading for gaza is armed with chemical weapons and plans to use them against israeli soldiers in case of attack. next our interview spotlight looks so what lies ahead for syria as anti-government protests continue

their. well. the latest in science and technology from around russia. we've got the future covered. hello yellow welcome to spotlight the interview fell on parts of the pilot how do you know then today my guest on the show is about the one zero. four months of protests in syria have left over a thousand people dead their rights are the biggest challenge to 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 want 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 at ziad. trying to hold on to power president assad is introducing some political and economic reforms meant to change the election process and local governments by corruption and give more freedom to the media but protesters have little faith in this 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. while

the welcome to the show thank you for having me thank you for coming. here 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 articles in the press they label you as an opposition leader one of the one of the members of the opposition so you do you do you do you agree that they're there did you position yourself as an opposition is that true yes. i've been active in the opposition since two thousand actually i i've been a secu players in the damascus brain spring it's a disappeared after the. former president however the less said we had actually when bashar said came into what i said succeed his father there is a. few months when he'll arpan. in there with you call have some operative but it got openings and allowed for some activist actually to write big decisions and top to form some forms to ask for political change i was an activist that period and i

formed with other activist the syrian human rights are. being active as a human rights activist since i left syria in october two thousand and seven later on the syrian 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 these you leave syria it's. to be a senior figure to us an issue to be denied bekim professor visiting professor at harvard university and now a george washington university well the syrian opposition very subtle and there are all counsel there they called national council and the eighteen 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 soon of course now this is a 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 into now all the syrians inside and syrian opposition. side in aisle they are said their country they have seen this emergent are they they do or a consensus among them actually they will not accept there is any kind of the i would question i said since actually he's responsible of the ideas of more than fifteen hundred and he had been detained more than fifteen thousand in the country and also this is why. they are greedy that the uprising in syria is to cross their sects it's a christian had been killed i know 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 and this to but what else what specific things do they demand for their country for the people but as symbolized it is we need actually to move from under a dictatorship regime to be a democratic country syria and the fifty's has a long tradition of a democratic institutions in one thousand nine hundred fifty four four four has free and fair elections at that time we have the march to progress of going to situation with a give their ideal meant to avoid and participate in the game there was a little earlier. that was in the thirty's but you know that the basement quantz road there that. any country any people deserves its government

so if you moved from democracy you had a progressive constitution to authorize hereon regime you have now don't you think that the this is what the people really need you know i learn there is actually that they symbolize our answer the uprising right now why there be one of the voting here live center at risk even that even that they know that. they built a spy laffey munition but every day every day will see their courage people the current as you would they go to street to protest against bashar i said that beating every day they are asking to are set off by shot i said and and i have been accountable in front of the international courts then who would use playing this shift the two plays for nearly fifty years from democracy to. attack recy when when syria has a democracy and institutions that balance bartie came all the antics there were in

one hundred sixty three and sense nine hundred 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 the leader and in this state and this is and this is actually destroy all the traditions that the syrian have in their fifty's regarding their short of democratic period and this is why we need to board our democracy again and and this is the main point for the 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 none none of this union 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 well let's take a look at the situation in syria now in

a report by spotlights you learn the new liver. when this to move revolution swept through the arab world the beginning of the year see really begin to feel the ripples. it has turned into food are praising president bashar al assad for his company prove we did emergency power was more constitutional risk. uhm how were only to the month he decided on the seaview down and the police stepped up the violence against the opposition plainly june syrian human rights organizations estimated some thirteen hundred people have been killed and more than ten thousand arrested escape in their own wrist 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 the opposition nor stalk the e.u. and the u. worst 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 look syria it's a different than any via the civil relation in secret syria to twenty two million in libya in any way is five million and syria has no history of civil war syria actually in nineteen back in the fifty's their prime minister was as actually christian and been supported even though out there at that time there were four members in the muslim brotherhood and they said boy to christian to be prime minister syria has such kind of for addition and still we remain there c.m.

which is their right of their monitors will be respected and they are their unity among their people and this is their main concern that even though there she is as you know regime now playing on this exterior and violence and you playing on that to stand by our and to survive but but actually we believe the wisdom of the syrians who are actually taking the arrives at risk at least will it would channel . and will the right of the people will prevail at the end do you think that president assad has to do he still does her have genuine support among the population without rushing started in doubt on so bored i it's not like it has no history in there and raised like in the kurdish areas or like how much in it we were actually his father actually being the model for the whole city and killed at least twenty thousand started in the southeastern 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 that so balti and because of this unity she is very narrow and there is not a chance for bashar and i said to stand by our what's what will we believe that right now that the international community should help us now there are no question that with bashar said we'll follow 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 today is he himself does he understand it does versions of know though that he's those are counted i mean there's an office this is an unfortunate that's from his last speech give you a sense that he understand of the night he said that for the first time he discovered that how much this you know he was they love him this is state of the united and this is why we we're really concerned about this situation our country because that we have seen such kind of things in our cars their feet even that he and bush and i said they seem he blamed the consul brand see he blamed. the other countries who

blame me a whole bit to be in this or nobody would even back on syria and now we see that their victory is our closed doors. so there's rather ziad be executive director of the syrian center for political and strategic studies spotlight will be back shortly after we create a break so stay with us go figure. i 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

bizarre sue come here and 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. that long. i feel people will start to appreciate us.

walking back to spotlight i'm al green arvin just a reminder that my guest on the show today is that other than ziad day the executive director of the syrian center for political and strategic studies we're talking about the the situation in your own country. the upsizing is going on but you mentioned that the president bashar assad is in the state of denial he didn't know. is 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 a fine learns from outside syria and the unrest. 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 tasmin now three months and this syrian state media beating is really the killings actually done by the armed gangs nobody you know who are actually behind these armed gangs or who is who are these armed gangs and why these on gangs if they don't try are born in a city they have brought it why did not show up in this city they don't have brought this like any bull and this is why it it's a err 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 or thirty porters question asked are often is do the islamists play any role in the wrist not at all not at all if if the islamists they they have on should

the uprising started from hama without isaac started from that are look this is this sort of illusion this is a revolution for dignity and of freedom exactly like tunisia is this is that we have popular disorganized above. it and yet as us and leaderless this is why quite difficult for this year regime to crack down the whole movement because if there is their leaders the next day will be a marriage. other leaders and this is why there is no chance for that he is this to succeed to crackdown the whole movement it's a clear right now it's that the syrians will discover that hear their voice and the discoverer of their power for our will not that we're 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. officials inform the western nations that i'm crowd

is ready to launch a military operation against our set do you think this will help and no no i don't 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 it in political ball speciating in the security council and fortunately after after eleven days the security council acted very quickly and done that illusion one hundred seventy one are qaddafi now in syria tasmanians here are ten weeks and the security council is still silent is cannot even that our dogs do can diminish our resolution this is why our visit to moscow actually to address some of the of the concerns of the russian of the russian off

the shelves and you know solution it's can be lead to the military intervention we are that is their concern that none of this you don't know wish an insider our side the country with military intervention but we need for the security council to our very quickly because actually the size of the security council says send the wrong message to the syrian government so so when you talking about international support you not talking about. 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 won't happen now and i don't think sure that this is this is to a scene in syria now this situation under a 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 opened their fire on that brought their stars this is would make the situation much more harder for that said family to survive in bar this is why it's important for the international community to wark to talk to have one united voice against the killing of this cd and people and this is there are only there are only seeing that then that family will and that is stand 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 like he bia 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

to protect their protesters this is would be the end of the any seven in their country you mentioned as you mentioned russia and turkey will turkey is hinting that they may start a military operation against us that russian prime minister vladimir putin recently rejected the possibility of a foreign intervention in syria will russia is in general pretty cautious about developments in syria and we think this is. because the total use 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 its own borders and for russia to understand to is to be on their side in their artistic side of history we don't want actually there are sort of flags to be burned in damascus the march 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 is actually it's a good beginning to have a channel with this year and i wish and and they 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 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 if there are thing russia task on syria about military intervention 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 appreciate that russian and now they are this year and we will actually it is ing the. and this is why we think for this year to wave of the russian a flood when you you mentioned influencing the army how important this is well actually reports say that protesters in the in syria are opposed by predominantly how weak units on the that are that are taking orders from the president's brother so is there a possibility that the rest starve the army other than the allawi 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 let's add something about their russia actually their statements off their bridges in their view and their prime minister mr putin to us but very powerful message to this series seem that russia has no special interest in syria rather than they condemning actually the violence done by by and by the syrian government otherwise the guarding 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 in the army two years and this is why they see it an army made by their be bored just to mention wanted to many of them it international there are

actually this all does he actually has you know from daraa is born and raised in daraa and the syrian are at the scene now and we need or should send him actually to serve in house there and they give him in a suction stop in the fire on the protesters and the people in hatteras there started chanting going to syria there are three of daraa his hometown this is why he was in china and in chinese and himself how. can i open fire on the people actually they are calling considered that if you my my hometown doc and this is why they did i won't call the soldiers and among the officers in the syrian army it's a clear that they see it out of me it's only the fourth division which is the most loyal one to bush and i said this for division and our sober vision off my head and i said the brother of bashar i said make it making this huge and on and invading that many cities and you could wiring their cities but as are other other divisions and unit this in the army is not supportive of that i said and now there is

a lot of defection along the army so we're not talking about into confessional violence in syria no no this is it's it is not that he is making sudanese the allawi it doesn't matter as i told you that this uprising crossed the six ok thank you thank you very much and just a reminder that my guest today on the show was about to run ziad the the executive director of the syrian center for political and strategic studies and that's it for now from all of us are very few hundred years in the spotlight or if you had someone in mind who you think i could interview next time just drop me a line i'll read of r.t. t.v. darts are you and that's keep spotlight interact spotlight will be back with more three thousand comments on what's going on in and outside russia until then stay on r.t. and take a. break.