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three thirty am in moscow these are your r.t. headlines greece grinds to a halt as a forty eight hour general strike takes hold a robson violence where protesters voiced their anger at proposed cuts to secure an e.u. bailout capture the strike was timed to coincide with a crucial vote in the greek parliament on whether to accept brussels terms for financial aid this as china's prime minister offers a financial lifeline to the union during a visit to europe. french finance minister christine lagarde becomes the first female head of the international monetary fund winning overwhelming support from europe russia china and the us her chief rival for the post mexican banker augusten carstens lobbied as a non european candidate better suited to understanding developing economies the organization's former managing director dominique strauss kahn resigned in may

because of a sex scandal. r t on the ground in the libyan oil port of break this is tripoli rejects the international criminal court's demands for colonel gadhafi is arrested and accuse it in doing nato's dirty work critics say the ruling makes a peaceful settlement less likely and only deepens the country's deadlock. more than a thousand people dead in months of protest against the presidency of bashar assad that's the political reality for syria coming up al gore and of iraq one day from the syrian center for political and strategic scott strategic studies discuss what lies ahead for the troubled country spotlight coming up. hello yellow welcome to spotlight the interview show part of the pile i'll do you

know today my guest on the show is about one ziad the. former upstart protestant syria have left over a thousand people there 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 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 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 that this rhetoric saying just nice words with no real meaning behind 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 need to position yourself as an opposition is that true yes. i've been active in the opposition since two thousand actually i been as a key players in the damascus brain spring it to disappeared after the death of 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 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 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 did you leave syria it's except to be a senior figure to us and if you thought you'd be denied bekim professor visiting professor at harvard university and now a teacher at yours washington university well the syrian opposition very subtle. council. they 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 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 agenda now all of the syrians inside and syrian opposition in. side and i'll dare say the country they have the seem they seem the door a consensus among them actually they will not accept there is any kind of a honor with question i said since actually he's responsible of the more than fifteen hundred and he had been detained more than fifteen thousand in the country

and also this is why they. agree that the uprising in syria is cross their sects it's a christian have been killed i've 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 symbolized it is we need actually to move from under a dictatorship regime to be a democratic country c.d.n. to fifty's has a long tradition of a democratic institutions in one thousand nine hundred fifty four for four has free and fair elections at that time we have the march to progress of going to situation

with the give their ideal meant to avoid and participate in the game and there was a little earlier. that was in the fifty's but you know that this movie qualms road that 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 to know i learned that it is actually the symbol of our answer the uprising right now why there be one of the booting here live center at risk even that even that they know that. they build fish by laughing munition but every day every day you will see their courage people that as you would they go to street to protest against bashar i said but it beats every day they are asking to art set off by shot i said and and i have been accountable in front of the international courts then how 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 balance bharti came over and take their bowler in one hundred sixty three and sense not the sixty three there is no free and fair elections we have one more nobly. bharti according to the constitution article eight the bad part is that they need their own in this state and this is and this is actually destroy all the traditions that they see it and have in their fifty's regarding their sure democratic period and this is why we need to board our democracy again and and this is the main point for this syria and we need a democratic system transparency we need accountability and we need the right for their people to choose their president and due to their government and this is why none none of this will accept less than that we did

a higher price we did fifteen hundred and maybe a number 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 similar. when this to move revolution swept through the arab ruled the beginning of the year so you really begin to feel the ripples. it had turned into foods are praising president bashar al assad for his company prove we did emergency power was more constitutional. how were we to the month he decided on the seaview crackdown and the police stepped up the violence against the opposition claiming june syrian human rights organizations estimated some thirteen hundred people have been killed and more than ten thousand arrested. 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 he's concessions have made 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 it well i mean will the generating into into a full scale civil war look syria to different than any via the civil relation in secret syria it's 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 christan 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 being gone this experience 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 would. the right of the people will prevail at the end do you think that president assad has to do he still does have genuine support among the population know who they are brushing started in there are so bored out i it's not like it has no history in that andres like in the kurdish areas or like how much in it we were

actually his father actually can be more of the whole city and killed at least twenty thousand started in the southeastern city of daraa where actually many politicians among them defines a president and others who are from that are disagree or sandbars so botting because of this unity she is very narrow and there is not a chance for bashar and i said to stay involved are what's what will we believe that right now that the international community should help us now there are no question that will bashar said we'll follow the end but the time about the time and the courts and this is the question so you think that she is due really of course it is he himself does he himself understand it does versions of know that he has those accounted i mean there's an office this is an unfortunate that from his last speech give you a sense that he understood 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 say he and bush and i said they seem he blamed the council brain see he blamed. the other countries who blame me a whole bit being to believe in this or nobody would even do that on syria and now we see that their victory is our closed doors. so there's a lot of armed ziyad the be executive director of the syrian center for political and strategic studies spotlight will be back shortly afterward to break so stay with us go figure. for the full story we've got it for. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers.

twenty years ago the largest country. to suitcases of. what had been itching. to teach began a journey. where did it take them. in the ocean to be soon which brightened if you mean the moon about sun moon from funds to impression it's. nice to start on t.v. dot com. welcome

back to spotlight i'm al green og and just a reminder that my guest on the show today is there are van ziad a the 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 coming 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 the killing so actually done by the armed gangs nobody you know who actually behind these armed gangs or who is who are these armed gangs and why this on gangs if they don't show are born in a city they have brought it why did it not show up in this city they don't have brought this like any pool and this is why it it's here if this year in government do we leave on die why will not are up in the country for the international media to have an access why is it kicked out also reported it's a question i asked are often is do the islamists play any role in the in the end wrist you know our to our not at all if if the islamists they they have our own should the uprising started from hama and our isaac started from that our

look this this sort of illusion this it of illusion for dignity and of freedom exactly like tunisia is this is that we have but we are disorganized above. it and yet as us 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 it is discover a they are powerful and we're 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. officials in four of the western nations that i'm karrar

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 from that a national community to much more savor it in political support speciating in the security council and fortunately after after eleven days the security council acted very quickly and down that is illusion one hundred seventy one are qaddafi now in syria it has been thirteen weeks and the security council is still silent is cannot even that our dogs can diminish a 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's can be laid 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 their security council to our very quickly because actually the size of the security council said so. and their anger 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 never listened 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 as a oh we've got the u.n. resolution so. i'm stepping down that won't happen now and i don't think sure that this is a this is to ation in syria now this is to 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 opened their fire on that brought their stars this is would make this 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 have one united voice against the killing of this seat and people and this is the army 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 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 the

birthday of their protesters this is would be the end of the any stability in the country you mentioned you know should mention russia and turkey will turkey is hinting that the minister of the military operation against this 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 we think this is because the ter to 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. a loss of a partner and the loss of a naval base now it's involved and for russia to understand to is take on this in their 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 sequin off that are shot of flags and this is why there are government has to understand this message actually

this is why we came here for four things 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 an obligation and a we we need to emphasize about 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 annual regime after i say 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 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 really appreciate that russian and now they are this year and we want actually it is being that the flag and this is why we are 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 the units on the that are 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 egypt let's add something about their russia actually their statements of their prison there in view and their prime minister mr putin to us but very powerful message to this era regime 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 profession i don't want it and this is why when when when when russia and turkey it 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 and we made by they be bored just to mention want is too many of them most international

there are actually this all does he actually owes you know from don he's born and raised in daraa and the syrian are the 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 their people in hatteras there started. chanting on the seder there are three of daraa his hometown this is why he was in china and in china and himself how can i open fire on the people actually they are calling considered dirty my my hometown doc and this is why the dilemma i won't call the soldiers and among the officers in this union army it's akira that they see it in our me it's only the whole division which is the most loyal one to question i said this fourth division and are so good 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 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 clear it's 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 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 who are if you want to add years in the spotlight or if you have someone in mind who you think i could interview next time please drop me a line eldridge of r.t. t.v. dot are you and that's keep spotlight interactive 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.