it's a thirty one year moscow next to meet a former british ambassador to the war stricken country the resolution vetoed by two permanent members russia and china split the security council but at least two it gives his take on region on events in the region. today i'm talking to basil eastwood's he's a former u.k. ambassador to syria he was serving in damascus between nine hundred ninety six and two thousand the situation's changed a lot since then and we're going to talk about what the situation on the ground is like now mr eastwood thank you very much for talking to us today now russia believes that asaad deserves at least some credit for trying to instigate some kind of reform do you agree well if he was seriously trying he tried to little too late and his efforts have been totally undermined by the. violence that has been used on the peaceful demonstrators so that for every. death it becomes that much more

difficult to conceive of any solution which leaves him and his coterie in power so from here you don't think there's any way back for us that i think frankly. the best one can hope for is some sort of negotiated transition. might give him a way out. but it's very difficult to see how he can stay in power in the long run in the short run yes by increasing repression he can stay there. but in the longer run it's not viable transition to him that i mean if assad does go is that a genuine opposition that could feasibly take control in any kind of facts that way that is the major problem the nature of the opposition is or the demonstrations is that they have been so largely spontaneous that there is

no very coherent leadership and the various attempts to bring together. a leadership behind a unified proposal for a new turn of phrase have so far failed but it's becoming clearer and clearer i think to the man in the street him. syria that they've got to have a good alternative proposition if regime change is to be. not only credible but to happen without massive bloodshed and destruction so look the pressure is on the various. aspects of the opposition to come together and form an alternative proposition so you think that the opposition in syria is less organized than kate he said that it is in libya it's much more complicated certainly. because whereas in libya you have an opposition that is has come together to fight a military campaign in syria and you have an opposition. leaders come together

behind calls for peaceful demonstrations with the sole aim of now of. removing the regime. but that has not required the same sort of coordination that the opposition has had to acquire in in libya and what do you think of me down from the outside sanctions specifically we've already seen a u.n. paste oil embargo case on syria with threats of further action if the situation doesn't praise what form do you think they sanctions could take and who do you think they'll affect amazed depends what the sanctions are i would hope that the sanctions will be rather carefully targeted at particular individuals. and that's the course that has been followed so far except for the oil sanctions basically as the net is expanded to capture more of the the

big businessmen who have worked alongside the regime and who have probably tacitly supported it in the past. so the tendency will be will be increasing pressure on them. to ditch the regime and find some other way of securing their interests and what about the ordinary man in the streets is there a way to avoid sanctions affecting hair the problem for the ordinary person is that the whole syrian economy is going to be more and more affected by the disruption and the insecurity and the total collapse of the tourism industry for example which is increasingly important in syria. so it is those things that are going to harm the ordinary man in the street rather than targeted sanctions how likely do you think it is that syria could tell into another libya type situation i sincerely hope that it won't what is remarkable so far is the extent to

which the opposition has remained nonviolent there have been episodes of violence. which is understandable in a country where there's quite a lot of weaponry around. and violence is being used against the people. but so far it is green largely nonviolent there are increasing calls amongst the opponents of the regime saying you know we've got to use violence i sincerely hope they will those calls will be resisted so i don't think it's going to turn into that sort of . civil war type confrontation i also think it's inconceivable that any outside powers would want to intervene militarily in a situation which is so complicated on the ground it's very difficult to see how any sort of outside intervention would help indeed it would probably hinder because

it's the one thing that might bring all the syrians together in opposition to outside intervention so i just don't see that happening i think that's well realized amongst those who are most loud in condemnation of the syrian regime's activities how do you think this whole situation is going. payout for what kind of timeframe for example very good question and i have to say i don't know the answer . the short term i think the regime will probably survive. through increased repression and shown itself willing to do whatever it takes and so far there are no signs of the the core of the regime crumbling. but as the economy deteriorates as the. big business which has supported the regime seems that its future cannot live that way. i think you're going to see more. defections

from the regime and there will come a point i would think within months rather than years. when things quite rapidly fall apart. if the opposition can get its act together. then. firstly it may happen slightly more rapidly as people see that there isn't a trend and secondly when it does happen it may stand a better chance of being relatively peaceful roles and bloody chaos when we talk about opposition in syria what kind of people are we talking about what sorts of groups are involved it's very difficult because the the activists who have. led if that is the word the demonstrations on the streets are largely unknown people. with. tremendous courage. and

determination but their political views more positive way as to what should happen to syria a largely unknown. but i think you can assume that it will not be. sectarian it will. have a. a role in it for the muslim brotherhood. but the syrian muslim brotherhood are relatively modern minded and will be i think prepared to play along with coalition politics. it will i think. be a regime which. is how shall i put it. mainly concerned with its internal problems it is not going to be a regime which indulges in adventurism these r.v.

israel or anyone else. but it will be a regime that is finding its way under very difficult circumstances and you talked about big business supporting the regime in syria but we also see support coming from the outside particularly from iran how do you think that will play out in such an unstable region well it's one of the things that i think has been spelt inspired e.g. the saudis to come out in criticism of the regime that. they many of the governments in the middle east are profoundly worried about iran. and don't like the extent to which what is happening in syria might increase iranian influence but i have to say that. the iranian government itself does not like to be seen as being the principal supporter of

a secular regime that is using violence in this way and there have been signs of a ring in embarrassment so. i don't know quite how this one's going to play out but i don't think it's a clear cut situation then leading emerging market economy still russia india china south africa they all oppose a western approach to what's going on in the moment do you think that the arab spring in general will result in division between the old and the new economic powerhouse in many of the states in the united nations' representation in the us. feel unhappy about the way in which. the resolution of the security council which authorized all necessary measures in relation to libya. was used by nato particularly france of you. with american support as justification for. activity and support which has in fact led to regime change

and i think a number of other governments feel that this is a worrying. precedent. but it does not mean to say that. in any way favor. either could offer this regime in libya or what. it is doing in syria. thank you very much you know the top pleasure. more news today. these are the images gold world has been seeing

from the streets of canada. trying operations around the day. a very warm welcome this is your news today protesters on the. street they have. the chance to sit together with the status of the human experiment. in this rap music. global economy and it's all came true things as financial tips. to maintain confidence in markets and. wants to be easing trade imbalances risk looks pretty close to collapsing in such close. to fail

simple a balance against the level i think is the u.s. crash and imminent. danger. to. the i.m.f. . just programs increase the total economy. closer to the spitzbergen archipelago. for the world's northernmost presides over a ghost. town r.t. goes to pains of a group of village volunteers rebuild the palace from roots. where technological breakthroughs save lives. and where people are forced to. close up on the party.

told stories tried to do no grease get tough for thousands of occupy wall street activists furious the attacks of the big used to prop up corporate america test. stage the biggest rally in three weeks to be joined by. a syrian woman seen as a symbol of the regime and brutality against its own people reappears a lawyer from the well of reportedly being beheaded it's for several media backtracking up to given her supposed death saturation. and eurozone finance people to help banks that may suffer a blow from greece's burgeoning debt crisis meanwhile in athens violent protests erupted against at the top thing austerity measures. sports with you.

at the top you with us this is score today plenty ahead of the next ten minutes or so in the. best in the west the north pole victory for school over still puts the blue lights up a tall h.-l. conflict. titles on the line multiple world heavyweight boxing champion flooding here klitschko announces he's to face former cruiserweight great one man in december. and on her own we catch up with bush's sole professional golfer whose quest for a first l.p.g. aykroyd takes her to suck this weekend. let's get going on the ice so where do you go and joint top of the continental hockey league the blue and whites topping the charts following a two on home win over scott petersburg the hosts opening the scoring middle with the first period are to make sure not doing it all himself was nothing let's head straight to the second period that's what the muscovites doubling their lead

through alexy put a shelf a cup the living room here from. three minutes later the visitors would make the most of a five on three card played morton say netting here to the deficit but shoe on was how it would end up meaning to now move on top of the t.h.l. . american sprinter to shoulder clear to defend his four hundred meter title of the olympic games in london is off for the court for arbitration for sport overturned disputed doping rule which bars any suspended for more than six months to compete in the following summer or with. c.b.s. deeming the rules invalid. as a demoted to a second sanction which just in comply with the world. agency code merit was suspended for twenty one months after feeling a drugs test in october twenty ten by the time the london games begin the four

hundred meter limping champion will have completed his bout. but senior klitschko will be putting it all on the line before the end of the year the thirty five year old boxer said to the w b a i b f w b o heavyweight belts against former cruiserweight champion. on december tenth that's not the problem once held a job will be a unified world cruiserweight belt but it will be over a year since for next to last night by the time the french open steps into the ring with klitschko a ukrainian themselves dons a full fifteen centimeters taller than the man whose swanepoel is heavy with bites since moving up a weight in over nine. july this year beating david haye the younger of the klitschko brothers seeking to make it when number fifty seven from sixty votes in just over. to basketball where shaquille o'neal is the latest player to express

concern over the own going lockout in the n.b.a. recently retired seven footer who spent nineteen seasons playing stateside saying it's the supporters who will suffer most of all. just a. few things. you know a great. story. you know. apart. from she was. there with. us fell off skid is one club benefiting enormously from the n.b.a. lockout three time n.b.a. champion tony parker he will suit up for the team a club of which he owns twenty percent of the twenty nine year old will make just to thaw as a euro

a month the minimum required by the french league's labor code the goal for parker put the spotlight on possible in his home country and get some playing time as well . helping my team i invest. a lot of my time and all my my you know with the team and i want to. try to help french basketball to have a better place in france they are his own a son the house cooled on the walkie brewers in baseball's m.l. b. playoffs the diamondbacks winning two straight in phoenix to ensure a deciding game five in their national league division series the home side blazing the comeback trail at chase field after falling into a two zero series. a two one victory on tuesday though followed by another high scoring for the following night which you're seeing line roberts having a grand slam here in the first for a fourth in the lead chris young then became part of local sports trivia with the second homer in the seventh inning the thirty two year old the first player in

hours on the streets assembled twice in a postseason game ten six that was the final score the series now heads back to wisconsin on friday for the big. this newest cardinals proving comeback specialists themselves also forcing a decider against the phillies david three stop being shocked on by the phillies aces for the first. she's got the best of five battle the twenty eight year old both fighting back to be hailed as the choice hero in games he homered double in four runs becoming a crucial figure in the five three win over the favored visitors the two thought is the made world series winners now back to philadelphia where they'll host the cardinals for the final game of the sea. or the goal for tiger woods will be back on the competitive greens for the first time in eight weeks a little later on thursday the former world number one set to take part in the friday's dot com open in california would tell been played in the event since

missing the cut at the p.g.a. championship only the third time he's ever gone home early on a major. it's always easy to come back from your you know what to do. that's very simple. i've done it before i'm done bunch of times but i'm implementing and new golf swing and in order to do that you have to get the reps and i haven't got the reps and. you know i have to thousands of balls to do that and where feels natural. but i've done that now which is good. korean golf fans were able to enjoy showing from one of their country's best today twice winner y. e young karting a sixty seven to emerge tied for the lead after the opening round of the korea open remarkably had been moving along swimmingly before carving a bogey and then a double bogey to start the back nine but birdies on the twelfth and fourteenth

would raise the memories as the northern irishman moved into a share of second on a daily. locals least sume in hong soon sign joining the twenty two year old their two thousand and nine p.g.a. championship winner why young doing one better than for you one of his half a dozen birdies on the second tier his sixty seven overall enough to share the lead with fall or the american himself enjoying a great day rickie fowler that is what consecutive early birdies on the third one. finally rushes only professional women's golf for maria for children has preparing to get to grips with the teasin south korea this weekend before that's our correspondent constantine pathak find out a little more about the moscow natives colorful life. might even it is arguably one of the biggest commercial attractions in women's golf since she turned professional in two thousand and six he wanted five year old muscular to remains the first and only russian plane full time in the ladies' european tour

following an impressive amateur career that included victories in the russian austrian lithium and slovenian championships. because i go to go on tour and i was the only russian player and i was there all the girls were half of them were english british and. i was quite tough to get myself like good mates and you know in the end of their playing as we showed great improvement in her second year on the tour with her career best finished tied for fifth way since being and boss a degree a little round of sixty six and white as a result of finished fifty feet tall rankings in two thousand and eight still have based policing so far and despite having some injury problems she's still ambitious and has lots of goals to achieve with her new coach definitely i'll play for another five years because of my back i don't know how well my bike will give me a chance to play golf but there we set out some goals when i went to the eighty and

hopefully get. down there with a major i can go. professional golfer who spend most of their time travelling from one tournament to not it can be the hardest part of the job however well in search of success some ladies european tour's many funny stories have a reason. to make area i don't mind to say a few days in a cheap hotel and i put my pajamas on i want. to throw came back and my role was completely locked fro inside so he had to go because it was going a way out so i went outside and all the guys are like cory go through this and. despite bringing mortars to results over the last two years. the trauma stays optimistic and focused on golf however the one hundred sixty old brunette threats a lot of attention not only with her performances on the freeways but obviously also because of her appearance i'm not trying to attract more attention i'm trying

to bring something more in gulf that the girls who are low play females live here and is again better and better now so only those attractive girls beautiful girls get into gold their charlie isn't by any in a sport which is widely considered to be a hobby for wealthy people in her homeland and there is still a long way to go before being accepted as a mainstream sport in russia but with the likes of virtue and the country couldn't ask for a better ambassador to lead the way confronted by the above. and that wraps up the sport for this hour world weather is up next in just a tick season. we'll

. bring you the latest in science and technology from around russia. we've got the future covered.

the biggest. rally protesting against. big corporations. human rights groups and some media outlets facing the woman described as a victim of the syrian regime reappears safe and sound reports. from creases prices. in the news tonight.