the mana runs nuclear program which is the target of e.u. sanctions has been scrutinised by un inspectors to iran has offered i.a.e.a. officials the chance to extend the mission and said it was ready to answer any question to prove its atomic and missions are peaceful but some experts suggest in your report western states want to see is one that justifies a military buildup in the region. made up of inspectors they don't necessarily control politically but i think what the united states what else is some kind of a state but you know which there you balance on balance the way to sort of lead to the next stage i think what we are witnessing here is is a build up because of military confrontation we have a massive reply was of u.s. military hardware troops going into israel to be stationed in israel also going to

cooperate. but you know naval. naval forces in the. ocean go all of those i well i would describe as why the actual war the issue of nuclear weapons. is a red herring but it is a red herring which could well was. the ongoing western attempts to corner iran and iran's response on the topics for debate in peter bell's crosstalk now that's coming up later this hour for you here naughty but here's a quick taste of what's ahead. wants to bring the hidden event out of a well by doing something spectacular and destructive to enemies of islam and this is what motivates him right you guys and all of the old soviet leadership who for all their misdeeds were at least atheist so they believe that a nuclear war and death was an end in failure and many thinks dying in a nuclear war for allah will get him to paradise what incentive do you have to

bring to bear on him what carrot can you offer him to compare with that so you have to be prepared to stop his military efforts and he says i'm going to i don't know any sense doesn't it and you can evolve why did you marry him who's the enemy and he wants to wipe out israel which is what for a country that has a taboo only now we only talk to the most powerful nation this kind of rhetoric this kind of rhetoric is not good for israel israel is a very strong country and it doesn't need this bibi netanyahu use of his kind of. rhetoric to get reelected he doesn't need another people you know want to get out then like you are going to get i'm sorry could you repeat this interesting to me. heated debate coming up pretty soon. the pre-election promises are coming thick and fast in russia less than five weeks before the presidential poll prime minister and presidential hopeful that in a putin program to reform the country's economy in his third pre election article

he got his reports. this article has already been deemed by many analysts is a whole list of liberal reforms proposed by the prime minister on the economy first of all. says he wants to see the role of the state and of state monopoly is reduced for example gas from which has quite an influence on our russia's business life secondly the fight against corruption especially in the sphere of high level kickbacks during state orders and purchases more attention is needed to be paid there as well now another major problem for the economy of hoarding for the prime minister is a dependency on natural resources which has to be reduced as well and says that if these issues would be dealt with successfully it should improve the investment climate in the country and increase the economies competitiveness against other international where's there's also another point worth mentioning from that article

and that is the idea to propose the world's tax which should concern v.a.p. real estate and other a luxury purchases an issue which has been and is still being discussed in russian society for quite some time now. more detailed analysis of that in the putin's proposals in our business bulletin that's coming away in just about eight minutes from now here on. the e.u. leaders may have gathered in brussels for talks on boosting growth and creating jobs but there's another front in the room the top to escape athens is still on the verge of bankruptcy as it struggles to agree a debt reduction deal and they're adults the country is even able to control its finances a correspondent reports from brussels. they're supposed to talk more about the fiscal compact they had agreed upon at the last e.u. summit as well as push for the european stability mechanism which is the permanent bailout fund we will put in place now in june instead of july these are the

official informal topics but greece is still hanging over their heads especially since there have been war of words between greece and germany with the germans are calling for moving taxing and spending power over to brussels and the german finance minister saying that the europeans are willing to support greece as long as greece actually implements the decisions instead of just talking about it all the greeks had responded to that with a lot of that still to be saying that this is definitely out of the question especially since this is a matter of national sovereignty and one former minister who's now the greek education minister had actually called it quote unquote a product of a sick imagination so you can you can tell that the greeks are definitely upset with the german suggestion now why did the german suggested this is because of that ongoing talks between the greeks and their creditors and it's still dragging it's been stalling for some time now the greeks need to strike a deal with the private sector and their creditors asking the banks for example to

write down some of the greek back to take some losses about fifty to sixty percent of losses and this is in order for greece to get the second tranche of its bailout which it needs to pay some debts in march because if they don't they will technically default belgium is on a general strike a lot of walking and cycling today because all the metros down no buses and one of the airports is also closed the unions are protesting against the government cutting their benefits slashing retirement age also raising the retirement age rather so they're complaining that the workers are bearing the brunt and the enterprises are not getting hit at. the top stories all the way shortly that's off to the business news. thank you bill and welcome to the business program has just been hearing that moved in has outlined the changes he things need to be made to the russian economy

recognizes the need to diversify away from role materials we do state control over business and improve the investment climate has been national capital says a panel lacks concrete details and underestimates the value of private capital. there needs to be opposed to government policy as putin said very well in his book the real question question has never been asked in russia is how does this government really. positive government policy was repealed or was it which sponsor industries if you look at what works in russia at the moment it's the private sector you've got great supermarket chains that have open door. for natural companies that have really evolved mobile telecom companies you know these are really successful companies that have been developed in russia over the last fifteen years and there are a long way ahead in terms of their efficiency and the government sector. the prime minister has been taking a lot of courage to visit us on monday he opens

a new state of the art train car production plant in losses northwest the billion dollar facility produced thirty thousand wagons a year to move the growing to. other places soviet era cars that make up most of the country's rolling stone. ok let's have a look at the markets european bourses have dropped the most in six weeks as portuguese bond signed amid the all important meeting between the leaders in europe will draw a line under the sovereign debt crisis both of us have said one percent this hour both m i six and the r.t.s. finished today's trading session in the red the artist lost over one percent of my stack last point eight percent. this is how the biggest moves on the my sets got on fine i just finished shopping down sentiment from russia's top lender spat bank jobs over two percent energy majors did better than the market finished home for so

. many jobs over one percent despite uses net profit rose twenty four percent last year up better than expected. from. the right. start the day straight for. the trainees munter authorities again abstain from lower and reserve requirements that was the expectation of the verse radiation markets were the domain this morning plus. there's no understanding of how the greek talks will end and obviously that's not the end of the story first portugal has been making headlines today again as the yields climbed actually climbed for. almost across the board in europe we which is again a negative. and now let's see how those cards he writes god on prices on the ruble is losing against both the dollar. and the year is retreating against

the u.s. car i see the train is a favorite helmer. so the business news from now from may on the rest of the business. by.

it was shot four times in total and i want to raise your hand. sorry of the boys who are still in my body. and people should be allowed to defend themselves where are they on guns in the hands of law abiding decent people are not a problem national rifle association with a group of basically retired military police love to shoot holes in i'm sorry if you know that the bullet comes out here and this makes it go bang and if what's in front of here is going to die and that's all the training you really really need raise your hand if you know somebody's been shot ok but to live without one of the philadelphia horns or the streets. you can live without a gun hopefully we will never have to use the weapons for self defense but we should be prepared the full class including the teacher i think was. seventeen

students and saved them one a shot in. top stories now the international observers in syria kill time in the hotel awaiting further instruction from the arab league as fierce fighting continues around the capital. between the syrian government position with damascus already taking up the offer. iran could stop supplying oil to some. of the sanctions against its nuclear program which is currently undergoing a un inspection that's despite the iranian parliament suspending its debate on a complete ban of crude exports to the whole european union. leaders meet in

brussels for the first summit this year but the agenda is far from new with still the center of discussion taking place against the symbolic backdrop of the protests and a general strike in belgium. that would mourn their stories and plenty of other developments for you in less than half an hour from now in the meantime tempers flare and accusations fly what is next for iran with western was loitering on its border and nuclear inspectors touring its facilities people have been his guest discuss the issue in crustal next on r.t. . you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear sees some other part of it and realize everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tired welcome to the big picture.

and you can. start. following the welcome to cross talk i'm peter lavelle crude blockade and the turning off of the taps as the united states and the e.u. again sanction iran iran is also threatening to impose punitive steps against the western powers are we witnessing merely a game of chicken or a potential bomb ticking before the advent of war. and. start. to cross like iran and its oil i'm joined by john robson in ottawa he is a columnist in commentator for a sun news network and invited professor at the university of ottawa in london we

have me he is an international oil economist and technical expert with the united nations industrial development organisation and in irvine we go to our bankers our day he is a professor of engineering at the university of california irvine all right gentlemen this is crosstalk that means you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage it but first ok let's go to john robson in in london the you pushing forward july first will cut off all oil exports into the european union from iran and it is calling the strategy to avoid chaos in the middle east isn't it just actually the reverse this will create even more chaos in the middle east this is counterproductive and actually it really actually provoke iran into taking some kind of offensive move but it hasn't to that to date. well the thing is iran is already taking as many offensive moves as it can possibly manage the fear of provoking aggressive regimes is one that's paralyzed the west throughout the

twentieth century with terrible consequences i think the time for a showdown with iran is now rather than after it gets a working nuclear bomb so why worry about the sanctions is there not enough there a substitute for decisive action but they're certainly a step in the right direction nato what do you think about that it's a step in the right direction he no he's absolutely wrong they're not working on weapons the i.a.e.a. hasn't said that and it's definitely increasing the temperature in the gulf persian gulf area and in my opinion in the u.s. congress united states government basically wants to have it at the certain temperature but not to boil over they want to have the tightening of the rope around the government of iran but at the same time they don't want to have any particular military action over there and so therefore it's a very balancing act that this point and that's why the joint operation with israel was cancelled for different reasons for that but certainly don't want to bring the

temperature down to the level of simmering ok now if anything is good because it keeps the price so if i can go back to you i mean but isn't that kind of dangerous i mean that's sitting of a tipping point i mean if it's now you get to a small mistake and then the consequences are enormous go ahead absolutely so they cannot pad themselves on the back because as you mentioned correctly it's very dangerous because one major minor mistake could turn into a huge problem and also as you know these wars can start easy but they cannot be stopped so it's a very dangerous position and people aren't usually election purposes john when you want to jump in there. did did you say iran is not working on nuclear weapons that's what he said yes there are no reports i.a.e.a. reports does not say that maybe you know something we don't know but anything that is publicly available not privately or by the intelligence community the things that are publicly available and even the sixth intelligence organizations in two

thousand and seven and eight on two thousand and eleven clap clap or if the head of the i.c. basically told the congress that there is no effort on the on the weaponized nation at this time ok gentlemen that's what he said you can find a quote on the. money so let me if in london if i can go to you well what about this oil regime that it could come into place here what we're buying what the european union wants to do and what iran is threatening to do today is monday and its discussion of cutting off oil to. the european union or the iranians doing the right thing or is it a bluff. i don't think it is a love i think it is a defensive measure they could force the o.p.m. union to look for it somewhere else at a higher price because the global oil market is so all tied so trying to fly five hundred to six hundred thousand bet is which are imported by the european

union will not be as easy job furthermore the gulf producers including saudi arabia are not in a positive to all of said the loss of that oil because they don't have any spare capacity to be able to provide for the european union so we are in a very. difficult situation with the oil market very very tight ok john if i can go back to you i mean really what this is all about we had tim geithner going around the world last month getting countries to cut oil imports from iran and most countries are not going to go along with it but what the what is really the plan is really about nuking iran is nuclear program or is it really about regime change for over thirty years now well after four sets of sanctions this is the silver bullet right this is the one that's finally to take the regime down is that what the plan is. well i think that that probably is the plan for the

simple reason that the iranian regime is extremely of not just an aggressive and you know the idea well they're not working on nuclear weapons they're just building centrifuges in a fortified compounds away under mountains and enriching uranium and doing all the things you would be doing if you were building nuclear weapons but we can trust and i would have an easier job because he said if he wants to wipe israel off the map mr first round of his war against the west you just can't afford to ignore that kind of thing but it's just one example of a ranch thoroughly of not just behavior in the middle east and people say well if you attack iran the middle east will erupt and chaos will be war going on ok off it the countries around israel are doing everything they can and dare to do to destroy israel already it's not like making the mad is a danger you know this is like oh don't make hitler mad you know he might get aggressive your question is what range of threats to they pose and how can we deal with that you know they told the americans don't bring your aircraft carrier back to the strait of hormuz the americans brought into said ok you feel like a naval battle you want to peace of us do you do it of course the iranians back down because they would have had i really wanted that life you know what i mean the

idea is i think we were down the regime before it does something terrible i think we've got to nato if i can go to you i mean i right before the program i took a look at look at a look at looked at a map of military bases the united states surrounding iran i mean my goodness there's a if you can call the regime of knocks you see if you want but it's certainly being threatened by the west in a very real way go ahead meet our. iran is israel is one of the most powerful nations in the world per capita per capita if you divide the number of nuclear weapons by the population is number one in the world it's even higher than russia and united states so nobody dares to attack israel this is just doesn't make sense but it's rambling this kind of nonsense is what the media and united states and some other places is going on is a changing the public's view of this is there is no record of this iranian government be tough on its own people and not treat them democratically but when it

comes to external countries they have not attack anybody two hundred years when the afghani regime the taliban's cut about twenty ronnie and diplomats in missouri share if they couldn't even cross the border to attack them they are such a weak in terms of attacking other countries they are not interested in doing that they may have proxy wars with united said israel and that's not very good but in general the idea of the centrifuges that are in a safe guarded site in the tunnels which you cannot say that about israel's the facility that is breaking bob this is absolutely ridiculous going back to the oil as your guest from london said the capacity of saudis apparently from what i have read is about three to four million barrels so basically it will tighten the market so much and it will impact so the iranian government deciding to actually preventing europeans and bluff them and to actually try to remove all of purchases to them as soon as possible actually exasperate the economy of europe and it would

definitely be a very defensive measure so all of this is increasing the temperature as i said earlier what they don't want in washington is the temperature going boiling over they wanted to be simmering all of it to november two thousand and twelve because the obama administration needs to show to the republicans and the voters that is tough on iran but does not want to have a war at this time before november. two thousand and twelve so that's a very balancing act that is going on and it's all related and one mistake will change all of that under some i mean london what if it let's say it happens ok the european union cuts all imports of oil into iran well how will that are in fact the economy of iran will it break the back of the economy or is this just another round of sanctions that the iranians will just have to absorb the iranian economy is very dependent on oil exports the with the hold of.

european union imports from iran will not very much affect the iranian economy however if there is and tempt to stop iran exporting oil and that could only happen at the united nations security council and i don't think that is a possibility it will happen simply because russia or china that so we are talking hypothetically about defensive measures of shutting the state of almost iran has the can really to lie in the street over what it was and cause a blockage to various tank atta's however they will never to do that except on one condition if they were prohibited from selling their oil in that case they would take the attitude that if we cannot sell our oil we will stall all exports from the

gulf furthermore in an act of defiance iran is carried by a barrel of simple packaging the us the nor are insane nations in saudi arabia which are of the biggest in stations and and from which the nine p. para sent over saudi oil exports are loaded. what do you think about that john my before we go to the break here i mean is is this what you think this is plausible that the sanctions will actually work or are really right this is just a political move in washington to please the israelis and please the republican electorate well i'm puzzled by it because the thing is if iran isn't selling its oil to the european union it will be selling it to somebody else that person will then need to import less oil from elsewhere and that will be freed up for the europeans i mean oil is pretty much oil and so if the same amount is going into the world market the same coming out i don't see that a whole lot has been achieved now if you get into a scenario where they start trying to stop arabian oil exports altogether and then

the iranians might want to tap saudi oil fields this gives the west a big incentive for a preemptive attack if the temperature around that show and i know john let me go to a short break i'll go right back to you after the short break i'm sure schoenberg will continue our discussion on the future of red state with our team.

if.

the and if you see. the future of. welcome back to cross talk you know about to mind you were talking about the oil embargo to be imposed on iraq just so. you can see. how can i go back to john in ottawa i mean we hear in mainstream media and politicians like to use only the term carrot and stick as if iran is a donkey or something like that but this carrot and stick approach has never worked it hasn't worked for thirty years why do you think it's going to work now. oh it won't work this is just the way that western diplomats talk to justify not taking

effective action. so john when we had it would be what would be effective actually going to war is that effective i think that's going to have to happen look mom would want to bring the hidden even out of a well by doing something spectacular and destructive to enemies of islam and this is what motivates him this is a crisis not of the old soviet leadership who for all their misdeeds were at least atheist so they believe that a nuclear war and death was an end in failure and many energy i think is dying in a nuclear war for allah will get him to paradise what incentive do you have to bring to bear on him what carrot can you offer him to compare with us so you have to be prepared to stop his military efforts if i can say to him if he does something really dangerous ok later go ahead please do. then he has never said that he wants to die in a nuclear attack this is absolutely not true this is the kind of thing we heard from the ill informed irresponsible republican nominees like michele bachmann.