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russia's foreign minister says the libyan scenario of foreign intervention risk being repeated in syria as a case is built against the assad regime to justify external military action. a fresh wave of downgrades sweeps across the struggling euro zone six nations get their debt ratings all this while greece faces further bailout hurdles from the e.u. despite its latest harsh austerity plan. russia's military predicts the west might decide on a strike against iran before summer is clouds gather over to run following israel's accusations the islamic state was behind monday's attacks on diplomatic personnel.

nine pm in moscow i matras a good to have you with us here on r t our top story this hour russia's foreign minister says there is significant risk the libyan scenario of foreign intervention could be repeated in syria sergey lavrov lavrov warned that a case is being built against the damascus regime that could be used to justify external military action for more on this i'm joined from the hague by our t.s.a. jaeger a piskun on. so sort of made the comments during his trip to the netherlands can tell us more about what he said. well our the foreign ministers also criticized the recent proposal needed by the west to put together the so-called group of friends of syria because according to this project such a group would even cooed members and representatives of the syrian opposition and not of the authorities which is according to moscow not a productive approach in the situation i said you know our office said that the

international community has all we need quite enough efforts to prevent the syrian opposition from having peaceful dialogue among the soon enough stories while russia stand still for peaceful communication for talks between both sides of this conflict. so you are also reminded that the syrian i thought these are ready for this dialogue president assad as you can authorize the vice president of syria to talk with the opposition so it's kind of now the turn of the opposition to to make the next move and start talking with the authorities at the same time as foreign minister also said that it's really unclear who controls these armed groups within the so-called opposition which is also quite divided into the areas groups some of them are quite hostile and in fact are militants so it's not uniquely of

who controls them another issue touched the ball on by the russian foreign minister is the recent proposal by the arab league to deploy u.n. peacekeepers into syria and the foreign minister said that this proposal has to be dealt with quite a lot of attention because it is a complicated matter and the most important thing about it is that deploying any peacekeeping contingent into any country has to be supplied. added by the end of the receiving side he said meaning syria of course and in this case it means that it has to be confirmed and welcomed by the authorities and the opposition which brings us again to the matter of a desperate need of dialogue between both sides of this conflict and another matter is that if such a peacekeeping contingent would have been deployed in syria one of the tasks for it

would be protecting civilians and we do remember another mission to protect civilians which was the and we did and just wired spiraled totally out of control kind of went for beyond that just protecting civilians and basically. as the foreign minister said once again the many western countries just took one side of the conflict and that's what moscow doesn't want to see happening in syria and so you are also said that moscow thinks the most optimal decision right now at this moment concerning syria is not to start some new mission of peacekeepers to deploy peacekeeping contingents into the country but actually to resume the observing mission previously conducted by the arab league but currently frozen especially in light of this so you know i thought he's giving the green light to have more

observers in syria even in the more hostile spieth so they can see what they're all know is what's happening there so that's according to the foreign minister the more rightful thing to do at the moment concerning this conflict there all right. thanks very much for that update. syria's opposition says the rest of city of homs has come under some of the heaviest shelling yet from government forces rebels claim around four hundred people have been killed in several days of an intensified assault syrian authorities blame violence on armed terrorists operating within the city with al qaeda now adding to the increased turmoil the country there are fears syria could soon plunge into sectarian chaos as r.t. sorry for it explains. the predominantly christian town of million lives in the syrian mountains it's even here in this. place and the signs of the patronizing conflict that is tearing apart much of the country right now the creeping in and

the sense of the baiting hangs heavy locals tell us they don't travel out of this area much think they long to feel it's safe we speak to the nuns at the monastery here they tell us about the town's preservation of the ancient aramaic language and like their cherished tongue they hate the fine balance of religious groups in the country can be kept even in these difficult times we have been living here with all people regardless of their religion in the city in peace for a long time. back in the center and damascus is known as a melting pot of religions a sense allawi sector a minority in the country but despite making up around just twelve percent of the take to population and always have occupied elite positions in the government and the military for decades and now there are fears that resentments among the majority muslim sunni facts could or ups the country that until this crisis break out was religiously divesting intolerance now the kind the increasingly polarized

genuine fears that just where these divisions that might lead his a sectarian tensions being further exploited have been staked by the emergence of an al qaeda video link the holy war over through the assad regime violence is just not going to end we see it happening and iraq neighboring iraq sectarian violence that is catastrophic and nobody is reporting on that the reporting on syria and they're not focusing on the potential problems that syria could lead into another iraq on the streets through an increasingly desperate population has called for help in whatever form it comes as long as it stops the violence there's little time for them to think about long carrying rifts was many of them worrying about daily survival anyone who. we are with you to hear to see or anyone over there so for the sort of. yes i do on in syria right now the split still

largely remains along political lines that there's concern that as this increasingly bloody conflict continues it could turn into a sectarian one as well. r.t. damascus syria. for more on the situation in syria i'm joined by sharmeen our one year middle east expert and senior associate at st anthony's college oxford so russia has warned of a repeat of the libyan style intervention in syria despite diplomatic efforts of moscow and beijing not to allow that via the un charter likely do you think it is that that may happen. you know i think i'm concerned about the discourse on syria i think we start at the wrong starting point there's so much escalation of rhetoric . going on and i think you know the main thing to look at is that syria sits at a geo political fault line in the middle east and is at the center of. the struggle for the balance of power in the region. it's it's one of the few countries that

has experienced revolts in the region where people are actually discouraging for discussions or dialogue and negotiations i think what we first need to look at is what is actually happening in syria you know video photographs being beamed outside satellite pictures inside iraq. and i think you know to take a step back we have to look at you know aside from the escalation of violence in recent days. has it been a humanitarian crisis i think an international human humanitarian law there are two issues that we need to look at one is the principle of necessity did the government use force unnecessarily and i would certainly argue that in the first few days. the first few months of the uprisings it did and then there is the principle of proportionality you know is the government using disproportionate force there are two thousand dead syrian soldiers in eleven months. we we know that there are over

five thousand dead civilians though if you look closely at those lists it may actually be a mix of her regime civilians as well as anti regime civilians you know are some of these people gunmen who have been shot and are wearing civilian clothing we have to examine the discourse on syria far more seriously before we start taking measures against it and open the road and create a space around syria so there can be negotiation dialogue and debate it concerns me for instance the arab league monitoring mission the report they did was completely ignored by the international media and. even those affixed to the un security council documents nobody nobody shown a spotlight on it and the mission report actually tells us you know of different things. it's a counter narrative almost to the various narrative swirling about syria and i

think these things need to be considered before we start talking about further measures. and inciting. you know opposition groups and you know putting them in harm's way quite frankly moscow also says the syrian opposition is fragmented and it's difficult to say who controls these armed groups that the regime says is go or going around the country causing unrest so who do you think there is to talk to along the syrian rebels whose leadership. well i don't think that's altogether clear and that's part of the problem you know we just don't know enough about theory and what's going on in there the media certainly isn't asking questions and the dominant narrative that defines the discourse on syria today absolutely doesn't ask questions will not shine a light on what's going on inside so so i think you know i think organically some will emerge there is there are various opposition groups within syria there are various committees and locally based groups we're not engaging any of these people

and we're just pushing narratives that serve various parties political purposes. all right we have to leave it there sharmeen our wanny middle east specialist thanks very much for your insight. thank you. dead are an easy u.s. suffered another blow from ratings agencies moody's downgraded the debt ratings of six states including vulnerable portugal italy and spain this is the bloc struggles to prevent greece from default by offering bailouts in return for more austerity as r.t.g. can reduce reports greeks increasingly feel the measures may only make things worse . the system on the sea m.p.'s drowned out the pleas of tens of thousands of demonstrators masters in the short passing another round of them popular. the results proved incendiary.

that uganda protests turned violent as protesters including fringe and the kids clashed with police again leaving their mark on athens. today on this is the remnants of public anger the glass is the only thing that's being broken as government increasingly popular austerity cuts will be left to see who can they trust their interest in them as a. part of the poor people especially. and this is the reason that we feel. it today and i think more measures have been taken and it's not going to work in philly another bill. and. our i hope for the best but i don't see it coming. under pressure from brussels berlin and the international monetary fund the greek government has cut more jobs and slashed funding for the nation's pensions a minimum wage policy appears to mainly expose those most vulnerable to crisis

conditions is a mindset some feel is doomed to fail we already have destroyed the whole generation of young people and their dreams destroyed. infrastructure of the country we know that it is. a piece there that we have now signs that these illegal or old news. we cannot continue like that because the policy that the government is following actually increases the day instead of finding a solution at the heart of activists claims is their assertion that they've known austerity for the best part of five years now and that time taxes have risen incomes have fallen but the country's deficit only seems to grow and in this austerity cycle is something sought by an increasing number despite the turmoil the governor warms will follow but what is a bad system is the break up the idea exactly even more.

going to come the only way out of this point is the default default is going to be very tough for us but there's going to be a better solution than the slow death for now relative calm has returned to the streets of athens smashed buildings have been patched up signs of damage swept away . but the simmering discontent hasn't been almost forced medicine appears to bring nothing but pain many are continuing their cool for terms of treatment greece athens. for more insight on the story i'm joined by economist ario claimer from erasmus university in rotterdam so the e.u. says the group says greece won't get the ballot until it implements the agreed measures but they take time and the default is a looming as early as march why is there no rush in europe when greece is closer to

ever closer rather to default than ever i think that they're preparing for the falls is angel to doing is slowly but surely sort of preparing the public is the default is imminent and in the not too unavoidable we saw the european commissioner is crucial already saying as much in the dutch media and so we hear it from even those sources like i.m.f. so i think this is situation really it's just unsustainable the greek economy is suffering too much the measures only seem to make it worse the greek and also living up to the agreements they signed this is not a system situation we're going to go on for very long the socialist group in the european parliament is going to send a quote alternative troika to athens to offer greece their anti-crisis plan but do you think greece has any real choice at this stage and do you think they can accept

another plan when it's also halfway into the second ballot. yeah there is i'm very much in favor of an alternate plan and blenders more focusing on the existing in the future rather than breaking it down but that just seems to be destroyed she recalled of the cold turkey approach to the degree from. v.t. that's the same thing about existing and eyes he goes over you have to be seen but that's the great in the end have to determine that they have to get out of the euro because that's is still the best way not a perfect way but it's still the best way available for them to recover reasonably soon and also this will drag on for years and keep them stuck in the markets for all that time notify us minister of luxemburg said greece will have to leave the euro zone if it fails to meet its obligations but greece is hardly alone in these problems today we have news that portugal's economy has entered a double dip recession so do you think this is just another sign of

a north south divide among european economies yeah and what i think is going to happen it is the small countries will direct you know europe project don't it is going to cause the logs to first of course deal with the greece situation has caused the real laws in portugal and ireland also but even in a moment. will be us maybe it's early and it's going to cost too much so i appreciate you serious trouble and hence of course the leaders will say that everything with time that is what they have to say to move reassure us that there is no question about the euro project but as i can. see in science instead of in need certain circles there's real plenty of osa how long they can keep these up and greece had had to survive a huge st anger to agree on this bailout package and there are political tensions within the parliament there over the conditions laid down by the e.u.

so why do you think it's so committed to staying in the euro zone and suffering all the slings and arrows. that is always a problem in. europe these answers a big gap between the governess those who govern and over and listen to the actual all over europe. europe is really a project of those who go often and count make sure it's the connection with the people is sort of far off. the greeks however and as has to be clearly understood the greeks the people want to stay in europe why because they distrust those who govern that is a big gap between doesn't a great deal of distrust in the hope that europe sort of talk some sense into their country but i wonder how long they are willing to do this interventions in europe imposes snow on them and when this sort of revenge is also turning against europe so i i feel that every day the situation is getting more hopeless and something has

to happen and finally briefly who do you think has the better side of an argument than the people or the government well the people are not always very rational i mean they have debts to deal with and they have to change their heads they can't go on like this and they're just defending of course rights that they have earned over the years but i think they're also something right about them it's you said especially people who are weak who are suffering very much and the government cannot take care of it does and i think also it's right that they receive this inquisition of these kind of harsh new and liberal. intervention and that doesn't give them much space to greece and this whole day witness on the streets in their own businesses so yeah it is certain i think it is good to use to listen to these people trying to and i learn a lot from them right economist ario claimer from arise miss universe and rotterdam

thanks for your perspective. later today we'll bring you a unique take on europe's debt crisis in the kaiser report here's a quick look. here some images from athens is that from two thousand and nine two thousand and ten two thousand and eleven or two thousand and twelve can you tell the tear gas by any other year is still a sweet greeks approved tombstone austerity deal with troika so we see over and over there's a great deal there is not a great deal there's a great deal there's not a great deal you. on again off again there is a deal now there is not were german we're crazy we're trying to milk you dry and still the elegant marbles but the u.k. already stole them. as international pressure is mounting on iran russia's military has assessed the

probability of a western strike against the islamic republic as being high concerns of pending military action grew after israel blamed tehran for two bomb attacks on its diplomatic staff on monday and today's blasts in bangkok are peter all over has more. the chief of staff of the russian armed forces said on tuesday that he thinks a plan for a western attack on iran could be in place by the summer of this year and he's basing that statement on the fact that since the arab spring started a year ago russia has been monitoring the area of the wider middle east very closely enough to looking at the findings from that monitoring this is what he's come up with now and this comes just a day after two israeli diplomats were targeted with car bombs in the capitals of georgia and india now the bomb in georgia was able to be defused however in india that car bomb exploded very very close to the residence of the prime minister of india and injured several people now israel was very very quick to point the finger

of blame for those attacks at teheran despite terror experts looking at the findings and coming up with saying all those pretty much no evidence that was behind those attacks this is all really part of the ongoing blame game between tel of the terror on the iranians claim that the israelis have been behind a two year campaign of assassinations on their nuclear scientists well on tuesday in bangkok what we've seen is a rainy unmanned taken into custody by type police after an explosion two explosions in bangkok injured several people there now it's really media very very quick to point the finger of terror towards that iranian man who's being detained there so this is all part of as i say a blame game that's ongoing between tel of eve and terror on great americans up next what are the latest business news stay with us.

oh welcome to business here in r.t. thanks for joining me also the world's largest diamond mining output may sell a forty percent stake in an i.p.o. the flotation of the state owned company may take place in the second half of this year demand for diamonds has been picking up in asia and the united states i was his main competitor did beers reported twenty seven percent increase in earnings for two thousand and eleven the russian company itself is expected to show a similar growth in sales you evolve from numbers bank says that the stock will be a unique opportunity to invest directly into the diamond this. from the company is in no hurry to attract money from the market but probably the i.p.o. for old also is a question of. trade in russia overall the size of that is going to be a. one billion dollars it will give floored comparable to other

russian metals and mining stocks are usually after a public offering companies are becoming more transparent more would say friendly to the public overall and to investors. well in terms of business and business development i don't think that will change. let's have a look at the markets now exchange rates for us the euro is trading lower against both the dollar and the do or the ruble that's up to being down and early asian trading due to waiting downgrades by moody's the move by the rating agency also weighs on the ruble which is seeing moderate losses against the u.s. so european markets pulled back in a choppy session and closed in the red bank's minors and drug makers were weighing on the mood investors were cautious ahead of the eurozone finance ministers meeting on wednesday to prove a second bailout for greece. here in russia markets close mixed with the markets pointing up and the r.t.s. ending in the red last. index of all of us otherwise x.

. is around one point two percent of the company plans to invest twenty nine billion dollars in field development in the caspian sea by two thousand and twenty five need to be banked reversed early a law says and that point four percent and truck maker come ons with among the main gainers room was made a deal with dime that maksim sashing call from or else it wraps up the day it's. the metal sector is all performing you know sunshiny from banks are going through a wall selected the world. continues to do mostly. you know the sentiment in the more could. you know trained great you appreciate. in low volumes really subdued will probably continue. but you can find more stories on our website r.t. dot com thanks for watching.