in media but in that helps downplay the role that saudi arabia kuwait another country great democracies by the way in the middle middle east during the arab spring the role that they're playing there and again it seems to me it's a domino thing it's all about iran it has nothing to do about democracy it has nothing to do about civil liberties it has nothing to do about human rights it has nothing to do with the syrian people it's just that it's leverage to get out there go after hezbollah to go after iran and that's why you know we have al qaeda in the united states on the same side in syria amazing geopolitics i think just on the sectarianism aspect i think that tends to get played up in the absence of politics i don't think there's any fundamental political divides between a lot of these different kind of sectarian groups and i think ultimately does speak to a certain lack of a certain lack of shared ideas or a sense of really what they're trying to come together and achieve so i mean i think sectarianism can be overplayed a lot i think there's an interesting there's

a lot of scaremongering at the moment about the al-qaeda elements in syria and the syrian army. starts both from assad and also kind of from the west as. well so i think actually that does tend to be scaremongering these things can be a good place to stay with you let me stay with you i mean if you're saying that scaremongering this is internationalizing it ok and this again is what we heard assad must go because when you say when the united states says when britain says when france says or somebody has to go they have to go don't they internationalizing it bringing in the al qaeda element. helps make that happen. well yes of course i think that's true and i think we saw with what we saw with the un security council china and russia vetoed the resolution and now it seems like it's going to go to the general assembly again it seems like they're going to try to have combinations of assad's britain and france are talking about working

together to find ways of helping the free syrian army they're just trying to boycott the process because it didn't work for them it's the same that you see of a lot of kind of global elites where when they don't get their own way they just try and find alternative ways to meddle this thing happening for quite a long time in syria remember the arab league which is not hardly made up of great democratic countries themselves and we have bahrain which at the moment is cracking down on the hospitals for protests the range of protesters is just completely ignored by the west i mean i feel very sorry for the bahraini people because you know they have suffered some hideous crackdowns over the past year and that is just ignored because it's not in their interest to bring that to the fore have to say what is the other aspect that you really see here are other kind of external agents kind of brought in like the international atomic energy agency which is built into syria which no one thinks realistically has nuclear weapons but is brought in in

a way to get people on the ground and to meddle and put the pressure on and to meddle in a sovereign countries affairs now that's not something america would ever tolerate america would never tolerate another country going in and saying all of you know we want to crack down on fire you have the death penalty you know there's no respect for national sovereignty in this region a tool ok i think to that extent. neo colonialism where the west is basically saying that these countries are unable to govern their own people we need to come in and teach them how to do democracy ok hurry problem i mean what occurred now it why i tend to agree with you patrick because the more there is these creeping in interventions into into syria and we know that from from lebanon there are arms going in. to syria right now that's been established ok and it's and is this is another mission creep here i mean once this whole process of regime change and that's the ultimate goal right here it's just going to it won't go through the united nations they'll be a coalition of the willing and then western powers and their friends in the church

and the chattering league or the arab league as it's officially known will support that. term neo colonialism. you know i will say and i'll pretty pretty directly admit one of the one of the worst parts of course with the united states' involvement in iraq was. well there are lots of problems that we could talk about of course but one of the most important problems was that it. did for the near future the idea of intervening even when it's appropriate. you know i don't even want to use the term regime change because the sort of baggage that carries along but i don't think because there was those sorts of strategic ideological concerns of the rock that it needs to be necessarily made that that's what the united states and other countries are talking about now i don't think this i don't think talk about intervention in the syrian context needs to be the same sort of conversation i don't think it necessarily is neocolonialism that we're talking about but having said that i think we can use the the iraq context to bring up

a really important point here which is of course one of the big problems with that in the very recent history was fairly poor planning in terms of what happens after the fall of the regime one of my big concerns right now with syria as much as i want to see some kind of involvement i think there's a real obsession with the fall of assad how do we bring down our side how do we make this regime fall how do we do this but there's not a whole lot of conversation about what comes after and peter you mentioned the sectarian question earlier i think this is a real concern for for syrian society whether bashar assad's regime comes down because of intervention or if it comes down at all and if it comes down just in terms of the civil war. we do have to be prepared for what's going to come afterward and i don't think the world is discussing that very much what's going to happen when we see it with the very real possibility of sectarian violence erupting between of course the sunni majority the i'm not alone

and everybody knows it's a region and i'm going to stay in the. all ok around me if i go to you. let's what's happening here how is it how is syria evolving and what are the new political realities that are possible with safe parent that equally there is a regime change and as either externally or internally what kind of syria is going to be left behind will it be very much divided will it be partitioned will you see outside powers and i'm thinking of iran i'm thinking of saudi arabia are they going to scramble for some kind of a more influence if this is a real fluid situation. well can i first just work on what. actually said. syria at the beginning of this revolution people were not calling for ranging change they were calling for reform what they got in reply security forces opening fire at civilians detaining them torturing them some to death that's

actually what happened it took about a month and ten days until the the ceiling of demands were raised to what is now the toppling of the assad regime the assad regime has continued to deny that they do this these u.n. syrian ambassador to the u.n. claims that they're actually protecting these demonstrations russia itself has called on the syrian regime to refrain from excessive use of force so i mean all parties here agree that the syrian regime is using excessive use of force is killing its own civilians i don't understand why we're talking about. an intervention would then would then effect on syria what that would have after effect that would have if the situation continues the way it continues it's going on now it's going to become much worse and then the likely possibility of an intervention at that stage would be a catastrophe but what we're asking for now is some solution for some sort of protection for the civilians we've seen a failure of that from from the international community we've seen

a failure in politics because countries like russia or china are supporting the syrian regime i think russia in particular and we've seen collision of statements between russia and between syria and don't understand why russia continues to support any theory obviously has passed libya it's called libya and respecting sovereignty how do you want to jump in there go ahead. yes i do you know rummy makes a good point that things are really bad right now there's a lot of violence going on and i want to make it clear i don't think concern for what might happen after the regime should necessarily be a reason to say we're going to wash our hands of the whole affair but what i what i do think needs to happen is a realistic assessment saying ok if the regime falls can it be worse than what's going on right now. and how how can the world be involved at this point don't wait until it's too late to see that it doesn't indeed get worse i think there needs to be a really proper realistic assessment done of how to help the situation after the

regime and how to be involved and i'm going to tell you gentlemen we've run out of time in the can we be very nice if the international community would talk to all syrians and see what they want many thanks to my guests today in washington london and in cairo and thanks to our viewers for watching us here at the scene in x. time and remember talking. to. my. old. technology innovation all the latest developments from around russia we've got the

future covered.

this syrian regime under siege from the un is the general assembly adopt a nine binding resolution but moscow well it's no saying opposition violence should be condemned as well. greece's next belo could be creeping closer despite the use ever mounting demands while some euro free countries are proving to be the real winners. and we look at why one of the premier putin's harshest critics blogger alexei of all media is being showered with praise by foreign media despite some of his controversial views.

eight pm in moscow i match president good to have you with us here on r t our top story the u.n. general assembly has adopted a non-binding resolution that turns up the heat on syrian president assad to step down russia was among twelve states voting against saying the draft fails to address the armed opposition moscow maintains the conflict should be solved by the syrian people without foreign pressure artie's marina portnoy has more from new york. this is very much a symbolic kind of message on the part of the international stage because you have an overwhelming majority of the u.n. members in the general assembly supporting a resolution that essentially endorses the arab league plan which calls for syrian president bashar al assad to step down it also condemns syrian authorities for violating human rights fundamental rape or freedoms and using force against

civilians it also calls for u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon to appoint an envoy to syria this text resolution condemns syrian authorities that the reason for all countries did not support this resolution is because they argue it's on balance most of those would be to go in order to resolve the syrian crisis there's a need to uphold principles to which no one seems to object so the violence must be stopped by all sides and this is serious solutions can only be found through an inclusive political process led by the syrians themselves today's arab league draft resolution on the situation in the syrian arab republic does not meet these criteria to a large extent it reflects the worrying trend that causes concern to attempt to isolate the syrian leadership reject contact with it and impose an external formula for a political settlement. but russia has in the past of course offered to facilitate

a dialogue between a syrian officials and representatives of the opposition groups to host those negotiations in moscow but now where you see the majority of the international community standing behind a plan that calls for president assad to step down the opposition groups will most likely not be running to a negotiation table with reports of ongoing violence in syria both sides of the conflict accusing each other of committing crimes activists say syrian troops are intensively shelling rebel held neighborhoods the government insists it's fighting an armed insurgency or he's worried if an ocean reports from the syrian capital. damascus one day two funerals the men in both coffins were killed fallen victim to the ongoing crisis in syria but at the hands of different sites. dick thirty seven reportedly received five bullets to his chest and his head has

become the first religious leader slain in the capital pronouncements those who knew him say the mom had tried to stay in the middle of the present crisis but couldn't help condemning the armed and to government forces that he blamed for bloodshed in his country i mean. i would like to go back a few months ago we had people saying words like freedom and peaceful where is the freedom if they simply kill those against them is this the freedom they wanted. a brutal irony that shakes addict himself was gunned down by those whose filer's he put himself against. he was killed because he was calling for reform and the end of clashes those who did it they only want chaos and more death. this is the message to all islamic leaders the word of truth may cost your life either you try to defend your country or stop the violence or stop bloodshed you are not safe if you

are saying the truth money people pay the price for truth he was one of them and. martyr for some a traitor for others an internet page of the opposition news network sharm gives a chilling picture of the hatreds driving the conflict in syria. he was killed and his soul was sent to hell this is what he deserves then people don't have political issues and on any side it is really a very deep crisis very very very little you will see me turn to a demonstration or a protest. that's exactly what happened at this funeral procession. those who gathered to pay tribute to. so did you and then to government protest had not only brought flowers and grief but also political slogans and demands. were afraid for our children and people and brothers and sisters. witnesses say the

bullets caught the young boy at the threshold of the mosque and his body fell inside we have in islam. full respect shown with four respect with holy mosques and we believe we have to avoid any kind of violence in mosques but unfortunately with this kind of crimes with this kind of dodgy the situation there is no hole in this for any god with violence causing even more violence syria seems to find itself in a vicious circle with little hope of finding a way out. very few notion r.t. damascus syria. a top u.s. intelligence official has admitted al qaeda is working alongside syria's armed opposition from the syrian social club per pro-government group thinks washington has realized it's actually fighting alongside a terrorist group. i never thought that the americans would want to publicly admit

that our is actually operating in syria what we know for sure is that. clear involvement had started with a videotape by amazon while hearing the head of al qaeda back in july calling for jihad in syria and nobody actually took notice that when the first suicide bombings in damascus took place there were less than twenty four hours before that huge explosions led by al qaeda in iraq they carried the same fingerprint now the american position is very interesting it just says that hang on a minute this is an enemy that we want to fight and suddenly they're operating in the same theater that we're trying to overthrow this government and perhaps it may signify that the americans are trying to understand what the syrian president had said previously or they might be tens of landslides in the in the region if they keep pressuring the syrian government i would say let the syrians sort this thing ourselves and do not interfere with us the more you interfere with us the longer

this takes on and the more bloodshed we will be seeing. well international pressure on syria grows it's over for a libya the country marks a year since the revolt against the khadafi regime celebrations though are tainted by ongoing gunfire in the streets and claims of torture. or rhetoric from the israeli government towards iran fails to convince many in israel about terrorism is indeed to make bread. but first greece is edging closer to its second ballot as the german chancellor is said to be optimistic that the deal could be reached next week. and leaders of italy and greece held a conference call ahead of monday's eurozone summit greek officials have already signed off on their creditors earlier conditions that include major budget and job cuts the move saw a violent protests though on the streets of athens eurozone leaders are demanding greater supervision of athens finances doubting the drastic measures can be implemented if greece doesn't get the hundred thirty billion euro rescue package it

will go bust in march when its next debt payments are due looking at greece's downward spiral some e.u. countries say they're glad they've decided to stay away from the euro as archy's tom barton reports. a day's shift nearly over for forty three year old team leader jimmy carlson lorries keep rolling off the production lines here at scan years main works but one dosed weeds know there's a crisis on their way to with on top of it so much but hard up in profit making health cars in fact scamming a was hit by the eurozone crisis when economic trouble loomed many laurie orders were canceled the black headlines came we have a crisis in the you will be you with maybe going down and so on and then our customers get very hesitant but the lorry maker like sweden overall recovered fast from the initial downturn and has so far managed to dogs much of the pain felt

further south in two thousand and three swedes shocked other e.u. members by voting against joining the euro it was just one factor which now sees the country with one of the world's lowest government debts and one of the healthiest looking economies in europe we have the most with pathetically changed our problems with the fiscal side so we don't have all those debt problems and budgetary problems that many other countries have but big debates lie ahead the rest of the u.s. still by far sweden's largest trading partner and here as elsewhere everyone is watching the embattled euro as a guide to their vote in a possible future referendum some put it simply mike economist rolf england who campaigned against the euro back in two thousand and three i think the euro will collapse before sweden will join the whereas around eighty percent of swedes say

they're glad they're not in the euro the figure is reversed for their politicians most europhiles and argue this crisis isn't the euro's fault it's about debt if you compare sweden which has been outside of the euro for just over ten years and fiddler which has been a member of the for the so poor we have more most identical you can already developments. both politicians and people here seem to think that there will be another referendum on joining the euro sooner or later but what their choice will be assuming there's still a euro left choose is anyone's guess. this is a swedish kronor coin it's become a symbol of that momentous no vote of swedish prosperity versus the chaos of the euro but sweden can't ignore that its economic and political fate is tied in extra to europe and as for predicting the future of the krona well political in

tom barton r.t. . as for us as presidential election draws closer the media hype around it seems to grow louder opposition water alexina valmy a harsh critic of white emir putin has emerged as a darling of the foreign media is praised for his anti-corruption campaigning but it's his radical views and nationalist comments that sometimes seem to get be getting glossed over as r.t.s. i nice and now reports that he's the anti corruption crusader making waves in and outside of russia for his push for transparency and exposing multi-billion dollar holes in state projects to a political phenomenon blow good opposition dolling alexei devalued the often gets glossy coverage and is rarely asked tough questions by international media whether comparing the vile need to julian asylums or calling him one of the most influential new political figures he's hardly challenge to prominently praised and

very present at the used production the movies of the very basis of the political system which would involve go he's not a score when speaking at rallies which have been at their biggest numbers in decades because it's got. him. you know these are good guys knows they're going to get going if you start with going to canada really don't because it's just nice popularity in major cities and on the web soars in comparison with the rest of russia it's good when you've got your foreign media coverage won't make him any more popular they keep writing about move on they but his recognition race in russia is only some three percent many russians who do know now barney do for his sometimes shocking nationalism. what if it was the words that dressed up as a dentist here he compares migrant workers to rotten teeth that need pulling out.

with little to do but i see and hear non. russian intruders to cockroaches smiling you'll need more than a sliver to kill them. and all the work i'm going to commit this but inside russia you find much more criticism of the blogger and his questionable connections to radicalism than abroad where it's usually buried barely mentioned or brushed off as a larger russian problem we tried calling contacting and finally caught up with not vide me but to no avail i didn't see it but i know that it was with that as the reason it was not with. the best and i sat at home with a good idea spying you know what you know it's not possible to know absolutely seconds later he did find time to tell russia's real news agency he's ignored by much of the russian press because that's what occurred to me because i was going to

go the focus of the system and what he was up there with seemingly more ready to speak ironically to non russian channels about the country's corruption problems and criticised buton and put forward a real solutions rather than how to make sure russia is for russians and he said now r t moscow. opposition members are being heaped with praise from abroad criticism piles up on the fast approaching presidential election in russia on our website r.t. dot com you can rebuy moscow has slammed a resolution from the european parliament that hits out of the vote even before it happened also electroshock weapon used to incapacitate criminals has killed hundreds of people over the last ten years in the u.s. alone find out more on controversial taser use at r t dot com.

the official. pulled from the. video. and. now in the palm of your. home it's been a year since the uprisings that brought down the current colonel moammar gadhafi regime in libya but with some former rebels armed to the teeth and still largely in power the country's future is in the balance he minorites groups say libyan

militias are out of control the interim government is either unwilling or unable to control them there is also evidence of the torture and abuse of khadafi supporters i mr nationals war in the armed groups pose a serious threat to democracy in libya there is one editor of an editor in chief of a pan african social justice network tells r.t. the situation is must much worse than it was during the khadafi regime. ever since the nato we invaded of libya that has being. close human rights violations is not just torture there is. indiscriminate killings there are extrajudicial killings there is summary execution even cuddle gaddafi. members of these fans who have been some really executed nobody has been brought to justice on the huge amount of arms that are being poured in night by france by the european.