syrian regime further calls for military intervention and threats of sanctions seen by many in syria as obstacles on the path to a possible political solution to the crisis. the man behind one of the largest leaks of u.s. army data set to go on trial but critics of the process say it's just a ploy to cover government crimes. election fever gripping rush ahead of the presidential vote as mass rallies engulfed the capital the largest demonstration seeing a one an estimated one hundred thousand people supporting current prime minister vladimir putin. israel dismisses global concerns over a potential military escalation in the dispute with iran saying it alone will decide whether to launch a strike on the islamic republic. up next to damascus to discuss the ongoing political crisis in syria with alexei pushkov head of russia's foreign affairs committee.

could you tell us about the purpose of your visit just syrian. the main objective of my visit to syria is to see the situation firsthand he said as you know the russian state duma issued a statement on the situation in syria ten days ago speaking strongly against outside interference in syria's affairs and against the un and its security council siding with one of the parties in this civil conflict i do think that we also believe that the syrian government should not be the only side obliged to lay down their weapons and that we armed groups of opposing the government should do the same and my task here is to conduct negotiations with the representatives of the authorities and the opposition to get a clearer picture of the situation and to give a report to the chairmen and deputies of the state duma thirty members as you know russians closely follow the situation in syria despite all the heated arguments in

view of the upcoming presidential election of united russia for the ruling party and the opposition spoke in unison on this matter are there some other news too i don't rule out the possibility that the state duma will revisit the issue perhaps more than once. during your meeting with president you pointed out that russia supports going to reform in syria and it was as foreign intervention in syria's affairs will moscow stand the strain you're seen how would you comment on the recent statements by the secretary and treasurer a lot of the arab league below are a moscow and be a natural science that their position might. you know the most. obviously we're going to get off the statement made by the arab league's representative expresses nothing but his own opinion and so far i see nothing that could make moscow in

beijing will change the firm stance on the issue expressed in the recent vote on the resolute. on syria in which they called for urging both sides of the conflict to stop using force rather than only the pro regime forces because i think we currently have every reason to believe the russian delegation will continue its attempts to persuade the outside government to adjust their approach was there with respect to the use of military force when dispersing opposition groups on the other hand those with the ability to influence the armed groups should use it to ensure the violence is not regarded as the only way out of the conflict. scenario we have to avoid is this sort of if driven by some factors the outside government decides to restrict the use of force and the other side should not be able to use it to their advantage to me this is happened before when the government troops were

ordered back to the barracks at the request of the arab league during the work of its mission from the ashes the rebel groups used the opportunity to mount an offensive i think it's impossible to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict to the school on that basis that it's and there was more. muscular issues general ford and i were friends of syria in tunisia. what do you expect from that. yeah the. last of the shows through with of some i think moscow refused to take part in that meeting because judging by the statements we've heard in the format of the so-called friends of syria club it will soon be formed with the sole purpose of that conference is not to find a way out of the current situation but to promote the idea that the conflicts can only be resolved if i sadly it is i have met with mr assad himself the foreign

minister of a parliamentary speaker and with representatives of two opposition organizations i have to say that i did not get the impression that it is the people versus i sat in this conflict line and the situation is different because there are a faction of the people is indeed opposing the regime while the other support mr assad has some quite actively right of while yet another faction does not want syria to fall into chaos or to force a support the regime passively you are clearly not on the side of armed insurgents or the fish like you they do not support the i.j.a. of outside interference you know the situation therefore is not simple it's not black and white nor scenario where a whole nation rises up to overthrow governments they don't like civil society though i can even quote one of the opposition representatives that i met with so they believe that the situation cannot be resolved without the regime being

involved and they believe that there has to be part of the solution the arab league believes the current regime should be torn down over the city in the same time they make no suggestions about how events should develop after that will replace the current regime believe me the armed insurgents who have been stepping up their efforts to topple the regime chester and he the efforts are supported by foreign states or both arms shipments and i believe financially look at youth and there will be a third party as we have learned for example of illusions are not. i mean people that start the. peaceful protests in syria but then there was quite a large scale demonstration in damascus on saturday have big goals but it happens quite often that the people's protest is taken over by others they would have very little interest in democracy or the protesters initial goals and it's just a couple of very strange outside pressure on syria's ruling regime is spearheaded

by countries that in fact undemocratic at the moment when representatives of the gulf monarchies which as far as i know do not have a single democratic institution start complaining about our sons regime being undemocratic and if there is i believe that undermines the political and moral legitimacy and i would say of the friends of syria is it a club of syria's friends or a club of people who want bashar assad gone that is the question we have to ask a little don't fully answer which to me is quite obvious must have been the reason that moscow chose not to take part in the conference monarchy pursued schools and health. of the what do you think military intervention realistic option and what countries that support the syrian opposition.

they're going to go if they're going all the muscular from the meetings i attended into masochists i got the impression that there is no such thing as a united syrian opposition there is the syrian national council with its seat in istanbul which opposes the very idea of negotiating with the regime a show newsroom it seems this council was created specifically to promote the idea of military intervention as a sort of however according to other syrian opposition organizations it has very little influence in syria and is very weakly represented on syria's political scene as these. it is only one of the opposition groups comprised of syrians now have no influence or presence in the country there are other groups each one viewing itself as the most significant but again according to a representative of the opposition these organizations have no control over the

whole insurgency going to the for instance syria has so-called protest committees and some of these aren't connected to any opposition groups of what will they have their own agenda so they demand that the regime change its policies they demand emote prosy and free elections are they do not necessarily identify themselves with specific opposition movements in other words the opposition is very fragmented their goals are different some groups believe in talks with the regime others think it pointless with a view that some believe the constitution would offer some grounds for political evolution and syria to dismiss others as i think the constitution will be worth less than the paper it's printed on some believe the elections go hard to organize could take place us got the others say lections with us sat in power would be pointless. that was a would inevitably be rigged by the regime in conditions such as these when there

was no single force that the regime could negotiate with your state is quite hard to open a national dialogue i have not met with members of the armed groups so i cannot convey their position to u.t.c. but as i see the opposition groups active in syria those represented into mask is are against the idea of military intervention of the libyan scenario is not popular here even those groups that want to side go on but you do not support the idea of foreign military intervention and they believe the libyan scenario would result in chaos and loss of control. they insist that syria is different from libya in that the foundation for democracy has been laid there that the authorities have a concept of democratic procedure with them i think that these groups want to deal with syria's internal affairs on their own to deal with it at the same time they are desperate to a point because the situation feels like

a dead end i mean the authorities are pursuing their own goals. the armed opposition force use its own goals and it's very hard to upset this negative stability as i would call it i think in order to begin a political process that would change the regime and at the same time reconcile the regime with syrian society. was that it was. designed to keep you in your our world as a prison. no you leave somebody in there for

a couple hours like. you have this fear of the unknown and this stress sort of building and. interrogations go on ten twelve hours they chose songs i remember from marilyn manson. slayer. would be angel of death and blood. goes or more coming up here into iraq. charlie poole of the body which is the rock n roll band it was fitting for the job we were doing.

was. wrong and. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then. you hear or see some other part of it and realize everything. i'm charging is a big picture. the

. mission. couldn't take three days for chargers three arrangements three. three stooges three. old free broncos loaded video. of free media. tightening their new so out of the syrian regime further calls for military intervention and threats of sanctions seen by many in syria as obstacles to the popular possible political solution to the crisis. and. the man behind one of the

largest leaks of u.s. army data set to go on trial critics of the process say it's a boy to cover up government. election fever gripping russia ahead of the presidential polls mass rallies engulf the capital the largest demonstration see an estimated one hundred thousand supporting current prime minister vladimir putin. israel dismissing global concerns over a potential military escalation in a dispute with iran saying it alone will decide whether to launch a strike on islamic up. next with all the latest sports news stay with us here on r.t. . hello welcome to the sports here is what's coming up. full steam ahead jersey chris sarra i want to look at my cheap signs to go in search of goals in bilbao they told me i

lost sixteen spots in the europa league. while forgive and forget manager roberto mancini is ready to bring back call us to his match this is talk of double up the thrashing you wrote me. on these quarters this almost zero thrashing him beyond cost to reach the last eight boss he pulls you ready. first a football and your sorrow wants his side to go out and score goals as lot of moscow are inspiring this thursday night to take on a spot in the last sixteen of the right to league well the row i meant take a two one first leg lead into the ties but is there and doesn't want his side to just settle drawled while fellow russian side will be imprisoned need to overturn a warning no first like deficit in greek side olympiacos all those games are among fifteen second legs taking place this thursday elsewhere athletico madrid has not zero already three one up and i guess manchester united have a to nil advantage of time to act united will be without an ill way rooney and

strong focus on is taking nothing for granted obvious thing is there was a goal. complacency. or we're going to try and avoid done so we have to try to you know ruin. them to make sure that we're really all motivated to win the game. for me my rivals much to city are the first team through to the last sixteen up to beating defending champions porto four nil at the end he had stadium to go three six one on aggregate and afterwards manager roberto mancini said carlos tevez could be playing for the side again within three weeks after the striker apologized for his three month exile from the club tommy based around cheney who set his eyes on the europa league and english premier league double. or you know it's not there is it is we want to do it i want to try to go in there finally. it will be difficult because you are a body player. like you're my shark. is that like jump your

leg for this reason would be difficult but we want to drive off the mark as primitive you are on the top of it for the next thirteen games. well maybe not in the champions league on wednesday balls will start and four time winners by and munich one in switzerland substituted balloting stockinette if that were not four minutes from time to give the swiss side a slim advantage for the return leg in the last sixteen and elsewhere masai keep more pressure on the coach claudio ranieri having an injury time when i beat him to milan one nil. for me while back in russia we needed three each have made an offer to take russia strike out and they are shoving on loan from also the thirty year old has failed to secure a starting place for the guns this season and scored twice for the reserves it gets norrish this week arshavin spent eleven years with an age before his move to england however any deal would have to be settled by friday when the russian transfer window closes. and in the meantime the russian national beach book board c

have won the payne cup adding to the world championship grand they won last year what has been a rapid rise to the top for a nation hardly known for its beaches so rich example to point out the success. despite being under a blanket of snow for around six months of the year russia has a beach soccer team which is the envy of the world where countries like brazil portugal and spain have all year round access to the beach it's the russians who are leading the world culminating in variable cup win in italy last year i believe brazil were an incredibly strong side five or so years ago but over the last couple of years in russia a lot of indoor beach soccer stadiums have been built and we have caught up with the rest of the world and surpass them before two thousand and seven russia had only qualified for beach soccer world cup in one occasion however since then the countries developed into the world's top sides and the owner of this also russia's captain says before the governing body should take a lot of credit for rapid roys. beach soccer has developed in russia at

a phenomenal speed the russian football union are right behind us and they've been absolutely fantastic in supporting us and all the support helped us to be crain world champions which is the highest honor we could have the russian team has also been helped by having a very stable scored which is also incredibly talented but the last five years or so this so-called golden generation has grown in strength and confidence over the last few years and it's now one of the world's very best beach soccer teams the fact that russia had won the beach soccer world cup was hardly reported in russia however the goalkeeper i'm able to reach the say is the team is now getting more coverage in the press. with every year every month and every turn around the passes more people are starting to write about us but if i'm going to be brutally honest beach soccer is a show. another reason for russia's rapid rise is a fact but the vast majority of the squad are now professional gone are the days

when players would have to work as taxi drivers or managers in order to supplement their income also russian clubs are able to compete. with europe's very balanced but these teams are also importing top players from countries like brazil and portugal which helps raise the level of sport in the country. i would see eighty percent of the russians quarter professionals the majority of the squad play for the locomotive side which is form two years ago and also play for the national side of the russian big shocker scientists going from strength to strength and is now by far the most successful team from a country competing in any world wide fee for tournament but may not be as famous as it counterparts for the likes of underage shannon roman publishing co haven't won a world cup yet from russia's big shocker players will be now aiming to retain their world crown jahi tee next. richard pombo fleet r.t. moscow. basketball now and have become the first team to reach the yearly quarter

finals after thrashing olympiakos ninety six points to sixty four here in moscow to secure their berth in the next stage with a game to spare what i got knew a win would see them finish top of group a and never looked like squandering their chance taking an early ten nothing leave for finding itself twenty eight points up by half time then chaos did respond to produce and even third period that rounded off an easy win and they didn't save it top scoring with fifteen points and his team just needs to keep taking one game at a time i think it's going to look about the future ok so maybe or maybe over the game thinking values for a week or with players in just for me one thing good practice made it in the right side of the sierras furnished extra pressure. on me while got a chance or i are also in and moved a step closer to the quarter finals with an sixty four fifty six istanbul davi win

over and i do and their dollar essays effectively knocking your face out of the competition while got a tosser i need to be telling me all cos next weekend to go straight. and tell. i want to ask a scieno all but mathematically assured of a place in the last eight despite a sixty two fifty nine point defeat to spanish side that bilbo want to bust his leading scorer which thought he's one of the game when he scored with seconds left . the last laugh with a buzzer beating shot. on the cross the atlantic n.b.a. sensation jeremy lin is on the rough hold ahead of his meeting with twice season's most valuable player le bron james the new york knicks travelled to the leading miami heat on thursday the florida club is on a seven game winning streak but lin is happy to have teammate calm alonso return from going injury and the n.b.a.'s first american of taiwanese descent is raring to go against king james. brown is a great player and a great great defender so you know he's going to be aggressive into not changing.

how they're a good defensive team in we're going to need to be you know a playmaker and score. man it switched to i thought you were tesco moscow have grabbed the last spot in the k h l playoffs despite second coach just hours before losing one nil the city rivals the number well he's trying to get us to say it was swifty promoted to take over the army top the fail to make an instant impact the moment caught up with the winner halfway through the final period a slippery slope to the park. storming into the postseason also sweep through to other results going their way from the night. in winter sports now snowboarder katherina to the gusher is on course to retain her overall world cup title after the russian claimed her first win of the season at the parallel slalom event in canada well you couldn't see much on the stoneham slopes due to heavy fog but low visibility didn't stop to get that attracts the twenty four year old came an almost

half a second ahead of the markets in the big final at gold making it for the united nations this season and it was also enough to propel to get to the top of the overall standings however her question is slim over but i see a come up of switzerland and there are three more slalom events left on the circuit the next stop during moscow on march the third. of now and the race for the world number one spot has been thrown wide open after top ranked luke donald went crashing out of the w.j.c. much play championship in arizona leaving fellow englishman lee westwood and northern ireland's rory mcilroy both in the chance of going top however both would need to win the event to do so donald struggled for most of the day though this effort on the fourth was a rare moments of brilliance. only the third top seeds to exit the first round in the event history sunday beaten by ernie els five and for the south african working the greens and new to play for westwood east past belgian nikolai call says three

and one and u.s. open champion mcelroy defeated george gets a two hour ride to the events from under a stunning upset tiger woods was. useable and to the end howard is finding it had his nose in front with four holes to go but the american former world number one meant to come back to when their final. however down and open champion darren clarke they both went at. the back and that's all the bison.

more news today violence has once again flared up. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of kenya that. operations are over they.

are. tightening the noose around the assad regime further calls for a military invasion and threats of sanctions seen by many in syria as obstacles on the path to a possible political solution to the crisis will be there.