to nuclear nonproliferation trying to name the regions of the countries where such a threat may be coming they also discussed such issues as the possibility of a compromise between russia and the west on such issues for example as the a.b.m. system deployment these are the subjects that we will talk about today with the president of the international forum which is. the nuclear nonproliferation treaty was signed over half a century ago but nuclear weapons are still a huge issue since then if you knew states claimed they had obtained atomic bombs including the isolated and unpredictable north korea terrorists who can get access to nukes are great concern to especially nuclear ambitions unstable middle east regimes in an effort to unite the world's leading nonproliferation and security experts in the luxembourg forum was created it's the most important result of the

international conference on preventing nuclear catastrophe which was held in luxembourg in two thousand and seven since the very beginning their renowned businessman and philanthropist dr counter has been the forum's president. hello mr kantor and welcome to our program slow start with a couple of general questions first of all this time it's berlin but how do you choose the location is called the luxembourg forum because it started in luxembourg but how do you choose a venue. in this case it's quite obvious. there has been a change in loder ship in many of europe's largest and strongest nation. which makes merlin a logical choice. so we decided with france. italy and some other important. to european nations having new

leadership when germany's role in preventing a nuclear disaster he's bound to crease. them. so we thought he would be wise to attract to the attention of the international community to all forum by holding it in berlin. the foci up and as far as i understand your sponsoring the form with your own money at your own initiative but if you also try to raise money otherwise and overall is it worth the money you're spending so you. know yes that would fortunately well to be precise this isn't my money or rather it's not just my money. the funding for the form comes from the european council on tall rents in your rican sui ocean. where i'm merely a coach. another cochairman former polish president alexander it cost me

a ski that is the sponsor. if not for the reason endowment registered in luxembourg that raises funds for all the operations and activities of the organization and then i'll rephrase my question as co-chairs you and mr quest the esky have to report to the endowment in its trustees but how that money is used there must have been considerable sums committed in the past five years is it it worth. fluor beyond any doubt we are happy with the luxembourg forum we held at fourteen meeting so over the past five years hosted by practically every major capital in the world were crucial decisions are made of the. washington moscow london paris and now we've made it to berlin. so you're saying the form is worth its salt

and the same time here is your recent quote the world has become much more tense and much more unsafe than it was a year ago even closer to breaking point in global security what makes you say that would you consider yourself a pessimist or a just well informed. you might well. know it's a let me put it blaine in simple. where do you the major challenges to global security come from in the context of. its two nations iran and north korea. do you believe that iran's nuclear program is really dangerous for its neighbors and the world in general. the weight that i think well let's take a look at the facts when you read on the report today here in his own most of the

six thousand centrifuges that operate around the clock. and that number is increasing. here in has about six tons three point five percent alone reached uranium. in addition it has about a hundred and seventy kilograms of uranium in a reach to twenty percent of. what does this mean. that iran is already in position of enough uranium to produce seven or eight warheads. these are the facts that now there is another interesting consideration. the i.e. has been asking iran why do you need military technology is. why do you need the so-called nuclear explosive devices. actually meaning other components that are of no use for anything except for the production of nuclear

weapons. and a he's getting no answers we're not talking about our expert community are a big key authority in this syria that is not getting the answers. let them. or you voicing the opinion of the luxemburg form certainly as far as i can see is rather in line with the stance of the west than with that of moscow because as far as i understand it is the least correct me if i'm wrong if these positions differ somewhat to the west generally has a sharper response at least progress got to the point of discussing airstrikes against iran's nuclear facilities or is moscow keeps saying it doesn't see a thread this is a peaceful program in iran has the rights to develop civilian nuclear facilities. just that you know we are now entering an area that isn't set theory important and this is very wide do we need it told such civil society institutions as an expert

community would not you know we are often accused or rather these are not actually accusations there are other simply point out at things as they are they say you will ahead of the time. you are probably saying all the right things but they are not well timed they're out of the political and economic context and by that context you mean elections currency rates oil prices and so on just anything really. and our response to this is that's exactly. our job is to be head over time weeks before a political decision can be prepared and implemented we must be with the way forward for all the major players and for all the countries you know hold in this situation which will mean that. if u.s. experts don't get hurt do you think it can come to the use of force i mean is the

u.s. or israel strike at iran's alleged nuclear facilities a possibility if then you will possibility. taught us that anything's possible no yell but see this is the worst scenario one could imagine because. the luxembourg forums experts have published a study assessing the existing options for an intervention and there is simply no successful scenario some better some a worse yet but there is no winning option at all but i think there is generally nor alternative to diplomacy and political more gaining but this does not mean we should turn a blind eye on iran's failure to comply. with those who ignore the requirements of the un security council in the i e must be are full responsibility for it in accordance with the international law. that is with the role and un security council resolutions. mr counter

in a previous interview for our program you described a look some work for him as the voice of civil society on the issues of nonproliferation. this one has remained but i'm still unclear as to who your target audience is whom are you addressing in the first place is it public opinion is it grassroots initiative is it political decision makers or is what you do a form of lobbying. when. no alexander. i can tell you the expert community doesn't lobby anyone seen to it's like i said we pave the way to the future who we dress everyone we send our reports to decision makers you know all the leading power salute world and to all official international institutions and n.g.o.s on top of that even if you look at today's session

it he will find our colleagues from similar initiatives such as the poland wash conference's long a staff of the luxembourg for our. people are really lobbyist and they know. they aren't i'm only publish conferences for thirty years i can consider them lobbyists they are scientists and their staff in philosophy is different from ours actually. let me rephrase the question then if you want to address this who are nice we have to convince them. but if you want to talk to the public you have to be feeling to the public what is your target audience do you seek to puta the every citizen in get your ideas across or do you aim to influence decision makers because that would require different to set that.

i would see or emus you present solid facts. we are not a populist organization. then the fuck do you think the modern society has trust in facts these days because many say doesn't take young people even ideology and myths but the time when people used to listen to scientists is over or so they say. that i would see that people today believe in things that haven't been trivialized if you will. with what if you were to come up with a formula for getting your message across i'd see that you definitely need to see unexpected things. so that he said that we would look over and you also said the nuclear issue is getting trivialized today so are you concerned with that. the yes i am and i want to answer your question we don't engage in populism. we don't

want to be everyone's darling chairs much public attention as possible our purpose is to present an objective look at the situation for anyone entitle to make assessments or make decisions for those who want to really make such a decision today that will be an issue for future deliberation he. says he just laughs kuntar president i'll be the luxembourg forum on preventing nucleic attacked spotlight will be back shortly after a break so stay with us. sometimes you see a story and it seems so. you think you understand it and then you glimpse something

else you hear or see some other part of it and realize everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harpur welcome to the big picture. i think. let's treat. her. with. mr.

belin. welcome back to spotlight album and all that and just a reminder that my guest on the show today is the just left come through president of the luxembourg forum on preventing nuclear catastrophe. some of the world renowned experts in euclid prevention get the didn't luxembourg five years ago out of that meeting and non-governmental organization emerged the international luxembourg forum on preventing nuclear catastrophe since done it has become quite

an influential body on the issues of international security with numbers seen feedback on the highest level you're going to prod some government at least her doll voice mini all of the piece of prince order for him from time to time the invited to advise those come solve things to governments so that it was a very important contribution to celebrate the forms five years long nonproliferation effort the fledgling organization chose to join one capital early this the city which knows best to what it. truly a question of why do you all which is lead the berlin wall is one of the most vivid symbols of intolerance twenty years after the wall well in has become place to build bridges between civilizations and to talk peace building bridges between civilizations is what the luxemburg forms big manifest always all about it's in fact a scientific research go in this forest trying to measure taller and. it's an attempt

to find an alternative to two concepts which are not working one is having trance theory of the inevitability of a clash of civilizations in the other is multiculturalism in this book we've come up with a new approach we call secure tolerance with. the luxemburg forums president has left cantor is sure the manifesto has a nonsense of how to cope with some of the worst threats of the modern world including nuclear terrorism some other participants of the organization of a very simple reasons to put weapons aside at a time when we have a great recession taking place in the global economy it is very important for us to ponder as to why we should continue to spend one hundred billion u.s. dollars on the nuclear weapon programs of all the countries that have nuclear weapons with the instability in such places as iran north korea and pakistan the

international luxemburg forum on preventing nuclear catastrophe feels it one be short of challenges in the near future it's only just past the credibility test on the international arena and it's no ready to try and do more for a new threat made to geisha. the issue of pakistan which is a nuclear power and even roll their missiles from military parades i seen it myself though at the same time there is a very strong islamic fundamentalist sentiment in that country many believe pakistan is highly dangerous as a place for fundamentalism and nuclear capabilities come together which we say let's not forget that pakistan is practically in a state of war with india who is also a nuclear power. certainly but worse but your question is correct if the southeast asia is another east factor which next to iran and north korea which you

why. first of all unlike you ran in north korea india and pakistan already possess nuclear weapons you know they've got a total of three hundred and sixty me so with potential global reach and a hundred of them can be armed with nuclear warheads. what does this imply considering that the pakistani government probably has limited control over its own territory. and how does it feel your pain in pakistan's perpetual conflict with the india which you have just referred to know. what it spells is it permanent of the risk factor. if i can even tell you that the deficiency of governance in pakistan has created a risk ofa nuclear weapons being commercialized in that country.

really look like yes of course i knew of course and it just gets them every time other music changes government that just think of moving retarded generals with access to the nuclear armory you want to get a good bargain for it it's like you know i don't want to speculate but we've already witness black market for nuclear materials emerge in pakistan patronized by dr abdul han. who can guarantee you such a market will not remarriage. this country had a someone bin laden set up his headquarters in pakistan exactly well with that unfortunately all of this has weakened and the american influence over pakistan some litter ship. instead you put pakistan third to iran in the north korea. as

more threatening is there because of the regime they have plenty of control in that country deal of what you see the north korean regime is certainly more aggressive than pakistan. at the same time and should be noted that north korea currently has forty two kilos weapon grade plutonium that they used different technology you said when reaching uranium they have a single facility where they enrich tony i'm the new one there is a more advanced technology but their stock of what i'm grade plutonium would be enough to produce some seven to eight warheads similarly to iran's capabilities. they were already got a delivery vehicle to do. that is why north korea generally poses a serious threat. but unlike here in north korea does despite or to

dominate its entire region. its regime is not using the nuclear issue tuna hance it stands any public domestically it's already strengthened to the extreme you know i would say north korea does not essentially pose a nuclear threat to its neighbors and the promising thing about pyongyang is that it is a client to commercialize its nuclear controversy but not in the sense of nuclear trafficking about it with them. and they simply need money. they need money in their willing trade war game offering transparency. you exchange economic benefits . such was the trend with the previous leader of the. current leader. i've been watching your forum for many years the iranians have been telling everyone we are a peaceful nation we're developing nuclear capabilities and purposes for the sake

of national development we're not turning anyone in we can prove it and you've just said the koreans are ready to actually bargain and make a compromise then why aren't they attending your conference they're not interested in talking to you. you know we always invite all the players story meetings. so why don't they show up at us well for a variety of reasons. for example i remember air rather telling incident which happened during the very first forum which took place in luxembourg we invited to a prominent nuclear iraq sport. and then the person. detained by national authorities and was released only after the form was over that suggests it's the government not the experts who is reluctant well the government must have taken our form for a threat or if. there is another thing ever noticed about the form of the iranian

nuclear controversy and that in north korea are issues of star contention between russia and nato including the united states but i don't sense that from your forms this question of what could we say that russian and western experts in retired officials coming out look at this issue that you did that they sensually do why. i would put it this way in every single meeting of the forum the reason common understanding of a fundamental. which probably overlooked by the general public. leaving aside old the details of. the. nuclear safety and start moving much toward the universal disarmament. thing there is just one prerequisite. confidence and understanding between the world's

nuclear powers russia in the united states the experts are aware of that that's the bottom line bull if there was absolute confidence between russia and the united states the world. could have been a bell to get down to practical measures for arms reduction a long time ago in a would have done nothing to debate it because both mr putin in his first presidential term and then use presidents george w. bush have declared the cold war over and said we are strategic partners not i think you just keep what you are what we're really practical steps to back this up. so i'd like to ask for size thirty if only i'd there was genuine confidence backed by practical measures the world would be in a much safer place. and that's why the we is exports the way.

so i think you thank you thank you very much for the with this is good on the show and just a reminder that my guess was its last count and that's it for now from all of us here spotlight we'll be back with more comments on what's going on in and outside pressure until then stay on and take care.

u.n. monitors investigating reports of a massacre in your home on syria find evidence of human remains in burned homes this is pressure builds on both sides in the conflict to lay down their arms with anti-violence rallies across the country and rising proclamation from a broad. brush crushes the czech republic for the wanted its first game is the euro two thousand and twelve football championship but there's also been controversy as host nations ukraine and poland the psyches ations of human rights abuses and racism. the euro's on the edge of a knife experts predict spain could ask for a bailout soon as this weekend the move expected to aid the country's banks and following a credit rating slip. up next the big picture with thom hartmann stay with us.

well john are going to washington d.c. and here's what's coming up tonight on the big picture a new report out says the global cancer rates will increase seventy five percent by twenty thirty how does your diet affect your risk of developing cancer and what are some of the most effective ways to protect yourself from that disease will pose those questions and more to dr mitchell gainer tonight's conversations with great minds also have republicans convinced americans that obamacare has to go and want to better and company hate minimum wage increases so much that and more internets big picture rubble.