well welcome back to joining us you're watching live from moscow. and these are the top stories the syrian army says it's advancing into the country's key combat zone while rebels accuse the government of using heavy weaponry they're something military experts say sounds on realistic. a u.n. report slams israel for kicking palestinians off almost a fifth of the west bank territory turning it into military training ground. u.s. starts to clean up the effects of a chemical weapons used to get men in viet nam during the war almost forty years ago but critics say the operation is simply part of africa to our way china's growing influence and the reach of. the next hour he talks to phyllis bennis who is

director of the new internationalism project at the washington based in sea of policy studies and an activist on the middle east she claims that increasing arms supplies to both sides of the syrian conflict only favors outside interests. thank you for joining us on r.t. the red cross and many other experts are saying that the situation in syria has descended into a civil war a full scale civil war. how does that how does that affect the positions of the positions of the west versus the position of other countries so far we have seen no indication that either the u.s. or any of the outside actors are taking seriously the consequences of the determination by the international committee of the red cross that this is a full scale civil war what it means among other things is that the international laws of war what's known as international humanitarian law apply throughout the

region and it applies to the opposition as well as to the regime they are obligated under the conditions of international law not to use certain kinds of weapons not to attack civilians not to hold prisoners without some kind of process all of those things are part of international humanitarian law and we have seen no evidence yet that any of the outside actors are taking any of that seriously what does that mean to the syrian conflict what it means for the syrian people is that the militarization of this conflict is escalating that can only be in my view dangerous more dangerous the notion that there can be a transition a regime that would not have the same kind of repression that we have seen from assad all these years is still possible the fact that hillary clinton is now reduced to acknowledging that that if assad himself arranges a transition safe haven whether it's in moscow whether it's and saudi arabia or

somewhere else that's still possible then the question becomes who is going to be in control if the escalation continues if the militarization continues what we will then see is that the post. government will be led by the men with guns just like what was so in libya it's like what was so in somalia and many other i don't want to make comparisons libya is a very different country than syria somalia is a very different country but the notion that the victors of a political struggle because this is still a political struggle in syria when the victors are those with the guns that always bodes ill for women for children for civilians syria is not libya syria has a long history of of civil society mobilization and organizations they have many things that was not possible in libya it's not the same i don't want to equate them but the danger is that you will have certain parallels certain similarities such as

unaccountable militias who will not put themselves under the accountability of a new government that is a very dangerous reality and as diplomats have already acknowledged if there is another bigger explosion in syria if the entire syrian body politic explodes it will be an explosion not an implosion as libya was there is the danger because it is becoming sectarian because of that sectarian character that is only now becoming dominant in syria in a country that was not traditionally a sectarian divided religiously divided country despite the use by the regime of the religious and sectarian divisions to maintain its power this was not a population that identified primarily by their religious affiliation as sunni or shia or alawite or whatever it was a possibility that if you were alawite you had

a better shot at power but it wasn't the way people define themselves the danger of course is that with that growing the sectarianism growing there is the danger that it will spill over the borders and by some congress. senators calls to arm the rebels for the u.s. to intervene don't you think that's just going to make it worse any further intervention by further militarization is going to make things worse the original militarization has made things far more difficult further militarization is going to kill more civilians the choice of the syrian opposition to take up arms was contested from the beginning by other parts of the syrian resistance who said that we have a better chance of changing our government of overthrowing the government by nonviolent methods so certainly more escalation whether it's by the u.s. or any other outside power is going to be very very dangerous experts now say that

the rebels in syria are very much dominated by there is an interest in the united states for instance of downplaying the role of the islamists but it's become more apparent that there are islamist forces whether they are al-qaeda i think there is certainly not much evidence yet i think that it is a very dangerous for outside actors who are not on the ground who don't necessarily have good sources on the ground to assume that any islamist forces for instance are part of al qaeda that's a word that's designed to sow terror in the minds of anybody in the west anyone in europe in the united states it cetera i don't think we know yet what we do know is that the opposition in syria is very diverse there is a part of it that has an islamist framework the same is true of all of the the rebellions that have led to the arab spring we see the muslim brotherhood in power now in egypt that's not al-qaeda there were people claiming it then it was not true

we don't know if it's true in syria diplomatically the efforts where do you think that's had given that the escalate the situation on the ground is escalating the fact that the u.n. has. allowed the the monitoring mission to remain on the ground for at least another thirty days is the one bit of hope that i see right now kofi annan team led by general mood the norwegian general has begun the political process in which they have been able to use in one town another town in small areas from the ground up to make possible a kind of diplomatic process of local commanders of the military and local commanders of the opposition forces of the resistance to create small scale ceasefires in three or four towns the town of dear dearest or is one town in syria where it's apparently working if that could be expanded if that mandate could be

shifted from simply monitoring a non-existent national ceasefire to facilitating small scale local ceasefires that could then spread and move up from the bottom bringing people with it rather than trying impose something from outside from the top down which certainly has not worked that might be the one hope for a diplomatic and less militarized solution but susan rice and other foreign diplomats at the u.n. said that they are willing or they will withdrew the withdrawal of the monitors if this insulation on the ground is does not improve and so far it's not improving so is that is that is that them saying that this is the last time where expanding this mesh that they are saying this is the last time they said that the last time they will change based on political realities not based on the realities on the ground the realities on the ground are not what is determining u.s.

positions russian positions qatar's positions saudi positions anybody's positions except for the people of syria what the outside powers are doing has virtually nothing to do with what actually is going on on the ground so what we're seeing play out of the united nations. is a power struggle between the united states and russia between nato and the gulf states on the one hand and other arab states on the other we're seeing a bunch of different battles playing out diplomatically almost none of which are taking into account the interests of the people of syria where do you think that's had you think there will be since susan rice clinton and other diplomats have talked about intervention on site they won t. think that's going to happen do you think that's a possibility that the west is looking at there is already intervention underway the western countries have provided the military of saudi arabia the military of culture that's where they buy their weapons from they buy american weapons so it is

already western weapons that are going in it's not coming directly from the us but it is weapons of the west the danger of that escalating is very serious the danger of further escalation involving other outside actors is very serious i don't think the us right now in an election cycle i don't think the obama administration wants to engage in a direct involvement in an air campaign for instance against syria of the kind they engaged in libya i don't think they want to whether what is known in the us as the c.n.n. factor the political pressure on a president in this case on a candidate in the election based on what people are seeing on their television sets becomes very important it's not impossible that even when the regime in power in any country and in this country when the obama administration doesn't want to engage directly if there is enough political pressure they may give in to that

pressure that's happened before it could happen again mccain is trying to exercise that kind of pressure other congress and other senators there's a number of senators there's a number of members of congress there's calls from the punditry in the mainstream media it's. there's a lot of pressure on the obama administration not because any of them have a proposal of what would actually work but simply because they're using this as a stick to hit candidate obama in the context of the elections that's very dangerous for the rest of the world what are the solutions that you think are best for syria and he's saying there is still time for dialogue but when the government and the opposition i think there is still time i think the time is diminishing i think that the level of repression from the government has been so horrific and in response the opposition which i support as a principle of the right of people to rise up against a repressive regime the fact that they are using stronger and stronger military.

strategies and military tactics makes that kind of discourse that kind of discussion that kind of negotiation more difficult but there is still time i think the question remains will the international community help to make that possible for example by small scale community by community village by village city by city negotiating process is at the grassroots bringing together local commanders with local officials of the of the military to work out a cease fire and then a political process the best thing the international community could do would be to allow the u.n. to play that role rather than as a fig leaf of international involvement a fig leaf of multilateralism to cover the unilateral decisions of several different governments.

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the syrian army says it's advancing into the country's key combat zone while rebels accuse the government of using heavy weaponry there something military experts say sounds on realistic. and un record slams israel for kicking palestinians op almost a fifth of the west bank territory turning it into a military training ground. u.s. starts to clean up the effects of the chemical weapons it used in yet now during the war almost forty years ago but critics say the operation is simply part of our hurts to our way china's growing influence in the region. so they have back at the top of the hour in the meantime the latest sports with.

all the latest from the summer olympics in sports update our top story. eleventh go to the american rival listen to. seven hundred ths of a second to win the women's four hundred meter hurdles. last for a while should be within the men's basketball to reach the olympic semifinals for the first time since the end of the soviet union. and family and children twenty six years and records you learn a symbiote about her future up to claiming bronze in the british capital. but first. to her maiden olympic gold with a heart for to victory in the women's four hundred mates event richard profit reports from london. it was

a decent day twelve for russia at the london two thousand and twelve olympics with a gold a silver and two bronzes to show for their efforts as a page of a medal tally past the fifty mark over success in track and field continues as natalee are unsure just come out held on for gold in the women's four hundred metres hurdles a thirty one year old won by the skin of a t.v. show as she was almost called polish and today most of united states on the line in the circle the set a personal best of all women's long jump but it was only good enough for second place as brittney reese of united states claimed gold i'll spare where was women's wrestling sixty three kilogram bronze from the loss of r. and there was talk on the bronze from russia in the men's fifty eight kilogram category for alex a didn't see i was only their second ever medal in the sport and i know first in sydney in two thousand brushes men's volleyball team of maybe loss for following a straight sets victory against poland's countries men's basketball team they're also proof of the same ease off for an eighty three points a seventy four victory against if you want and i will play spain for

a place in the gold medal game. was once again the start of a double double over nineteen points and thirteen rebounds i think name a k forty seven but if you're in your scripted says russia has got more firepower than just the minnesota timberwolves forward who's playing well but you know the whole team is playing well the word system is building you know to get a lot of good passes. you know breaking down one on one. and you know people people are going to break his playing a lot a lot of guys on the team playing well in. the blue room know where they're going to be so i think there's to kids the whole team. kirilenko you know it's the leading score. a lot of guys getting the ball but russia didn't win any boxing medals on day twelve billion breaks but they guaranteed at least. two silvers come

first guy is fruits of a might wait for an all but she'll face islands katie tailored to actually be turned chips so a definite chance for revenge man on russia's european middleweight champion years to topple over her place of a gold medal against america's terrorist shields so russia picked up the gold in just five days and if everything goes as planned they'll look to try and double vast amounts with just four days of lympics to go richard i'm awfully darty london . american sprinter addison feliks has claimed to have made an individual gold following a spectacular victory in the women's two hundred meters the twenty six year old and to the final straight trailing jamaica's double one hundred mi to share and fraser prize but phillips would not settle for a third straight silver she stepped up a gear to look under twenty two seconds to break silver jinx. and there was more joy for america in the men's one hundred and ten meter hurdles

as harris merritt captured his maiden olympic gold ahead of competitor jason richardson beijing champ indra robles called up midway to injuring his right hand strength. while there was drama in the men's pole vault desirable skate and her top piece snapped during qualification but the cuban missed out on a final spot. now assemble is aiming for an olympic double tonight as he tries to retain his two hundred meter title but what makes a jamaican super sprinter tick correspondent mark caught up someone who has the inside track on the fastest man in the world. now after his ban storming performance in the one hundred meters the same boat will go for gold again in the two hundred meters on thursday and to talk a bit more about that is a person who does know him very well carol back for joins me she is the publicist

the same boat thank you for your time firstly after that one hundred he must be a change to get back on the track is neat absolutely and the two hundred meters is his favorite race and having you know come back from with this qualification in daegu and trams so much in one hundred is going all out for the two hundred before i won because jamaica currently has the world record for the four by one hundred metres now you know him pretty well certainly for the last four years or so he always seems so relaxed isn't the. even for one hundred meters is the hundred meter final he's smiling he's joking is that a carrot to you know yes he's saying he's happy he's excited about doing his job he thinks that's the way to get people's heart and he said i was sad of his physical performance he's here to do a show and he likes keeping the proto happy and based on the response i mean it was overjoyed after the race. how far the stadium if not more was shouting you saying

you saying you're saying he's always said he would like to break think we'll get another one in the two hundred well if the weather is right and doesn't like the cold it's not bad actually. a little bit of rain here and there he's going after it he doesn't go for records he just wants to win whatever comes after that so they are bored. i think in the four by one he would do you would want to challenge the world record i want. preparation for a race i mean he wakes up on the morning of the final you know he sort of routine. depends on afternoon or morning race typical breakfast he has his beverages and so on that he takes no one to call it in names of anybody but you know he does his usual eats quite a bit. but not too much probably will talk to somebody in his family's team and obviously his coach and his best friend energy. robbery is watches television he's

into sports big time and now with their live pictures when we went to visit him he was watching boxing and cycling and then he gets into it c.e.o. of texas where he's now over a million fans on twitter so he's excited about that but he does want that typical twenty five year old does and these happy once he wakes up he's ready to go looking ahead so if we can the world championships athletic championships are in moscow next year is not something he's looking forward to after all he will be looking to get his crime back there when he gets certainly i think after the disappointment with the one hundred metres anything is possible he's the defending two hundred meter champion and obviously will want to go back after that and can we see him in russia before then do you think i'm sure if if the price is right hahaha you know what i think is a lot of children and i think if we can coordinate some kind of activity where you can interact with the people of russia he would be excited to come along

ok with it carolyn speak. thank you for your time and we can hope that you same boat we can probably expect the same boat will get the gold medal in the two hundred fifty knows maybe a world record in the relay andrey farmer for london. in the meantime a host of russian olympians have returned to moscow to harry's welcome many family and friends as well as friends and to greet members from russia a flat in. gymnastics cycling shooting and wrestling teams collectively bring back roughly half of russia's overall medal count so far including five gold six silver and fourteen bronze medals with the olympics still far from over many to congratulate russia's efforts so far. this year and you pleased to be met here like this all these flowers hugs and kisses now we need to. because we haven't had

one for a long time and then we'll give me right now. i want to give. that final it looks like this is the limit for pole vault legend killer nation by about the russian could only manage bronze in london but third place seems only to have fired up thirst for glory. has more. learned arguably russia's most recognized athlete to around the globe to unpick gold from athens and b.g. have something to do with your stardom but it was a case of third term unlucky for the pole vault in the british capital and show how true condition was gone with the london wind well i was hoping i was hoping. it was i was a risk to get any medals because of terrible weather conditions. to make. but physically there was rated the jump higher than for fourteen so i was also afraid that. bother me. for them for the

medal so i was wary about that. a bit of heartbreak for somebody but that bronze also did at least one good thing it gives the russian reason to put a full retirement thirty she wants to start a family and give birth to the first child. anderson by the hopes of having a baby will help you deliver the goods through games before you use time for the moment the main objective is award championships in moscow two thousand and thirteen is going to be a historical event for russia and we're going to house well tempered first time when these things and after that service have some break. i think i hopefully i will have. a new family will give me to mention the huge motivation for that is what is my mind that i don't know what's going to happen next. well whether she makes it to brazil or not she brother has already achieved everything and the dream she's a double world champion not to mention before the job title holder got me to prison

also said a staggering twenty eight ball broke his career and she's the only woman to have a complete charge of more than five metres tough to follow. this record from there. maybe more years five metres it's incredible it's not easy it seems easy it looks easy but it's so difficult and first of all. looks like if you buy the stock for this just. it would be enough to earn her even more spiritual glory watched the speech. well that's all the sports news for now soon to. say goodbye.