main shiite allies and it's agreed by many analysts that it's syria which is the key link in this chain and if it's dropped out that will lead to a breakup off the balance of forces in the region and would eventually lead to unpredictable consequences and definitely more violence so getting iran involved in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in syria is something which is definitely a good knowledged by moscow and this summit here in kyrgyzstan is a good chance to do that you've got to spin off. your star for help last there moscow time to stay with us if you can the tough questions on the international issues with sophie co that's coming up in just a moment. david

silver and president of american atheists initially had his request for a custom license plate with the word atheist on it rejected atheist written with a one as the i was deemed to be just too offensive after some pressure the new jersey motor vehicles commission caved in allowed the plate this is only logical because a properly spelled atheist point had already been in use i look at this two ways one if you're going to give people the freedom of choice of expression then some people are going to express themselves in an offensive way so if you're terrified of offending people then why not just give everyone a random plate with a random number and no one will be offended at all or to if you really believe in freedom of speech and expression all that then allow drivers to pick whatever they want and be responsible for themselves if someone throws a brick through their car window for having an ultra offensive license plate and if you want to express yourself or express something really offensive on your car then you better be prepared for some blowback or at least a few. people spitting on your windshield but they're shust my opinion.

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. hello and welcome to sofia and co me sophie shevardnadze and today we're talking about syria again strikes are being held back and may not take place at all in no small part thanks to russia bus that progress in a war that has already cost so what it lives are we back to square one. millions of people displaced hundreds of thousands killed endless fights with little advantage why the sides push the end of the civil war in syria beyond the horizon well by the side and the rebels are running on weapons supplied by their powerful respected allies to the syrians can who wins any war with

a possible intervention sold anything or just west of the disaster who has the key to the door which leads to peace. and our guest today hans blix who worked as the u.n. chief weapons inspector read the time iraq was accused of having weapons of mass destruction and was invaded as a result mr blix it's really great to have you with us on the show now russia's latest offer to hand over the control of syria's chemical stockpiles to the international community can you call it a diplomatic success or is it still too early to talk. i think it is a success so far that because it has opened a dialogue about possible peaceful solutions only to exclude chemical weapons and punish use for it it's not enough over one hundred thousand syrians have died in this war and rages continues to rage and i think what we need is a cease fire and talks about

a conference in which the relevant part is that together and find an interim regime which you know here in russia there were a lot of jokes circulating in a social media about how obama should hand over his nobel prize to vladimir putin what do you make of that. i think it's a little premature. but i think that the two leaders and also mr lover of mr kerry have a tremendous responsibility to this in cuba to go and that is not their world all that good a policeman but we don't want the individual countries whether the u.s. or russia or china or anybody else to be the world's policeman we hope that the permanent members of the security council will exercise their responsibility and work together as the u.n. charter was intended you know despite backing down what they call local strikes on syria the u.s. rhetoric is still pretty intense do you believe interventions been cancelled or is

just a delay no i think that there are incredibly complicated problems and i think the focus now is enormously on the technicalities of inspections of chemical weapons but one should also think about how can we end the hostilities how can we end the fighting. it seems to me that the great powers have influence there that the war could hardly continue if the fighting parties did not get more money and get more weapons and i think they have saudi arabia perhaps and qatar are reported to supply the rebels and and russia. perhaps a little hizbullah report to supply weapons and money to the other side i think if we could be agreed in the security council that all the suppliers should stop giving the weapons and to demand ceasefire and the conference then we might see a blood to punish is understandable that one wants to do that but one of the end of

this hymn of the weapons that's good but what the main thing you saw through to stop the war if i may i just want to talk a little bit more about this possible strike because if it does take place it will change the course of events greatly to the way things are looking as of now the congress would most probably have voted against a strike well that's according to the latest survey so could obama have chosen to delay the strike in order to gain more support syria has been propelled into the mass media especially the western version of events and you know the more you talk about it the more it looks like the intervention is the only solution. well the strike is not a solution it is a penalty and has much to do with the american wish to uphold the credibility of the us president mr obama wants warned. that if he were to use chemical weapons that would change mr obama's calculation that was taken as a promise that he would intervene and now he's held to that promise but there is another promise behind this that is also perhaps even more important that is the

statement from the u.s. side in others that they will not allow iran to get closer to a nuclear weapon and many people feel that if they now give the way to syria and do not carry out a strike this would show the u.s. is paper tiger of use of iraq so there are many additional complications to this and i think both russia and iran play an important role in this and i'm glad that the initiative was taken by mr putin and i think they must live up to the fact that we in the rest of the world we expect the permanent members of the security council to try to solve the problems and avoid bloodshed from what i understand you support their original u.s. version of events that it was carried out attack on august twenty first then it would seem to me that it's a suicidal an admiral a stupid move on behalf of asset who was actually starting to defeat the rebels at the time of the attack what makes you believe it was him have you seen any solid

proof. well i agree with that reasoning i think it was the disastrous decision on the part of our side and that's why i think you on the in in moscow they thought it couldn't have been him but the evidence that is gradually coming forward i think that this points to him i don't think we should pass judgment on that until we had the reports all of the international inspectors the u.n. inspectors they are not asked to say who committed it but even so we must we have a point that we have sent inspectors and we should listen to them and maybe one can draw some conclusions also about responsibility i am inclining to think that so much as come also for independent sources to believe that yes the regime was behind this this attack it doesn't exclude that rebels might use chemical weapons improvised chemical weapons and areas that i don't exclude that that should also be investigated and that was actually why the inspectors who were there were sent there to investigate all earlier uses of chemical weapons so just make sure you don't exclude that they may have been the rebels because russia sassed

a tack could have been provoke ation on the pride of the rebels. i don't believe that i think this scale points to the large organization that was behind it but that doesn't mean that i approve of the punitive strike i think we must not bypass the security council in washington they do not hold so much for the united nations but for the rest of the world we would like to see the council function that requires also a statesman like behavior both corruption by the us you know like he said this track itself. would have solved anything i think that's a very valid objection i mean the it's a punishment but it doesn't really sold anything in its own pathetic i think to to kill and to strike them saying now you can go on with your war but use other means yes this is not humane thinking that you were chief of the u.n. weapons inspection team when the west went to war with iraq how was it determined

that saddam had the weapons of mass destruction. well that was to determine back in ninety ninety one when saddam occupied too right and we went in i was the head of the international atomic energy agency at that time and we could then our inspectors were sent in and we could see how they were building caliber arms and how they are preparing a nuclear weapon but all that was taken out during the ninety's very harsh sanctions that the iraqi people suffered under but the they did not reconstruct the program of weapons of mass destruction that was suspected in the lead it's been claimed by the u.s. and by the u.k. and we were sent into the area friday in the two thousand and two we spent seven hundred inspections there all over the country and we can only report that we did not find any weapons then indeed there weren't any so the second war the war in two thousand and three was an unnecessary and a horrible war it was meant to separate democracy and well that each event was anarchy so you out of all people you would know in case of syria how does the un

carry out its analysis well as the secretary general that to take an initiative to send inspectors and to negotiate with us for some inspection but for the rest it is this members of the security council who have the responsibility and the secretary to assist by analysis and by collecting data and so forth but the responsibility of the rest of the members but also the other ten members of the security council they have to sit down and work day and night to find a way that also saves the face as many as one can but what about to listen to objection from the united nations if you've got to approval of congress which in itself is doubtful or would he just push on with his plans because we've seen it happen before what's the role of the united nations if nobody really listens to it . well they do i mean the case of. iraq in nine hundred ninety one there russia and china routed through the others and agreed on a u.n.

intervention. to stop the occupation and it was president bush sr who did very much of that it was a successful great moment in the case of libya there was also an agreement russia feels that the western states sort of extended or used to extensively and they felt perhaps a little trapped in it but nevertheless it was an agreement in the security council is difficult to reach such agreements but they need to do it more often we the world expect them in the council to act responsibly for the whole world not only in their own own narrow interests yet the latest reports suggest both assad and the rebels are guilty of war crimes the rebels have allegedly carried out in more killings than our side how can the west side with them i mean clearly if obama is to strike it can't possibly be natural. i think it is clear that there are awful war. sides in this war some people talk about the use of the

international criminal court and i think that it's a step forward that we have such a court that can examine cases and decide who is guilty but it should be in all directions and if the court is engaged in this situation and i that's a possibility i think they should examine all the war crimes that are committed to be taken up when possible when the war when citizens are over but after the break what place to superpowers holton the crisis and war without an end to a stat what's in store for syria stationed. dramas to be ignored. story others used

in the. things changing the world right. to picture. from around the. globe to. ok. i david crockett welcome you to ted you're all a virgin it's a little while in the middle of the chesapeake bay on the virginia shop. county. hey you're all in the chesapeake bay probably one of the best areas in focus for us . this is an old picture of ten year island before the channel was. oh here. way up there. as you go all. right here

are some of the headstones from the graves it for you this is a fruit that's that's what we don't want to happen to taint your all and we want to get some protection to make sure that we don't go into the chesapeake bay like uppers did in other communities.

a welcome back we're talking about syria and the political game surrounded it with former u.n. chief weapons inspector hans blix great to have you back now logically if that is removed who will take his place i mean are the possible candidates already proving to be just as bad if not worse. i don't know i think what the aim should be if the conference in which the interested parties various groups are there there will be there are lights and i think you probably have to step aside but he is not the only one in that movement there will be the rebel movements there will be the u.s. and there will be russian i'm sure iran must be saudi arabia qatar all those who are involved in that will have to be there and they must be to get this is incredibly difficult after this bloody war. must be to create an interim authority

that represents all the various groups. in syria to. imagine how can anyone go confidentially it's just hard to imagine anyone coming to power and reconciling with the people after everything that has happened no matter which side takes the lead but if you look at the things globally who's war is it at this point of the syrians on the ground or is it more of a russian u.s. political standoff. well on your first question i mean there have been situations with terrible atrocities happening and yet the parties can come together or you know of south africa was one situation in which a horrible apartheid had been there and yet you found reconciliation nigeria has happened but it is an incredibly difficult i agree with you but it's the only way they are if the alternative is continued civil war well that is pretty horrible it was your second question i think question is at this point do you think it's

a war of syrians on the ground or is it more rational u.s. political standoff who one might say that basically the war is a contest between saudi arabia and iran saudi arabia wants to have a son the muslim government in syria and iran wants to have a government that is society more with the shiite side this goes on in many parts of the middle east and i think we in the western side we think that they they ought to coexist the two and there is of course a there was a hope on the u.s. side that if the sun is came into power they would get a regime that would not be friendly with iran and that was a fear on the iranian russian side that if they got a such a regime it would be to their disadvantage however i think that the question of the iranian nuclear. efforts to expand its nuclear program isn't is

still that should be settled and solved apart from the syrian conflict and with a new government in tehran i think there is hope for some a call conciliatory measures some interim steps that might lead to less tension that is very important because has to do with this with avoiding spread of weapons of mass destruction there was an opportunity missed i think last year when they us blocked the holding of a conference in helsinki on the. on this soon free weapons of mass destruction in the middle east that was regrettable i think we need to get back to that we need a middle east that is free not only of chemical weapons but also nuclear weapons but do you know aside with the speculation in the west that syria for the west is actually just a way to get to iran. well i think the u.s. support for the rebellion in the beginning was certainly supported by the by people democratic people who want to see it want to do see

a less brutal less or prissy regime in in syria at the same time i think that the government hoped that if you were to topple assad that might bring into government a regime that would not be friendly to iran but as the war went on the world saw that there were many different forces on the rebel side and that perhaps you would get a regime that was very fundamentalist islamic and perhaps even more dangerous to israel as well and therefore the outside has not been so keen to really make a difference in the war and to side with the u.s. have been reluctant to send any any weapons which the rebels want to so i think we also rule would like to have a regime that is inclusive at this stage but they should also press more for acting stopping the oil spill because there we have over one hundred thousand dead. but as much as west and america may dislike the current iranian regime i mean it is played

it pretty clear that if it west wants to find a solution to the syrian crisis that is one more time f.s.s. if they want to find a solution that iran could actually play a key role in regulating do they realize that yes i think they are mirror so i think they do but the feeling is in the u.s. fears of iran have been very very strong in the past and the they still are on the other hand i think they have to know. that there is a new government in tehran a government that has been very much more open to discussions and wish to end the war but then end the conflict at the same time it must not be a solution that is humiliating for iran it's a proud people and they're proud of their achievements and this has to be taken into account but i think various hope for some progress on the on the issue of uranium nuclear program and it should be even more ambitious it should be an ambition to have his own free both weapons of mass destruction or nuclear weapons

and also all the millions of producing them that would mean that israel would have to do way with these nuclear weapons and is reverse acing iran would have to do away with this enrichment program and others in the region would have to commit themselves not to not to enrich uranium and the green and also assurance of supply or the fuel that they need for their nuclear power reactors in the region if you get back to russia at this country supplies weapons to syria and it's legal now the west supports the rebels including military aid and i'm not sure how legal that is why i think you're not putting an arm supply embargo on both sides i think that's what they should agree to and i think that they should exert pressure on those who supply weapons to accept a cease fire within a certain day this is not an easy thing this elaborate them is to carry on going to meet him in geneva now that is signed they have two days maybe that will not be a not enough but the great thing about the initiative from russia now is that there is an opening for talks rather than simply. positioning political positioning and

accuse me to lecture stations. when the chemical stockpiles are transferred down terry international control the war may go on for god knows how long still so will the u.s. be fine with that as long as no chemical weapons are used i think it would be very practical or very difficult to have international inspectors supervising the elimination of the of the chemical weapons it may be not so difficult for the. siempre outside the regime to is to a commitment not to use them and a commitment to declare what they have and a commitment to destroy them but actually to carry this out fully in the during a civil war that is raging i think is practically very difficult moreover perhaps one should not get lost in these technicalities what are the risks that assad will use chemical weapons once more if he did it in this time i think he would have narrowly escaped from a punitive strike by the us would he then risk another occasion of this another

which certainly would bring about an international military action and i don't think if he carried out a strike in the first place and that is we have to find out now the chemical stockpile handover to rush hour or any other third party how do. peacekeepers on the ground taking them out of the country what can you walk us through that i think it is exceedingly difficult we know that on the chemical weapons convention the u.s. and russia have agreed to go on then taken them in a many years to do away with their chemical weapons and to do that to begin to do that during a civil war i think is even harder so i don't think it sounds very practical but the beginning of it is an opening it's an opening for talks leading to ceasefire and that is very important the first steps are easy the next steps are very very difficult if not impossible you know i was reading a pentagon research paper yesterday and it states that seventy five thousand troops would be needed to take care of syria's chemical stockpiles and that's

a number that's not even definite yet so this could equal up to a like a mini occupation of the country no. i think the figures were given to demonstrate how incredibly difficult it would be to do away with chemical weapons during a war so it's not practicable literacy what is good about the good about the proposal is that we we do we do not have a strike yet we could have had a strike a week ago we haven't had this military action yet but there is talk about the elimination of the weapons we must also remember that there are other countries in the region that may have chemical weapons still that have not ratified the chemical weapons convention and there are reports that israel had chemical weapons in the past whether they still have it i don't know but there are reports that they had it in the past not just to resume this policy of nonintervention is a better one but that's that's your quote but with this much involvement of both the west and russia already and like you said a saudi arabia can we call it a local war i mean it feels like it's like

a third world war coming to you know to completion it's like many many earlier wars it's a local but with intervention from any side we talk about the u.s. intervention but of course the selling always was sending a weapons from neighboring states to the rebels. sending a weapons to. iran and perhaps russia and the others this are also intervention this keeps the war going i mean without support or weapons from the outside they could not fly so that war is hit by the outside world and the outside rule that maybe we should stop feeding the war well what the west cleary on the rebel side what are assets chances actually getting his country out of the mess is there a chance. that while ago but it may be a temporary thing the only sure thing is that the war goes on that very much and.

that is what we have is was a bit of a try to stop. well that's it for today our guess was hans blix x. u.n. chief weapons inspector thank you for watching we'll see in the next edition of soviet. secret lover tour. was to build the world's most sophisticated. doesn't sound anything. to teach me why you should care about humans. this is why you should watch only on the. wealthy british.

market. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike stronger no holds barred look at the global financial headlines kaiser reports. leg it was terrible ok now i'm very hard to take out a little play once again a little longer there is a place that has sex with the earthquake there are no plans let's limit.

the amount of legislative. leg. leg. length. of a. leg . put it on your full strong arm and a large length of new knowledge based on either side you know ammonium. leathers. a pleasure to have you with us here on our team today i roll researcher.

lead. the syrian government starts heading towards chemical design armond the details of which are being thrashed by top russian and u.s. diplomats in geneva after washington pros the pause button in its war drive against syria. but america is still sticking to its believe that damascus gassed hundreds of civilians in august a man who was held hostage by rebels in syria at the time is challenging this balance. as the n.s.a. online spying scandal spreads ever wider universities to it are getting in on the action following secret signposted. personal data from stoopid.