this is the media lead us so we leave the media by the sea motions to cure. all your party physical. wishes that no one is asking with the guests that you deserve answers from it's all on politicking only on our t.v. . this point be an expensive car saloon. clueless a new fashion show. also designer bags and shoes in the best shop windows. but. luxury is

a school. is a lost cause. consequent on our cheap. choose your language. we can we know if they feel some. of the if the concerns get to. choose the opinions that immigrate to mind. choose the stories that impact the life choose the access to your office.

hello welcome to sophie. shevardnadze today where we're in beirut capital of lebanon when you're in this beautiful middle eastern city it is hard to imagine that there is a battleground next door in syria with endless blood tears and destruction and the echoes of this conflict cannot resonate around lebanon and whoever you talk to in beirut has one question on their mind when is it going to be over. syria shattered into pieces. little remains of the peaceful little kept for a peaceful future. as rebels fight the government. of the people. is present a sad. how does it feel to share the border with such a neighbor. with the

syrians general michael. general michel aoun thank you very much for being with russia today. so a year ago when you were asked about the conflict in syria you expressed confidence that the opposition would lose you still think so. zero zero. zero zero zero. zero what. the crisis it's a stop to. this. compromising you know. between. syria. and giving go. the senate will be

before nothing you know syria has to get something. for that so all the process will continue to reach a final. final settlement but you know the opposition is heavily financed by the saudis and the west the western countries aren't even hiding it that they're actually supplying arms to the syrian opposition. beginning in london you see. grace's. face. i see. if they go. no is decided. will be. there were. talking about extremists president assad says that he defines to opposition in two

different groups there are the ones who care for the syrian people who want good for their country and then there are you know the jihadist extremists who actually kill and torture people but they also call themselves opposition do you agree with that definition. i think there is no two sides syria the extremists who are. coming from everywhere. i mean. you know to do the war. you know with fifty percent. or so though. i was some people of syria. i'm up fighting. for the democracy they are fighting for an extremist.

islamic regime. you know. of the people of syria here which just so recently syria and face being decided between world players between america russia the west and russia and china not the arab world which is also quite strange do you think there will players who really are working in the best interest of syria or it's just political gaming between the big powers. be of the rule of. the but. more they are not strong enough. to. resolve the support of the. opposition immediacy. but you don't think the west will continue to finance the opposition and supply

were. you also have said that israel benefits from this conflict in syria. why do you think so you know not too much ok so it wouldn't be in the interest of israel for us to fall right i don't think so. because the regime. would be please you know we could be. seized from. these people. but just imagine just imagine that assad falls he loses his presidential seat what would that mean for the region when the victory over the extremist.

democracy in a short time. differently and for lebanon what would it mean to everybody because. i said has recently said that whoever wants to dismantle his chemical arsenal for one billion dollars during one year he's welcome to do it do you think there will be to do it and who could be those people who will actually take care of that may be. pros are pros of this. maybe it will be good. or maybe not. but i think. at least. they have some chemical labs but who do you think will dismantle the chemical our

arsenal who will actually go into syria and dismantle his chemical stockpiles some areas. well. dick nickel people specialist people. come drop. you know there are the auspices of the nations there are reports that assad may be transferring his skeptical stockpiles to has ball out to hide them from international community no i don't think so but do you think as well i may have chemical weapons. it's also forbidden in syria but someone used it. no. no no no i'm not saying it's hezbollah but it's also a muslim i would love. but you know. i'm

going to read a quote from this summer's interview where against intervention in the absolute sense but a series of security incidents forces those who are responsible to intervene but isn't that the same logic behind what obama was proposing a local strike. no i don't think so what did you mean by what you were saying this quote absolutely against the only intervention foreign intervention in syria but. practically the other not really and sending you know we. were loyal dolores because maybe. this organ. the other intervening can mean. you

know for right now it seems like we may have found a diplomatic solution but the option to strike see still is there no one is going to give you a guarantee that america is not going to strike it what do you think i don't the. condition. is within view is that. to do to. strike. with the american people you know he is the he is the first. decision agency. refuse. to do done or the strikes. i don't think. also says economy. condition.

of the possibility of rules to do it and there are many constraints on the americans. because they cannot do we are take a short break now and after a break we'll talk about the long term consequences the syrian conflict will have around the region and lebanon.

live. live. live live. live

. no word. since. the picture. welcome back to this show we're talking to general michel aoun about the syrian

conflict and its consequences around the world in the region and particularly in lebanon i'm going to read another quote of yours the west considers human rights a marketing slogan not a true principle according to which they behave. what did you mean by this quote i mean as they don't respect your words they make you propose them to was the human race. is like. just a commercial. speak i. don't respect but you know many would argue that. for example is also committing horrible human rights abuses just as much as the opposition and he's equally responsible for war crimes just like the opposition i don't think what's very. clear is going. syria but.

in syria defending themselves you know. they have to respect. the nexus of. of. of the school mention if they don't respect it from both sides nobody would you know them for that everybody would. say anything but nobody would be nobody would see us only the. very. vocal. protests protest no more i have spoken to many syrians and their opinion about president assad various president assad himself he

says that he would not have been able to stay in power this long unless he had the support of the syrian people do you think the majority of syrians support him. the syrian people. so. it is made my. position. so. to refuse this opposition even if the beginning were supporting it so. i see still the majority it was the syrian people so you believe people who were opposing a sudden the beginning are on his side now because they just don't want. a big part

of them. but what about the syrian refugees in lebanon there are about million syrian refugees in lebanon what are their status now because from what i understand lebanon wasn't even able to give them a camp like jordan did are they in a free flow where are they going how are they. going to be where. many of them with the first you know waves or. phone. where they would. put a big problem. because according to the article that i represent the unemployment rate in lebanon doubled in just one year because of the syrian refugee exodus to

lebanon where looters moved up to us to draw you know for them we need the help of the. united nations. to come back to syria. because. a. times. when our territory but syria is not going to be functional anytime soon even if the war ends it's a country that's devastated by a war so if you can't go back if you're in lebanon already so it looks like this refugees will be staying in lebanon on what are you going to do with them in the old money safe areas in syria. rice spoke of space in syria.

eighteen is more than liberal. many safe places and they cannot. build. up some. of them seize on the united. nations will be ready to help they're. here really don't have the. capability to complain all these people off the damage of zero vote no we are about six and the per square. kilometer so. we are overcrowded. what about the palestinian refugees i mean they've been in lebanon for a while now and it was just naturalized how come how come. because there is a. decision. that the people.

i don't. go in there. who they are country. because all the militias promised. to. for the palestinians. or so they are with. the. mission respectable know its problems what do you think. of the arab spring phenomena what has it done for the world the arab spring more and all the best things they have reduced in the. wars. many of the resources of the. the only hope. the fights the book the war.

more of them. you know that with arab spring around and then you have the syrian crisis right next door how safe do you feel in lebanon how you know you have that and plus the syrian crisis how can it be fixed without more of right now. what have some for. our economy. and i don't see maybe. we'll have more room for more difficulties. but i don't only mean economically like for instance hezbollah openly supporting assad regime it causes the sunni extremist anger that could actually maybe turn into a local civil war in lebanon not. make

. syria. responsible not to be but he is only about told the. gulf countries. we are helping. your cause. to have gone. from come to come to libya so. the result of the consequence of the. of this in the middle east. do you agree that lebanon is in a reno for settling accounts with other different countries like saudi arabia and iran are fighting within each other on lebanese grounds they're using lebanon as an area to lump. you know. the

problem is. your. lower prigs. because after the bombings lebanon suffered recently many sought that you know the country has become exposed to security point of view you don't agree. it was an offer for a moment. it will not begin again. but lebannon has always been a very secular state as secular as it can gas in the middle east but there is a growing islamist movement around the region. that affect lebanon are you know where it's all over the region how can lebannon stay away from that phenomenon with the defeat of the extremists in syria will never happen. to become.

more or less. a regime. have. you seem pretty. determined that the extremist opposition is going to lose in syria rate lists. how much does religion in general drive political decisions in lebanon too much know they are part of it is. your allegiance. political party is based on religion. but look at for example you have has a ball out who is clearly very religious faith based and they have millions of supporters. so they you know their face and religion must have

a say in political decision. and we have also our support supporters. because. we are muslims or. you know who we decide. we are a political party. in lebanon is politically divided but really. so what we do for the country is political. and when we have to play people will put the mosque levanon hold actually deposits of oil and gas yes why aren't you tapping into those deposits now are you waiting for syria to finish. no we have to do it. is. refusing. and the

government why are there were fears and. they don't say. that the. as a mysterious thing. the prime minister. doesn't mean meeting mr serry is make the call for him you know the. poor little. give your own. or you society zero. or give a. proposal for the patrol the torch but it would seem like it would benefit the whole of lebanon if this reserves are used for the country you know that's is a good. general michel aoun thank you very much for this interview rose

for your income. funds i want to. pick up something that is quite simply. was no way oh. clearly they were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. and sold to the u.s. or turned over to the u.s. for. the soul that could be buried alive. was saved with great over. and they wanted to turn me into

a terrorist so it was they wanted me to admit that i was a member of al qaeda or taliban but i fought with them. not about time i didn't even know what al qaeda is nevertheless there are people all. brave enough to start a fight. or something is going to be done that's going to be done by me and our short amount of time to go but it's going to impact me i'd be prosecuted but it's not going to impact. the wife my daughter. the one time or trapped monarchy. the island is so small the for me it's the center see the center of the universe. on a tiny island the size of a football field in the middle of a lake stands a ruined monastery. forty years ago two lovers decided to spend their honeymoon

here. they have no idea that the island would change their lives forever but they would change the fate of the i love. the never seen anything like this before you begin to cover the pulse. in the borders of ice is grown in just one hour and it's only the beginning. this point be an expensive car saloon. clueless a new fashion show. also designer bags and shoes in the best shop windows. luxury as a school. is a to last. month

concert. on our cheap. friday is expected to see rare unity adds the u.n. security council as its members should could vote on a syria resolution which has been elusive for over two years. a living hell to bring the beautiful game to doha human rights groups sports fans and footballers call the season to move the world cup after revelations of horrific conditions causing daily deaths among laborous. and there's anger among russian journalists as a photographer is remanded alongside the greenpeace arctic oil rig protesters for two months. the starting coming to life in.