hello welcome to sofia and so the shevardnadze levanon has accepted hundreds of thousands of refugees from syria they come in addition to the already great number of refugees from palestine was well me remains out of sides after decades in exile but the newcomers there are for the long term and will they cost the lebanese economy took one bull well lebanon be dragged deeper into its neighbors conflict following to beirut to talk to one of the country's most influential politicians

former prime minister fouad siniora. they cross the border every day the syrian refugees escaping the chaos of war in their. filling up homes and tent camps stranded and separated from their families lebanon promised to keep the border open for whoever runs from the war but struggles to feed and keep warm the needy lacking a plan for their future. how strong is lebanon's helping and how far will it breach how committed is beirut to its neighbor. floods in here as think you very much for being with r.t. today thank you for coming in so we're actually witnessing the resurgence of sectarian violence here in beirut do you think that lebannon is there a chance that lebanon. remain neutral in its position towards to syria's civil war

. on the. way the. resistance of the lebanese resistance. accepting that country will be dragged into any type of confrontation among the that is components to the contrary i think there is a great deed of. positions among the lebanese that they want to live together they want to really carry on the dialogue there are lots of issues that need to be sorted out but this does not mean that they will resort to violence and trying to the do this that on the other hand for sure i mean to have that number it would constitute problems on the security on the security that you're saying international community has really fulfill its promises in helping us

with the refugees and that un has offered lebanon to set up refugee camps that lebanon has rejected i mean all these refugees are in free flow right now it can deteriorate and it well i don't think by dissing it rejects it is a mistake that was committed. at the present government and we have already. advised i mean we are we are part of the of of the of the opposition now of the time being and we have expressed our opinion so many times and we proposed to the net they should help in setting up of number of. camps for that if you do for this unit if you g.'s near the lebanese syrian lebanese border it helps lebanon in presenting its problem to the world by showing . what it is undergoing the downs of a burden that. such

a number also what you can say refuse it in a first time first place actually there are two reasons one is that there is going on time. during these past three years was very much influenced by. the syrian government and the syrian regime and in this respect this invasion has been adopting the policy of denying what's happening there were denying that there is a problem going on in syria just until recently it is thought to recognize this on the other hand it is certain let's say fear among certain components of the lebanese. that was made constitute later on something similar to the. if you g.'s and the which there were set up camps so in fact. i don't think this is this is true but this is that this was their opinion that

readers are not allowing the lebanese government to set up these protests in this these camps for these syrian refugees learn economic implications i mean you know when it cost two million dollars truman seven hundred has been report was published recently by the world bank about the economic consequences of such a massive. number of. g.'s. which is in excess of seven point five billion dollars. so this is something that lebanon cannot really take the syrian civil war for many is really part of the larger conflict between sunni and shia muslims with saudi arabia and iran behind the scenes pulling the strings but i think well i think i think this is a mystery in this moment and a misrepresentation of the facts. that's good which what's really happened in

much. into eleven to over two and a half years ago. it was. of. let's see the people of that i had that time who took the street him over to express. the feeling of lack. of dignity and freedom actually. has resorted to its classical tools in trying to separate among the various components of the society throughout the past let's say number of the kids you can never distinguish and differentiate between the various components of the syrian society and you don't know who is doing the christian and who is the muslim who is the ilo out and who is the sole

knight and so on that was the situation in syria the regime has resorted to these tools in order to create is addition within the country limits or no one doubts that the conflict started as a local thing that is that's a fact but i'm talking now we have as the line the iranians who are supplying arms to the assad regime and they have qatar and saudi who are arming the rebels in winter so that's a fact i'm saying right now the way things are looking at this point it seems like it's just a part of a larger conflict between iran and saudi arabia. for sure the conflict going on. between the. numbers over the general powers and then the reach that each but you see now we have to know how it three developed what was the mistake and particularly there was

a mistake and i believe and i have communicated this several times to the russian leadership because they are the ones who had. let's say. and we always remember for the russians they always supported the people throughout the past decades in the dealing with the arab world really supported the people at the same time they are the ones who had the possibility to go in between let's say the opposition and the and the uprising on the one hand and the regime on the other instead of taking the initiative and trying to find a solution to a problem that is growing and that really they were quite aware what can we do in terms of lead to the result to particularly in trying to assemble and to free some of the terrorists and the extremists that were present in

syria and elsewhere and they were used by the syrian regime at one time to assemble them and to send them to iraq and they send them to us in lebanon the russians they have already seen what the regime can do they kept on silent and they supported that it and the regime went along in a way to carry on this process of creating this edition now where do we go from here where do we go from here something has to be done in order to really bring together i fully agree that something has to be the end of let's say arranging for the geneva two conference to get together to then to that conference but on the on the the on. what a plan so that. ultimately this will lead towards the let's say

the that will not be such and such a formula because it is not possible for somebody who is a president of the country that has suffered throughout the past two under half years of over one hundred and twenty thousand casualties and the destruction of syria and the creation of this addition to combat as as it continued president and then such a comes after the break we'll see if there is any truth to plame step russia supports president assad or is it the syrian people and who is has a small lead turning against him that cannot stay with us. wealthy british.

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pleasure to have you with us here on t.v. today i roll researcher.

welcome back our guest is former lebanese prime minister fouad siniora who things russia is playing into president assad's hand in the ongoing syrian conflict but mr senora seems to agree that extremism is a problem here missing gresham's supporting assad than once assad to stay in power hit they're not supporting the regime from what i know they just don't want the rebels to come in power because that would have repercussions for russia's north caucasus region is that you and this is it's so it's important it's very important . we understand the what you call it the concern over russia and over let's say the extremists but we have exactly the same concern. what the media expect from a show. called the moderates it's moderation and then syria and the. what is really syria after what is going

to be the we're going to difference between the moderates and the rebels because it's so mixed up right now largely the rebels are really made up of jihadists right now no that's not true. you see what is the. fact that the regime is trying to say is that. eighty percent of the syrians are. extremist that's not true now they're saying the outsiders are rebels now fighting against the syrian he is small minority they are in the hundreds there are not more than one hundred. syrians odd in that is that they are biased people they are not really extreme as they are not everybody so and you two of how one of the terrorists was just ripping out a hired syrian person and eating it and i actually told this to all.

of the other day i said when i met today two months ago i said i understand president putin has mentioned this this thing. about the man who took the heart of somebody and ate it. i don't know who is he she might be planted he might be correct that he has a certain revenge or he is a criminal. but he did not see the man who took the throat of if any famous single in syria. took his thought and he did not see as well that there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who were killed so the one they took his heart is something very criminal and the one hundred and twenty thousand people that there is not something criminal it is high time to put an end so this tragedy that's going place this is

a genocide what's happening in syria it has to be stopped and stopped now and there is and there is a duty on behalf of the russians are still russian kerry acquired what do you think of that well i believe that they put an end to the problem in syria which was really. run by the sydney she was rooted to create some sort of. balance. equivalence with israel because israel has a nuclear bomb so this ad lehman that was made is fine but is that all. is it over now i mean the whole thing is that new finally we we're going to get to get let's say free from from the chemical weapons what about the continued

genocide that's taking place in syria you know we're told there were a start of a possible american strike on syria that could still be an option if this agreement never does work out let me tell you. i'm i'm i said personally i don't believe in the use of weapons and in the use of. the problem is that. whenever you. ask the us to use. to i mean to and now the west to use up and is that is not going to finish the job it's going to end up in having half of job done and this by itself is going to make. say victim and is going to capitalize on it and this will make this with elongate the problem while effectively effectively creating the necessity conditions by

making some sort of equivalence between the opposition and the and. that will lead i was going to true to the geneva and to agree with the russians that enough is enough to lead towards some sort of way map leading cause the putting an end to and in which real democracy can really be built over there what is needed being said from now on is that we are afraid to have the fundamentalists to take over in syria i tell you if we are going to leave things as they are the chances of furthering the radicalization is going to increase while on the other hand supporting the forces of moderation supporting let's say within that region. in order to help

syria to reconstruct itself and to rebuild itself and while at the same time creating the reconciliation along the model that i have just mentioned to you is the best solution for syria otherwise it is a recipe for continued conflict and on. denude contain the bloodshed and continued let's say let the asian of forces of violence from syria into into the region what has happened in syria is something that does not does not threaten the situation of syria to continue us such it may. lead in so many other countries and creating is if eating of of. helplessness and under police pnas in the region and feeding of beef that's a good defeatist feeding in the in the region that is going to lead again of the

situation if i may i just have a couple more question about within lebanon situation do you see the group of five to islam as your natural allies and you see it as a threat to lebanon. for the history. of his teens who were sent. into or seven and it took all. but a scene in camp in lebanon in the north and they fought the lebanese army and at that time was the prime minister and which was. really putting an end to to this to this. let's say attack that was made that led open it it's the struction of the camp but it was much better than leaving this let's say. that that was spread

over in the and eleven we. live unease. and and effectively. we muslims and levon. and the some months they were they want firmly to live together work comp. in the country with all the little law that is of the little use we are against against the use of of religion in order to. try to defend certain principles or certain ideas and we are against the use of violence and the suspect is in fact in the name of in the name of islam when the. these people commit crimes and this is against the let's say the teachings

of islam you know the free syrian army activities on lebanese soil implicate abductions and rocket attacks even though they were directed to hezbollah but he was on lebanese soil do you think there should be a crackdown on free syrian army in lebanon or they should be tolerated. well i don't think there are three c's in amin here but any back that is directed from syria who does it whether it is the free syrian army. or anybody we are against it and we have expressed this opinion quite clearly in all the communique that was made by the. group of of parliamentarians is that we denounce every attack that is only origin that originates from syrian territories and to lebanon or any attack that is made in lebanon by any group that is. said that acted towards eleven is group the syrian regime has issued

a warrant arrest warrant for some of your top officials your party's officials including saad hariri saying that you guys are financing the opposition do you deny those charges our position vis a vis the. the opposition in syria because this thing has nothing to do with you all it i mean this once that was should has nothing to do with the with. the syrian uprising it was much longer before that you see so that has nothing to do i mean this ones that were made against thirty thirty people december twelfth two thousand and twelve was made before and it was new that time but what i really want to say is that. the. syrian regime has been resorting to

such types of of if words in order to destabilize lebanon and that's that's the opposition is a v the this is the uprising. is that we have mentioned clearly is that politically we sympathize with the syrian uprising but are you financing from a humanitarian point of view we are helping in the receiving go there if you g.'s but we do not train nance we do not smuggle weapons or send personnel. we do not do any of these things. this is something we disagree with and we do not really approve of anything of the sort and we cannot afford it i mean it's pretty obvious that any officials of your party are out of reach for the syrian law enforcement right now

but aren't you afraid that they may become targets for hezbollah. when we have been already for quite some time. it is my. certain terrorists. this is something i don't want to live accuse anybody because this is this is the subject matter of the international tribunals to. deal with this matter. for sure for sure this is this this this is this that is there. but in this respect you only did once and you have to live in dignity and this is something that we are freedom seekers and we believe that what's happening in syria is something unacceptable from from all aspects and what is happening in lebanon

by the continued. back against the states as such and the holding of weapons by a group of lebanese and that was initially was really used to. to drive these rate is out of lebanon and thanks for the work that they have done in this regard i mean hezbollah was influential and in doing so the problem is that hezbollah has directed its weapons against the chests of the innocent lebanese. and you are using this as your way to implement. a regional. let's say. and. this is something unacceptable and we will continue to stand against

such such plans from the day through the democratic process. has been. to us by our constitution. that's it for this edition hearing from what senora lebanon's former prime minister who i met in beirut thank you for watching i'll see you next time here on. so we leave that maybe. i will see bush and see to the play your part of the musical. issues that no one is good with to get that you deserve answers from.

politics. the lucid search for justice should individuals including government officials be legally held to account for starting aggressive force like in iraq is it fair in law to push their officials be given immunity from prosecution if they are not held accountable and who is ultimately responsible. this point be an expensive car saloon. in a fashion show. also designer bags and shoes in the best shop windows. luxury is a school. is a lost cause. concert

. on archie.

drug. stories others are a few. places changing. picture. from.

the israeli prime minister to prove to the u.s. and the u.n. the change of tone is nothing but a smokescreen. of a thaw relations with the west fail to see with a combative stance. and tara tightens its grip on africa. in nigeria just a week off group conducted a deadly attack on a shopping mall right in the kenyan capital. and. he gets. support for right wing political groups across europe.