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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> the formal end of america that a war in iraq. of the troops go home, but what have they left behind? [star spangled banner] the flag comes down over a controversial conflict. tens of thousands lives lost and $1 trillion later, america says the job is done. >> the mission of iraq that can finally govern and secure itself has become a real. hello, and welcome to "gmt." i'm george alagiah what a world

of news and opinion. also on the program -- jacques chirac found guilty of corruption but avoid jail. the first time a french leader has gone on trial since the second world war. >> why am i wearing a mask? >> michael jackson's daughter gives a rare televised interview and offers insight into a life with the king of pop. it is midday in london, 8:00 p.m. in beijing and 3:00 in the afternoon in baghdad, where in a ceremony charged with symbolism, america has finally brought the flag down on what will be remembered as one of its most controversial foreign-policy adventures. so, what is the legacy? in a moment we will speak to the iraqi deputy prime minister live from baghdad. first, humphrey hawksley reports on today's events.

>> and controversial invasion and nine years later it endured with a dignified ceremony to mark the military withdrawal. 1.5 million troops deployed here over that time, 4500 killed, and $1 trillion spent on the war. but america says its state of course, and it was worth the cost in blood and dollars. >> no words, no ceremony, can provide full tribute to the sacrifices that have brought this day to pass. >>ore business as usual in central baghdad. every family has been impacted from the long years of war and sectarian killing, much of it blamed on america. >> obama praised the efforts of american troops in liberating

iraq, but he forgot that the occupation created destruction and violence. >> if the americans have achieved anything, he says, they achieve that for their own benefit. as for iraqis, they paid the high price and you can see by the killings and violence. in fallujah, near baghdad, they filled the streets to mark the withdrawal. in 2004, this city bore the brunt of an american offensive to try to stem the insurgency. at its height, 170,000 troops were here. a high stress and unpredictable combat and encounters with people and causes people find hard to understand. even now, iraq is far from secure. hundreds are still killed every month and there is much thought that with american troops gone, the next stage of the struggle

is about to begin. humphrey hawksley, bbc news. prime ministery joins me now live from baghdad. thank you for being with us here on "gmt." what is your assessment of these it and half years where you have foreign troops on your soil? >> well, there have been difficulties. we have had some successes together. we had some failures. we had some mishaps. i think we are all happy that the american soldiers are returning home safely to their families, and we are also confident that the iraqi people and armed forces, police, are in a position now to take care of their own security. >> you are happy to see the american troops going home, and that is because most iraqis don't actually trust them. they did not actually get on with them very well.

>> i would not say most iraqis, but there have been different opinions in iraq as to the role they have played in iraq. i think most iraqis will remember the hardships under the previous regime and the fact that they could not get rid of a dictator without help from outside, and specifically, from the american forces. from -- but the conduct of some of the forces after the fall of the regime have not been what the iraqis expected, and that is why there have been mixed feelings among the population. but now, the country is almost unanimous saying they should be respectfully returning home and iraq should move into a new era of cooperation with the united states, economic, cultural,

political spheres. >> sorry to interrupt you. but surely the election -- lesson of this last year is that you did not have to lose 4500 american lives and you do not have to lose tens of thousands of arab lives in order to change the government, which is what has happened in the last 8 and 1/2 years. look at libya, tunisia, look at egypt. there was another way. >> no, this is true -- and a matter of fact, i proust -- i have personally been on record just before the invasion of iraq that the best way of changing the regime is to help the iraqi people to rise up and deprive the regime of air power and tanks if he decides to attack his own population. and i believe that would have been the easiest way to about where the iraqi people to do the work themselves. however, there was -- the u.s.

administration at the time had chosen another route, and that has cost iraqis many lives. it >> -- >> it was the wrong route, full stop. >> in my opinion, if the iraqi people were and how word to rise up and the regime was told in very clear terms that he would not be allowed to use his air force and tanks against the iraqi population, that would have been a much better route to bring down a regime and allow the iraqi people to build their own democracy. >> you will be aware that there are many people who are now saying that, ok, iraq has got a difficult challenge at -- challenges ahead but perhaps, just perhaps, one problem has been solved, the problem of saddam hussein. but a new problem has been created, and that is a resurgent iran.

>> well, iraq does have its difficulties with some of its neighbors. it has to solve those problems with the neighbors. but over all, what i think iraq is now is a free country, a democratic country, with a great potential not only of natural resources -- >> but let us talk about iran. isn't iran now in a more powerful position in the region than it was 8 and a half years ago? >> well, iran is developing its own potential. it has nothing to do with what is happening here in iraq. iran's military program, nuclear program, its own political and economic demand, are matters of concern to iran. these are not affected by what is going on in iraq. if iraq is in a stronger

position in the region, it is because of what it is. as far as our relationship with iran is concerned, the iranians are fully aware -- we have told them in very clear terms that we will not accept or allow any interference in our internal affairs. they acknowledge, accept that and respect that. >> finally, if you had to choose one single job that you and it ministration in iraq have to fulfill now, when the challenge, what is it? >> building our democracy and developing and constructing our economy, and in the short term -- and i would also add to that, normalizing our relationship with all of our neighbors and being very instrumental in

bringing about democratic change in the region where all the people can live free with political and human rights. but we will limit their. deputy prime minister of iraq -- >> we will leave it there. deputy prime minister a wreck. for more on u.s. troops marking the end of combat in iraq you can hit to our website, and there you will find a detailed timeline we put together looking at key moments over the past nine years of the conflict. i just go to bbc.com/news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making of lines around the world today. syrian activists say army deserters have killed at least 27 soldiers in a series of clashes in the province of dara early on thursday. the campaign -- human rights watch documented evidence of systematic torture and killings of civilians by the security forces in syria. the group said its findings are

based on testimony given by more than 60 syrian army defectors. it said response building for the abuses goes right up to president assad himself. joining me from istanbul is the bbc's jonathan head. you and i have discussed it ourselves, several reports from inside syria. it using this is the definitive one, does this have something the others did not have? >> human-rights watch report is important because they did of the reports, but what they have done is they have names names. through these extensive interviews they have been doing with defectors, they looked at the incidents of violence and syria and they had clear testimony in this report of senior offices -- officers, brigadier-general scum who directly ordered their men to kill civilians and it is pretty harrowing. you have soldiers saying they were ordered sometimes to kill a minimum number of demonstrators, sometimes to shoot anybody that

they saw. they say this is not just evidence of crimes against humanity, but they have named 74 senior commanders in syria who they say directly ordered this. these guys are completely culpable and their cases should be taken to the international criminal court and they say because president assad and his top figures know about this and did nothing, they are also culpable. they say there is no question there is a compelling legal case for the u.n. security council to refer the syrian government and its top commanders to the criminal court in the hague. >> can you shed some light on the clashes? >> we rely on the same sources. they do realize it -- and of a libel at times. we have heard reports as senate from the same source -- is sources talking about eight soldiers being killed by army defectors, seven over the

weekend. we are getting reports of much more intense clashes now between the syrian army and these defectors. who now established strongholds. the syrian army, it seems, is trying to retake these places and that may explain why the devil is so high. it is a quite worrying development. when she gets bs escalating clashes, you are starting to see the scenario everybody fears, which is uncontrolled civil war. >> thank you very much. four people have been arrested in the indian state of west bengal after more than 100 people died from drinking illegal distilled alcohol. dozens of others have been treated -- are being treated in a hospital. the liquor is been traced to a small shop 70 kilometers from the city. the case against the malaysian opposition leader has come to a close. he is accused of sodomy with a former male aide.

this is the case is politically motivated and the charges against him are aimed at keeping him from power. a verdict is expected in early january. a phone-in with russia's prime minister vladimir putin kicks off this morning with a question about the disputed elections held recently. he said they reflected public opinion mr. putin earlier about not to duck tough questions during his live question and answer session on russian television. an official in the southeast chinese province of guangdong will investigate government land acquisitions which left the village in open revolt against authority. residents of the village are angry their farm land was sold by local officials to develop it without consent. to prevent the leap -- police from entering. there are reports authorities have been shopping -- stopping shipments of food from getting

to the village. still to come on "gmt," fresh warnings of a bleak winter for the eurozone, dipping back into recession in the first half of next year. the group that buys in the british government on climate change says investments in windfarms -- advising the british government on climate change says investments in windfarms and technology will not help decreased energy bills. they say any price rises in the next 10 years can be offset if there is further improvements in energy efficient technology. >> rising fuel bills have raised questions about how much of that is due to paying for renault will energy and other attempts to cut carbon emissions. some argue that technologies like wind turbines are too expensive and warned extra cost could see the bills going up by hundreds of pounds. the committee on climate change that advises the government says

its analysis shows it is not the case. for dole few household, homes that use gas for heating have found bills of all have gone up by 455 pounds between 2004 and 2010, and of that, too lantern and 90 pounds were down to the rise in wholesale gas prices and 75 pounds, 16%, was due to low power, generation and energy efficiency improvement in homes. looking ahead, it says it's best estimate is low carbon policies will add a further 110 pounds to dual fuel bills by 2020, significantly more for those using only a lecture city. some analysts say there are too many assumptions and to many variables to reach such a conclusion -- how much will be built, what costs, what gas prices will be, and consumer groups say even at the levels predicted, the cost of green technology will put more pressure on already shrek household budgets. >> the u.s. government has been

auctioning off shore drilling rights in the gulf of mexico for the first time since last year's deep water horizon disaster. the obama administration insists lessons have been learned from accident is that killed 11 workers and spilled 5 billion barrels of oil into the gulf waters. this is "gmt" from bbc world news. the top story -- u.s. troops withdraw their -- draw than nine years in iraq to close in a flag ceremony in baghdad. the former french president jacques chirac has been found guilty on two counts of misusing public funds when he was the mayor of paris. he is the first french ex-head of state to be convicted since march since the leader of the collaborationist vichy government. he has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

joining me from paris is huch schofield -- hugh schofield. is there any surprise? many people thought that he would get away with this. >> the trial was a bit odd because the prosecution effectively said, but the state lawyers said, in no, terrible things happen but we do not think jacques chirac should be found guilty. but in the french system, it does not come. there was another in the dossier and the judge in the and said, no, he was responsible in all of this. that created a bit of a surprise but i think anyone who follows french politics and new about the inner machinations about how paris city hall operated in the 1980's and early 1990's cannot be surprised at all. it was an open secret it was going on and certainly the revelations have since come to light have made it quite clear he knew about what was going on. >> this is quite an end in what

was otherwise a quite glittery career. the type of presidency he had on the european stage. >> history may well have a rather ambiguous view of jacques chirac's presidency. he is certainly a well liked president of the critics say he is very much in the continuum of the sort of do-nothing presidents which have landed france and its current predicament, but he has always been propped -- popular, and has always known there was a shady side. people did not hold that against them because back then it was said to the current practice for all parties to use underhanded methods to raise money because the parties did not have any money. it is just the system was perfected in paris where there was so much money and where jacques chirac basically was head of this little metropolitan state for 18 years. he was just in the position to do this for such a long period. >> thank you very much. for the business news with

aaron, and another stark warning for the eurozone? >> nasty reading. basically confirms tougher times are coming. let me explain. the eurozone is facing a bleak winter, tipping back into recession in the first half of next year. the warning in the latest quarterly economic survey by the accounting firm ernst and young, and it also predicts that unemployment will remain high around 10% of least until about 2015 and despite efforts of do you leaders. it says the risk of the breakup of the eurozone certainly remains. the senior economic adviser to the ernst and young eurozone forecast predicted what they were expecting next year. >> 2012 will be a very difficult year. there are very large amounts of -- governments, companies as well, and banks. a lot of tensions we have seen in the latter part of this year probably are going to remain

through about 2012. that means our growth forecast for the eurozone is growth of around zero, with some recessions in some countries. >> you think that is bad? it does not get any better. listen to this from credit suisse. >> although, to be fair, we have even a gloomier forecast for the euro area, in contraction last year, and the agreement last week -- yes, nothing really new was deliver by the eu leaders and the only positive thing that came out from the agreement was that of there is a fiscal compacted that may come out of it but it is something that will take place in the longer-term while nothing really was delivered for resolving the situation in the shorter term. >> from problems and the eurozone to problems in japan, because japanese manufacturing sentiment has turned pessimistic all due to the strong yen and europe's debt crisis, coming from the latest

survey of business confidence. and a quarterly survey the bank of japan said large manufacturing sentiment in the three months to december dropped to minus four to plus two -- it is one of the key factors considered by the bank's rate -- rate setters. given the eurozone crisis, the soaring strength of the yen and floods and thailand, i put it to one japanese expert -- in a nutshell, it has been a hell of a year for the countries manufacturing. >> it is likely to be very cloudy next year as well. why the estimate for the future forecast has also been revised down. this is the part that really hurts. and of course, we do have a very strong domestic side which indicates benefited from the supplemental budget that will kick off next year. export downside is far greater in force. >> that a survey denting the markets in asia. nikkei in tokyo, all down.

not much new to tell you about because the same old worry, the eurozone. we are hearing from one source there may be another eurozone summit on february 7 or february 8 -- coming from one source but it could look certain there could be another summit, which would give another deadline, george, to save the eurozone. >> the markets are down one day, up the next. >> you cannot pick them. i would be rich man, if i could. >> michael jackson's daughter paris as giving a rare television interview in which she discussed life with her life -- late father and her budding acting career. during her appearance, see talk about the mass which she wore as a child to shield her from media attention. >> as the child of one of the world's most famous faces, paris jackson's route into the heart of hollywood would always be through doors already open. still, only 13, in one of the first televised interviews, she told the u.s. chat show host

ellen degeneres about her father's efforts to keep his children away from the camera. >> when you would wear the mask, you remember thinking -- because obviously your dad did it to protect you so nobody would know you are -- but do you remember wearing a mask going, this is weird? >> yes, i am my -- this is stupid. why am i wearing a mask? but i kind of realize the older i got, he only tried to protect us and he explained it to us, too. ♪ ♪ >> throughout her father's career, paris and her two brothers were shielded from the media glare. she says she is happier at high school in los angeles. but i do have like a regular childhood. i am treated the same. when i came on the bus, they did not know why was. i said, yes, i have a chance to be normal. >> since her father's death in 2009, paris and her brothers have been looked after by her

family. although the teenager is stepping into her own spotlight, taking a lead role in an upcoming hollywood film. "london's bridge and the three keys" based on a fantasy novel. >> my dad was in the movie "moon walker" and i knew he could sing really well but i did not know he could act and i thought, i want to be just like him. >> itself a short interview from someone only in her first teenage year, but i 13 her father had been performing for six years and was already becoming world famous -- something he made sure his children were protected from. >> a reminder of our top story before we close this addition, in a special ceremony in iraq, america is finally brought down the flag on what will be remembered as one of the most controversial foreign-policy adventures. here on "gmt," the rock that a deputy prime minister told us that the u.s. had made mistakes but iraq was not in a better

place -- the iraqi deputy prime minister. stay with us. there is more to come. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its global strength to work for a wigedeanfi r of nancial companies. what can we do for you? >> bbc world news was presented