, we want maher," who is bashar's brother.he's the leader of the republican guard, of the fourth armored division, which is the most ruthless. and i think that's the time then when the decision has been made by bashar and by the people around him that they need to up their game in terms of meeting the rebel movement. (explosion) (shouting) (explosion) >> narrator: this february, to show his resolve, bashar al-assad moved on the country's third largest city, homs. >> homs has been an epicenter of opposition to assad. and so he wanted to send a lesson to the rest of syria that he can turn their cities into rubble if they oppose him. >> narrator: homs endured 30 straight days of shelling. most of the artillery was trained on the predominantly sunni neighborhood of baba amr. >> you look at baba amr today, and it's... it looks like a stalingrad. you know, it's just entire, you know, streets are just flattened. >> until baba amr, there was a belief inside the opposition ranks that the nonviolence movement that worked in tunisia, tha

assad's regime do you feel that moscow is really behind bashar assad i think russia. look mighty and look is our regime and we would think that there is a very different between the turn of the syrian army and the organization of the might the and the regime is a very and daughters to live a difference between and with things irish and also the symbol look to the sea again so that russian we think now but only with you know that they are nearest to the syrian be able more they are nearest to the syrian regime but the west of course they have. found that it will. seriously there are with the war with the free syrian army. and the. countries and those are thirty country. lit and the photo from any award came to go inside syria but the syrians are told well at this point i think we may get return to to discussing the so-called koffi annan peace plan because it didn't work you said earlier on this program that unfortunately it didn't or if you will according to the coffee plan the violence in syria should have stopped in april but something went wrong so can you tell us f

and its allies on one side and president bashar assad on the other show no signs of ending the fighting nevertheless every day of war means more suffering for the syrian people that are one of the syrian opposition and leader of the communist labor party for tatar movers believes both sides should put down their weapons and trade. union. home is that you also welcome to the show thank you thank you very much for being with us to the sink of the mass well first of all i want to ask about your current visit to moscow so you came here as the head of the delegation of the europe popular front a popular coalition because you also met the russian deputy foreign minister mr but that so what kind of support do you expect to get from moscow and was any support promised. by my own good forts from our friends and congress to in russia movement of national united. congress silly and the human and as ours so no we. could make some. relation between last. peaceful. way of changing in syria and with some organization in. russia especially in foreign minister. and. i guess that russia has a mighty can

>> guest: , no, there is not an election certainly send bashar al-assad came to power.they have referendums every seven years, which are called elections in area. it usually is only one running, bashar al-assad or in this case can and it is a yes no, even the polling places. and the intrepid voter with security in these polling places with out how for the reelection. so that is why they usually garner 97 to 1999% of the vote. so it is not a democracy. and this is overall kind of the result -- i hate to go back to world are one way and everything on and french, but the artificial creation in this country is really haven't developed a sense of identity or national identity yet over the years because of stitching together vastly different areas. syria was in many ways stitched together another race broke away from it. so without this lack of national identity and cohesiveness over the years, it seems the only thing keeping these countries together has been military dictatorship are outside military intervention such as the british in iraq and eventually americans in iraq.

president barack obama setting the mood by reiterating his commitment to force bashar al assad to go into one of the states believed to be supplying the syrian rebels with weapons called an arab nations to intervene in syria bypassing the world body. has been following the whole issue being addressed and right now. every world leader or high figure that took to the podium at the united nations general assembly on tuesday did address the crisis in syria the secretary general ban ki-moon described the war in syria as a regional calamity with global ramifications he urged the international community to act quickly with consensus before he says the crisis spirals out of control somewhat strong leaders took a more aggressive approach with their rhetoric french president francois hollande said that the syrian government of bashar assad has no future among the international community and crawls on the u.n. to immediately cried protections for the syrian opposition groups that are currently occupying the northern part of the country u.s. president barack obama also released some criticism ad

is standing firm in its position on syria and that position is that bashar al assad must go. president obama's speech was also in dissipated in connection to a growing and american sentiment in the muslim world what do you have to say on that. his speech was very much based around the anti-american sentiments that are blazing around the muslim world and beyond as a matter of fact when he addressed the matter of this muslim video that was made in the us and posted on you tube he calls it a crude and disgusting video that sparked outrage of the muslim world and said the u.s. government had nothing to do with that video and does not endorse that video in any way as a matter of factness officials have condemned it nonetheless there's no video and you know words that can justify. on u.s. embassies or consulates or the killing of an american ambassador and three other american officials in the view of u.s. president barack obama he believes that it's. extremists that are co-opting the anger that is the frustrations that is being shown towards the u.s. and that is what's inciting mo

secretary of state visited syria and urged bashar al assad to rupture relations with russia and iran but president assad did not yield to their demands for this reason they started planning an attack against syria seen years ago you know they have taken advantage of the so-called arab spring which has ignited across tunisia egypt libya sudan and i don't even know who will be next probably it will affect saudi arabia and united arab emirates next year because we see something of a snowball effect here in syria is a special case for it is the most diverse ethnic country. and christians have lived side by side. to playing this card the issue to destabilize syria as everybody knows what they did in lebanon twenty or thirty years ago the intended to split the country into small states syria intervened forces into lebanon prevented this from happening so now they're trying to get their vengeance syria reasons preventing the division of lebanon into denying them cooperation over iraq they're trying to turn syria into a listen for other arab nations showing them that anyone who dares oppose

presidents unwavering criticism of bashar assad. one of the states reportedly supplying the syrian rebels with weapons said it's time the arab nations intervened in syria bypassing the united nations is more important i watched the issue was covered on the first day of the assembly. every world leader or high figure that took to the podium at the united nations general assembly on tuesday did address the crisis in syria the secretary general ban ki-moon described the war in syria as a regional calamity with global ramifications he urged the international community to act quickly with consensus before he says the crisis spirals out of control now some western leaders took a more aggressive approach with their rhetoric french president francois hollande said that the syrian government of bashar assad has no future among the international community and called on the un to immediately pride protections for the syrian opposition groups that are currently occupying the northern part of the country u.s. president barack obama also released

leader said the regime of bashar al assad must come to an end when referencing syria president obama said that the international community must be engaged to assure that what began as citizens demanding their rights does not end in a cycle of sectarian violence now as we've been reporting over the past year and a half the u.s. and its western allies have been fiercely pushing and campaigning for for regime change for bashar al assad to step down and the u.s. and europeans have been supporting the opposition but the reality of the ground on the ground in syria is just getting worse as a matter of fact joint special envoy lakhdar brahimi just briefed the security council a day ago on the circumstance against syria he said it is going from bad to worse right now there's no new plans in place on how to scale down the violence and how to lead both sides to a peaceful path in addition to syria president obama spoke very heavily about the anti-american demonstrations that are blazing through the muslim world demonstrations that were sparked on september eleventh when he addressed the matter

president barack obama also released some criticism additional criticism of bashar al assad saying that time has come for his government to go and the u.s. president also said that the international community should support the vision that the syrians have for the future of their country now we do know that the u.s. and its western allies have been pushing for regime change in syria have been pushing for sanctions against syria russia is among the countries that believes diplomatic approach taken to the crisis in syria were i dialogue between the government and the opposition house to be created the united nations is still divided over how to. solves the problem in syria. and world leaders will not be the only ones addressing those gathered at the un headquarters in new york the one the only julian a son still hiding in the ecuadorian embassy in london despite his status as a political refugee he will also be making an appearance i'll be at via video link i will bring you exclusively that live coverage or at twenty two thirty g.m.t. . was i hear. i. i. thank for joining us here on r.t.

the end of bashar al assad's government and forcing him to step down but brazil on the other hand it's interesting to note said that there is no military solution to the syrian crisis that this crisis can only be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue that is the best solution according to brazil and that's the solution that russia and china have been proposing for the past eighteen months which is why there has been. a division within the security council we should mention that russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov will be meeting with the joint special envoy to syria lakhdar brahimi very soon and they will be discussing the crisis that is ongoing and mr brahimi described it as a bad situation that is growing terribly worse right now speaking of the president obama's speech it was also an dissipated in connection to the growing anti-american sentiment in the muslim world what do you have to see on that. i think a large part of president obama's speech was to address this anti american sentiment that has been exploding in the past few weeks of course the u.s. government said that th

president barack obama also released some criticism additional criticism of bashar al assad saying that time has come for his government to go and the u.s. president also said that the international community should support the vision that the syrians have for the future of their country now we do know that the u.s. and its western allies have been pushing for regime change in syria have been pushing for sanctions against syria russia is among the countries that believes diplomatic approach taken to the crisis in syria were i dialogue between the government and the opposition house to be created the united nations is still divided over how to resolve the problem in syria. reporting there well russia reaffirmed its commitment to peace efforts in syria's foreign minister sergei lavrov un special envoy lakhdar brahimi on the sidelines of the gathering and promised full support for his mission and commenting on the western proposals in syria voice to the un dr kahn helen from foreign policy in focus said it's the persistent call for regime change that brought the situation to steal meat in

they are waiting for intervention and war arms to be able to get rid of bashar al-assad. that is one option. but we need to be careful not just of one individual, a sod unturned. my approach, which i talked about the annan plan, security council endorsed it through a resolution, which all five permanent members signed on to. and they should have gone in to put pressure on the parties. for example, on the 12th of april, when the cease-fire went into force, that morning from the whole country was quiet. both sides stop fighting. for a wild, violence went down. 80% and then it escalated again. what do the countries do to try to help consolidate this and put pressure on the friends in the region that they are supporting to go along with the cease-fire? because if you do not the political transition plan, getting rid of bashar al-assad will not be enough. but i should not complicate his life. he is a brilliant mediator, a very wise man i think that if he gives his support, united's work support from the security council, he may make a difference. paul: that's a very good answe

why is the world protecting bashar? the turmoil elsewhere in the middle east makes intervention here less likely still. on the front lines, the struggle always seems uneven. but they inch forward against the destructive power of artillery and jets. for the time being, at least, syria's rebels know that here on the ground, they are on their own. >> for more on the unfolding events on the ground in syria, i spoke with our chief international correspondent just a brief time ago. he has gained rare access in damascus. >> you have described damascus as a bubble, insulated from the wider civil war. >> that bubble has been absolutely shattered. the first thing we saw going into damascus today on a sunny day was a huge plume of black smoke rising from one of the neighborhoods, where there is now shelling night and day. we also heard for the first time as night fell, helicopter gunships taking to the skies. there are many more check posts coming into the city and across the city. there are a few places where traffic is brisk, th

we believe in freedom for people, not the tyranny of bashar al-assad. i think that would be popular thing to do. in the arab world, as they watch what is happening in syria, they wonder why the rest of the world why we are standing by. there is a horrible crisis going on through the muslim world. the government in libya has been very clear against the attacks, apologizing to the u.s. for the libyans who participated in the killing of the americans. why? and they know we were on their side in the uprising against gaddafi. the people rising up against al-assad do not know that. the moderate islamist government was elected in tunisia and has been outspoken in support of the u.s. that is one way to break through this perplexing anti- american feeling in the muslim world. >> i'd like to turn to a major national security threat that could overtake terrorism. that is the cyber threat. lately there have been increased reports of cyber activity coming out of iran aimed at critical secretaries in the united states. -- critial sectors in the united states. how con

. >> reporter: you told us in july that you would be willing to speak with bashar al-assad. does that offer still stand? >> if he will step down i will meet him anywhere outside of syria. >> reporter: what would you say? >> i don't know, i-- i have no idea. i've never met him. but i-- you know, i would hope that it would not be too late to end this. but i see no indication that he's willing to. >> with assad unwilling to step down the syrian opposition is fighting not just on the battleground, it's also fighting from outside syria. and information war. charlie d'agata got a rare look behind the scenes. >> reporter: from a secret location in jordan-- a handful of journalists are risking everything to make sure the world doesn't turn its back on syria. the opposition channel syria alshaab meaning syria of the people broadcast powerful and graphic amateur video and live reports from inside the war zone. this is where we have it. >> they left a comfortable life in virginia and moved thousands of lives away. >> everyone in syria that has a cell phone or camera, they want to show

bashar assad. in the future it depends of the new if there will be in your gym and anything can happen this is a real potential to get into the hands of of terrorist organizations but you can not know yet what is going to happen i heard song thank you very much for joining us here on r.t. in america. dear mom i'm sorry that i had to do this i've been in so much pain in the past year that i can't take it anymore the stomach and chest pains of me getting worse and no doctor has been able to help me please know that i'll finally be at peace with no more pain i wish i could have had a life with elizabeth always pictured her being my wife and mother to my kids i love you all see you all in heaven when your time comes i'm going to meet jesus christ. thousands of u.s. troops in iraq received one of these drugs a drug called lariam and it may have prevented many soldiers from getting sick the question tonight is whether or not soldiers were adequately warned about its rare side effects serious life changin

bashar al-assad has decide it was not possible, no. it's the way it must go. >> rose: iran, and the nuclear issue. what do you believe iran wants? and to you believe they have made a decision on that? that? >> i hope not. first, so as nuclear energy is concerned, iran has a right to develop nuclear energy but for military use, no way, because it is too dangerous. not because it is iran but because-- if it goes that way, it means the region can be a terrible menace. therefore, no way. the question is how do you convince iran to evolve? we have-- when i saw "we" it's the big 5-- france, u.s., british, china, and russia. we're united on this issue. >> rose: the 5 plus 1 germany. >> yes, and we were stussing with iran and trying to convince them to change and we are applying sanctions. the fact is, up to now, iran has not changed. >> rose: it's not changed its behavior because of the sanctions. we have a report of the international agency they go that enfortunately, they're disrupting their program. and my own belief that what they are doi

bashar managed to lose it. so he can hang on with his fingernails to the cropings of power but he will lose it at the end. what will happen then is still an open question. >> rose: was there something that someone like bashar could have done early on recognizing that the arab spring was coming? are there moments in which people make decisions that forever decide the inevitable future they will face? >> he could have done it... when he came in in 2000, when he succeeded his father, he began something known as the damascus spring and was then told by his father's henchmen that you don't open pandora boxes. and he shut the pandora box. then came the arab spring and he gave a famous-- or you can say notorious-- "wall street journal" interview in january, 2011, in which he said "this cannot happen in syria because we are opposing the united states and israel. we have legitimacy and what happened in egypt cannot happen here." and when it broke out finally, he should have offered reforms. >> rose: and so does he have

as this protest continues here they are against foreign military intervention they are in favor of bashar al assad may have come out here today transferred to start opinion about you know. do you know i'm flooded we're here to expose the lies about syria that the being shown to the rest of the world the dead that are being shown were killed by terrorists getting blamed on the sun you know if you could they sponsored by nato the u.s. . went with us as a condition now you can stay up to date with of the details and peter's a twitter stream head there he reports how it's not only a syrian ex-pats demanding an end to interference in their homeland but also the citizens of neighboring states full of peter's twitter feed for more. goodies. there appears to be a wolf in sheep's clothing among those who finance a london not paralympics activists angry that a firm mikey's of wrecking the lives of thousands of disabled people is trying to burnish its image by sponsoring the games laura smith reports on what exactly caused the outrage. the paralympics are the ultimate display of troy over adversity

as this protest continues here they are against foreign military intervention they are in favor of bashar al assad they've come out here today to frankfurt to start opinion. so we're here to expose the lies about syria that the being showing to the rest. of the dead that are being sued by terrorists gotten blame on you know if you could these points of my name to the u.s. i phone and. also i think the stamp today with all the details of peter all of us a twitter stream here right now it's not only syrian ex-pats who are demanding an end to interference in their homeland but also the people of neighboring states as well go to his twitter feed for the latest developments on. the choice of sponsors for the london paralympic games is being called into question it has emerged that the u.k. government employees one of them two assessed disabled people's right to benefits a french company is accused of wrecking the lives of thousands of disabled people by unfairly forcing them off welfare and as artie's laura smith reports many think the firm is trying to polish its image by attaching itself to