kofi annan did not raise it with the council. but he did raise it with journalists afterwards when he was asked about it. there is an idea of being discussed at the moment to create this contact between these countries and the security council to come together to say, we are facing a real crisis here and we have to be boldly realistic. or coldly realistic about what to do. and present the government in particular with a certain strategy for transition. but it does not sound like the plans for that contact group had evolved very far. i guess that will be discussed in the coming days and probably raised at the meeting of the g- 20, which will happen shortly. the secretary-general said these discussions would definitely continue there. >> that is the latest from the united nations. as the debate continues, u.s. lawmakers are also grappling with what they should do next when it comes to syria. john mccain advocates providing arms to the syrian opposition and he made this impassioned statement on the senate floor. >> how many more hav

the kofi annan peace initiative has failed. it has also failed to bridge the divide between the syrian government and the opposition. it has also failed -- and this is the big point, david -- to even bridge the divide between the russian and chinese camps on the one hand and the american western camp on the other hand. >> but the russians do seem to be suggesting there could be something in a contact group, perhaps if it's brought in. is that realistic? >> i think that's really what's happening behind closed doors. i would argue it's very, very important. the russians are beginning to realize that the situation is extremely grave, not just for syria, but also for its neighbors, and that's why i think ideas are being floated around about bringing in turkey and iran and other powers in order to basically begin the process, of course, at that transition. the reason why russia and i would say kofi annan are proposing to bring iran in, because the idea is you want to really find ways and means to convince president assad that it's t

peace and void kofi annan has reiterated that iran has a role to play in mediating and then that to the audience in syria the comments was made though for a slew of declarations from western these opposing tehran being given any such rule . has more on the invoice be used in exactly one month the u.n. supervision mission in syria will expire and at this point the international community is attempting to exhaust all options one of those options according to joint special envoy kofi annan is to form a contact group meeting one that could take place as soon as june thirtieth in geneva joint special envoy kofi annan says that in that contact group it would be a meeting of the permanent members of the security council members of the european union and also countries that have direct influence on the opposition group in syria as well as the syrian government mr kofi annan says that he has made it clear that he believes that iran should be part of that contact group part of a solution that the international community would like to see in syria now are the u.s. and its western allies were very

mission first we agree to the kofi annan plan however what they say i'm convinced that we have delivered a lot on the six point peace plan we do not agree and will not agree with many of the statements in this regard especially those voiced by parties that are known for their hostility toward the kofi annan plan secondly like i said we did cooperate with the u.n. observer mission and provided it with every possible privilege and thirdly we ensured the observers personal security throughout their stay and in all of their movements around the country this is exactly what has enabled us to deliver on the peace plan in many aspects number four we did not prevent the observers from moving around syria and going any place they wanted. convinced and this is the opinion of the syrian government that the only feasible solution for the crisis we're facing is political dialogue supply me insurgents with any type of lethal weapon including communication equipment does nothing but impede a peaceful settlement and result in more bloodshed for syria and. the head of russia and the united states have ex

it found itself back in the kofi annan peace plan, but if mr. annan goes towards criticizing the governments in damascus, which looks like he is doing, the chinese government might have some difficulties with that. >> michael, thanks very much. i should just point out that the pictures you saw of demonstrations there were not from today. they were from thursday. just to make that clear, those pictures were from thursday, not today. but we are expecting demonstrations across the country, as i said. let's move on now, because every year in england, thousands of girls and young women are forced into marriage by their parents and their relatives. under new proposals to be announced by the government, it's going to become a criminal offense in england, wales, and northern ireland to do that. the proposals would affect girls from pakistani, bangladeshi and indian communities, as ed thomas reports. >> this is the story of a young british girl forced to marry a man she'd never met before in pakistan. it's an animation for children, but it confronts a re

there is no real alternative to the plan of kofi annan. we have to be realistic. the free syrian army is only one branch of the opposition. it is a chaotic situation in syria. the failure of this peace plan of kofi annan means the road to a civil war is wide open now. >> how widespread is the violence in syria at the moment? >> the whole country is in turmoil with two exceptions. that is the capital, damascus, and economic center of the country. this is very important. it means the sunni merchant class in serious the continues to stay close to the syrian regime. therefore, it is simply an illusion to assume that the government is weak and that it is about to be toppled. they will see very bloody months ahead. >> ok. we saw a report about the eu. are we expecting any change on russia's report for bashar al- assad? >> the russians do not care about the syrian regime. they are concerned about their own interests on the military, political, and economic level. for them, syria is an important ally and they don't see -- wish to see a regime change in syria as it happene

special envoy kofi annan has largely been ignored. he says that syria is on the brink of an all-out civil war and the international community must act swiftly. >> we must find a way on the common ground to act and act as one. >> u.s. officials attending an anti-terrorism conference in turkey called for an orderly transition of power in damascus. >> syria will not and cannot be stable and democratic until assad goes. >> clinton is sending a representative to moscow. whereby the president' transfers power. russia would have to be brought on board. >> we have more from damascus where our freelance journalist is on the line. the assad regime is denying any involvement in this massacre. what is the explanation? to the syrian people believe it? >> the syrian people do not trust the regime. there is no information. that is why in situations like this, and no one knows what is really going on. 78 civilians are dead. the un observers verified the issues. it is really very, very complicated. no one knows what is going on. >> some reports are su

peace plan but kofi annan also urged the increasingly aggressive rebel forces to lay down arms. where the latest from new york. after hours of closed door consultations members of the security council and the secretary-general ban ki moon have come out first mr obama hugh moon saying that kofi annan six point peace plan the violence in syria remains at the center of the international community's efforts clearly nobody has calling this plan a failure and at this point nobody is indorsing any type of military intervention into syria the most important thing right now according to the secretary general is to keep syria from going from a tipping point to a breaking point joint special envoy for the u.n. an arab league mr kofi annan also has said to the media that what needs to be done now is for the security council to under stand and to come up with a plan in the best way to implement his six point peace plan and that is up to the security council to work out and decide while the security council unanimously recommitted its board or the kofi annan six point peace plan washington is

group meeting one that could take place as soon as june thirtieth in geneva joint special envoy kofi annan says that in that contact group it would be a meeting of the permanent members of the security council members of the european union and also countries that have a direct influence on the opposition group in syria as well as the syrian government mr kofi annan says that he has made it clear that he believes that iran should be part of that contact group part of a solution that the international community would like to see in syria now are the u.s. and its western allies were very much against sitting down at a table with iran or having iran play a role in solving the crisis in syria but mr anonymous comments come as there are fresh reports about the slaughter of some twenty five men near the northern city of aleppo in syria from what has been described in by accounts from opposition and syrian state media there rebels in syria were responsible for this ambush of course a thorough independent investigation has not been conducted yet but what is quite clear is that the massacres. in cit

aircraft that will our airspace without any approval from our country international peace envoy kofi annan says iran should be involved in efforts to end the escalating violence in syria the u.s. and its european allies have objected to around participation in the international conference on the syrian crisis but annan says it's time to put differences aside and focus on pushing the peace process forward his marina part. in exactly one month the u.n. supervision mission in syria will expire and at this point the international community is attempting to exhaust all options one of those options according to a joint special envoy kofi annan is to form a contact group meeting one that could take place as soon as june thirtieth in geneva joint special envoy kofi annan says that in that contact group it would be a meeting of the permanent members of the security council members of the european union and also countries that have a direct influence on the opposition group in syria as well as the syrian government mr kofi annan says that he has made it clear that he believes that iran should be par

on a top level tour of europe president putin this week urged patience to let the kofi annan plan come into a fact in syria he was speaking i had a meeting with top officials who have now arrived in st petersburg where they have got a lot to discuss as or in a go to explain. was it puts in his first stop was in minsk which many saw as an indication that that russia's foreign policy now will focus more on the closest neighbors and the c.i.s. countries many observers also saw this visit as the beginning of the suppose at the land of economic and eastern bloc now off you went afterwards to berlin on a whirlwind visit which lasted for only hoffer day was going to put an end german chancellor angela merkel seemed to see eye to eye on the matters concerning syria now earlier in the week u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton said that russia is aiding to the troubles in syria by continuing to support the regime of president bashar al assad to which of course their action president prepared a response so we can see it but russia is unilaterally supporting the assad regime . we have longstand

all parties agree the peace plan proposed by the envoy kofi annan was the best way to avoid civil war. it's not to say they see eye to eye on how to resolve the conflict. gordon has the latest. >> the european union top officials arrived over the weekend to be welcomed by vladimir putin. a first meeting with him since he returned as president of russia. at today's talks, the violence in syria is on the agenda, with european officials stressing that russia's role is critical in persuading its allies to stem the violence and make kofi annan's cease-fire plan work. >> the opinion and russia might have some diverging assessments, but we fully agree that the kofi annan plan provides the best opportunity to break the cycle of violence in syria, avoiding civil war, and finding a peaceful, lasting solution. but while european and western officials laid the blame for the violence largely on the syrian government, russian officials argue responsibility for events including recent massacres is shared with rebels fighting to topple president assad. observers fear the bloodshed is looking more and

so i met with kofi annan on friday. we talked through what his strategy would be. and he is working very hard to try to implement it. the redline for us was the inclusion of iran. we thought that would be a grave error. since we know that iran is not only supporting the assad regime, but actively mentoring, leading, encouraging not merely the regular army but the militias that are springing up, engaging in sectarian conflict. so we have a timeline in mind, to see whether or not this effort of kofi's can be successful. the outer limit of that is mid july when the security council has to decide whether or not to extend the mission. and certainly if there is no discernible movement by then, it will be very difficult to extend a mission. that is increasingly dangerous for the observers on the ground. secondly, i think that the challenge faced by so many from the near neighbors in the area to those further out is -- what one can realistically do to try to bring an end to the violence without seeing an increase in the activities of certain elements of the opposition that

kofi annan, who brokered a u.n. peace plan aimed at ending the violence, said what many on the ground already know. >> i must be frank and confirm that the plan is not being implemented. >> reporter: as annan spoke, syria continued to burn. the syrian military continued its assault on towns where civilians young and old were fleeing the shells raining down, and while the international community continues to wrangle over what it can do, syrians caught in the middle continue to cry out for help. >> that is nbc, and amon joins us now from cairo. good to see you again. this latest massacre of women and children shows us again the u.n. really can't do much more to stop syria without the help of russia and china. they want tougher sanctions, but russia and china have now come out and said they're not going to go for that. where do we go from here? >> it's absolutely right. there is a paralysis now that is so evident for many people in the region. the arab countries that want to supply weapons and support to the opposition

frantic efforts underway to salvage kofi annan peace plan. that is football fans hospitality and talking of russian supporters ahead of a human tragedy twelve nearly one hundred thirty poles arrested. a crackdown on whistleblowers bukhari miles the display show which could make it harder riskier people to expose will break. pro-car sting live from moscow this is r.t. i'm kerry johnston. syria has plunged into a full scale civil war so says the head of the u.n. peacekeeping operation that he added that fighting had reached a previously unseen ferocity as government forces seek to blunt a nationwide offensive by the rebels who had withdrawn from the internationally backed cease fire but in a point now has more developments at the u.n. . the u.n. peacekeeping chief our of a lot to who recently made those comments saying that the conflict in syria is now a civil war he is the first you want to fishel to have made that type of declaration following the fifteen months of violence taking place in escalating in syria now of course his words can carry

opposed any type of international pressure in the in the form of sanctions instead referring to kofi annan six point peace plan and fully supporting that so of course these statements coming from a top u.n. official declaring a civil war in syria can be a game changer within the security council in the days ahead you have to remember that ninety day mission three hundred unarmed observers in syria was adopted under the idea that there would be a ceasefire in syria if there is no ceasefire what is there left for observers to be monitoring and that is something that the u.n. peacekeeping chief mr lots you also stated we should mention that the u.n. said that three u.n. vehicles were fired upon when monitors were trying to enter the syrian town. on tuesday according to the u.n. the crowds were throwing rocks and metal rods and also there were shots fired at the cars nobody was injured but clearly this increases the amount of danger surrounding the u.n. peacekeepers that are in the country next month this ninety day mandate for this syrian mission the u.n. syrian mission expires. council membe

posed any type of international pressure in the in the form of sanctions instead referring to kofi annan six point peace plan and fully supporting that so of course these statements coming from a top u.n. official declaring civil war in syria can be a game changer within the security council in the days ahead you have to remember the. ninety day mission of three hundred unarmed observers in syria was adopted under the the idea that there would be a ceasefire in syria if there is no ceasefire what is there for you when observers to be monitoring next month this ninety day mandate for this syrian mission the u.n. syrian mission expires and some council members it may not be willing to renew this mandate if they feel that the u.n. observers will be in danger if they are in syria which has now been deemed a civil war so the crisis is reached a new level the political analysts believe kofi annan still remains syria's only hope. i think the situation. very dangerous proportions and there are civilians that are being killed and today we have some. there were some pictures of. her been massacred

opposition groups in syria as well as the syrian government mr kofi annan says that he has made it clear that he believes that iran should be part of that contact group the u.s. and its western allies were very much against sitting down at the table with iran or having iran play a role in solving the crisis in syria but mr anonymous comments come as there are fresh reports about the slaughter of some twenty five men near the northern city of aleppo in syria from what has been described and by accounts from opposition and syrian state media there rebels in syria were responsible for this ambush what is quite clear is that the massacres in cities throughout syria are getting bolder with signs of immense brutality the violence officials have been warning is getting. very dire point. we're keeping a close eye on reactions and developments in syria for you get up to date by logging on to our facebook page and twitter feeds where we've got all the latest for you. thousands of egyptians remain in the square a mass protest overnight against the military which is accused of staging a brutal power

big un assessment as resurgent rebels take advice to us the frantic efforts underway to salvage kofi annan peace plan. polish football fans show no hospitality attacking russian supporters ahead of a euro twenty twelve match nearly one hundred thirty poles arrested. last crackdown on the whistleblowers the u.k. miles legislation which could make it harder and riskier for people to expose lawbreakers. in business traders here in moscow turning to their desks with optimism that after the holidays despite wake up oil prices as the russian markets continue to gain join me in twenty minutes time i have to think is that the date out of. international news and comment twenty four hours a day your watching r.t. . syria has plunged into a full scale civil war says the head of the u.n. peacekeeping operation there he added that fighting had reached a previously unseen ferocity as government forces seek to blunt a nationwide offensive by the rebels who had withdrawn from the internationally backed cease fire but has more now on developments at the u.n. . the u.n. peacekeeping chief two who recently m

in paris to president putin has the international community to stick to kofi annan peace plan for syria to prevent a full scale civil war. and facing the sack for speaking out and latvian naval professor says he's a victim of persecution of russians in the baltics after raising them right on r t . welcome to r.t. world news twenty four hours a day. courtis set to announce whether egypt's ousted president hosni mubarak is guilty of complicity in mass murder he's accused of ordering security forces to open fire on protesters demonstrating against his rule during last year's revolution leading to more than eight hundred deaths this latest from outside the courthouse. if convicted former egyptian president hosni mubarak faces anything from three years to the death penalty and most people large expects he will not be receiving the highest penalty in this case because of his advanced age as well as what observers believe to be a failure of the prosecution to deliver an airtight case in terms of his responsibility in the orders to use live ammunition against protesters in the revolution last y

this latest atrocity in syria comes just before kofi annan these show due to brief the u.n. security council on syria we expect to me anything concrete from this session. well the international envoy kofi annan has been trying very hard over the past few months to try to bring peace to syria with his six point peace plan that was endorsed by the security council us through a resolution but we've seen that it's made very slow progress just last week the free syrian army the leaders of it out called on mr non to i now it's that his plan has failed that plan called for many things one which was a ceasefire that clearly is it holding well in syria mr non it is expected that he will be talking to the security council and. and suggesting that there would be a creation of a contact group where world and regional powers that have influence on both the syrian government and the syrian opposition could come together and try to broker a better kind of peace process now that contact group would reportedly include the veto members of the security council it would also include other count