of the bush years on the middle east." that should take us through the whole program. i am joined by my old friend george lobsenz, editor "the energy daily," which i was happy to be associated with. gil klein, nice to have you on the broadcast. we are joined again by michelle jamrisko of the "kyodo news, the japanese news agency likely associated press in britain. and she does write in english. well, she is very clever, so maybe she writes in japanese as well. i do not know. i have always been fascinated by japanese translators doing the translation. it is very difficult, but there you are. claude salhani, what are we going to do in the middle east? your book, does it tell us? >> yes, it touches on what -- >> should we wait until it is published and the whole thing will be resolved? >> no, i think there is room for -- >> continuing to live off this and this story. >> the book talks about the bush years, the impact it has had on the middle east, and where president obama is trying to go with his plan. >> and how is he succe

the middle east crisis might have bn played differently. in the aftermath of its annexation of gaza and the wt bank in 1967, israel could have negotiated with jordan's king hussein and because it didn't, it ended up being confronted by arafat and the plo and because israel refused to deal meaningfully with arafat, it was faced by hamas. in refusing to deal with hamas, we can only wonder about the nature of the movement that might supplant today's islamists. it's worth noting that for all the talk and all the seeming participation i peace processes israel has concededly virtually nothing since 1948 and more recently since 1967. against a backdrop of u.s.-managed on again/off again dialog, the reality of the process is that more and more palestinian land has been taken for more and moresraeli settlements, roads, and checkpoints, all of which serve to shrink palestinian hope and dignity. through this innovating process, hamas has fought its way to a seat at the top table, it recognizeds a player or not. any doubt about its state has evaporated

unfortunately for president obama, his hopes of a middle east are gridlocked, too. for months, his plan was to use the united nations general assembly this week to start a brand new peace process, aimed at giving the palestinians independence alongside israel. once they were all inside the waldorf-astoria hotel, the meeting could not have been easy. he has humiliatingly refused repeated american requests to keep an old promise about freezing construction in the occupied palestinian territories, so the palestinian president will not take part in direct talks. president obama must have been exasperated by what he had hoped would be a major summit had become a photo opportunity. >> despite all the options, despite all the history, despite all the mistrust, we have to find a way forward. we have to summon the will to break the deadlock that has trapped generations of israelis and palestinians in an endless cycle of conflict and suffering. >> since 1967, israel has been building homes for jews in defiance of international law. the settlement to break up the land, making

president obama tries to restart middle east peace talks but the two sides are largely unmoved. >>> job jackpot. thousands of people with new jobs and new hope, in a city that's been down on its luck. >>> and, catchy ads to help that's been down on its luck. >>> and, catchy ads to help people avoid catching the flu. captions paid for by abc, inc. >>> good evening. there are locations throughout the u.s. where flooding would be no surprise. but when the atlanta area becomes a lake, that is a surprise. atlanta is inundated with water, lots and lots of it. at least nine people have died in southeastern flooding. schools are closed, major roadways are closed. fire trucks can't move. it's a mess. all the result of more than a foot and a half of rain in some areas. steve osunsami is in autell, georgia. steve? >> reporter: good evening, charlie. the flood waters have reached so many homes here, including my own. i can tell you first hand, this is overwhelming. this is what it looks homes and roads flooded with dirty water. across this region, many homeowners will have to start over. nearly 20

nations, president obama is said to be considering important policy shifts on afghanistan and the middle east. >>> the president says iran must be held accountable if it continues to pursue a nuclear weapons program. the iranian leader also speaks out. >>> we will take you to jamaica for part two of our "signature series" on the battle against aids. tonight one woman's personal crusade to end the stigma attached to the disease. >>> and from south america, from peru, an unusual twist on global warming. winters there are actually getting colder with dire consequences. >>> from the world's leading reporters and analysts, here's what's happening from around the world. this is "worldfocus." major support has been provided by rosalindp. walter, and the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's future. and additional funding is provided by the following supporters -- >>> good evening. i'm daljit dhaliwal. >>> tonight we want to step back a bit and assess where u.s. foreign policy is heading, especially on the cr

among the specifics, the president made a plea for help in advancing middle east peace. nations aligned with both israel and the palestinians must offer more than lip service, he said. they must be willing to say publicly what they often acknowledge in private. >> the united states does israel no favors when we fail to couple an unwavering commitment to its security with an insistence that israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of the palestinians. and nations within this body do the palestinians no favors when they choose vitriolic attacks over a constructive willingness to recognize israel's legitimacy, and its right to exist in peace and security. >> reporter: on the nuclear front, mr. obama called for a support in restraining two nations with nuclear ambitions. >> if the governments of iran and north korea choose to ignore international standards; if they put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security and opportunity of their own people; if they are oblivious to the dangers of escalating nuclear arms races in both east asia a

but beyond the photo op, why the middle east peace process is being so frustrating. >>> a major united nations meeting on climate change the president warns there isn't much time left to act. we will go to the australian island of tasmania to show you why. >>> in france, the latest battle in the immigration debate. as hundreds are evicted from a makeshift camp known as the jungle. >>> and in our "signature story," we take a look at a side of life in jamaica they don't want you to see. the aids epidemic and why it has been so hard to fight. >>> from the world's leading reporters and analysts, here's what's happening from around the world. this is "worldfocus." made possible in part by the following funders -- major support has also been provided by the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's future. >>> good evening. i'm daljit dhaliwal. if progress can be measured by a meeting and a handshake, then there was some today on the middle east as president obama brought together the israeli and palesti

the begins,erhaps of new and productive phase in the strgle fopeace in the middle east. for hispart, president obama had a strong messageor the aders after meeting with them individuly. getmovinggain on a comphensive peace agreement. >> simply put, it past time to tk about starting negotiatns. it i time to move rward. it i time to show t flexibility and common sense and sense of compromisethat's cessary to achieve our goals. >> after the meeting netyahu said that there was general agreement the peacerocess has to be resud asoon as possible with no preconditio. and to take a cler look at today's middle east meeting, we're joined by ghassan shabaneh a palestian american who is an assistant professor of inrnational studies at rymount manhatta college. thank you ve much for joining us on the progm. >> thank youor having me. >> what do you ink is the mst at we can expect from today's meeting? >> i would say probably putting the pocess back on track. and it is a good beginning where he's engaging himslf for first time with the two parties. and the two parties ll be meeting fac

the middle east peace process and what many see as a pivotal issue. it is the building of jewish settlements in the west bank on lands that the palestinians claim as theirs. it's also about a potential freeze on such building, something that the obama administration is demanding, something defense minister ehud barak said today is "a national necessity." but expansion of existing settlements is continuing, something that got little attention when it was announced yesterday. the story was covered by our partner, abc of australia, and ben knight's report from the "late line" program is our lead focus tonight. >> reporter: on a hill outside jerusalem, the first saudi's turn in a new neighborhood, one that the u.s. does not want to go ahead. even george w. bush pressured israel not to allow this project to happen. if it does, it would join the outlying settlement with jerusalem on land palestinians want for their own state. according to the international community, this land is not pa of israel, but that doesn't mean much here. >> this is definitely a par

obama focused on climate change and middle east peace. michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: in his first presidential visit to the united nations, president barack obama told world leaders that a high-level climate summit the u.s. is renewing its commitment to combat global warming. >> we understand the gravity of the climate threat. we are determined to act and we will meet our responsibility to future generations. >> reporter: the president urged other nations to act together to find bold and swift clean energy solutions despite financial challenges and differences. >> no nation however large or small, healthy or poor can escape the impact of climate change. >> reporter: the remarks come the day before he addresses hundreds of heads of state gathering in new york city for the u.n. general assembly. the world will be watching to see how america's newest president will deal with the wars in iraq and afghanistan, along with growing tensions in iran and plans for middle east peace. in a show of diplomacy, president obama launched a three-

the heaviest rain falls today from the texas coast, to the middle east. scattered showers and thunderstorms in the southeast. and the northeast, today,. a mix of rain and snow around denver. and a foot of snow in the nearby mountains. >> 66 in albuquerque. but seattle climbs to a record 84. and portland 88. chicago, minneapolis and fargo hit the mid-70s. 80s from boston to atlanta. 80 in dallas. and 89 in new orleans. >>> we got amazing video overnight from sydney, australia. we wanted to show it to you. sydney is shrouded in a blanket of thick, red haze, after getting hit with its worst dust storm in 70 years. >> international flights had to be diverted and commuter ferries suspended. drivers are facing dangerously low visibility. and hundreds of people have complained of breathing problems. >> like the whole city has been put in sepia tone in photoshop or something. >>> coming up, major banks, changing the fees they charge. >>> plus, new wildfires across southern california. one weather expert says autumn is beginning with a bang. >>> and the truly amaz

obama appear ineffeive in not having gained a tangible early goal in his middle east policy. "the timesalso said the prident is considering a sttegy shift in the afghan war by psuing altnatives to plans to send mre additial troops there. this article said the options der review are part o what adminiration officials descrid as a wholesa reconsideration of a sttegy that theresident announced th fanfare just six months ago. >>> soust how significant are these shis? we are joined james ndsay, a senior vice present and directorf the studies at t uncil on foreign retions. sowhat about this alternative approach to afghanistan? what might it be? who might be pushing it? and what are the chances of the administtion would pursueit rather tn sending moreroops to afghanistan? >> okay, let's begin th what we know. and that is the have been no shifts or decisionsmade the president. what the presiden aprently is giving, cording to today's story in "the new york tim," is asking tough questio about whether he wants t get deeper into aghanistan in rms of committing u.stroops. there seems to b

. >>> and later, president obama and middle east peace. he arranges a high-profile handshake between the israelis and the palestinians. can obama turn that handshake into the -- into headway in the peace process next on "countdown." to mention tdd# 1-800-345-2550 he also makes money when i lose money, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 withdraw money or do nothing with my money. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 tdd# 1-800-345-2550 >>> coming up -- former president clinton says it's the policy, not racism that is driving objections to president obama's health care overhaul. >>> also, president obama steps into the middle east peace process in a major way. >>> and tom delay steps out on "dancing with the stars" with his version of the cha-cha. that's next. of butternut squash, blended with delicate herbs. v8 golden butternut squash. from campbell's. a soup so velvety and delicious you won't be able to contain yourself. campbell's v8 soups. prepare your mouth for a battle against germs. protect your mouth right with crest pro-health rinse at night. it kills 99% of germs

. >>> and later, president obama and middle east peace. he arranges a high-profile handshake between the israelis and the palestinians. can obama turn that handshake into the -- into headway in the peace process next on "countdown." above all... the only one that has bifidus regularis above all... and is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. activia light. ♪ activiaaa! powerful anti-aging therapies that reduce the look of lines and pores, even tone, brighten, smooth, hydrate, and lock-in moisture, all in one clever little package of total effects. >>> coming up -- former president clinton says it's the policy, not racism, that is driving objections to president obama's health care overhaul. >>> also, president obama steps into the middle east peace process in a major way. >>> and tom delay steps out on "dancing with the stars" with his version of the cha-cha. that's next. access to favorite courses chef's meal with pommes frites perhaps a night at the theater with extra special seats additional hotel night, our treat yo

we also know that iran can have influence from al qaeda, iraq, afghanistan, and to the middle east. there's a way to induce behavior and there's a way to talk quietly with it that there's a cost-benefit way to do it. you can only do it if you're talking with your opponent as we did to the soviet union or people's republic of china. >> i think russians play a big key in all of this. >> absolutely. >> i have to ask you, joe, the united states, president obama making the decision about the missiles in the czech region. do you think this plays into all of this? >> it was a very instrumental piece. we took out of the czech republic and poland a stick in the russian bear's eye. we placed that capababilitcapab. it's actually a near-term capability for us. by removing it we then have the russian president. now we're stating we need sanctions probably. this is the right way to approach the world under a strategy of engagement with u.s. leadership, not just u.s. military leadership. >> congressman, thanks for your time on a friday evening. i appreciate it so much. like to converse with you on

but if you look at middle east, no attraction there. those guys cannoagree on an agenda for a meeting. if you like climate change, he is not getting much traction in the u.s. congress, much less on the world stage. obama has a long way to go before we see whether he can really make progress on the international priorities. >> in fairness, he did get traction in the u.s. house -- u.s. senate -- >> climate change culpribill. >> it won't surprise you, but i found his appearance in new york embarrassing. apart from the repetition of apologies about the bigness of america until his ascendancy and redemption -- the wickedness of america until his ascendancy and redemption of the country, was the naivete of the speech. he said, for example, that no nation can dominate another, no group of nations can sit above another, as if he does not sit on the security council. but when he sat on the security council, he presided over, and it was a resolution about the abolition of nuclear weapons, and the president of france commented afterwards, and that

. >> prident obama's agenda at the united nations switched swiftly from climate chae to the middle east hcalled on all sides to act with a sense of urgencys he embarked on talks wi israeli and palestinian leaders he isaiming to restart the stalled pce ocess that the white house -- but the white house is playi down any expectations of sudden breakthrou. >> president obama's motorcade anthe security that always comes with adersrom a violt part of the worl brought the streets around the hotel where the meetin was held to a standstill unfortunately for prident obama, his hope of a middle east ar gridlocked, too. for months,is plan was to us the unitedations general assembly this week to start a brand new ace pross, aimed at giving the palestinians independence alongsi israel. once they were all inside the waldorf-astoria hotel, the meetingould not have been easy. he has hiliatingly refused repeated american requests to keep an old promise out freezing constructio in the occupied palestinian teritories, so the palestinia president will n take par in direct talks. president obama mu have been

we'll talk peace in the middle east, the global economy and government regulations. the richest man in the world talks about fixing america's schools, technology, and whether or not weather robots are a threat. my conversation with bill and melinda gates. the wall street journal report begins right now. nimplts this is america's number one financial nudz pj=gram. the "wall street journal" report. now maria bartiromo. >>> here's what's making news as we head into the new week on wall street. as expected, the federal reserve kept a key interest rate at near 0%. the fed's open market committee also released a statement saying that an economic recovery was underway, but also signalled that it was way too early to start raising interest rates. in addition, the fomc said it would continue a program designed to keep mortgage rates low. at least until march. sdmrimplts seven existing homes fell unexpectedly meanwhile in the month of august. a mild setback in the recovery from a three-year slump. analysts were expecting a slight increase rather than the 2.7% decline. it was a

and the middle east and israel, between all those players. there's been a lot of talk recently and israel has not been specific about whether they would actually go in and take action against iran because they were worried they would get some sort of a bomb. if that were to happen, you know, and this is just sort of your hat over your entire life, what would be the implications? is that something we could handle? it would be okay for -- >> there is a general consensus except amongst very narrow group of hardliners that that would be catastrophic, that that would be catastrophic for israel's security, that would be catastrophic for the region as a whole and for friends and allies of countries in the region as well to have to deal with the fallout from such a strike. and it's debatable whether any strike could be successful, and the environmental implications, let alone the humanitarian, let alone the security implications for the future are very, very worrying. more than worrying, they're actually terrifying. >> are you supportive -- there's t

should be saying, which is that gadhafi is a killer and trying to be conciliatory where in the middle east antagonistic. it's an interesting place he is stuck in the middle of. >> with that said, let's join the u.n. general assembly in progress. the he's of the united states, barack obama. >> good morning. mr. president, mr. secretary-general, fellow delegat delegates, ladies and gentlemen, is my honor to address you at as the 44th president of the united states. i come before you humbled by the responsibility that the american people have placed upon me, mindful of the enormous challenges of our moment in history and determined to act boldly and collectively on behalf of justice and prosperity, at home and abroad. i have been in office for just nine months, though, some days, it seems a lot longer. i am well aware of the expectations that accompany my presidency around the world. these expectations are not about me. rather, they are rooted, i believe, and discontent with the status quo that has allowed us to be increasingly defined by our differences and outpaced by our problems. but they

leaders to join in efforts to advance middle east peace. adding that it is the responsibility of both sides to end this conflict. >> relaunch negotiations without preconditions. the goal is clear. two states living side by side in peace and security. i am not naive. i know this will be difficult. but all of us,re -- just the israelis or palestinians must decide if we are serious about speech or whether we'll just lend it lip service. >> senator lieberman joins us. this is a big day. a big turning point for american foreign policy. the president has pivoted a bit. he is putting less pressure on israel to completely free set mmem setlement ts before engaging in talks. something that has distressed p palestinian. he is urging both sides to do something and do it now. he's clearly inpatient. let's watch what he had to say today. >> the united states does israel no favors when we fail to couple on unwavering commitment to its security with an insistence that israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of the palestinians. [ applause ] and na

the estate is owned by donald trump who said he leased the growns to his middle east business partners and didn't know anything about muammar qaddafi. muammar qaddafi's speech wasn't the longest of. in 1960, fidel castro spoke for four and a half hours but many agree that today's unwinder was one of the strangest. i'm eric shawn, fox news. bret: as muammar qaddafi was addressing the u.n., the u.s. senate condemned the release of the libyan terrorist convicted in the pan am 103 bombing. megrahi was freed last month because he is said to be dying from pancreatic cancer but thousands of people were were infuriate here in the u.s. and want to know is president obama considering sending more troops to the u.s.? this is not surprisingly call ed the flag area where there is one flag for each of the 192 34e78 bers of the united states. the u.n. was founded in 1945 just after world war ii to replace the league of nations, an organization that the u.s. never joined. pez roosevelt coined the term the united nations and beyond here is the assembly hall. it opened in the 1950's and president obama

obama's middle east mission. will they get anything more than handshakes from israeli and palestinian leaders at the u.n. general assembly? after the car crash, the trout. renault in the dark after forming one pause a worst case of cheating. a president celebrates three full decades in power, to whose benefit? he was one of america's greatest musical figures and she was his protege, a conductor leading a tribute to leonard bernstein. it is 7:00 a.m. in washington, midday in london and half past three and afghan capital kabul with the situation in the war against the taliban serious and will grow worse unless yet more coalition troops are deployed. that at least is the opinion of the top u.s. and nato commander in afghanistan, general stanley mcchrystal. he said resources won't necessarily win the war but under resources may well be result in failure. the support has been submitted to washington but it does not specify the number of extra troops required. in a moment we will be live in kabul. first, mike will rich

borzou daragahi is the middle east correspondent for the los angeles times. he's based in beirut, and has been monitoring today's events in tehran. >> the rhetoric was a little bit more heated, the talk about israel controlling the western government, a little bit more explicitly stated. he hasn't explicitly questioned the holocaust in a long time, and he did today. and, of course, this has a design behind it. he has found that making these sorts of comments on the international stage makes him stronger by allowing him to feed off of the negative energy he gets when iran is condemned. >> reporter: perhaps more notably, throngs of opposition protesters also turned out in tehran today. these pictures from the internet are believed to be of today's anti-government protests. >> this is extremely significant. this shows that, despite months of official violence, jailings, torture, forced confessions aired on television, of harsh repression, no one has been cowed into submission. >> here, the protesters can be heard chanting "mir hossein" in support of opposition l

. >>> and later, president obama and middle east peace. he arranges a high-profile handshake between the israelis and the palestinians. can obama turn that handshake into the -- into headway in the peace process next on "countdown." now your card comes with a way to plan for what matters to you. introducing blueprint. blueprint is free and only for chase customers. it lets you choose what purchases you want to pay in full to avoid interest...with full pay. and those you split... you decide how to pay over time. if having a plan matters. chase what matters. create your own blueprint at chase.com/blueprint. teeth. check. bottom. needs work. sorry, son. introducing new charmin ultra strong. its new enhanced diamondweave texture is soft and more durable. more durable so you're left with a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. bottom. check. [ female announcer ] and that charmin softness. new charmin ultra strong. look for it in the new red package. for those who prefer moist wipes, ignagni. >>> this country's two previous democratic

ronald reagan left the middle east 45 days ago. break is a challenge though and the crew, with an average age of just 19 are ready for a break. on the way home the could you had the opportunity to visit a variety of places, but the number one choice was the tropical island of phuket in southern thailand. many volunteered to give back to the local community, for instance, building homes for local people and by just visiting phuket, the reagan strike group gives a massive boost to the local economy, still recovering from the tsunami bye hit the shores nearly five years ago. the ronald reagan and its accompanying ships will now head back to san diego, but already just in case of any emergency in the pacific. back to you, julie. >> julie: david piper, thank you. an oil spill closing down part of a major shipping channel in houston, text it is for at least three weeks. coming to us from the u.s. coast guard. look at the big mess thereafter a 450 foot long strip pierced one of the fuel taerngs after mitting a barge, more than 10,000 gall

we recognize in a israel stands alone as a lone beachhead in the middle east. we take our security for granted and do not judge those who are not afforded this luxury. regardless of the muted minds within israel, we know where the stark borders are between our supporters and detractors in the middle east. during our meeting with perez, he said, israel and her neighbors, we seem to be able to live in peace. we just have a problem with writing it down. focusing on the real threat to peace and democracy around the world requiring leadership on the part of the arab states to root out terrorists within their borders and continuing to support and stand by our ally in the region as mr. netanyahu definitively stated, with god's help, we will know no more war, we will know peace. with that, i would like to yield some time to my good friend from the state of louisiana, dr. fleming, for his impressions of his trip to israel and the state in the region there in the middle east. mr. fleming: i thank you, my friend and gentleman from illinois, mr. shock. that is correct, ill

that's obvious, but to the arab states in the middle east, to the world's oil supply, and perhaps the worst is for worldwide terrorism, because iran is the greatest sponsor of world terrorism, and imagine what the terrorists will be able to do if they have an iranian nuclear umbrella, or worse, if iran gives terrorists nuclear weapons. that's something that should concern, does concern the major capitals of the world. bret: the president's bid to resurrect peace talks comes as the palestinians remain fractured and israel remains defiant to international wishes that it suspend settlement expansion. white house correspondent wendell goler is live with more on today's session. good evening, wendell. >> good evening, bret. president obama made a personal appeal to the israeli and palestinian leaders to resume peace talks that have pretty much been on hold since president netanyahu took office in march, and the israeli leader told fox news he's all for that. >> i'm glad he called for this meeting. for five months we have said let's get on with it and meet without pre-conditions. >> but pre

and the middle east? >> i would not so secret, secret share with you. >> lay it on me. >> from kuwait to back rain the united arab emirates to saudi arabia, the number one issue affecting those countries is the rise of the nuclear iran. for them, the palestinian issue is close to their hearts, it's a side show today. and anyone who stress this is as the main issue of the middle east is missing this radical change. >> i'm not disputing that. what i'm saying to the extent to which the united states wants to exert as much leverage relative to iran, period. >> right. >> how can they better either characterize or altder their relationship with israel as it pertains to settlements or nuclear policy in israel as a country relative to the middle east. i think you understand the question. >> you want to defend the oil outlets in the persian gulf. are you going to say don't help defend us because they added a ver randa. >> my point is the ability to build rhetoric portraying the u.s. as a direct supporter of israel

. >>> can president obama jump-start the stalled middle east peace talks? >> this hour the president is bringing together two political adversaries. israeli president and palestinian president for their first joint meeting since netanyahu took office. >> nbc white house correspondent savannah gaujry is with us. expectations are set low right now. we know the sticking points is settlement as of right now and israeli aren't stopping building them and palestinians say we aren't going to stop until they talk. >> this is a development i think as late as last week it was unclear whether this meeting would happen at all. look. this isn't the resumption of peace talks which the administration badly wants. george mitchell has been to the middle east many times trying to get this thing going but as you mentioned, settlement issue is a real problem. they can't get israel to get on board, of course, with what the u.s. wants is no more snrt activity. the palestinians say if they won't agree with that why should we come to the table. needless to say as is the cage with t

you don't have -- didn't seem like an optimistic george mitchell the united states/middle east special honor. he came back empty handed and they're trying to make a big deal by just having the meeting and the israelis they'll take this strong stance until they know abbas speaks for all palestinians. they don't trust abbas could speak for the territories that are controlled by hamas. >> a lot more of the complete "wall street journal" plan and health care. >> big study on afghanistan and health care, of course. very important numbers that this white house, they think health care was difficult, wait till they tackle afghanistan. >> perfect segue. thank you, chuck. >> you got it. >>> right now we have karen young who has described a major strategy shift that could take place in the afghan war, the top u.s. commander there has been told no new troops until that strategy is reviewed. senior diplomatic reporter from the "washington post" who describes, karen, you described a real division between the military on the ground and the people back in washington, the diplomatic and political side

bases in the middle east. the country wrapped up two days of war games by test firing the longest range missile. it can travel up to 1200 miles. that launch came on the heels of other tests. iran's revolutionary guard fired hundreds of shorter-range missiles. a government spokesman insists these tests are not -- it has nothing to do with peaceful nuclear technology of iran he told reporters. the tests come as the obama administration is drawing up new sanctions it will use against iran if that country doesn't come clean about the nuclear program. on friday the administration revealed it knew about a secret iranian nuclear site and warned iran to open it up to international inspectors. over the weekend, iran gave in, saying it will give the united nations access to the facility. the secret site and the missile tests are sure to dominate talks beginning on thursday. iranian officials will sit down with the u.s., china, europe and russia. >> they have to come to this meeting on october 1st and present convincing

he is the one who undermined it by imposing pose precondition. >> we have peace in the middle east. > don't even have talks. >> chris: we will take a break here. i knew that charles would never get the last word. when we come back, the president faces a tough decision on afghanistan with pressure from the top military brass on one side and the political base on the other. what's fresh from ziploc? you know all the little things you do to help the environment? here's one more... ziploc evolve. ♪ an ultra-light bag designed to keep food fresh... made with 25% less plastic. and made with wind energy. ♪ ziploc evolve. better for the environment. still ziploc fresh. >> president barack obama: see you obligation is to make sure that i get the best answers possible, particularly before i make decisions about sending additional troops into the theater. >> chris: that was president obama, discussing the tough decision he must make soon whether or not to send more troops to afghanistan. and we're back now with the panel, well, "washington post" super reporter bob woodward did it again this week

i do believe that it would lead to middle east peace. >> do you agree with that?i disagree somewhat. >> where? >> apack is very strong and has an influence on the government, i think it's not in president's obama's interest to say we are going to pull the plug on money. that has long term strategic implicatio implications. i don't think president obama wants to do that. i don't think it's just the pressure from apac. >> how much does it hurt negotiating leverage, gavin, with iran and other forces in the middle east that israel retains the exemption from nonnuclear proliferation? as we walk around and being aggressive about nuclear material, we do provide the exemption for israel. >> i think it's not only in the middle east, but all over the world. we maintain two platforms, one for israel and one for the rest of the world. israel is not a member of the treaty and we ignore it and give them tons of money. and we say you should become democratic and not engage in racists practices. and israel is not democratic when it comes to all of their population, and they engag

he is spending the day tackling several international challenges from global warming to middle east peace. drew levinson has the latest now from the united nations. >> reporter: president obama kicked off a marathon day of diplomacy with his first u.n. speech. welcome to the united nations. >> thank you. my pleasure. >> i'm very honored. >> the topic climate change. >> 100 world leaders are meeting for a special summit. the head of the united nations general assembly. they hope to make progress leading up to guess negotiations on a treaty to curb global warming. >> all of us will face doubts and difficulties in our own capitals as we try to reach a lasting solution to the climate challenge. but i'm here today to say that difficulty is no excuse for complacency. >> reporter: the obama administration may be moving full speed ahead, but congress on -- progress on climate change has been slow. they congress passed a bill to reduce green house emissions but the senate is yet to act. global warming will be on the agenda when president obama meets with the chinese empty this afternoon. the two a

they are behind all of these problems in the middle east.l and arab world to get together against iran. guest: i hope they would. not only have a date for and to fight israel off the face of the earth, but the iranian revolutionary guard has provided weapons, provided the explosive projectiles. molten metal that consigned appears -- that can pierce the side of armor. as the father of the marine, i was very much concerned about iran. i believe we need strong sanctions against iran. we have had problems getting russia and china to go along with those tensions. now president obama gave the russian hierarchy what they wanted when he canceled the missile system and did not apply. all but hope in her -- in return, he would have had an agreement with russia that they will now stop dithering and joined to convince china and the rest of the security council to impose tough sanctions to bring about a change in the regime in iran. we know from following the news iranians are disappointed and discouraged about the unfairness of the election and seem to

in fact, 40% of our oil comes from the middle east. but if we put, like rudolph giuliani said last year, 27% of the vehicles on the road were gas electric hybridded, like the prius -- hybrids like the prius, we could end our dependence on the middle east. he said we need to expand the use of hybrid vehicles, clean coal, $324 million of research in clean coal in ohio every year, congressman ryan. we have more coal reserves in the united states than we have oil reserves in saudi arabia. this should be a major national project. let me echo that again in this tchame ber -- chamber. this should be a major national project. this is a matter of our national security. we've got to act, congressman ryan. now i graduated with a baseball degree and minored in economics from college but let me tell you this, in 2003, our former president said this with the department of defense study, he said the risk abrupt climate change should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a u.s. national security concern. the department of defense was saying this u

the middle east.sident has tried mightily since he took office to engage with the palestinians and israelis to try to jump-start the peace talks. you can see them shaking hands there this week up in new york. so far nothing. >> well, that's because he undermined the idea of negotiations when he came in and decided he would reinvent the world as he does in this issue. he imposed a demand on the israelis of a settlement freeze. and the israelis left, right and center will not accept a freeze, which involves jerusalem. the president, the palestinians and the arab states said if the americans are putting these unilateral demands on the israelis, we're not going to negotiate. the leader of the palestinians said we will not lift a finger until israel complies. the reason it's a policy that makes no sense is because for 16 years, the israelis and palestinians have negotiated without any preconditions. obama imposes that and negotiations have stopped. what happened this week is that the obama administration c

. >>> inhe middle east, there is something they aren't gog to be teaching any time skoon. schools n bythe unite nations in theaza strip were considering includinthe holocaust apart of the currulum this year. but the idea was put on hold when some pastinian protested the idea. deni of the holocausts still commonn the palestinian territies where some aapparentlfear that acknowledgg the genocid would dinish their claims to an independent state. thechools in question are run byhe u.n.d works agency which also provides a for palestinian refugees thughout the middle east. we want toet more on this issue night from andr whitley. >> what we wanted to do is to deep an underanding of the origins of the declarationf hun rights. we have been teaing human righ in all our schools and of our own volition since 2002, three years before the unite nations introced its hocaust education resolution suggesting that all children should be taught the origins of e subject. so we've been doing is for sometime but we feltt was necessary apart om teaching thebasic principles of human rights and conf

are we buying peace in the middle east? the u.s.el for security, as well as jordan and lebanon. they also give aid to the palestinian authority, which does not even represent government in gaza. >> i do not think we are creating a security. i think we are subsidizing army for ap tate of -- a putative palestinian state. there is 20 million for political prisoners in castro's cuba. $6 million to promote a civil society in venezuela. $26 million for police in bolivia, and $56 million to support human rights in russia. >> we still cannot point to our relationship between foreign aid and the right kind of policies and institutions creating prosperity. >> the real question is, does it work? the inspector general look at the $38 million we spent on human rights in columbia, and they found that the programs do not work. the money we spend to improve society in honduras -- all of the people that we train will be gone after the november elections. there are numerous examples. in the middle east and overseas, about $3 billion in aid. jon: grea

iran is a country seeking regional supremacy in the middle east.r the middle eastern region, and that is part of their quest for regional hegemony. clearly, and iran that is close to nuclear weapons capability is able to realize its larger ambitions in the future. iranians are aware of their history. in the suny -- sunni-arab middle east, among the iranians they remember the persian empire. they do not have such a long- term member mary -- long-term memory that they do not remember the ruling of afghanistan and central asia. it quotes the kingçó abdallah of saudi arabia it that you're helping them -- thisñr is in the memory of the modern middle east. that is part of the parliaments and the memory of the middle east and that is something you have to be aware of. if, indeed, even after the elections and the protests on june 12 of this yearñr for the presidency of iran there are still people who believe in engagement or believe that perhaps this election episode was a blip and they will sit down and negotiate in earnest on the nuclear program and they

some think he has already bitten off more than he can chew in the middle east, failed to deliver on climate change, and those urgent problems keep crowding in. so with an appeal for help with those problems, he warned if iran and north korea's nuclear problems continued, the world would have to act. >> if the governments of iran and north korea put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security of their own people, if they are owe oblivious to the dangers of nuclear arms races in east asia and the middle east, they must be held accountable. the world must stand together to demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise and that treaties will be enforced. we must insist that the future does not belong to fear. >> if the president left the whole echoing to soundbites, the prime minister checked the interpreter was not misrepresenting, losing his place, and tearing the charter claiming the u.n. had rendered powerless and claiming swine flu was manmade. >> this swine virus may be one of those viruses that was created in the laboratory and it got out of c

middle east envoy george mitchell and it is latest round of shuttle diplomacy without agreement on terms to restart peace talks. the palestinian chief negotiator said mr. mitchell failed to persuade israel to hold its settlement activity in the occupied west bank. let us go to jerusalem now we're at -- . we will speed or correspond appeared frantic diplomacy by george mitchell on the last few hours. but any room for optimism at all? >> certainly the opinion was that no agreement had been reached. in the last few minutes we have had some media reports suggesting other palestinian officials may be taking this lightly softer interpretation. and we have not heard from mr. mitchell himself or the israelis. what we understand is that it is to be one more meeting between mr. mitchell and the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu later today. so there is a little bit more room for diplomacy. but it all goes to highlight very difficult issues are for mr. mitchell, who already prolonged his trip. the u.s. is calling for israel to stop all settlement activity, is projects that although there ar

joining us for that is ghassan shabaneh, an assistant professor of middle east and international studiesnt manhattan college here in new york. welcome back. >> thank you, thank you. >> the perception, i suppose, the way how to frame this, seems that we have not heard much from arab nations when it comes to sanctions against iran. is that inaccurate? >> it is not accurate. the egyptians and the saudis will be more than happy to see some sanctions imposed on iran. today in their newspapers, major newspaper newspapers, wrote about the subject and both are in agreement with the western -- with certain western measures to impose harsher sanctions on the iranian regime, but they are a little bit afraid of a military strike at this stage because they feel that it may not get us where we want to be. >> is it safe to say that arab nations do not want to see a nuclear armed iran, and if so, why not? >> i would say that on this point t arabs are split. the syrians and the libyans might not mind it or maybe would like to see it. the saudis and the entire gulf, the egyptians, yemenis and jordanians w

with at kearney recently listed egypt as the number one centre for outsourcing inthe middle east and north africa. >>refky: if you look at at kearney they have three parameters: its the financial structure, the business environment its the human resources, skills - the availability and scalability. >>reporter: yet jobs in such fields as it will benefit only a small section of the population; the majority still live in poverty. and with 650,000 new entrants into the job market each year the government understands much more needs to be done. >>boutros-ghali: we discovered in the last five years infrastructure bottlenecks. we were growing at 7 - 7 and a halfand we were reaching the very limit of our infrastructure, roads, communications and ports. >>reporter: and a large part of the government's spending, including this year's 6 billion dollar stimulus package, is being directed towards building the nation's infrastructure. >>nazif: we are adding to our power grid network every year the equivalent of what the aswan high damn did toegypt - every year. >>reporter: there is also a move to

but if you look to the middle east, no real attraction there. these guys cannot even agree on an agenda for the meeting. if you look at climate change, he is not getting much traction in the u.s. congress, much less on the world stage. obama has a long way to go before we see whether he can really make progress on his international priorities. >> in fairness, he did get traction in the u.s. house -- u.s. sen at -- >> climate change bill. >> charles? >> it won't surprise you, but i found his appearance in new york embarrassing. apart from the repetition of the apologies of the wickedness of america until his ascendancy and his redemption of the country was the naive the type of the general assembly speech. he said, for example, that no nation can nominate another, no group of nations ought to be above another, as if he does not sit on the security council. but the real issue was when he sat at the security council, he presided over it, and they had a resolution about the abolition of nuclear weapons, and the president of france commented after, a

middle east peace. all of the issues are on the agenda.t obama. and no word on whether mahmoud ahmadinejad will be there listening. >> andrea, can you go back and give us more on the president's positioning with regard to israel and the palestinians? >> the president came in with a very tough line on netanyahu saying you have to keep expanding, by whatever you call it, natural growth, and that was a tough stance. all of the months, that's the stance they have been taking. hillary clinton went along with it, and even though it was something she was against during the campaign. and they hoped to have had a big summit this week, and instead they are talking about five at the table. >> what are the headlines? we got a little bit of what the president was going to say. anymore headlines to add to that. >> reporter: well, we wonder whether the headlines will be from the speech, but really with his meetings with the russian president. and i can tell you that the administration wants russia's cooperation and china's cooperation on iran. back to th