it will be interesting to hear what sergei lavrov has to say about these troops. the russians have been invited by the assad government to be in syria, and the u.s. has not. >> that is a difficulty. the russians have been asking you whether is your invitation or your u.n. chapter authorization. so that will play out over the coming days and weeks i suspect. >> i want to go to some of these diplomatic developments. we heard secretary kerry say what makes this round of talks different than what we saw in 2012, for example, when the ga nia communique come out, is all of the stakeholders on both sides were at the stable. did you hear anything else substantively that will move this forward? >> no, but finally we have everyone in the room who really plays. the opposition really has to listen to what saudi arabia and turkey and the united states have to say. and the regime really has to listen to what iran and russia have to say. and quite frankly if those five external plowers were to agree on something, they could probably impose it on the two sides. so i think it's im

you have been listening to russian foreign minister sergei lavrov.e're now going to go back to the general assembly haul where prime minister alexis tsipras of greece has taken the stage. let's listen in to what he has to say. >> in the wake of this war, the under's noble declarations raised hopes for a common peaceful future based on universal values, social justice, and respect of human rights. much has been sensitive, but regrettably, the vision of the founders of the organization is far from being fulfilled. we witnessed today a large humanitarian crisis, unprecedented movements of displaced people, and -- and an increase of poverty, violence, extremism, and human rights abuses. nevertheless, the big question for us, is not to identify the challenges we face. the people of this world know very well what they face every day. the big question that this great organization was set up to answer is how do we deal with these challenges on the basis of our shared values on the united nations charter? importantly as years go by, we seem to be turning not

we're awaiting a news conference from sergei lavrov, and an address by greek prime minister.ng that coverage to you in just a moment. [ applause ] >> i think we're into something that's bigger than us >> that's the pain your mother feels when you disrespect her son... >> me being here is defying all odds >> they were patriots, they wanted their country back >> al jazeera america presents the passion.. >> onward! pain... >> it's too much though... >> and triumph... >> inspirational real life stories... >> all these labels the world throws at you, that's what drives me to push... >> of ordinary people >> i tasted the american dream. i liked it... >> living extraordinary lives... >> if we could multiply this program, we could change the world... >> from the best filmmakers of our time, >> i give al jazeera tremendous credit, because it's not traditionally what broadcast journalism does... >> the new home for original documentaries al jazeera america presents only on al jazeera america ♪ >> we are awaiting a news conference right now from sergei lavrov at the united nations. he i

and i want to thank sergei lavrov for his efforts to try to find that diplomatic solution, and for the commitment of russia, even as it is engaged in supporting assad, which is not a secret, in believing that we need to move towards a political solution. there is nothing inevitable in our judgment about the war in syria. the war came about because of choices that people made. and what people have the power to choose, they have the power to change. to change the pattern of violence in syria, we have to change some of the patterns of thinking. so that the choice is not between a dictator and daesh, but between war and peace. between destroying and building, between catering to the violent extremes and empowering the political center. frankly we spent a fair amount of time today making sure that the discussion didn't get bogged down in the past. and i appreciate the discipline and the effort that all of the participants made to look to the future, and to try to find the ways to move there. we have to be creative, and we have to be determined in deciding how we go from here and where we go

you were just watching secretary kerry at the united states with the foreign minister of russia, sergei lavrov. russia backs u.s.-backed rebel strongholds in syria. backing up syrian leader bashar al assad. to set the table with breaking news from the region, let's look back. three years and a month ago, president obama said this about syria's use of chemical weapons. >> we have been very clear to the assad regime, but also to other players on the ground that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons being moved around or being utilized. that would change my cal kuls that would change my equation. >> chemical weapons were used. in the weeks and months after that the president repeatedly insisted assad's days in power were numbered. >> i'm confident that assad's days are numbered. >> fast forward to this week and a day after president obama met with russia leader vladimir putin, russia acts on its own to start an attack. not on isis, but on syrian rebels who want to take assad out of power. including the u.s.-supported free syrian army. leaving u.s. officials today

he is sitting down with sergei lavrov.here are growing concerns that russian's bombing campaigns are now giving the syrian government the upper hand. many displaced by the syrian war are part of this sea of humanity. the u.n. saying 5,000 asylum speakers are in a small town there trying to keep warm as the temperatures in that region continue to drop. so far the u.s. has taken in only a small number of syrian refugee. the michigan governor says his state should do more. not everyone agrees. >> reporter: good afternoon, del. this summit is an opportunity for american arab leaders from across the country to come together and focus on a platform ahead of the presidential election, and the conflict in syria has really taken center stage here, as you mentioned about 4 million, it's estimated 4 million syrians have fled the country over the past couple of years, and the majority are women and small children. the u.s. has pledged to take in 10,000 syrian refugees, but arab american leaders here in dearborn, michigan say more need

sergei lavrov said they had targeted isil and armed groups.s reports from the u.n. >> for over a week, worlds leaders have been in new york and all of the key figures have all saet their priorities. what's changed? the answer is this: whether the they were in time to co -- timed, russian airstrikes in syria are a game changer. the u.s. says they add gasoline to the fire of the war already four and a half years old. russia says it's a positive step aimed at those they label terrorists. begin that the russians were invited in, does that mean his enemies. i tried to get clarity from the russian foreign minister. >> in addition to isil, which specific groups in syria do you believe to be terrorists? >> well, if it looks like a terrorist f it acts like a te terrorist, if it fights like a terrorist, it's terrorist, it's a terrorist. right? the representatives of the coalition command have always been saying their targets are isil, nusra and other terrorist groups. this is our position as well. we see eye to eye with the coalition on this one. >> on

. >> at the united nations, sergey lavrov insisted moscow and washington were confronting a common enemy. targeting terrorists. >> if it looks like a terrorist, acts like a terrorist. walks like a terrorist, if it fights like a terrorist, it's a terrorist. i would recall that we were saying that we are going to fight i.s.i.l. and other terrorist groups. >> the u.s. says it has no evidence russia has struck any i.s.i.l. forces. and it conducted its first direct talks with moscow over the question of deconfliction. sorting out issues such as which radio frequencies, and what language will be used when russian and coalition pilots talk to each other in the air. in one sense the u.s. and russian pilots are deconflicted with the u.s. flying over areas controlled by i.s.i.l. to the east, while so far russian attacks have been in areas not controlled by i.s.i.l. to the west. and the u.s. says despite conducting a handful of air strikes in syria in recent days, the russian air campaign is having no effect on efforts. >> it's lower than the average, only because these are dynamic targetting proce

. >>> sergei lavrov says the u.s.as refused to send a military delegation to russia to discuss coordination in syria. >> translator: attempts by the west and particularly by the u.s. to put a break on this process, are leading only to chaos, anarchy, and rejection by many other countries. russia will try to make sure that security is observed throughout the world and in russia as well. >>> there are reports that iranian troops are arriving in jair to help a government offensive. the syrian army has been backed by lebanese hezbollah fighters, and the russian air campaign. zana hoda has the story. >> reporter: iran provided much needed support over the years, political, military, as well as financial, they don't hide the fact that they play an advisory role in syria, that they have military advisors on the ground, but they official line has been no, we do not have ground forces in syria, but we have been hearing reports from pro-iranian sources as well as pro-iranian media, saying that thousands of iranian troops have a

i think they will be quizzing sergey lavrov about that intriguing meeting between president putin and assad that took place in moscow two days ago. to what extent did president assad give any undertakings that he might be prepared to step down, under what conditions and in what time frame. that's what they'll want to hear from the russians. when john kerry was talking in berlin yesterday, he was saying things that really the americans have been saying for four years, that there is a single man who stands between a peaceful democratic, plural and secular syria and that man is president assad, so it was clear from john kerry's remarks that they still see the syrian president as the problem. does that mean that they are utterly inflexible in terms of when he might step down? not necessarily. turkey, another vehement opponent of bashar al assad, as you well know have been saying in recent weeks, turkish government officials that they are prepared to be more flexible about a possible time table. some officials in ankara a few days ago talking a possible six month transition period. now how

which is a main concern, and this could be related to sergey lavrov's statement of offering air support for elements of the free syrian army, are which he previously said he didn't have a telephone number. so significant developments, and we'll see how it develops further. >> can we expect a parallel process of negotiation and talks, the actors in the syrian crisis, to further the aim of moving towards presidential and parliamentary elections? >> well, the elections were, in fact, or at least the parliamentary were a russian proposal. they were prescheduled. i mean, the key issue is the interpretation of the clause in the geneva communique that speaks about a transitioning governing body. it's the position of the americans and their allies in the region ta a transition governs bod is a body excluding the current leadership of syria and in effect replace him from the outskirt of the process. the russian approach is different, calling for an expanded national unity government and increased parliamentary powers on the basis of the elections that will be held next year. you have a situation

secretary of state john kerry meeting with russian foreign minister sergei lavrov in vienna right nowimportant meeting happening this morning. what they are looking for is common ground in the crisis in syria. the russians have been propping up the syrian leader bashar al assad with air strikes against his enemy. the u.s. insists he cannot be part -- assad cannot be part of a future syrian regime. cnn international diplomatic editor nic robertson watching this. they have friendly and have constructive dialogue often, but they have very seldom been able to most united states and russia together on key international crises points, nic. >> reporter: yeah, i mean, look, they have had a great track record in vienna if you look back to the iran nuclear talks this summer. the russian president is saying, and he met earlier this week with the syrian president, is that bashar al assad, the syrian president is willing to back rebel groups that will take on isis. well, the united states is doing that already, but here's the rub on all of that. bashar al assad and the russians are attacking some

sergey lavrov acknowledged his country was working with iraq against i.s.i.l. earlier on wednesday lavrov had said that only syria had asked the kremlin for direct intervention. >> ththe author of invasion to controversy, said that you treas -- it was titled iraq should fear russia's help. i want to get to russia in a minute but in that op ed, you also address an issue we just heard about in imen imtiaz tyabs report. do you agree they can't even form a national guard to fight i.s.i.l? >> that's the heart of the problem in iraq today. the fact is that although we can have short term military successes against i.s.i.s, there is no long term political solution to the problem in iraq without getting the sunnis on board. and without making the sunnis a coor parcore part of not only ti government but also a core part and leading part of the military forces that seek to dispem i.s.i.sdispeli.s.i.s. from sunn. you're not going to be able to hold the territory that you make clear of i.s.i.s. elements and you're not going to be able to prevent i.s.i.s. from making a rear

. >> russian foreign minister sergey lavrov says the u.s. has refused to send military delegation to russia to discuss coordination on syria. we are live from moscow. did he say why? >> well, what the united states wants is to try and attract the -- what russia wants is try an attract the united states into its coalition in syria, its action, air campaign in syria. what we were told is that in september, russia made an offer to the united states and the offer was maybe the united states should send a delegation of military experts to moscow to talk about cooperation in syria and also that maybe russia should send the prime minister to washington, d.c. to talk about the same sort of things. now sergey lavrov announced earlier today when he was speaking that the americans have been thinking about this for a while and today they have rejected the proposal, rejected the offer. he had some other words, too. he said that essentially, this kind of behavior from the united states is part of its efforts to undermine what he and what the russian gover

. >> friday, secretary of state john kerry will meet with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov and others. on the table. the future of bashar al-assad, with no consensus that he should stay or go. the gamble for vladimir putin is he can wish a settlement that he can support bashar al-assad or someone else like him in power and do it quickly. >> what makes this a problem is no one knows how to put the border or states back together. into that will not be possible. >> the u.s. mourns the loss of the first uggs soldiers. josh wheeler. he died in a firefight with i.s.i.l., as they fought to release prisoners, as the u.s. considers increasing the numbers of boots on the ground, his death will certainly not be the last. >> joining us here. "america tonight"s sheila macvicar, there'll be talks, where is this going to go? >> well, the talks will by about the futures of syria. it is clear that does not include bashar al-assad. that's not the view of russians and iranians. if you evident agree vladimir putin can accomplish goals. which is what he says. seems to be expectation, there must be

sergey lavrov said his country was ready to help the s.a.a. if they attacked militants from the islamic state group. this is seen as a major shift after referring to rebels at terrorists, russia of course a key ally of the syrian government has been carrying out airstrikes in the country since last month. we've got the s.a.a. saying it hasn't been in moscow, moscow says they were. the s.a.a. saying it doesn't want russia's help against isil. what are you hearing about all this confusion? >> well, it was a rather sort of wooly statement by a foreign office ministerial official when he said that basically the f.s.a. are over here all the time, all claiming to represent the f.s.a. right after that, the f.s.a. was pretty definitive saying they had not been to moscow. >> russian aircraft in the last 24 hours have attacked moderate rebel positions south of aleppo, so as far as the other players are concerned, russia is no longer fit to take on the mantel of orchestrating these political talks, which is what saudi arabia and turkey will be maintainin

i would suggest that those are the questions that sergey lavrov, the russian minister who will arrive shortly, will have put to him. >> particularly the future of bashar al-assad. >> reporter: yes, exactly. and i suppose this is a question that those ar other three will have. what exactly do the russians want? are they looking for an international coalition against terrorism, as they said, are they defining that narrowly as i.s.i.l? according to the americans, the majority of those strikes have been against other opposition groups in syria and going forward, what kind of transition do they envisage, if there is to be some sort of peaceful resolution? president assad, does he stay, does he leave before it, how long realistically will he remain in power, these are the kinds of issues that will be discussed in vienna. >> barnaby phillips, live for us in vienna. >>> double standards in their support for the syrian opposition, he made the comments during a political conference in sochi. wider agenda in the middle east, russia's faced criticism over its air campaign in syria, some targeting

russian foreign minister sergei lavrov defended the actions at a press conference this morning. >> if it walks like a terrorist, if it fights like a terrorist, it's a terrorist, right? i would recall that we always were saying that we are going to fight i.s.i.l and other terrorist groups. this is the same -- the same position which the americans are taking, the representatives of the coalition command have been always saying their targets are i.s.i.l, al-nusra and other terrorist groups. >> rose: russia and the united states are set to hold talks about their forces. mike morell, former deputy director of the c.i.a. he's a colleague on cbs. i'm pleased to have him back on this program. mike, let me begin with basics here. president putin telegraphed what he was going to do, increase military presence with equipment and advisors, and he began building up to that point, and then he launched air strikes. it is said these were air strikes against moderate forces, and some stories that they may have been against some people that the c.i.a. was engaged with. tell me what he is trying to do a

. >>> meeting between sergey lavrov and john kerry was announced after bashar al-assad made a surprise visit to moscow. bombs continue to fall in syria. today volunteers in a humanitarian mission in idlib were hit. jamie mcintire last more on washington's reaction. >> russiarussia and the united s are not only in conflict in the skies over syria, each are offering a vastly different narrative of what's happening on the ground. drone video from a russian state tv cameraman went viral this week, the video with an added sound track shows a russian offensive last week, and an aerial view of the extent of the devastation after four years of war. misery which the pentagon now accuses russian air power of adding to. >> the russians have been indiscriminate, reckless in syria, they drop cluster bombs where civilians are. they do not appear to be interested in defeating i.s.i.l, they appear interested in preserving the assad regime. >> bashar al-assad's red carpet welcome in moscow ends the fiction that russian intervention is about anything other than keeping assad in power. the pentagon conti

. >>> sergei lavrov saying russia is now ready to support syrian rebels in their fight against isis.oming one day after he and kerry discussed new ways to have trifg to reach a political settlement to the crisis in syria. joe daugherty joins us from moscow. this seems to be somewhat contradictory to people. we know that russia and one of the points of con tension is this. they are ready to assist them in some fashion? >> assist them from the air is what they are saying. it is not that surprising. they have been showing their hand on this all week. russians are continuing to bond. the mantra is putin as peacemaker. now, they are moving, they hope, towards some type of political settlement. let's listen to what the foreign minister, sergei lavrov said. >> we are ready to provide aerial support to the patriotic opposition, including free syrian army. it is important to us to get in touch with people authorized to represent these armed groups that are standing against terrorism. >> then, he went on to take a swipe at the united states by saying, yes, but that's difficult. the united stat

russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov is ready to provide air support to the free syrian army, one of the opposition groups it's accused of targeting. russia wants syria to prepare for elections for the parliament and for the president. foreign minister lavrov said he and the u.s. secretary of state have discussed launching a new political process between syria's government and the opposition. the co-editor of jabalia, an online magazine on middle east politics is the former head for the u.n.'s special envoy of syria. now that russia has taken on i military roll, they want to increase political pressure. >> the americans, russians, saudis and turks held a meeting in vienna the last few days and agreed to reconvene again within a week probably in an expanded fashion including perhaps jordan, qatar and potentially also iran. as kerry and lavrov stated at the end of the meeting, they agreed on virtually everything except the one issue that's been at the center of the dispute from the outset of the syrian crisis, and that is the fate of syrian president bashar al assad. what's happenin

(f) foreign minlts sergey lavrov sayforeign minister sergeylavroo cooperate more with the u.s. >> talking about the free syrian army, it is a phantom structure, i've asked u.s. secretary of state john kerry where is this army, we're ready to make contact with them. we don't hide that. >> let's speak to our correspondent rory challands in the russian capital moscow. the russians saying incursion of one of its aircraft into turkish air space was simply an accident. >> they say it's an accident due to bad weather. this plane had completed its combat mission and ready to turn into base. it was flying over hilly wooded area over the turkish syrian border and because of bad weather strayed into turkish air space for a matter of minutes and went back to base. that's not what nato said. nato said the plane had been repeatedly warned by the turkish air force not to come into turkish air space but he did anyway. there are two accounts of what happened there. >> saying russian should explain itself immediately why there was any curgs but also incursion. >> hasn't made responses yet but it's pretty c

sergey lavrov will say we have made the move, we can, wore with us anwork withwith us and we wid to the crisis in syria. >> one that cannot involve bashar al-assad, so presumably, they'll want to know what russia's intensrussia's intentie future of assad. >> yes, i think that's a crucial question. they'll want to know what undertakings might be made in that meeting in moscow to that effect. just speaking yesterday in berlin, john kerry says bashar al-assad remains the number one deterrent to peace in syria. we had turkish officials saying, they could envisage a scenario where he remained in position if not quite in power for some six months or so, during some sort of transition. well, it all sounds very sketchy, very tentative, in the midst of an absolutely murderous self war, but is there some scope of agreement between these four key players here in vienna? perhaps we'll find out later in the day. >> barnaby phillips live for us in israel. >>> israeli police saying age restrictions for muslims in the al-aqsa mosque will be lifted on friday. israel wanted to change access to the site,

sergey lavrov said russian planes had targeted i.s.i.l. and other armed groups operating in the region. diplomatic editor james bays reports from the u.n. >> for over a week, leaders have been in new york. while they've been here what's changed? the answer is this: whether they were timed to coincide with this global gathering or not, russian air strikes in syria are a game-changer. the u.s. says they add gasoline to the fire of the war already four and a half years old. russia says it's a positive step aimed at those they labeled terrorists. but given that the russians were invited in by president assad, does that mean all his enemies, even those groups directly supported by the u.s? i tried to get clarity from the russian foreign minister. >> in addition to i.s.i.l. which specific groups in syria do you believe to be terrorists? >> well, if it looks like a terrorist, if it acts like a terrorist, if it walks like a terrorist, if it fights like a terrorist, it's a terrorist, right? the refnts o representatives ofl nusra, we see eye to eye

amy: that was russian foreign minister sergei lavrov. secretary of state john kerry said the united states would welcome "any genuine effort" by moscow to target the islamic state and the nusra front, but he criticized wednesday's air strikes on other rebel groups fighting president assad. >> i relayed and reiterated the concerns i expressed in the course of the un security council meeting which was led by russia today. concerns we have, obviously, about the nature of the targets, the type of targets, in the need for clarity with respect to them . and it is one thing, obviously, to be targeting isil, concerned, obviously, that is not what is happening. amy: to talk more about syria and palestine, we're joined by rashid khalidi, edward said professor of arab studies at columbia university. he's the author of several books, including his latest, "brokers of deceit: how the u.s. has undermined peace in the middle east." professor, welcome back to democracy now! talk about what is happening right now in syria, what russia is doing, with unit

. >> sergei lavrov says moscow is willing to cooperate with what they call patriot opposition forcesike the free syrian army. it stuck 53 targets in syria in the past 24 hours. some of the air strikes are believed to have hit opposition fighters backed by the united states. >>> iran's parliament has given approval to the nuclear deal with the u.s. and five other nations. the bill allows for inspections of the iranian nuclear program in return for lifting of the economic sanctions, but they insisted that international inspectors only have limited access to iran's military sites. the deal must still be ratified think the constitutional watchdog before it takes effect. >>> the democratic candidates for president are in las vegas today, for the first debate. the stakes are huge for the front runners and the others hoping to break through. >> reporter: some analysts say the pressure may be the greater on hillary clinton. in the crucial early nomination states, polls suggest clinton has fallen behind bernie sanders. >> wow! [ laughter ] >> reporter: and nationally at least one poll indicat

sergei lavrov, the russian foreign minister flew here to explain what exactly russia is doing in syriaat its end objectives are. what undertakings could have been given to president assad a couple of days ago. and it is possible for these four countries all of which are militarily engaged in syria in different ways, reach a common purpose. can they reach an agreement on a transition that would see president assad step down. if so, how quickly? and do they trust each other enough to make such a plan stick? a lot of doubt it has to be said, whether those can be realized or not. but at least at the moment four key players involved in the syrian disaster are actually talking to each other. and that's good news. >>> many of those displaced by the syrian war are part of this sea of people who made their way to the serbia croatia border overnight. 5,000 asylum seekers are at a small town there, trying to keep warm. >>> the u.s. has taken only a small fraction of the syrian refugees, but the governor of michigan says his state should take more. not everyone agrees. bisi onile-ere reports. >> r

amy: sergey lavrov's call for elections came just days after a surprise visit by syrian president bashar al-assad to moscow. lavrov also said russia would be ready to help western-backed free syrian army rebels if it knew where they were. the syrian army has rejected the free army -- the free army has rejected the offer. meanwhile, former u.s. president jimmy carter has just published a piece in the "new york times" titled, "a five-nation plan to end the syrian crisis." carter calls for the united states russia, iran, turkey, and , saudi arabia to work together to end the war. we are joined now by charles glass, former abc news chief middle east correspondent. his latest book is titled, "syria burning: isis and the death of the arab spring." he's just returned from syria and iraq. welcome to democracy now! it is great to actually have us in -- have you in our studio as you launch this book. talk about the latest developments, what is been proposed. >> unfortunate, nothing is been proposed. the problem is the two main parties backing the factions in syria, the u.s. and russia, have not bu

kerry spoke to his russian counter part sergey lavrov about the talks, officials say details of the meeting are worked out. they have not ruled out letting iran participate. former secretary-general of n.a.t.o. says russia's involvement in syria will make the situation worse. here is what anders rasmussen told me earlier today. >> you can both save bashar al-assad and fight "ultimate 8." you can save bashar al-assad and fight the civil war in syria. it's hard to see a long-term sustainable solution in syria, that includes bashar al-assad as part of that solution. if the russians really fight the islamic state, i would welcome it. the problem is that the russians, apparently, are also bombing what i would call the moderate opposition. and that is exactly why the russian presence in syria will not stop. but on the contrary will prolong the conflict. >> the u.s. says it is ready to provide aid to afghanistan and pakistan after they were struck by the most powerful earthquake in a decade. the earthquake was sendered in the hindu kooush mountains in north-eastern afghanistan. 388 were killed. ri

you heard sergei lavrov speak saying there are some differences in the detail.he detail is this, whether president assad can stay or not. that's the essential sticking point for the last four and a half years and why 250,000 have died, shiulie. >> james, thank you. our diplomatic editor in new york. >>> well the numbers of people fleeing the conflict in syria and other middle eastern countries is continuing to rise. the u.n. refugee agency says it expects 1.1 million refugees to flee to europe by the end of next year. most of the refugees make their way to europe via the mediterranean sea and the agency said those numbers could rise even further. heavy fighting is continuing out there kunduz city between the taliban and the afghan army. at least 50 people, mostly civilians were killed in the fighting. the interior ministry says afghan forces won't stop fighting until they retain kunduz province from the taliban. we received this update. >> reporter: the government of salving controls the city center of kunduz city, but the taliban is still resistant in the area

decision to accept the invitation has followed two days of pretty constant communications between sergei lavrovnd his opposite number in tehran. and to president putin let it be known that he's delighted with the fact a that these negotiations are now going to be widened and broadened. there has been no real success in bringing an end to this war. it is now in its fifth year, 11 million people displaced, but it's hope now is that the inclusion of russia and iran, who are both key allies of president assad, virtually the only allies that he has will bring together the other desperate foreign countries edge gauged in these trax trying to set the stage for some sort of successful negotiation. the key to it all is what happens to president assad, both russia and iran say that they would like to see him involved in at least the first steps of the transitional settlement but both agree there is no future for him there. >> well, the world food program has announced that it is reviewing a food voucher program that helps refugee who is are living in jordan. the u.n. organization was forced to cut the vo

chief speck in favour of them being at the table saying: here is what the russian foreign minister sergey lavrovaid about cooperation with the jordanians on syria. >> translation: an agreement has been reached with forming a mechanism in aman to coordinate actions of fighting in the air over syria on a day-to-day basis. >> a syrian academic and analyst says despite diplomatic talks, there's no sign of let-up on the ground. >> we have seen that there's a race between the political clock and military clock on the ground. i think most players right now, especially when we talk about qatar and turkey, they'll turn it into a war of attrition between these parties. they are trying to see if they can reach a political solution to the conflict. there's the sort of race between there's the sort of race between they are coming to the conclusion that bashar al-assad may not leave soon. they are trying to relocate their position, and they are saying we are going to coordinate with the russians, our major certain is the islam its threatening our security. >> russian air strikes are entering their fourth week

secretary of state john kerry spoke with russian foreign minister sergei lavrov. their agenda likely included the possibility of a transition of power in syria and russia's air strikes targeting what it claims are islamic state militants. the united states wants syrian president bashar al assad to step down while russia has been increasing military support for the assad government. earlier this week, russian president vladimir putin met assad. some observers say russia wants to gain the initiative by talking to nations backing anti-government forces. >>> a traffic accident in southwestern france has resulted in dozens of fatalities. a bus carrying elderly people on a day trip collided head-on with a truck. the crash occurred early friday morning about 50 kilometers east of bordeaux. both vehicles caught fire shortly after the collision. french media report at least 41 are conconfirmed on the bus. eight others were injured. a radio station quoted the mayor of a nearby town as saying the truck went out of control and crashed into the bus. the bus driver opened the d

i imagine sergei lavrov is facing tough questions about russia's true motivations, what it wants in syriad what promises it may have contracted from president assad. the russians see themselves firmly in the middle of things. and on the side there have been bilateral meetings between the russians and the jordanians, and afterwards the russians said they had agreed to, quote, coordinate their military activities in syria, so that's an indication of where the russians would like things to be going in these talks. >>> four people in egypt including two policemen have been injured after a bomb they were trying to diffuse exploded. >>> congo ports along mexico's pacific coasts have shut down as the biggest hurricane ever in the region veers towards land. it has packed speeds of up to 400 kilometers an hour, and a state of emergency has been declared in three states. >> reporter: taking no chances. mexicans living along the pacific coast prepare their homes and businesses for what forecasters warn could be a catastrophic storm. >> translator: it's better to prevent than repair. i don't know how

. >> reporter: i think there was a sense of frustration from sergei lavrov. it gave him a chance to rehearse his arguments for expanding the countries involved in the debate over syrias future. there's a quartet meeting expected to gather on friday, turkey, saudi arabia, the united states, and russia, and all of those countries, aside from russia, are determined that assad must go before transition can be carried through, and russia will be asking to include at that meeting, iran, and other regional states to try to extend the voice of support for assad in the meetings that will be up coming over the next few months. but saudi arabia has said that russia is guilty, really, now, of occupying the country and cannot play a part in terms of keeping assad in power, even up to transition. >> and russia has always offered its help to the main rebel group there, the fsa in its fight against isil. the fsa, frankly is skeptical of this offer and also says it hasn't even been to moscow. so what is going on here? >> reporter: well, there was a rather woolly statement fro

. >>> russian foreign minister sergei lavrov and u.s.d of state john -- secretary of state john kerry have both greed to further talks about syria. >> we all want syria, democratic, secular syria home for all ethnic groups whose rights are guaranteed but we have some differences as for the details on how to get there. >> we agreed on the imperative of as soon as possible, perhaps even as soon as tomorrow, but as soon as possible having a military to military deconflicts discussion, meeting, conference, whatever can be done as soon as possible. >> the russian parliament granted president vladimir putin permission to deploy the air force in syria. let's take a look at the at the targets that moscow says it carried out against eight targets, most isil strong holds are in eastern syria. but it appears that raqqa was not hit the defecator capital. and the raids focused on command posts not held by isil. russia said that it did not hit civilian areas in those attacks but the head of the syrian opposition said 36 civilians were killed. >> trans

russian foreign minister sergei lavrov says his nation has the same targets as the u.s.-led coalition forces. >> we are going to fight isil and other terrorist groups. this is the same information which the americans are taking, the representatives of the coalition command have always been saying that their targets are isil and other terrorist groups. this is basically our position as well. >> lavrov added russia does not consider the free syrian army to be a terrorist group. the anti-government group is backed by the united states. russia said it carried out its second day of air strikes on thursday. russia's defense ministry released new video of the attacks. syrian opposition forces are deannouncing the russian air strikes for killing civilians. a spokesperson with russia's defense ministry said their targets are based on confirmed intelligence to avoid harming civilians. the official told local media that tactical bombers and aircraft destroyed the headquarters of terrorist groups, a weapons warehouse, and a command center. he says the military will use four tankers

he spoke to his counterpart sergei lavrov over the phone. kerry said many of the targets russia is striking are not against the islamic state militant group. the russian military launched its campaign last month. officials said their war ships in the caspian sea launched 26 cruise missiles on wednesday into syria. but american media outlets quoted u.s. government sources as saying at least four missiles landed in iran. iran's state-run television have not confirmed the account but did quote a russian defense ministry spokesperson as saying the attacks against militant positions were successful. >>> this year's winner of the nobel prize in literature has criticized russia for supporting pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine. svetlana alexievich was born in ukraine and later moved with her family to belarus. her books portray the harshness of life under the former communist regime in the soviet union. at a news conference, alexievich referred to last year's violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces in ukraine following the

. >> the russian foreign minister sergei lavrov will also will be in vienna. they say they're looking for serious intentions from lavrov as well. >> they're going to find in the near future since they're not going to be able to resolve this militarily that they'll start to think about a political resolution. >> but there won't be any leaders of the syrian opposition attending the vienna meeting mainly because u.s. officials don't think they're unified. the obama administration is only willing to go so far for syria. >> al jazeera's kristen salommey has been at the united nations when she asked the saudi ambassador what he hopes will happen in these talks in vienna. >> iran is participating in those talks. i wonder if you have any thoughts on what you hope their role will be and what your apprehensions are, if any? >> we hope that all parties will help in contributing towards the establishment of a political solution in syria based on geneva communique one. it is very clear. it calls for transitional authority to be established with full executive authorities,

sergei lavrov has been very busy with his calls to his opposite numbers in tehran.nd the russian president said he was delighted with the widening of the number of countries who are now going to be involved in the talks. there have been all international efforts have failed to bring peace in syria over the last five years, a quarter of a million people dead. 11 million displaced. and the key now, it is hoped is the participation of russia and iran who are the key allies, virtually the only allies, bashar al-assad has got. and they are hoping that their presence will persuade other key international players to come to the table and try and reach some agreement, and the sticking point of course is what do you do with bashar al-assad? the -- russia and iran have been talking about him staying on for some while, while the transitional settlement goes into effect. but that's unacceptable to countries like saudi and turkey. >> peter thank you. and now let's get the latest reaction from the u.s. with rosiland jordan in washington, d.c. as we were hearing peter say there, r