joining me is a member of the opposition group, syrian national council. before we get on to the wider question of the arab league summit, can you shed any light on this so-called syrian free army attack and what it amounted to and how significant it was? >> i think it is very significant. what we're seeing at the moment is the formation of a very clear and solid nucleus of the next syrian army, formed by defectors from the syrian army who are refusing to carry out the syrian army leadership in terms of targeting civilians. these people are defecting because they are not going to kill their people, and when they defect they become straightaway a target for the syrian army, and as a result, they seem to get information in order to protect themselves and also to protect the administration -- to get in formation in order to protect themselves and also to protect the administration. the syrian national army is gaining in strength. >> what can you say to me that the syrian free army is there and is growing? what evidence is there? >> well, every day we see youtu

moscow for talks let's get more on this now from our tease a key to all of peter what is the syrian national council actually hoping to achieve with this visit. will this meeting the highest level member of the syrian opposition meeting with representatives of the russian government it will get underway at around hours time will over an hour it's on the schedule for and what they'll be hoping is that the syrian side are hoping that the russians can help them with finding a solution to the ongoing situation in the country now this is the first time the representatives of the syrian opposition or in fact the syrian government has been here in moscow for talks russia has been making good on its promise to act as a mediator in the ongoing crisis in syria say this meeting will see the highest level representative of the syrian opposition meeting with russian officials they

the syrian national council says the free syrian army carried out the attack on the base with rocket-propelled grenades. arab league foreign ministers are gathering shortly, and they're expected to confirm syria's suspension over the crackdown on protesters. large crowds have turned out in various cities to oppose the arab league's decision. we can go over to the bbc's jonathan head, who joins us live from istanbul. jonathan, you have some perspective on the free syrian army and the latest moves within the country. >> we've been speaking to the syrian national council here, and the council doesn't formally connect itself to the free syrian army, but they're all working for the same thing. they're saying this attack that's just been reported was carried out by the free syrian army, and it seems to have been quite an ambitious attack on an air force intelligence compound. the air force intelligence branch of the syrian security forces has been very involved in the crackdown on the opposition, and it's deeply feared it's one of the worst places you can go, according to figures, if you get detaine

account of iraq's fall from grace and in chicago we crossed the answer to he's a member of the syrian national council all right gentlemen this is cross talk you can jump in anytime you want but first russia syria's experiences bloodiest day yes and it's been exactly eight months since it all started the u.n. says more than thirty five hundred people have been filled with thousands more injured yet there seems to be no plan to take military action to protect civilians and despite outside pressure to end the crackdown there's been no letup in violence the u.n. security council has been at odds over how to respond to the uprising despite continued pressure from the european union. the european union and will continue to press for strong u.n. action to increase international pressure and all members of the security council to assume their responsibilities in relation to the situation in syria. the e.u. has already passed several rounds of sanctions against the assad regime but during a meeting on monday the british foreign secretary william hague was unequivocal about avoiding a repeat of the lib

the syrian national council has been in combination for the past you know eight months basically it took it took. a few months to bring together an umbrella group that represents well over eighty percent of all opposition pro-democracy movement representation whether it's on the ground or outside of syria whether it's classical political or revolutionary and i think that was the reason that it took us a long time to establish the umbrella group that is now the us and see now i think that the fact that. you cannot discern because of a media blackout that's not necessarily mean that the s.n.c. is not legitimate representative of the of the of the majority of the world movement on the ground in fact we've seen several manifestations of political popular support popular support whether it's in the forms of you know naming an entire friday that the s.n.c. represents me. with protesters on the ground to the more recent protests that we've seen over the past couple weeks that have gone in staunch opposition to the to the coordination commission and that if ever you got a really good really good

if they do recognize the syrian national council, that would be the next step, some sort of international convention. people engaged in serious say they're not ready for that. it's a very different scenario than in libya. >> matthew, we've seen some sanctions in place by the eu. what more can be done? >> almost 60 people and 19 organizations connected to the regime in damascus. what we are likely to see today from the eu foreign ministers meeting in brussels at the moment is strong condemnation, continued condonation of what's going on in syria. a sense, i think, of concern that it continues and the syrians do not appear to be listening at all to the arab league -- from the western perspective. there's clear support in brussels of the arab league decision to look as suspending syria over the weekend. then, more sanctions. specifically, they are going to agree, we believe, on stopping the disbursement of investment funds to syria. that's another way of trying to drain the money that's going into the regime at the moment and trying to say to them, we will cut this off to you if you do not s

the syrian national council in the eyes of syrians is the sole representative of the syrian people.do not believe that assad is going to abide by these commitments i think the days ahead are going to confirm this to us. he won't be allowed to allow any foreign press in. he will not allow any arab monitors to go in. so there is really nothing to talk about and if there is it is only the terms of his departure. >> brown: what's your sense of the unified voice of the opposition? especially between street and political opposition? >> reporter: the s.n.c. has brought the syrian opposition together. there are still some divisions and they're trying to get their act in order at the moment. sort november a historical sense what the opposition has been able to do is enormous over the last few months. the real problem here is that... trying to come up with some sort of criteria based on which to judge assad's behavior. and his choices going forward. the opposition should be spending a lot of time on trying to judge al assad's move and what they're going to be in order to take this in the dire

the syrian national council must be committed to protecting all, the, of ethnic groups g syrian national council must speak with one voice and make it clear that they will advocate minority rights in the new government in hopes to create. the syrian people deserve answers to these key questions, which will in large part determine the degree of support the opposition has inside and outside the country. secretary of state hillary clinton said in a speech on monday that assad "cannot deny his people's legitimate demands indefinitely. he must step down, and until he does, america and the international community will continue to increase pressure on him and his brutal regime." so said secretary clinton. my questions today will center primarily on how we can and will increase the pressure on this regime. i look forward to hearing from our witnesses on a number of key issues. first, what can regional powers, including the arab league and turkey, due to play a more constructive role in supporting the democratic reform process in syria? second, what is the impact of current u.s. sanctions on the

that is a similar situation we have right now with the syrian national council. they are divided between those actually from syria or those who have made it across the border, and those from the syrian diaspora who have a more passive view of the use of violence necessary to bring the end of the regime. >> turkey is playing an increasingly critical role of the president. why is turkey taking on this position? >> many reasons. from a personal perspective, the prime minister and his party want to be seen as the vanguard of arab revolution, and turkeys entire foreign policy is to be seen as supporting the aspirations of democratic people in the middle east. that is what he is preaching at home and in the region. i think he invested so much, hoping he would be able to wean the syrians away and make syria more of a state for trade publicly. he is deeply offended by the way they have treated turkey. >> just over a month after gaddafi's death, the search is on for justice. he said to libyans if they show they can carry out a genuine investigation, they can put colonel g

the syrian national council must be committed to protecting all, all, of ethnic groups the syrian national council must speak with one voice and make it clear that they will advocate minority rights in the new government in hopes to create. the syrian people deserve answers to these key questions, which will in large part determine the degree of support the opposition has inside and outside the country. secretary of state hillary clinton said in a speech on monday that assad "cannot deny his people's legitimate demands indefinitely. he must step down, and until he does, america and the international community will continue to increase pressure on him and his brutal regime." so said secretary clinton. my questions today will center primarily on how we can and will increase the pressure on this regime. i look forward to hearing from our witnesses on a number of key issues. first, what can regional powers, including the arab league and turkey, due to play a more constructive role in supporting the democratic reform process in syria? second, what is the impact of current u.s. sanctions on the

and leading from the syrian national council says it's about time russia started listening to the syrian people. he said the invitation to come to moscow are long overdue and of course we're to be held partial lir responsible but part of the responsibility lies also with our russian tpwhroneds for a long time believed the lies of the dictatorial regime. so politicians from syria that they need somehow win over the russian government and try toe get them to back their calls for a change of regime in damascus. >> likely there will be any move in the -- >> opposing any increase in savengses saying they don't like thank you way things have been progressing and thought the arab league was a premeditated action and accused them as acting as patsies for american foreign policy. r but you can never predict what russia will do. they have some legitimate points and their voice should be heard more widely in russia. >> and poll prisoners in burma were supposed to be released this week. andrea mitchell is -- andrew mitchell said they reported no more needs to be done. >> these prisoners released, br

what progress, whether it is the syrian national council or others, what is the potential for that to be lessened? >> it is a concern of everyone, including the opposition themselves. syria is one people. they're trying to show in practice that they recognize that the syrian national identity is composed of many diverse ethnic groups, etc. you do see al whites -- aloites, christians, muslims. the country is still heavily sunni. but it needs to continue to articulate why is that bushar's predictions of what happens after he leaves is wrong. they will have a proper role to play. the burden is on the syrian opposition. based on our own conversations with the minority groups, i do not think there are any illusions about bushar. they have seen him as a source of stability and they now believe that he is driving the country to ruin. >> i read the many sections we have placed around the world. -- sanctions. but there has been a flight from damascus to damascus -- to to time. evading any of these sanctions? >> i cannot speak to any specific examples of financial support. clearly, the assad re

syrian government. they want to stop the tide of people flooding away from the army. in total, they have had 19 dead yesterday. making the total around 40 over the weekend. one national council person said that there were a total of 111 killed over the past week, which would mark a significant escalation of the killing from the syrian government. >> does this go back to the syrian national council excepting the protection? interesting, using the language of being underpinned in libya. >> realistically, no one expects intervention now or in the future. they are focusing on not just protecting civilians in general, but saying that the humanitarian situation in a number of these neighborhoods is now acute because they are besieged by such heavy forces. people cannot go out in such a sustained bombardment. many of the residents have said the same thing. that they have had no electricity or water in their apartments are either. no power, no heat for what it's cold, shortages of food. they hope to focus international attention here, perhaps getting some pressure in that area and the syrian government. >> thank you very much. still to come on "gmt," we have the first result

the syrian nation is determined to bring this dictator down. god willing, god willing very soon. the system is rotten to the core. it may look strong on the outside. at its heart, it is weak. >> the army will be more and more important as the situation gets worse. it is not civil war there yet. it does seem to be heading that way. john simpson, a bbc news, on the turkish-syrian border. >> much more to come, including this. on the line or over the line? has the time come to let technology have its say? thailand is beginning a clean up from days of devastating floods. dewater has not drained away from most areas. -- the water has not drained away from most areas. it has violently disrupted global supply chains. we have a report from bangkok. >> the big cleanup begins. piles of rubbish left behind as the water receded. layers of mold and mud. this store was ruined by the flood. he is building another one from scratch. >> i am using my savings to do this. it is time to move on. it is like i am starting a new life. >> the floods affected businesses small and large. one month ago, ther

the syrian nation is determined to bring this dictator down. will it happen? god willing, doblin, very soon. the system is rotten to the core. underneath, it is week. inside syria, the free syrian army would be more important as the situation gets worse. it is not civil war there yet, but it seems to be heading that way. >> and good to have you with us again on "bbc world news." has the time finally come to let technology have its say? thailand is beginning to clean up from days of devastating floods. the water is not completely drained away in all areas. and where it has come up people are understandably keen to regain their lives. there was have a cost in the manufacturing sector and this badly disrupted global supply chains. >> the big cleanup begins. piles of rancid rubbish left behind as the water receded. layers of mold and mud. this street food stall was ruined by the flood. he is building another one from scratch. i am using my savings to do this, he says, but it is time to move on. he says it is like starting a new life from zero. the floods affected b

the syrian nation is determined to bring this dictator down. >> will it happen? >> god willing, god willing, very soon. the system is rotten to the core. it might look strong on the outside but at its heart it is weak. inside of syria, the free syrian army will be more and more important. it is not civil war there but it seems to be heading that way. >> the authorities in trinidad and tobago say they have uncovered a plot to assassinate the prime minister. there have been a dozen arrests made. >> we don't know who was behind it, who was plotting against the prime minister. what we do know is that a number of the security forces had a real concern for people. things have eased off in many people's minds because the curfew that had been in place had actually finished a few weeks ago. they thought maybe that the state emergency was due to expire. many people are concerned. >> india is beginning its very own retail revolution. >> that's right. wal-mart and tesco might be well known around the world but they have never set up shop in india. that is about to change. la

. >> a member of the syrian national council. thank you for your time. mercenaries might be trying to help sites if all islam gaddafi escape from -- saif al-islam gaddafi to escape from libya. >> it is up to them to decide if he will surrender. will he remain in hiding or try to escape to another country? it is up to the un security council to ensure that they subject him to the charges. the prosecution has been in contact with different sources reporting multiple victims of sexual violence carrying a letter to the committee by gaddafi forces -- there are allegations of crimes in committed by nato forces carried -- crimes committed by nato forces. including civilians suspected to be mercenaries and killing of the combatants and. as well as obligation -- allegations of additional crimes committed by gaddafi forces 3 these allegations will be judged impartially and independently by the office. >> that is the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court. we are going to take you to the port of oakland in california, the fifth largest port in united

a member of the syrian national council has been giving reaction as to what was announced at the arab league meeting. >> the regime is genuine in its agreement with the arab league. the only reason that what to and agreed to these terms on paper is because they fear that it will lose the peart -- they will lose the support of russia and china on the security council, and they know things are really serious in the arab league circles. we do not expect the violence will end, but to back the regime in its new position, we are calling for massive processes and a lot of the country and coming friday, and then at snipers will be on rooftops and tanks moved on to the streets or not. unfortunately, while talks were taking place, there will be many people, they launched a new and fresh military assault against the suburbs, and also were shelling private homes. one of the leverage is that we will use with the arab league against russia and china is they will be warned that businesses with key arab nations will be put in jeopardy if they block the security council resolution, and that is why the

core of the opposition in syria also we know that turkey provides support for the oppositional syrian national council i was seeing double standards here can turkey use this whole thing to its advantage i'm taking your question i'm not taking very well it if the turkish government would pursue its policies in the imperial way according to the autumn months systems when the commit a big mistake for turkey for the position of therapy in the entire region who told them they are i mean the cuss told years of sudanese and the entire world nobody has the right to interfere and that whatever so pretext including turkey if they want to interfere and disguise because this is a big mistake it's not just turkey the syrian t.v. has aired an interview with a captured terrorists who admitted to receiving aid from saudi arabia and jordan why would this countries want cows in the region here you have touch of the very sensitive issue the financing of terrorism. until now at least we don't say officially that i mean the saudi government or the jordanian government or the lebanese government toward the governme

leaders are coming to moscow for talks when it's more peace all of their own this what is the syrian national council actually hoping to achieve with this visit to moscow. while the syrian opposition are in moscow today to try and get russia's support for a peaceful end to the ongoing violence in syria now they're hoping that russia can live up to their office of being a mediator in the syrian conflict that's ongoing now they will be hoping they've said the syrian opposition has said they want to see a new chapter opened in syria in russian relations and they're hoping to be part of that now for the russian side they'll be appealing to the opposition leaders to bring an end to the violence asking them to put the people of syria ahead of any. kind of campaign for regime change any kind of campaign to remove president assad from power to put the the people of syria as they're the ones that are suffering most at the. bitter end of this violence three thousand five hundred people are estimated to have been killed so far in the the eight months this is raged on and russia very much calling for a p

there won't be a direct intervention by nato but they are arming the syrian national council and the free syrian army via lebanon and via turkey and this has been confirmed by everybody including. lincoln admission in paris which is the best informed french daily that weekly newspaper it's a satirical paper and the turkish press everybody knows that this rule army is being armed but i nato by qatar and by saudi outside of syria's borders but the most important point in my opinion now is the role of turkey because starcade they had a policy that they call zero problems with their neighbors that was stablish by their prime minister and now they're creating a problem with syria an effect they had an alliance it was still around that moscow's ankara and now this completely disappeared and now they are advocating destabilizing the mosques and they know the problems will be enormous including for themselves the turks why why why would turkey give up. what interest when they have in front of dismantling that relationship that they've had with area well christina we need ours that's good to e

coming to moscow for talks let's get more on this now from key to all of that peter what is the syrian national council actually hoping to achieve with this visit. well this meeting sees the highest level member of the syrian opposition meeting with representatives of the russian government to get underway and around hours time little over an hour it's on the schedule for what they'll be hoping is that the syrian side are hoping that the russians can help with finding a solution to the ongoing situation in the country now this is the first time the representatives of the syrian opposition or in fact the syrian government has been here in moscow for talks russia has been making good on its promise to act as a mediator in the ongoing crisis in syria but as i say this meeting will see the highest level representative of the syrian opposition meeting with russian officials they say that they want to open a new chapter in russian syrian relations and they'll be hoping that these talks can lead towards that happening though from the russian side there they russia have always said that they want to se

time ally of the turkish government but it seems like they're throwing their lot in with the syrian national council and the free syrian army and supporting them surprisingly openly. and so it's not a funny old world of the best of times with her ironic isn't it that this big deadly crash lands a government protest is it another middle east country or a distant yesterday passing through the streets that yes yes no reaction of that from the u.s. and its allies but it seems to be a very different story when it comes to syria one of these differences between syria and bahrain for instance but i think that's the case with a lot of countries and we haven't just seen it with the united states we've seen it with saudi arabia who has roundly condemned the crackdowns in syria but actually took part in the crackdowns and bahrain. a lot of these countries are trying to use the arab strain which is merely a winter at this point to their own ends and hoping that whatever comes out of them is going to benefit them and if it doesn't look like it's going to benefit them then they're not so supportive we've