and use the u.n. the u.n. needs the united states frankly what's most interesting about these cables is what it says about american priorities at the u.n. you know top on the list was for was frankly the secretary of state for asking american diplomats to figure out how to make the peacekeeping mission into or for more effective asking which countries might have military. yes that's what they could lend to their mission in darfur i mean that was number one on the list if you look at what the u.s. is spying or collecting intelligence on frankly other towards relatively laudable goals another one is taking a look at trying to prevent zimbabwe the zimbabwean government robert mugabe from achieving any sort of position of influence at the u.n. so frankly the goals of the intentions are by and large correct not all but i mean yeah you could say that in trying to monitor people and how they're going to vote on sanctions on iran that's not necessarily a lot of oh well i mean i guess that's true but you know there def

we believe the u.n. could be something else we believe that the u.n. has an indispensable role in this world there's there's no replacement for the one if the u.n. didn't exist we would have to create it. and the when when it started in the early years it was very well respected by all countries. and it's its mission was respected by israelis.

with me i have the executive director of u.n. watch a human rights group based in switzerland mr noah thank you very much for joining us here on r.t. your group basically has the united nations but why does the u.n. even need monitoring he would watch as a non-governmental organization whose mandate is to monitor the united nations according to the principles of its charter essentially to hold the un accountable and to measure it by the arctic of its own charter many israelis complain that israel does not get a fair deal or if a hearing by the united nations would you agree it's one of our issues that's important to us is fighting anti-semitism and also the discriminatory treatment of israel the un's obsession with israel doesn't only harm israel doesn't only harm the peace process but it harms the un as a whole it prevents the u.n. from being effective for human rights victims who never get their day of international attention why is the u.n. to use your words obsessed with israel the u.n. has been strong champion of the p.l.o.

the u.n. which could come in and help them and try to bring them together bridge their differences you have a real situation with real problems what happens at the u.n. too often is something on a on a level that is almost mythological that is entirely divorced from reality and i saw that once a couple of years ago it was in the june two thousand and seven when hamas was waging a bloody coup against v. against the palestinian authority and during that time it was a very nasty hamas was throwing people off of rooftops they were shooting people in hospital beds and all this was happening israel of course had already withdrawn in the unilateral withdrawal from gaza there were no israeli troops not a single one in gaza had no involvement whatsoever with this this conflict and in my earpiece listening what was happening in the u.n. route plenary was they were attacking israel condemning israel for human rights violations so i think this this example captures what happens at the u.n. but there are r

as a whole it prevents the u.n. from being effective for human rights victims who never get their day of international attention why is the u.n. to use your words. u.n. has been strong champion of the p.l.o. since the early one nine hundred seventy s. this was largely a function of the soviet union together with the arab states started a campaign to attack israel and hijack many un bodies so you have an enormous amount of the un's attention. is a stand simply devoted to helping the palestinians and have the palestinians been helped and the palestinians have not been helped and it was coffee in on himself the secretary general the united nations in his parting speech to the security council said what have all the special agenda items and special reports and special sessions on the palestinian situation ever done to help the palestinians and the reality is very little if you look at the past thirty years of all the resolutions and at the un human rights council in geneva it's something like seventy five percent of all

the u.n. top human rights official in ivory coast called for a peaceful resolution. >> we are not going to solve the current political crisis by extra-judicial killings, by looting and burning, by illegal arrests and detention, by enforced disappearances. >> woodruff: if conflict erupts, it may involve the 10,000 u.n. peacekeepers in ivory coast. over the weekend, president gbagbo ordered them to leave. they refused, and on monday, the top u.n. envoy in the country, said government supporters had threatened his troops. >> ( translated ): president gbagbo camp started sending armed men to the personal houses of united nations employees, >> ( translated ): i'm not happy about the extension of the u.n. here in the ivory coast. they come here only to separate and make problems between the ivorian army and the u.n. military. we want them to leave so that we can resolve our own problems. >> woodruff: anticipating trouble, the u.s., france and germany have now ordered their diplomatic personnel to le

from u.n. officials among the target and basters from russia china france and britain even secretary-general ban ki moon many people didn't understand what that meant or that mean the diplomats do spying on the cia the order of operation allegedly came from u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton and as the u.s. assumes the presidency of the security council today these revelations will probably be seen as an undesirable distraction but little more it seems only belgium openly criticised washington for mixing diplomatic work and outright espionage the united nations is not in a position to comment on the authenticity of the document purporting to request information gathering activities official reaction from the u.n. itself only went as far as reminding member states that international treaties prohibit spying at the u.n. their response has been so weak to being spied on by the u.s. in large part because the u.s. is just the behemoth of the u.n. they pay a lot of the bills but they also have t

our colleague is in the u.n. headquarters and is following this development. >> the council has agreed to extend the mandate for another six months. they have paved the way should there be additional u.n. sanctions to the ivory coast. they could be redeployed. this mandate may not be as robust as some were hoping for, u.n. diplomats say this is a very clear statement. this man must step down. but he is determined to cling to power. they have the world's biggest cocoa producer. the european union has agreed to impose sanctions on the ivory coast. the u.s. will follow suit with probably a travel ban. it may even freeze financial assets. >> british police have arrested 12 men in a significant operation to prevent a bombing campaign in the united kingdom's. -- kingdom. our security correspondent has the details. >> five men arrested, three others, three in london, and another. they are suspected to be parts of acts of terrorism. police were making follow-ups to several addresses. >> very good people with no problems.

the u.n. steps up the pressure on the ivory coast's disputed president. >> confident falls slightly but remains high according to the latest survey. snow and ice grounded flights across much of europe this tuesday. the transport commissioner says he is considering minimum quality requirements at during the severe winter weather. for now, international hubs are trying to clear a backlog of passengers but they have said that passengers might not be going anywhere until after christmas. >> frankfurt is bursting at the scenes. tens of thousands of travelers have been looking forward to their christmas holidays but they don't know if they will be able to leave. information is paltry. >> no one knows what is going on. you go to one town -- counter and is sent due to the next one. >> they were surprised by fresh snowfall early tuesday which forced them to stop all takeoffs and landings. they could not cope with the snow. entertainer's fanned out to help lighten the mood. >> they have to stand in line

if one hates the u.n., but i cared about the u.n., i wanted to see it succeed.and its failure in bosnia was a disgrace both to itself and to the situation. so, meanwhile, you had the domestic political situation in the united states as you well know from your interviews. the republicans were skewering the u.n. they were threatening to cut off all funds. we were $1 billion in arrears in our payments and, i regret to say, still are. it was clear to the whole administration from president clinton on down that there was no chance that the u.n. could continue to play a serious role, that the thing was either going to collapse or the u.n. was going to have to be replaced. so it became clear not just to me, but to the president, to vice president gore, to secretary of of state christopher, to madeleine albright who was then u.n. ambassador. we all agreed in order to save the u.n., we had to take bosnia away from the u.n. c-span: how would you characterize, if you can, your personal style of diplomacy? [laughter] what are some of the things that you always want to do --

the u.n. calls alassane ouattara president of ivory coast. an italian anarchist group clinchers possibility parcels that exploded at the swiss and chilean embassies in rome. get off the road. beijing makes a bid to stop the gridlock. welcome to "bbc news," broadcast on pbs in america, and around the globe. home for the holidays. u.s. officials tried to reassure the public that it is safe to travel despite the political gap earlier in the week. disagreements over who should pay for the church of the nativity threaten to undermine christmas spirit in bethlehem. the united nations general assembly has recognized alassane ouattara as the winner of ivory coast's disputed presidential election. the vote took place last month, but the incumbent, laurent gbagbo is to, refusing to stand down. the central african bank has now blocked his access to ivory coast funds, and the u.s. secretary of state has repeated her call to mr. gbagbp to step down. >> the violence in ivory coast is stirring serious intern

well they have certainly made every effort at the u.n. security council and it was important the role that russia and china held in both calling the security council to meet and it's interesting in that meeting finally there were in some form the six nation talks that had been called for all along. by north korea by china by russia until now the u.s. has only been talking with south korea and japan two countries that it occupies and has occupied for sixty five years so they really have no political military independence in a situation like this so the very fact that the u.n. security council meeting took place was an important step yet nevertheless the danger increases as long as all of the ships aircraft carriers troops are in the region and continue these very dangerous military maneuvers again and again every one of them is a provocation any one of them really could lead to a wider war. i think everyone has at this point the announcement from north korea saying that they would not respond to these provocations is an important important

the u.n. others help alassane outtara assume his office as president. mr. outtara is internationally recognized as having won last month's election, but the incumbent, laurent gbagbo, is refusing to step down. mr. bamba speaking after presenting his credentials at the united nations, held a press conference on how to end the tug -- dangerousing it of war between the faxes -- factions. >> the main concern is the violation of the human rights. as you know there is a massive violation of human rights. 172 people were killed only because they want top demonstrate, they want to speak out, they want to defend the will of the people. we think it's not acceptable. that's one of the messages i try to get across during the conversations i have conducted so far, to tell that we are on the brink of genocide and something should be done. >> meanwhile, the first attempts by the neighbors of ivory coast to attempt to end the power struggle have failed but the leaders of benin and sierra leone have vowed to t

diplomats were asked to collect dna samples and fingerprints from u.n. security council officials and north korean diplomats. but the u.s. state department denied the spy claims and said american diplomats ignore requests to engage in such activity. >>> u.s. senator joseph lieberman and other lawmakers have unveiled legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to publish the name of a u.s. intelligence source. the bill was introduced thursday and comes after the wikileaks website published classified u.s. diplomatic documents. the lawmakers say wikileaks' actions have threatened the safety of those working in u.s. undercover operations. in a statement, lieberman said "wikileaks' move is the latest example of how the illegal release of classified information can jeopardize the security interests of the u.s. and its allies." he also said the legislation will make anyone who puts sources of information at risk criminally accountable. >>> u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has been busy contacting foreign leaders and expressing regrets over the wik

his headquarters is protected by hundreds of u.n. peacekeepers and is only accessible by helicopter. some supporters have nothing much to do but sit and wait. some soldiers are up and running like they are already in charge. bbc news, ivory coast. >> the embassy in rome is on high alert after security checks in response to parcel bombs that exploded in the swiss and julienne indices. no one has admitted responsibility, but it is suspected anarchists are behind the blasts. >> outside the swiss embassy, it was deceptively quiet. inside, the would have been panic among the staff. a 53-year-old man opened a parcel that exploded. he may lose the use of both of his hands. he worked at the embassy. he is being treated at hospitals. no one else was injured. then a second attack. this time, hidden away behind the gates of the chilean embassy. someone working in the post room was injured in the hands and face as another parcel exploded. some speculated it was linked to recent bomb scares. not so, says this man. >> i believe these attacks are n

and the u.n. says hundreds of people have been abducted from their homes in the ivory coast in the wake of last month's presidential elections comes a day off when he went down state would remain there despite being ordered out come and about but he has the international calls to step down. as the u.n. has been on the his rival son. who observers say won the key elections fears are growing over new developments countries still recovering from the bloody civil war . next the latest to business news with daniel bushell that's off the short break stay with us. please. welcome to business russia's government says the pause in economic growth is off the new figures show a fall in unemployment november's jobless rate cut from six point eight to six point seven percent. quote positive dynamics in the fourth quarter after july's droughts caused a drop at the third average salaries also grew last month over three percent. share holders in vimpel called may block a merger with middle east mobile giant wheth

the u.n. security council should not be diluted by increasing its permanent members. they include china, france, russia, britain, and the u.s. the chinese official added that japan's election as a permanent member would be difficult for its public to accept. the document shows the u.s. diplomat said it will be hard to ignore japan's bid because the country is the second largest financial contributor to the u.n. the wikileaks website withheld the name of the chinese official, but the british newspaper "the guardian" identify him as hu yafei, who was china's vice foreign minister at the time. it was widely believed the chinese government opposed japan's bid for a permanent seat on the security council. but it's rare for a senior official's stance to be revealed so explicitly. >>> japan's toyota motor is asking general motors for compensation after a joint venture between the two automakers was liquefied. toyota is seeking about $74 million in damages. toyota filed a lawsuit against a firm that t

the bbc's u.n. correspondent barbara plat has this report. >> here in new york the secretary-general ban ki-moon issued a statement backing the opposition candidate. he congratulated him for winning the election and also called on the incumbent president to cooperate in a smooth transition of power. now he was basically endorsing the position that already been taken by his representative in the country who accepted the provisional election result, which favored the opposition candidate and rejected the official result, which favored the president. this is quite a strong position for the united nations to take but in this particular case, the u.s. had been strictly mandated to monitor every phase of the election to make sure it is reasonably free and fair but also to certify the outcome of the vote. it would have been a stronger position if the security council also backed him but they were not able to agree on a statement and u.n. diplomats said russia and china raised traditional objections about a

the incumbent president once the u.n. forces out. -- wants the un forces out. the u.n. has been urged to intervene. bbc news. >> the iraqi prime minister's plans to unveil part of his unity cabinet has been spoiled by a last-minute dispute in parliament. the election nine months ago failed to produce a clear winner, and just for a moment today, and and to the long wait. from baghdad, gabriel gatehouse reports on why the democracy has not meant safety. >> four years ago, sectarian violence drove him out of his home. this part of town is largely sunni, and until recently, one of the most dangerous places. now, he says he feels safe here again, and he has come back to run his local store. the area is much better than it was, but safe? at the end of this road, there is an armored humvee, specifically there to protect the christian families after recent attacks. this is the result of a car bomb that went off in 2006. attacks of this size are happening much, much less frequently now than they were back then. they still happen. the scars are still visible everywhere in this ci

the u.n. saying that it's really hate now that talk to me and this sort of situation can be a peaceful situation could be resolved. if the situation is spiraling out of control. ok sara for thanks so much for that. and in fact for more on what's happening on the korean peninsula we're now joined by your guitar ryan the director of korean studies at the institute of economics in the russian economy of sciences thank you for joining us here on north korea has threatened to retaliate hasn't it nothing's happened as yet but what do you think. the next move will be well this is really tense now and. you can have predict when and if the conflict would happen unfortunately at this point of time we have to depend more on the supposed unpredictable irrational regime in pyongyang rather than on the actions of the south korean government who shows no restraint and it's very pitiful i think that north koreans will try to. restrain from unprovoked action but who knows where the limit of patience is if the

you have the u.n. peacekeepers and at the front of the hotel, you have various u.n.cekeeping, tanks, armored vehicles, and as you say, rebels from the north of ivory coast in there as well. a lot of weapons on both sides. there is a standoff. the area is very quiet indeed. not busy as it normally is in the evening. >> there is a cabinet meeting scheduled for later this week. in reality, pocono go-ahead? >> the cabinet -- each side has taken an oath of office. yes, the prime minister said on friday his cabinet will hold a meeting in the state offices. that is not possible at the moment. the government of the opposition is limited to the hotel. it is difficult to know. that would involve a major change on the ground. at the moment, there is no way they could leave the hotel and have been meeting in the state of this is barry >> john james. thank you very much. the iranian foreign minister manouchehr mottaki has been sacked. u.s. bank for his services, but no reason was given for his dismissal. he was currently on an official visit to senegal. he is being replaced by th

the u.n. secretary general ban ki moon has rejected a demand from the disputed ivory coast government the u.n. peacekeepers should leave the country incumbent president laurent gbagbo accused the u.n. of arming his rival. both candidates claim victory in last month's election sparking fears of another civil war after dozens died in clashes among their supporters france and the african union backing. refuses to step down. thousands of stranded at airports across europe are severe winter weather continues to disrupt travel hundreds of flights are canceled at london's international airports heathrow and gatwick due to the amount of snow france italy and the netherlands also reporting problems in germany at least two people were killed in traffic accidents caused by the across the city temperatures are predicted to last beyond christmas. earlier this week prime minister vladimir putin set the record straight on a number of issues as he held his annual q. and a session with the russian public. over