in particular i've spent an enormous amount of time on syria. the syria builtability act of 2003, which i authored, is the landmark statement of american policy towards syria and imposed sanctions on damascus in large part due to chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. in march of this year i introduced a bipartisan bill that would authorize the president to arm vetted members of the opposition. when i talk about syria, i'm speaking from years of experience, hours of hearings and scores of meetings with u.s. and foreign officials. mr. chairman, we've all seen the images of the lifeless bodies of syrian men, women and children, at least 400 children neatly lined up in rows wrapped in white sheets. their bodies appear to have no out ward physical injuries, entire families killed in their homes in a blink of an eye. our intelligence agencies have assessed with high confidence that these innocent civilians were killed by sarin gas, a deadly nerve agent classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the u.n. security council and outlaw

keeping track of syria' syria's chemical weapons. what the country has at their disposal and the weapons used to deliveer the agent. it's not just al qaeda-linked groups in that country. reason why iranians are riskinging their lives in the middle of war. . . >>> syria is believed to have one of the largest chemical weapon os stockpiles in the middle east. here are the main locations where those we upons are reportedly stored. according to to french surveillance the government has been developing its chemical we tpopbs program since the 1970s. the syrian government has more than a thousand turns of chemical agents. these chemicals include sarin and another substance called vx which is one of the most in the world. syria is capable of delivers chemical weapons using missiles with a range of up to 300-miles. earlier i spoke with professor kimberly martin from bonard college at kphrup columbia univ. i asked if the u.s. will allow syria of getting rid of chemical welfares by acceptin accepting s proposal. >> no, i don't think so. putin i

or outside syria. damming reports showed heart-breaking statistics. even if you are a syrian living inside your house, who didn't have to leave as a result of the conflict, you are still suffering to make ends meet, and you are suffering to put food on your table. the specific concern is about the issue of hunger. figures released by relief agencies indicate that 4 million children, half children - that's under a quarter of the population - are struggling to have access to food. it's not just about buying food, because, of course, prices of food have skyrocketed. it's the infrastructure of getting access to food - agriculture, the industry of food has been in tatters. these are very damning and concerning reports that showed syria could be on the brink of mass starvation, and what relief agencies are saying is that there should be a renewed push for humanitarian assistance - not just a push to rid the country of chemical weapons, but to ride the positive wave, perhaps, to allow for humanitarian access

with have sent direct messages to syria, and have had syrias allies bring them direct messages. don't do this. don't use these weapons, all to date to no avail. >> reporter: and you hear secretary kerry expressing the skepticism about the intentions of russia and syria, or whether this is just a plea for time, but the president still faces another challenge, and that is getting votes from the senate and house to authorize use of force, and this morning the senate minority leading, mitch mcconnell of kentucky, announced that he has never been in favor of the participate's foreign policy, and announced that he will not be voting to authorize force, several other senator have also moved into the no column. so the president prepares to address the nation tonight. dell? >> the president is going to address the nation at 9:00 this evening, are we still expecting a push for military strike or more diplomacy or what? >> i think that the president will continue to make the case of the fact of the use of chemical weapons, so i think he will continue to make the case while saying the windo

let's talk more about syria. joining us to discussion the conflict is the director of the orient research center in dubai and former consultant to the syrian foreign ministry. thank you so much. so you spoke last night with people close to the syrian regime. do they believe the u.s. will strike? >> reporter: there is a certain level of denial discussing the issue with some of the people close to the regime itself that obama is too weak, the west is too weak, the west is withdrawing from the region, the west is reengaging with the russians in a new strategic way. that at the end of the day taking into account the economic crisis, taking into account what happened in iraq and afghanistan. obama is just raising the stake and will never hit. this is one paradigm of the discussion. the other is yes, there is a lot of panic if you scratch all the arguments and get deeper, you will find real anxiety because i think the regime itself doesn't offer any logical reply, my logical retaliation to the american attack. the main

the future may hold a syria with no chemical weapons. that's great for syria. the civil war could be negotiated as a result of this. this is a may -- major opportunity to make it happen. >> and no punishment for assad? >> i didn't say that. i said we have to take this opportunity to get rid of those chemical weapons. the civil war may get settled with negotiations, but it may continue on in the bloody way it has over the last several years, but put the chemical weapons aside, and that denies him of these weapons he has used perhaps a dozen times, and he won't have that available to him. and that is good for the syrian people. >> so russia has given the unted states a way out you would say? >> i would say russia has made a very, very good and important overture, and we should recognize that, and the united states, together with russia, the eu, and the entire world ought to say let's move with this. let's make this happen. i understand that the united nation's leader jumped on that and said that's good. lets move with this. and the rest of the world should say th

tonight world leaders are focused on syria. >> the use of chemical weapons in syria is not only a tragedy but also a violation of international law that must be addressed. >> we are following all the latest developments on syria tonight, including divided loyalty. this syrian conflict takes center stage at the g-20 summit in russia. in the suburbs of damascus rebels keep up the fight. >> reporter: this is a meeting about the world economy but it turned into something quite different. the opposition grows more vocal and more dug out. >> after days, they were face to face. both putin greeting president obama outside st. petersburg's constantine palace. the two men disagree over syria, an issue that consumed the summit. >> i also look forward to having an extent conversation about the situation in syria and i think our joint recognition that the use of chemical weapons in syria is not only a tragedy but also a violation of international law that must be addressed. >> reporter: u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon here with his secretary envoy to syria is lobbying leaders for more time. >> ther

reaching out to russia, or in the says of syria, reaching to the embrace of putin to help with syria, engaging with iran on nuclear weapons issues. it's very pragmatic, restrained, realist foreign policy. >> thank you very much. john terrett is in new york. john, the president saying a harder humility and i kept thinking about another president who said walk softly but carry a big stick. >> his speech was 43 minutes long, dell, and a lot of the time was talking about the middle east and north africa. he talked about being chastised in medelling in affairs of other countries. he also put out a four or five-point plan for u.s. foreign policy in the middle east and north africa, and the policy that could stay in place during the rest of his i'm in office. regarding iran he said actions speak louder than words. he talked about iran being verifiable in terms of its nuclear plans. the knew iranian president says they are very keen on moving ahead for peaceful nuclear energy. and president obama said that was welcome by the united states. they supported iran's move towards that. and also he

efforts in syria. praying for peace, the pope calling on people of all religions to cry out against war there. >>> and the international olympic committee reversing itself on one of the oldest sports in history. >> overseas and here at home, the white house is now building its case for international action against syria. in paris, secretary of state john kerry is trying to convince a skept tall community. he says momentum is building. meanwhile in washington, congress is going back to work tomorrow and president obama goes on a media blitz after a series of high-profile interviews, he will address the nation in prime time on tuesday night. the white house pushing for more support in his plan to strike syria. we are following this story with live team coverage. paul beban is in washington. and washington developments over -- watching details overseas we have phil london. overseas secretary of state john kerry is currently in paris trying to build an international coalition there. how many countries supp

>> now in washington debate's attacking syria. these protestors hope far diplomatic way out. >> the policy is difficult. i understand that, but you have to have that as your mission. you need peaceful resolution to these kinds of conflicts. they're political. they're very difficult and we need a humanitarian response. >> reporter: they are less than two weeks to make their case. w>> we say no! whether it comes today, tomorrow or monday! >> reporter: many of the protestors we've spoke with in times square say they're afraid the u.s. is headed for a prolonged confrontation with syria and they don't want to repeat the iraq war. al jazeera, new york. >>> and keep it here on al jazeera for continuing coverage on the crisis in syria. you stay up-to-date on our web-site, al jazeera.com. >> the wild part yosemite national park is burning out of control. we will tell you why it's harder for firefighters to battle the flames. >>> plus a battle save a different kind of forest. what they are doing in indonesia from keeping the rain forest fro

strikes on syria. >> we declare that we oppose any aggression and war against syria. this is our message to our brother who is in charge here in syria and also to the whole world. >> iran has repeatedly warned that if the u.s. attacks syria, israel could be drawn in to the conflict. syria is iranian aid to hezbollah in lobe no one. we heard today for the tires time from another sear crane ally, vladimir button peter sharp has more from how course. >> reporter: this is the first time we have heard from president paout up discussing syria. the last time it was brought up was at the g8 summit in ireland when he met with obama the talk was of a peace conference that's long gone and long passed and i think now president putin realizes this is possibly the last chance, possibly the last chance he's got to deliver his verdict on a possible strike. hostilities could begin at any time. so he took this opportunity to appeal to president obama. >> common sense speaks for itself. the syrian government forces are advancing. and some regions they have circled the rebels. under the

military strike in syria is being felt by the americans at the gas pump. the gasoline research organization said prices jumped two and a half cents over the past two weeks, pointing to a recent spike in oil tied to fears of an attack in syria. fierce are said to impact middle east crude supplies. oil prices down on any speculation that any u.s. military action would not happen for sometime. the average price for a gallon of unleaded is $3.58. >> billionaire investor carl icon is throwing in the tall in his effort to control dell, saying he can't stop founder michael dell and silver lake from winning a vote to take the computer company private. he believes the $25 billion takeover price undervalues dell. >> still to come, an ancient find uncovered in israel. the details when we come right back. >> where can you find happiness? there's a new study out that has the exact location. >> speaking of location, the heat is building in parts of the country. we'll show you where it's headed. we have all the numbers in the national forecast, coming up. ç] >> russia a

military strike against syria. he promised to take that message back to washington next week and vote against the white house plan to strike syria. david hawkins, aljazeera, michigan. >> ahead, richard murphy speaks to us. for the latest, you can always go to aljazeera.com. >> a bomb has exploded in front of egyptian minister's home in cairo in a possible attempt on his life. six people were injured in the explosion. two attackers were killed by police. witnesses tell aljazeera a car bomb was set near the interior minister's convoy. >> the cleveland medical examiner confirmed that aerial castro hanged himself with a bed sheet. he had just started serving a life sentence as punishment for kidnapping and torturing three young women for a decade. those three women have not spoken publicly. we visited the cleveland neighborhood castro called home to see the impact his death is having on people there. >> on the 2000 block of seymour avenue in cleveland, flowers offer no hint of the painful history of the house that once

over all crisis in syria. a mill industry solution is not an option. >> the arab league is due to meet in the egyptian capitol to discuss the crisis in syria but there's little unity of how they respond to the chemical weapons attacks. saudi arabia and other uniteed the emirates support military enter jennings but libya, iraq rule against using force. what is expected then from the the arab the league? >> reporter: on sunday, first of all the meeting will be at ambassador level and later in the day the foreign ministers consider a draft text put forward by the ambassadors. already we know that -- a lot are saying the arab league have as far last tuesday in an ambassador's meeting. an issue which con tkepls what it called the haoe news crime can carried out by prointernational prohibited chemical weapons. i laid it at the feet of the assad government of in syria. it was suspended from iraq t lebanon and al tkp*e ria. i think the feeling today is that there won't be any show of unity. there will be a discussion

they distrust the rebels in syria, they don't like them. they fear an islamist - the spread of extremist islamist groups. they see this to a certain extent as a proxy struggle with the united states influence in the middle east. also of importance is the principle of non-inference into sovereign affairs of another country. the relationship they have is important economically, not least through the sale of military hardware. for all of those reasons i imagine that foreign minister wallim will get reassurances from the russians that they stand by him. >> you mentioned the importance of the allies. in that sense could a military strike on syria backfire against president obama. could the allies prop up the syrian regime, go in and put everything they have no propping up assad and create a world war 3 by proxy? >> well, we are getting into a lot of hype thet calls, and hopefully we won't reach all of them down the road. it's important to put this in some sort of context. the russians repeatedly and clearly said they have no desire to get milita

in syria. there are no good options, military options between the united states and syria. add iraq and afghanistan with the civil wars that have to be fought internally, and that political reconciliation cannot come from without. it has to come from within. that cannot be imposed by outside influences. we know that from our own history. the syrian civil war has caused 100,000 deaths in a country of 23 million. the american civil war caused 675,000 deaths. from a young nation of 34 million people. after spending 2 trillion-dollar in iraq and afghanistan representing $40,000 of debt for the american family, and the loss of thousands of lives, and iraq is as violent today as at any time in its history. and afghanistan is as poor as corrupt. the american people are sick and tired of war. it's time to nation build in america. invest in the growth of the american economy. bashar al-assad used chemical weapons on his own people, that is reprehensible for certain. he should be condemned by an internat

at least as far as syria is concerned. and so it turned out with russia and the united states possibly further apart when it all ended than there'd been when it began. the russian president says mostly were opposed to action against syria without the back of the u.n. security council. although he has less support for his insistence that syria did not use chemical weapons on august the 21st. >> the so-called use of chemical weapons is a provocation on the part of the rebels who are hoping to get further assistance from countries who are supporting them from the beginning. i want to remind you that the use of force against the sovereign state is only done by the defense not an attack. >> the president looked tired but his words were passionate. >> over 1400 people were gassed. over 400 of them were children. this is not something we've fabricated. this is not something that we are looking, are using as an excuse for military action. as i said last night i was elected to end wars, not start them. >> after st. petersburg presi

syria. i remind the ga leaders have agreed that any such report should be investigated professionally, objectively and results should present to the security council of un where corresponding conclusions will be made. with the seriousness of the situation, we and syria are convinced that the opportunity, their opportunities for political settlement are still in place. >> reporter: and we are live for us in moscow, so barnabie, we heard comments there but if you say -- if you had to underline what came out of that meeting, what would you say it was? >> in essence that russia still stands by syria without a slither of a doubt. also perhaps there is a battle for world's opinion going on. you heard one vote from john kerry and the other vote from moscow this morning. at times the minister seems to be speaking over the heads of a local audience to a much wider audience, thanking the pope and thanking elaborates in europe for skepticism and thanking british british public and more doubts in minds

military action in syria. they both warped if congress votes against intervention in syria, there could be dire consequences worldwide. the resolution now before the senate expressly bars u.se of u.s. ground forces for combat operations in syria. >>> president obama has been meeting with congressional leaders at the whitehouse. after the meeting, republican john boehner and eric can't occur of the house said they support the president's plan. this was the reaction today from syria's ambassador: >> the united states of america, from outside this, who asked mr. obama to be the bully of the worl world? >> some of the toughest questioning during the senate foreign relations hearing came from senator rand paul questioning whether the white house had weighed the risks and uncertainties of attacking syria. >> you have three people who have been to war. john mccain who has been to war. not one of us who doesn't understand what going to war mea means, and we don't want to go to war. we don't believe we are going to war

we begin with syria. in a moment how big is al-qaeda's presence there, and is president obama going to target their fighters? and then evidence, new evidence that the iranian involvement in the conflict, a video found on an iranian soldier inside syria. but first let's hear from president assad. the syrian leader has warned the u.s. of repercussions if it does an attack. >> expect everything, not necessarily through the government. the governments are not the only player in this region. you have different parties, different factions, different i, so you have to expect that. in another area where attacks caoccur, soldier go to hospital because of chemical weapons. we only have video and pictures and allegations. our forces, our police, our institutions don't exist how can you talk about attack if you don't have evidence. >> they have warning that an u.s. strike would simply help those who brought down the twin hours. he was talking with moscow's ally, russia, and they also have been taking their case to lo

we don't know it syria will agree to that. if they do russia will work with damascus to achieve that. >> sergei lavrov earlier attended a joint news conference with the syrian foreign minister. he reported the russian proposal, but it is far from clear whether that means the assad regime will agree to the new plan. the next in a fast-moving chain of events occurred in new york. the russian plan became an un one, with support from the secretary-general. >> i'm considering urging the security council to arrange for the transfer of chemical weapons and stocks to places inside syria, where they can be safely stored and destroyed. >> if syria says yes to transferring its chemical stocks to international control, how quickly an the un take control of those stocks. what is the time frame? >> the proper way for syria to dra -- agree to the proposals. then the international community will have a safe action. syria, first and foremost, must agree positively to this. the un secretary-general makes it sound simple. if syria hands over its

i think many don't think we should go in syria. and so, of course, it's very smart for him politically. because he will have some cover. we'll have debates, i went to congress and if congress votes that way, who knows, it's 50/50. if congress votes no, what can he do? he wants to go with what the american people want. and if they say yes, well, then he says, look, i have the approval of congress. i am good. either way it's a better situation for the president. >> stand by because we continue to watch the white house wait for this situation that will he ledger in the meantime, french president says he is waiting for the u.s. congress for their decision on any military action that they may take in france regarding the situation in syria. meanwhile, the syrian opposition saying the government forces have now moved the chemical weapon to his new locations just within the last 24 hours. speaking over the past hour in turkey, the main syrian opposition group is saying that chemical weapons were moved to at least two new locations. a doct

will take on syria. kerry warned the consequences of doing nothing will be far greater than the risks of taking action. defense secretary chuck hagel and general chuck dempsey testified before a hearing that lasts four hours. >> i think it is the purpose that allows us to say with some confidence that our intent is to limit it. that's not to say that i discount the risk of escalation, which i can never discount, but i can tell you that we've mitigated it as low as possible. >> we're not dealing with a president who is hungering to invade another country or put boots on the ground. quite obviously his reluctance to do that is why we're here. >> let me begin, congressman, by challenging your proposition that i've never done anything except advocate caution because i volunteered to fight for my country, and that wasn't a cautious thing to do when i did it. >> mr. secretary-- >> when i was in the senate, i'm going to finish, congressman. i am going to finish. when i was in the united states senate i supporte

now we want to go in syria. >> syria is sick and bashar al-assad is cancer. he needs to be stopped at all costs. >> this is a very complicated situation. i think we would be better to think more about it and not be so certain. [applause] >> mcdermott said he will likely vote against an airstrike. >> sending people to war to die or to kill other people is probably the most difficult thing--it is the most difficult thing i do. >> although thinks constituents are clear on his past record of voting on war, his crowd urged him to weigh all of the factors. >> i want him to really think it through because i think it's so very, very complex. there is n no good way to go forward. >> several iraqis and several service men and women lost their lives. we're done. >> he said he will take all these opinions back with him to washington. al jazeera, seattle. >> now the story of diana nyad winning worldwide praise is being criticized. now members of the marathon swimmers community are debating whether she got help from the boat that traveled along side her and they question w

efforts to strike syria. the president set to address the american public on tuesday to again state his case for action. for more on syria's world, al jazeera sat down with former congressman and presidential candidate ron paul. here is a sneak peek of that interview. >> what would be your line in syria? is there a moment where the united states has a responsibility to protect, to go abroad to help people who are in crisis and being killed by their own government >> yes. if any country including syria, if they attack the united states, you know, under attack, you know, threatened us and came and bombed us or sent a drone missile over here or something, you know, that might qualify as a requirement to retaliate but under today's circumstances, i can't imagine any moral justification for us getting involved in another war because it's been morally unjustified for the involvement that we have had already. it certainly isn't authorized under the constitution that we should be the policemen of the world, that we s

and arab league envoyed on syria. lobby world leaders to distress that his view is that the only solution is a political solution, he was asked about the international legality of u.s. military action. >> i think the secretary general or myself would not express personal opinion. we say what international law says. and international law says that no country is allowed to take the law into their hands. they have to go through the security council. >> here at the u.n. nearly everyone you speak to is talking about syria but no formal meetings have been scheduled. everyone is looking towards washington and waiting. >> well, that's james bays reporting. and here to talk about president obama's challenges going forward al jazeera's contributor michael sure. glad to have you. >> pleasure to be with you. >> how difficult a decision it is, talk about the -- the pressure that's weighing on him internationally and domestically. >> let's start domestically because as randall pinkston said, as mike viqueira said that's where the p

syria's deputy said that syria won't give in to threats, and also vowed that syria would defend itself against any attack, and russian president vladimir putin said u.s. congress has no right to legitimatize a aggression to syria. the senate foreign relations committee voted an hour ago to approve a resolution authorizing the president to take military action. that approval took place as secretary of state john kerry explained to a house committee why the u.s. needs to take action. >> for the united states of america it would an very unusual statement of our unwillingness to uphold something that we have fought for and been a part of for a long period of time. i think we will be walking away from responsibility and signaling a new moment of confrontation and difficulty for our country on answe many other respects and many other issues. >> expats living in dallas are speaking out. highheidi zhou castro speaks ou. >> the images we're seeing the not same place that ahmad grew up. >> syria should be a peaceful country. we do not like, involved in wars. >> but in is the syria that the world

moves forward with strikes on syria. despite an intense lobbying effort by the white house, it is unclear how the house and senate will vote. authorizing a strike will be form ally submitted to the senate today. president obama was alone walking in and may have felt alone in other ways. the event is said to be dominated by a debate over syria, much like the rest of the summit. our white house correspondent is live with the latest. mike. >> you're right, the dinner last night ran several hours late. there was a fireworks show afterwards, but under the festivities, it doesn't look good for the president to draw consensus for get more countries onboard behind his plan on syria. he made his case. he's winning few converts. over the course of the last 24-48 hours. the au, pope, india, brazil all backing the host here in the g20, putin. the president has been working behind the scenes. his aides calling members of congress throughout the week. even while on the road, the president has called five senators since he left washing

and military intervention in syria. politicians in the u.s. are considering a draft resolution which says, the president is authorized to use the armed forces of the united states as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in a limited manner against legitimate military target in syria. it also says: >> kimberly has more from washington, d.c. .. >>> war planners have laid oh out their place in syria speaking oh to a skeptical congressional committee. secretary of state john kerry argues that bashar al assad used chemical weapons on his own people are solid. >> he said the action would be limited in size and scope. >> in defining our military objectives we made clear that were not seeking to resolve the under lying conflict in syria through direct military force. instead, we're contemplating actions that are tailored to respond to oh the the use of chemicals weapons. >> reporter: not all senators are buying the administration's argument and worry limited military action will not be a deterring rant. >>> i think there's a reasonable argume

in syria. meanwhile the senate armed services committee is also getting a closed door briefing at that one. at that one it will be defense secretary hagel and also the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general martin dempsey, and then at noon, as you indicate the house foreign affairs committee will convene an open hearing which is likely to be quite robust and we will probably hear a lot more opposition to the president's proposal so that will be attended by secretary of state kerry, secretary of defense hagel and again general dem dem. senate democrat and republican leaders are supporting it, membership, question mark. stephanie. >> all right, randall pinkston, thank you randall. >>> foreign policy advisor to secretary hagel when he was a senator, currently editor and ceo of monitor. thank you very much for joining us from washington. you were the foreign policy advisor to chuck hagel when he was serving in the senate. i wonder if you are advising him today as he pushes for the obama's ca

military needed to launch strikes in syria. but instead during interviews with six domestic networks the president announced he would give diplomacy a chance. >> i have instructed john kerry to talk directly to the russians, and run this to ground. and if we can exhaust these diplomatic efforts and come up with a formula that gives the international community a verifiable, enforceable you can mechanism to deal with these chemical weapons in syria, then i am all for it. >> reporter: he's crediting the russians with the idea that syria turnover their chemical stockpiles to the international community to be destroyed. but it wasn't the russian's idea. it came from a seem big off the cuff remark from his own secretary the state john kerry and he did u dismissed it it asa possibility. >> he can turnover every single one of his chemical weapons to the interim national community. all of it. without delay and allow a full and total accounting for that. but he isn't about to do any of that. >> reporter: the president's comments seem to

where syria is expected to be a main topic of conversation. the president stopped in sweden in route to st. petersburg. >> i am very mindful of the fact that around the world and here in europe in particular, there are still memories of iraq and weapons of mass destruction accusations and people being concerned about how accurate this information is. keep in mind i am somebody who opposed the war in iraq. and i am not interested in repeating mistakes of us basing decisions on faulty intelligence. >> meanwhile, the obama administration making it's a case in congress cleared a major hurdle. senate foreign relations committee approved strikes in syria. paving the way for full vote in the senate next week. randle pinkston has more. >> reporter: as the hearing began, antiwar protesters held up red hands, a reflection of the heated opposition administration officials faced from members of the house foreign affairs committee. in this exchange, republican tom marino wanted to know who a strike would help. >> do you implicitly trust these people? >> th

i will turn to syria. what -- syria, syria. >> what in your opinion are the possible consequences of possible strike of u.s.a. against syria in the nearest -- especially in such countries as egypt, where there's a new authorities. how do you estimate the situation in egypt now. >> it's very hard for me to answer this question. how we started and what finished is clear. it started with a war from our mr. movement baric. the organization of the mislick brothers. now they are under drowned. now there is emergency situation. now there's a measures situation, we are worried. egyptian people are a friendly people, it is a friendly nation. what is especially important for us, especially for the russian, is a key country of the arab world. of the arab east. not just for egypt, but the whole region. egypt is sweet, then the situation will become unpredictable. it will be better understand where things can go from here. recently, a military tries to undertake some efforts to fight terrorists threats. which especiall

. -- ground in syria. let's listen. >> president obama is not asking america to go to war. and i say that sitting next to two men, secretary chuck hagel and general dempsey who know what war is. senator mccain knows what war is. they know the difference between going to war and what president obama is requesting now. we all agree there will be no american boots on the ground. the president has made crystal clear we have no intention of assuming responsibility for syria's civil war. >> i guarantee it. he can't do that. >> he can't do it. it's abundantly clear that's where the line of questioning was going, a couple of senators got involved, and the concern was reasonable. we know if you look at the polls, over 60% of respondents in the us believe that if we do anything, which now is these airstrikes, it is likely going to lead to more, and it's a perfectly reasonable assumption to have. >> the idea of deterring and degrading assad's capability - is that enough of a mission moving forward? the president has

i think syria is isolated. the only states supporting syria is iran and hezbollah, and syria maybe is going to buy time, they are seeing the political map around the world, there is no support for military strike, and this is maybe a way out for them. >> thank you very much for speaking to us. >> you're welcome. >> and coming into the studios. >>> four men have been convicted of the gang rape and murder of a woman on a bus in new delhi. the case lead to nationwide protests in december. the family of the victim has called for the death penalty. defense lawyers say they will appeal the verdict. >> translator: they are accused of some very poor families and means. this has come under pressure from the ruling government. the verdict is catered to please the consciousness of the masses. these people are innocent and should have been acquitted. >> and here is more from new delhi. >> nine months after the rape of a 23-year-old student here in new delhi. a special fast-track court has announced the four accused in the

ally, hardware on the ground and a neighbor of syria. and there are plenty of indications that the syrian government owns chemical weapons. >> if the syrian government strikes back with chemical weapons what do we do? just denies a strike will happen. >> but also hosts thousands of syrian refugees. unlike most beyondians here supports a fortune military strike that would cripple the assad regime. >> the strike would help us a lot and relieve us in the long term if it targets military bases, we saw it with our own eyes. >> the government has said it will distribute gas masks if and when that's needed but the images of residents in neighboring israel queuing for gas masks have made jordannians feel they are lest valuable. with the u.s. deploying its own patriot missile batteries, f-16 fighter jets and months ago, it is heart to believe jordan will not be involved even logistically, al jazeera el ramsa. >> back in this country, secretary of state john kerry had difficulty picking up support for president obama's proposed attack. >> as the h

syria warns the u.s. if there's an attack, negotiations may never happen. >> we have the top stories here on that aljazeera. gun battles and hostage taking in the -- >> an airliner slips on a bangkok runway, injuring 14 of the 288 passengers onboard. ♪ theme >> this morning, there are a number of developments rewarding the growing crisis in syria. the white house continuing to push for action. congress is coming back from its recess today and the first votes on whether to authorize the use of military force in syria could come within days. syrian president bashar al assad is still denying that his government was behind that chemical weapons attack that killed 1400 of his own people. he is speaking out in his first interview with an american t.v. network in two years, that set to air this morning. the white house i guess continuing to make its case to the american people through a media blitz. president obama is going to go head-to-head with six network news anchors in interviews today, while members of

why do you think turkey has been so vocal about syria? >> i think it goes back to august 2011 when the prime minister sent his minister to make one more effort to try to convince bashar al assad to adopt reforms. he failed. this was the ramadan period. the violence began to hurt people, and then from then on turkey severed its relationship with the team. since the situation on the ground has gotten worst, the prime minister and his foreign minister have been nanding that the assad regime should go. it has stretched the ethical dimension of it as well. >> what do you think is in turkey's interest to see the assad regime go? >> the turkish fwovt is -- government is convinced that the regime of assad has perpetrated crimes that are unacceptable for the regime to continue. earlier on you did mention also that there were almost half a million refugees in turkey, plus turkey's security has started to be affected by the developments in syria. the government has become very conflicted also with the opposition forces, and that doesn't seem to be a

i have, by the way, my entire family is in syria. my brother, nieces and nephews and many friends all over syria. they don't see it that way. the rebels are radicalized and the regime is brutal and both sides have done a lot of killing. >> do you feel that -- [ inaudible ] >> absolutely. they are really terrified. they're veryer scared of the potential of military strikes and we don't know the magnitude of these strikes even if they hit four or five targets there are civilians in the country. then the retaliation from the assad regime is going to be unknown. >> let's talk about that. what are your feelings about assad staying in power? >>> i don't -- i think the regime will have to be replaced. now, whether or not a particular individual stays, it really depends on the regime that they leave. so, if assad follows the lines of reform i don't think the population there would mind that he stays. now, i am an immigrant. i have been in the u.s. for 23 years. i'm a u.s. citizen so i live in the u.s. and my family is in the u.s. so, i don't

instead it wase clipped by the war clouds over syria. president obama and individual individual has never been more at odds over this crisis. and getting them on board to the strike against damascus got him nowhere. >> why we can't have an environment in which overtime people start thinking we can get away with chemical weapons use. it's a hard sell, but it's something that i believe in. >> reaching a consensus over military action against syria was always going to be a hard sale for the u.s. president. and if anything the g20 summit has only further revealed the deputy divisions and reservation of world leaders against a strike on syria with or without the aapproval of the security council. >> leaders were allowed the opportunity to discuss syria at length but they failed to reach their differences with vladimir putin immovable effectively killing any chance of a breakthrough. >> the so-called use of chemical weapons is a provocation on the part of the rebels who are hoping to get further assistance from countries who were supporting th

military action in syria. they called on the ass add regime to stop genocide against its people. >> a group claimed responsibility for a bombing targetting egypt's interior minister. we go to our correspondent who we will not name. >> this group whose name is group that supports jerusalem - translated into english. they put out a statement and claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt on the interior minister. they are calling on people to stay away from the ministry of interior building and the defence building. they are saying that they will carry out more attacks. they are saying that they did this in response to the massacre, the situation that occurred at nassar city, and the square outside of that area. hundreds were killed when security forces went in there to clear the area, as well as outside cairo university. in the statement they mentioned the deaths that occurred during the long period of a lot of instability while muslim brotherhood members and supporters gathered at various locations.

beyond this ditch is syria. at night the forces place guards every 10 meters, but still fighters linked to al qaeda and other groups get across other less secure points. the federal government says they're responsible for much of the fighting in baghdad. the responsibility for patrolling the western border falling to iraq's federal government. the other side is patrolled by mama lish ya calling itself the democratic union party of syria known as the pyd. relations between them are tension, and they say they have no contact with them. if there is any military action against the syriea syrian regim posts will come under pressure here and on the western border as well. there will be more refugees entering iraq and more fighters in and out of syria. that means that the regional spillover will get worse putting these men under more pressure in a country torn apart by sectarian violence, ethnic tensions and war. >>> barack obama has a big task ahead of him, doesn't he, to sell this idea of strikes on syria. look at th

on syria these two are far apart. in his opening remarks president putin stuck to the formal summit agenda and spoke about the global economy. the majority of leaders here have reservations about an attack on syria that does not have the back of the united nations security council. that leads the americans and their allies with some tough persuading to do that they must fear that winning over their russian hosts on syria is an impossible task. the british and french will produce more evidence of what they say is use of chemical weapons by assad's forces. the russians don't seem willing to believe them. >> we cannot accept u.s. proofs of chemical weapons used in syria. they are far from being convincing. >> also here, still arguing for a negotiated settlement? is the u.n. secretary general. >> there is no military solution, there is only a political solution which can bring peace and end this bloodshed right now. >> and so to dinner where syria was the main topic of discussi discussion. president obama on his way in lo

strike on syria? >> of course, the situation which is south of syria, the situation here is horrible, actually. many people are waiting the u.s. may have an attack on militant base, especially the missiles bases here in syria. so are many people who say it will not be the strong acting from u.s. or other countries, europe countries, maybe france will join u.s. to attack some places, militant places of sirrasyrian regime. the problem here people say it will not be very strong attacks, and it will not fail the regime of president bashar al-assad. it will not--it will not put down the president bashar al-assad. it will be a problem for the people. some of the bashar al-assad will become more champion for people, especially arab born. they say it's supposed to be strong attacks, and two and a half years they suffer from the regime attacks in all places, 14 cities here in syria. they hope it will stop. of course, some people are frightened that this attack will also attack the airport, and they will loss t

syria hung over everything. the abiding memory will be of how leaders failed to meet agreement on perhaps the most pressing issue of our time. >>> meanwhile syria's deputy foreign minister has a warning about president obama's call for military action, suggesting it would make a bad situation in syria worse. >> translation: this war that he's going to start against syria is a dangerous war, threatening the peace and security of the world. it may reflect negatively on america and friends in the world. we hope the congress to be vice and do its duties related to piece and civil security, especially seeing syria did not threaten peace and security in the world. >> some are eager to see the us intervene. we have this report from lebanon - others are suspicious of president obama's intentions. >> this is where the fight for the syrian capital has been happening for a month. the rebel held suburbs. the objective of the campaign, government forces want to prevent rebels entering dams. armed opposition fighters were hop

relationship with syria, no. but this is very dangerous. >> she's holding a press conference on the possible military action against syria. she made several points. she accused the u.s. and alliances supporting terrorists groups. she clearly said that her government had never used chemical weapons and said they would never use it and accused the international community of hindering the government's efforts. they are a political and media campaign against the assad government. let's bring in omar who is in the turkish city near the syrian border. as you can see there wildly defensive comments, this in the face of possible military action. what is the reaction then? how is the assad government bracing itself from the possibility of intervention? >> reporter: well, it's one of defiance because we held several syrian officials coming out on their official state television sayinging that syria is ready for any external aggression led by the united states or any other country. they also said that if a third world war w

and russia try to agree on syria's chemical weapons poolside at their hotel in geneva. any moment nowell hear about what's happened so far. these are live pictures from geneva. >>> also ahead, former egyptian president hosni mubarak is back in court over the deaths of protesters. >>> more than 50 dead and 60,000 homeless as a cease-fire collapses in the philippines. >>> and shark fin soup off the menu. hong kong's government bows to pressure from conservationists. >>> talks between the u.s. and russia on how to bring syria's chemical weapons under international control are now into the third day. any time now we're expecting the top diplomats from both countries, john kerry and sergei lavrov, to address the media. these are live pictures from that meeting in switzerland where they are due very soon, as we've been saying, to give an update on the progress. we'll, of course, go to that when they come out and speak. jonah hall is live for us in geneva. jonah, the talks are entering their third day. u.s. officials have been reported as saying they're tough talks but are mak

. >> syria, for example. before 9/11 you didn't fly a plane over soviet air space, former soviet air space into afghanistan. that didn't happen. suddenly there was an ability and a will. at first a world-wide will to end this. it was a broad coalition to end the threat of the taliban as a terrorist base of al-qaeda, and in the united states they started doing that. >> some wish they would have asked more questions. >> what if that effort had been kept up from the time that taliban was in full retreat until now, what would afghanistan look like if it hadn't been that interruption of when we went into another war. >> what do you think. >> i went back to afghanistan to catch up with the people i had met in 2001. a lot of places had been overrun by the taliban who had been forced out in 2001. >> you're say going to we had not gone into iraq and just focused on afghanistan things would be different. >> i think if we would have focused on afghanistan and taken advantage of the fact that there was peace in a lot of

a strike on syria. aljazeera, hastings, michigan. >> for more now on which way congress may be leaning on syria, let me bring in lawrence borg, senior fellow for the center of american progress. thank you so much for your time. >> nice to be with you. >> the senate foreign relations committee, obviously this resolution for military action has gotten out of committee, right, that's the beginning of the process, but when there is such a disconnect between what the polling says, so many american people want, and what the president wants, what is the way forward for what the president wants? >> well, i think it's important that keep in mind that most americans really are not that concerned about it, unless it would lead to another type of iraq or afghanistan. we don't have a draft. none of those people who were there have to have their sons and daughters go, unless it goes long, it's not going to cost a lot of money. some people are concerned, but that's not the big issue, when men and women in the congress

navy destroyerdestroyers currently oe coast of syria. the possibility of a strike by delaying the use of them, by giving critics a chance partly because he doesn't have the votes. >> i think the president has decided to slow this down because nothing is work the way i believe he and his advisors have thought it would. >> his top aids make the arguments he repeated on tuesday. pollsters and politician he have been told they don't want to intervene in syria. hoping a new speech and a new setting begins to change that. patty culhane al jazeera washington. >>> so obama is pushing for diplomacy on syria's chemical weapons, but some of the are actions have been frustrated. >> here at the united nations, i think it's fair to say that all of the countries that sit on the security council generally support the overall idea that syria should give up its chemical weapons and hand them to the international community so they can't be used and eventually can be destroyed. the problem is in the detail. how do you get to that? how construct a resolution