:00:00. > :00:21.cut down on litter. It is time now for
:00:22. > :00:30.intense diplomacy as the world Welcome to this
:00:30. > :00:36.intense diplomacy as the world ponders what kind of action to take
:00:36. > :00:37.this area we will bring you reports and analysis from our correspondence
:00:37. > :00:44.inside In this week 's programme, the
:00:44. > :00:49.battle former Lawler. frontline with Syrian government
:00:49. > :00:54.troops fighting rebels near Damascus. I have been talking to
:00:54. > :00:58.are local men, some Christians, who are local men, some Christians, who
:00:58. > :01:00.say they are fighting for the town and what it stood for. As well as
:01:00. > :01:06.that they are Bashar al—Assad that they are Bashar al—Assad
:01:06. > :01:10.loyalists. Ian Pannell reports from the opposition stronghold in the
:01:10. > :01:14.north—west. It is under constant fire from government forces.
:01:14. > :01:18.Both sides are bracing themselves for what might come from the
:01:18. > :01:21.international community. They are still fighting each other as hard as
:01:21. > :01:27.ever. Waiting for a ceasefire, we report
:01:27. > :01:34.from northern Jordan as it struggles to cope with the continuing influx
:01:34. > :01:37.of refugees. And divided loyalties, we are steering it ends in the US
:01:37. > :01:48.weather they back Western weather they back Western
:01:48. > :01:52.intervention. —— Syrian. Stand—up comedy cup. It is sending the
:01:52. > :01:53.message that you do not really get a flat on the hand. You get your
:01:54. > :02:01.weapons taken away from you. weapons taken away from you.
:02:01. > :02:06.American plans for military action against Syria were put on hold this
:02:06. > :02:12.week after a Russian diplomatic initiative the Syrians said they
:02:12. > :02:12.were ready to place their weapons, the chemical weapons under
:02:12. > :02:17.were ready to place their weapons, international control. The US,
:02:18. > :02:22.Britain, and France are still want a binding United Nations resolution
:02:22. > :02:26.rails. But Russia disagrees. As the telling the Syrians to comply or
:02:26. > :02:32.international community debates its international community debates its
:02:32. > :02:34.grinds on. I joined Syrian grinds on. I
:02:34. > :02:36.government troops in Maaloula, a government troops in
:02:36. > :02:38.town wholly to Christians. They were town wholly to Christians. They
:02:38. > :02:42.not trying to drive out some of the not trying to drive out some of the
:02:42. > :02:43.armed rebels. They were armed rebels. They were led by a
:02:44. > :02:49.militia linked to Al Qaeda. armed rebels. They were led by a
:02:49. > :02:54.Christian pilgrims used to take this road into Maaloula.
:02:54. > :02:56.Now it is an empty and lonely drive. The road has been fought over
:02:56. > :03:02.several times seized Maaloula last week. The
:03:02. > :03:07.civilians who lived here, half Christian and half Muslim, fled. It
:03:07. > :03:10.was late afternoon. Since the was late afternoon. Since the
:03:10. > :03:18.morning the Syrian army had been assaulting the town and had seized
:03:18. > :03:33.the main square. But the heavy gunfire showed that the rebels were
:03:33. > :03:40.still fighting back. The commander told me his men were pushing up
:03:40. > :03:43.towards a rebel stronghold. Among the rebel militias that seized
:03:43. > :03:49.Maaloula last week was the Northrop front, Jihad is who are allied with
:03:49. > :03:53.Al Qaeda. Most of the Syrian troops trying to push the Mount Wood
:03:53. > :03:58.volunteers who had joined a territorial Force called National
:03:58. > :04:04.Defence. TRANSLATION:. They are a terrorist
:04:04. > :04:09.group and they are destroying Syria. They are destroying churches and
:04:09. > :04:11.mosques. Maaloula has some of the oldest
:04:12. > :04:17.Christian churches in the Middle East. Its people, now in Damascus,
:04:17. > :04:33.still speak Aramaic, the language they believe was spoken by Christ.
:04:33. > :04:39.sects in Syria support the regime, sects in Syria support the regime,
:04:39. > :04:44.or believe it is a better option than 80 harvest rebels and foreign
:04:44. > :04:49.fighters. They say they are trying to flush out a sniper who is at the
:04:49. > :05:00.fighting for the town. They are also to some of the soldiers. A lot of
:05:00. > :05:06.fighting for the town. They are also Bashar al—Assad loyalists and are
:05:06. > :05:08.treasured by every Christian in the fighting for him. Maaloula is
:05:08. > :05:08.treasured by every Christian in the Middle East and the rebel advance
:05:08. > :05:15.here here horrified them. The Syrian army
:05:15. > :05:22.is well supplied with arms and ammunition by Russia and Iran. Fresh
:05:22. > :05:27.troops including more volunteers from Christian areas in Damascus got
:05:27. > :05:29.ready to go into action. The men he said Western countries opposed to
:05:29. > :05:30.the Assad regime were said Western countries opposed to
:05:30. > :05:35.the Assad r? I the Assad rthe the Assad regime were backing the
:05:35. > :05:44.wrong side. And that they should help them fight Jihad is.
:05:44. > :05:47.TRANSLATION: Tell the EU and the Americans that we send them Saint
:05:47. > :05:50.Paul 2000 years ago to take you Paul 2000 years ago to take you from
:05:50. > :05:51.the darkness and YouSendIt the darkness and YouSendIt
:05:51. > :05:57.terrorists to kill us. terrorists to kill us.
:05:57. > :06:04.Wounded men were rushed back from the frontline. This is the reality
:06:04. > :06:07.of the war in Syria. The outside world is worrying about chemical
:06:07. > :06:11.weapons, but conventional weapons have killed more than 100,000 people
:06:11. > :06:20.Kilmore every day. —— kill more. As Kilmore every day. —— kill more. As
:06:20. > :06:24.we left Maaloula jets were looking for more targets. Supporters of
:06:24. > :06:30.pro—Western arm drag those thought that the Americans might tilt the
:06:30. > :06:33.war their way by attacking the regime's armed forces. The fact that
:06:33. > :06:38.the world's most powerful military might
:06:38. > :06:46.very good news for the Syrian army and its supporters. It is not just
:06:46. > :06:48.Maaloula where the civil war is still going on. This fighting is
:06:48. > :06:56.going on in other parts of the journalists operating in the north
:06:56. > :07:02.Pannell has been among the journalists operating in the north
:07:02. > :07:06.of Syria. They travel to a place called Taftanaz which is used as a
:07:06. > :07:16.base by opposition fighters. report contains distressing images.
:07:16. > :07:25.Syrians live in fear of many things, but it is so—called conventional
:07:25. > :07:28.weapons, not chemicals, that has killed so many. For the last two
:07:28. > :07:36.years Taftanaz has been bombed and shelves. Each attack recorded by a
:07:36. > :07:39.local media activist, Ibrahim. Weaving among the rubble and ruins
:07:39. > :07:44.he guided us through the devastation inflicted on his village. He films
:07:45. > :07:52.the fighter jets last year and this is what he says he films a feud Acer
:07:52. > :07:58.go. Another aerial attack that left 14 dead, many more injured. The
:07:58. > :08:02.rebels have used Taftanaz as a base. When the government responds
:08:02. > :08:06.it is usually civilians who died. This was not the worst day Taftanaz
:08:06. > :08:13.has known, possibly mean —— not the has known, possibly mean —— not the
:08:13. > :08:15.worst in Syria that day. But the attacks have increased. Ebrahim
:08:15. > :08:23.suspects it is because of the threat of American air strikes.
:08:23. > :08:28.TRANSLATION: Before the strike they were jealous with missiles and
:08:28. > :08:35.artillery. They are all civilians here. It has gotten heavier. The
:08:35. > :08:42.regime was to prove it is still strong and will not surrender.
:08:42. > :08:49.This is where one of the bombs landed in the latest attack. Many
:08:49. > :08:56.families have fled the fighting but came home, thinking it was now safe.
:08:56. > :08:57.They were wrong. This 14 —month—old child was playing in the house when
:08:57. > :09:02.the bomb landed. His face is a testament to the random brutality of
:09:02. > :09:06.the war. His father is angry at what the war. His father is angry at what
:09:06. > :09:11.he sees as the indifference of the world. If America decides to pause
:09:11. > :09:16.close to attack it will only make it worse.
:09:16. > :09:22.silence? Is it because we are more silence? Is it because we
:09:22. > :09:28.slums? What religion U2 are you Christian, Jewish? —— because we are
:09:28. > :09:32.more slums. You have seen the destruction. The chemical attacks,
:09:32. > :09:42.the shelling. What did anyone do? It watching us. Like millions of others
:09:42. > :09:47.country. His family on the move, country. His family on the move,
:09:47. > :09:56.desperate for shelter and safety. Few parts of Syria offer that
:09:56. > :09:57.comfort. Events on the ground have consistently outpaced the
:09:57. > :10:01.international debate about what to international debate about what to
:10:01. > :10:07.do and up in the rocky hills of the North the struggle between the army
:10:07. > :10:11.and the rebels is undiminished. There has been a fairly bitter
:10:11. > :10:15.fighting going on in this area in the last four or five days. This
:10:15. > :10:21.region has been contested heavily over the last year and a half. Both
:10:21. > :10:25.for what might come from the for what might come from the
:10:25. > :10:30.international community, there is no pause or Lyell and they are fighting
:10:30. > :10:31.each other as hard as ever. While one side fears the possibility of
:10:31. > :10:35.air strikes the other sees an air strikes the other sees an
:10:35. > :10:39.opportunity. Rebels talk of using them to push forward. If it does not
:10:39. > :10:43.now happen they could feel resentment and marginalise more
:10:43. > :10:48.moderate groups are ready to engage with the West. The struggle for
:10:48. > :10:53.control of Syria has left large swathes of land abandoned, roads
:10:53. > :10:58.impassable. At night of the lights of government—controlled cities in
:10:58. > :11:04.darkness. Syrians have starkly different views on the future. What
:11:04. > :11:06.they can agree on is that they can agree on is that the
:11:06. > :11:16.suffering must end. neighbours are watching closely.
:11:16. > :11:24.neighbours are watching Many Jordanians believe a strike on
:11:24. > :11:26.Damascus could make the crisis even worse. But many Syrian refugees in
:11:26. > :11:34.Jordan hope the west will intervene so that they get a chance to go back
:11:34. > :11:36.home. It is now 2.5 years since the crisis which became a war started in
:11:36. > :11:41.Syria and changed the lives of those people who became refugees. Our
:11:41. > :11:52.reporter is in northern Jordan, where she found a Syrians and
:11:52. > :11:56.Jordanians brain brands to the wall. Back to school at last. Many of the
:11:56. > :12:00.Syrian boys, this is a return to routine after more than two years
:12:00. > :12:08.with no classes. They are now pupils and refugees in Jordan. Lessons
:12:08. > :12:15.start in the afternoon, after the Jordanian children have gone home.
:12:15. > :12:21.Syrian students have a lot of catching up to do. They need special
:12:21. > :12:27.attention from teachers. This boy 's mum walks home. Their family of
:12:28. > :12:30.eight now lives in this tiny apartment. When they compare it to
:12:30. > :12:45.their home back in Syria, it is very their home back in Syria, it is very
:12:45. > :12:47.upsetting. TRANSLATION: Powerhouse that has memories and history. We
:12:47. > :12:53.built it up over 20 years, then it built it up over 20 years, then it
:12:53. > :12:58.was all gone in a second. Her was all gone in a second. Her
:12:58. > :13:01.will only end in the west helps to will only end in the west helps to
:13:01. > :13:10.get rid of resident Bishara al—Assad. —— basher
:13:10. > :13:11.get rid of resident Bishara TRANSLATION: He should have been
:13:11. > :13:14.attacked long ago. If there was attacked long ago. If there was a
:13:14. > :13:20.strike six months ago, the problem would be solved. Jordanians also
:13:20. > :13:22.door that has brought more than half door that has brought more than half
:13:22. > :13:26.a million a million Syrians to live in the
:13:26. > :13:32.country. In just the past year or so, the area has been transformed.
:13:32. > :13:40.Because the city is close to the border with Syria, a lot of refugees
:13:40. > :13:44.three people here is a Syrian. It is three people here is a Syrian. It is
:13:44. > :13:52.put in this and living costs are rising. Locals
:13:52. > :14:03.worry the situation could get even worse. The rents, the
:14:03. > :14:07.will happen if the Americans make a will happen if the Americans make a
:14:07. > :14:11.strike on Syria? We will have a disaster in Jordan. Can you imagine
:14:11. > :14:16.if they hit Syria. You will have millions of people coming. The
:14:16. > :14:22.increasingly crowded streets will see the effects of whatever happens
:14:22. > :14:24.next in Syria. But even here, there is even disagreement about how the
:14:24. > :14:30.west should act is even disagreement about how the
:14:30. > :14:36.After the chemical attack on Damascus on the 21st of August, it
:14:36. > :14:40.about to intervene in the civil war. about to intervene in the civil war.
:14:40. > :14:45.All of those plans are on hold at the moment, after the Russians came
:14:45. > :14:46.Syrian chemical weapons under Syrian chemical weapons under
:14:46. > :14:52.international control. We international control. We
:14:52. > :14:58.investigate whether that plan could really work.
:14:58. > :15:02.The images of that is of the August 21 attack in Damascus are amongst
:15:02. > :15:08.the most haunting the world is ever likely to see. Each side of the
:15:08. > :15:12.civil war in Syria blames the other. Samples gathered by the inspection
:15:12. > :15:14.team that visited the site are being subjected to forensic investigators
:15:14. > :15:32.reckons the nation. Under reckons the nation. Under the
:15:32. > :15:38.oversight under the Hague. The proposal to hand over chemical
:15:38. > :16:01.examinations. And who would handle about
:16:02. > :16:12.substantial numbers of personnel on the understanding that
:16:12. > :16:17.guided by the UN in an unpredictable environment. That is hard to judge.
:16:17. > :16:20.Maybe there will be a kind of crowd contagion effect when more countries
:16:20. > :16:28.put their hands up to do it. One scientist here in Geneva told us he
:16:28. > :16:32.thinks the safest way to dismantle the weapons is by putting people
:16:32. > :16:38.physically on the ground. He told us there may well be clues buried in
:16:39. > :16:39.the spec 's report about who was responsible for the attacks on
:16:40. > :16:47.civilians. Though he is still civilians. Though he is still
:16:47. > :16:55.puzzled. The question is about the amount. That whole thing was all
:16:55. > :17:00.filled up with agent. Calculations show that could up to —— could be up
:17:00. > :17:06.to 50 litres of agent. It is not easy to make up that much. This
:17:06. > :17:10.system has been adapted to fire a system has been adapted to fire a
:17:10. > :17:12.chemical payload. It is not look like the sort of thing I would
:17:12. > :17:16.expect in a standard chemical expect in a standard chemical
:17:16. > :17:21.weapons stockpile. Does that lead you to come down to was down towards
:17:21. > :17:35.one solar and other can —— one side or another? I am still on the fence.
:17:35. > :17:36.Once the samples from Syria arrive with the organisation of the
:17:36. > :17:40.Prohibition of chemical weapons here Prohibition of chemical weapons here
:17:40. > :17:47.in The Hague, they were split up and sent to several laboratories for the
:17:47. > :17:53.start of a painstaking process to identify the chemical signature of
:17:53. > :17:59.any chemicals they might contain. Is the plan to read Syria of chemical
:17:59. > :18:01.weapons for the future realistic? It is practical of the world wants it
:18:01. > :18:04.weapons for the future realistic? It to work, but it is dangerous and
:18:04. > :18:10.difficult. You could get people out political will were found, but the
:18:10. > :18:13.actual destruction actual destruction of the chemicals
:18:13. > :18:19.would not be impossible, but it would take months, I would suspect.
:18:19. > :18:25.And that is if you agree that you have them all. There may be disputes
:18:25. > :18:31.over the validity of any declaration which
:18:31. > :18:35.down. If Syria is really prepared, as it has said, to tell the world
:18:35. > :18:39.where its chemical weapons are and stopped making them, the experts we
:18:39. > :18:43.have spoken to see the chance to put them beyond use is an opportunity.
:18:43. > :18:50.But for it to work, dialogue on all sides must be sincere.
:18:50. > :18:54.Opinion polls suggest that the majority of people in the United
:18:54. > :18:56.States are against the idea of the Americans intervening in Syria's
:18:56. > :19:02.civil war. But what about those civil war. But what about those US
:19:02. > :19:05.citizens who are of Syrian ancestry? Our reporter travelled to a place
:19:05. > :19:10.known as Little Arabia in California, where a thriving
:19:10. > :19:14.watching what is happening here very watching what is happening here very
:19:14. > :19:18.closely. Another sunny day in Anaheim,
:19:18. > :19:22.Southern California. In a section of the city known as Little Arabia,
:19:22. > :19:28.home to the growing Middle Eastern population, Syrian Americans are
:19:28. > :19:39.preoccupied. Over tea in the bakery, I met Muhamed, Cezanne and others.
:19:39. > :19:41.Their parents fled the regime. We live and breed Syria here. It is all
:19:41. > :19:44.we talk about. It is all we do. We we talk about. It is all we do.
:19:44. > :19:52.are at every event and protest. We are at every event and protest. We
:19:52. > :19:53.are very affected by it. Here, the proposal for Syria to put its
:19:53. > :20:02.chemical weapons under international control is viewed with scepticism. I
:20:02. > :20:04.feel it is a copout. It is sending the message that you don't really
:20:04. > :20:10.your weapons taken away from you. This is an anxious and
:20:10. > :20:21.than two years, they have watched time for Syrian Americans. For
:20:22. > :20:32.than two years, they have watched 7.5 thousand —— 7000 500 miles from
:20:32. > :20:38.here. The divisions are underlined. These men say the Syrian —— these
:20:38. > :20:44.men say the Syrian rebels are terrorists, trying to overthrow the
:20:44. > :20:47.legitimate. The Syrian people want to kill the terrorists. If you're
:20:47. > :20:51.not going to do the right thing and not going to do the right thing and
:20:51. > :20:56.help Syria fight against these terrorists, you stay out of it. Let
:20:56. > :21:03.the country 's battle it out. It is a civil war. The mood is very
:21:03. > :21:11.different at a meeting for the Syrian American Council. This man
:21:11. > :21:14.lost seven weapons in the —— seven relatives in the suspect chemical
:21:14. > :21:19.weapons attack, and he feels America is backing away from abstract. If
:21:19. > :21:23.the strike does not happen, things will be very devastating for the
:21:23. > :21:27.Syrian people. We are telling the regime that it is okayed to use
:21:27. > :21:32.chemical weapons and no one will punish you. Whatever happens next,
:21:32. > :21:33.Syrian Americans are left watching and waiting, gripped by events on
:21:33. > :21:46.another continent. another continent.
:21:46. > :21:50.That is all from the special edition of reporters. Goodbye for now.