:00:08. > :00:16.This is BBC World News Today with Philippa Thomas. Syria says it will
:00:16. > :00:20.weapons but is that enough to stave Britain and the US want assurances
:00:20. > :00:25.that Syria will go through with Britain and the US want assurances
:00:25. > :00:33.plan. They are heading to the UN In Washington, President Obama heads
:00:33. > :00:40.to Capitol Hill where he is urging Congress to consider military action
:00:40. > :00:44.weapons we travel inside Syria where it is reported that the Army is
:00:44. > :00:53.stepping up its bombardment of rebel There has been bitter fighting going
:00:53. > :01:02.days. This region has been contested Coming up: Accused of crimes against
:01:02. > :01:45.humanity, Kenya's Deputy President idea only emerged about 24 hours ago
:01:46. > :01:54.at it has been a day of intense diplomatic activity. All this as
:01:54. > :01:57.calling for authorisation to launch military strikes. The David Willis
:01:57. > :02:04.diplomatic story that continues military strikes. The David Willis
:02:04. > :02:14.It came virtually at the 11th hour. A face-saving solution for a lot and
:02:14. > :02:18.-- a reluctant commander in chief. As news of a possible diplomatic
:02:18. > :02:23.breakthrough emerged, the president was asked where Syria to over hand
:02:23. > :02:36.its chemical weapons, would America happened. We would not have gotten
:02:36. > :02:40.maintained a credible possibility of a military strike and they do not
:02:40. > :02:48.think now is a time for us to let up on that. I want to make sure that
:02:48. > :02:51.chemical weapons is maintained. Maintaining that Norm is fraught
:02:52. > :02:55.with uncertainty is related to the tackle and separations that lie
:02:55. > :03:03.behind this plant but also the practicalities of enforcing it.
:03:03. > :03:07.Putting Syria's chemical weapons under international control all
:03:07. > :03:11.involved difficult and detailed measures. Measures which could take
:03:11. > :03:16.months to achieve. First a chemical weapon's inspection team must be
:03:16. > :03:24.themselves would have to be located secrecy, it could be difficult to
:03:24. > :03:25.work out if they were all handed over. Then there is the safety of
:03:25. > :03:30.inspectors. Unlike in Iraq they over. Then there is the safety of
:03:30. > :03:34.been setting about their task in the midst of a raging civil war. Hence
:03:34. > :03:37.the administration continues to midst of a raging civil war. Hence
:03:37. > :03:43.Congress for support for military action and the man who is -- the man
:03:43. > :03:49.whose script comments open the door concerned that the new plan may
:03:49. > :03:51.whose script comments open the door be a stalling tactic. It has to
:03:52. > :03:55.whose script comments open the door real and measurable and tangible and
:03:55. > :04:02.it is exceedingly difficult. I want everyone to know it is difficult to
:04:02. > :04:07.waiting for that proposal. We are not waiting for long. Affecting
:04:07. > :04:10.waiting for that proposal. We are military strike would certainly
:04:10. > :04:14.waiting for that proposal. We are the wobbly the American public.
:04:14. > :04:18.waiting for that proposal. We are football season, we found opinion
:04:18. > :04:25.deeply divided. Everyone wants to see their own country taking care
:04:25. > :04:32.of. When you are the caretaker of the planet you have to step up when
:04:32. > :04:33.a situation requires it. President Obama's increasingly lonely journey
:04:33. > :05:06.for the authorisation for military The UK and France say they will
:05:06. > :05:08.for the authorisation for military White House is not keen to give
:05:08. > :05:10.for the authorisation for military on the pressure and the threat of a
:05:10. > :05:18.military strike. President Obama has just said to Democrats in a meeting
:05:18. > :05:25.that very thing. He told senators that he was not prepared to take the
:05:25. > :05:30.Vladimir Putin has called for. If there is going to be something that
:05:30. > :05:36.leads to a deal between the Russians and Americans and the Syrians, Val
:05:36. > :05:43.de la Mare Putin -- Vladimir Putin wants the threat of a military
:05:43. > :05:49.strike to be taken off of the table. All of this comes as President
:05:49. > :05:52.Obama's speech writers are working be trying to figure out what the
:05:52. > :05:56.president should say to the American people in his address in seven hours
:05:56. > :05:58.time in the middle of a story that continues to change. I guess the
:05:58. > :06:04.fear must be that if we give up continues to change. I guess the
:06:04. > :06:08.negotiations that last a long time between the UN and Syria, the last
:06:08. > :06:13.thing the White House wants is to star all of this up again. Yes,
:06:13. > :06:18.thing the White House wants is to would not like to think themselves
:06:18. > :06:20.suspect. One day ago I would have said this was very convoluted for
:06:20. > :06:30.proposal, they were just try to said this was very convoluted for
:06:30. > :06:33.supporters and the supporters of the president for military action who
:06:33. > :06:41.are seeing this could be something administration. It puts it back
:06:41. > :06:44.are seeing this could be something it works, Syria's chemical weapons
:06:44. > :06:49.are taken out of action, something America has always wanted, and if it
:06:49. > :06:52.does not work, the president can now say he has international backing for
:06:52. > :06:57.the use of force against Syria and perhaps he does not need to go back
:06:57. > :07:01.to Congress. It was clear to me yesterday having talked to senators
:07:01. > :07:05.and congressmen was that hardly anyone on Capitol Hill wants this to
:07:05. > :07:13.go to a vote. Perhaps this is the boost that the Obama administration
:07:13. > :07:18.needed. Mark Fitzpatrick who spent a quarter in the US State Department
:07:18. > :07:27.non-procrastination and the Salmond programme -- Non-Proliferation and
:07:27. > :07:34.Disarmament Programme joins me now. What is the feasibility for ape
:07:34. > :07:42.Disarmament Programme joins me now. -- for a plan to get Syria to give
:07:42. > :07:46.us its chemical weapons? If this was a straightforward war it would be
:07:47. > :07:50.similar to the Iraq situation. Where a United Nations team was assembled
:07:50. > :07:50.similar to the Iraq situation. Where and it had all the resources needed
:07:50. > :08:04.going to secure the chemical weapons and it had all the resources needed
:08:04. > :08:04.going to secure the chemical weapons that Syria will be declaring and
:08:04. > :08:19.insurance is -- it's assurances that Syria will be declaring and
:08:19. > :08:33.the weapon inspectors will not be forces? Who controls them? There are
:08:33. > :08:41.with difficulty. Syria's Foreign Minister has said that Damascus
:08:41. > :08:47.with difficulty. Syria's Foreign ready to become a party to this
:08:47. > :08:53.weapons conviction -- convention, it seems like we are making the right
:08:53. > :08:56.noises. Syria up until now had not acknowledged that it had chemical
:08:56. > :09:01.weapons. Now they are acknowledging that they have them and they are
:09:01. > :09:04.making an important step when they previously said they would not be
:09:04. > :09:11.signing up to the chemical weapons Convention unless other things were
:09:11. > :09:16.met. It sounds good on paper, but the practicalities are immense. We
:09:16. > :09:25.do not know if this is a delaying tactic or not. This is also relying
:09:25. > :09:30.on Vladimir Putin's input. Britain and France will have to trust the
:09:30. > :09:35.Russians also. It is not a bad thing will really depend on them. They
:09:35. > :09:39.have the best relationship with Syria. They know about the chemical
:09:39. > :09:45.weapons and supplied some of the intelligence than anyone as to the
:09:45. > :09:48.location of these chemical weapons. Russia is a member of the chemical
:09:48. > :09:56.weapons. We want this to 16 and Russia is a member of the chemical
:09:56. > :10:04.a reason for that. Whether the Syrian rebels want them to succeed
:10:04. > :10:06.is another matter. Whether the Russian security forces will be
:10:06. > :10:12.is another matter. Whether the to do a job without getting involved
:10:12. > :10:17.in a firefight is also up to debate. There are so many things that could
:10:17. > :10:21.go wrong here. I was going to ask you how long you thought this would
:10:21. > :10:28.take, but I think we all know it negotiating it will probably take a
:10:28. > :10:33.long time. Getting the forces into the country will probably take
:10:33. > :10:41.months. Getting rid of the chemical weapons could take years. Thank
:10:41. > :10:42.months. Getting rid of the chemical Now more on the diplomatic efforts
:10:42. > :10:47.to avoid military action against Assad regime. Jeremy Bowen joins me
:10:47. > :10:50.now from Damascus. What is the reaction at your end where it all
:10:50. > :10:59.matters so much? I spent a long reaction at your end where it all
:10:59. > :11:00.today walking around trying to talk to people about what they thought
:11:00. > :11:08.about developments. No one said frustration that the Americans are
:11:08. > :11:30.weapons. Most people said it was a frustration that the Americans are
:11:31. > :11:52.the regime. Many people were anxious this is who are their rivals and the
:11:52. > :11:58.movement here in the armed uprising. will no longer happen. It was not
:11:58. > :12:00.certain but now that there seems to be progress and more openness from
:12:00. > :12:08.the Syrians, the news just a few be progress and more openness from
:12:08. > :12:11.news agency from Russia is that Syria is going to join the chemical
:12:11. > :12:14.weapons Convention and these are big Syria is going to join the chemical
:12:14. > :12:18.weapons Convention and these are big developments as they happen, and I
:12:18. > :12:20.think that President Obama will certainly say that the threat of
:12:20. > :12:31.military action forced this to As the International committee
:12:32. > :12:36.ever-changing diplomatic landscape, the killings continue in Syria.
:12:36. > :12:41.ever-changing diplomatic landscape, Pannell and cameraman Darren Conway
:12:41. > :12:49.north-west of the country. This report contains some distressing
:12:50. > :12:52.Syrians live in fear of many things, but its so-called conventional
:12:52. > :13:02.weapons, not chemical that have killed so many of them. For the
:13:02. > :13:05.weapons, not chemical that have two years, Taftanaz has been bombed
:13:05. > :13:11.and shelled, each at Hack recorded by a local media activist. -- each
:13:11. > :13:16.attack. Weaving among the rubble and the ruins he graded us through the
:13:16. > :13:25.destruction that has evolved this village. This is what he filmed
:13:25. > :13:27.destruction that has evolved this few days ago. Another area of attack
:13:27. > :13:34.that left 14 people dead and many more injured. The rebels have used
:13:34. > :13:36.this town as a base but when the government responds it is usually
:13:36. > :13:40.civilians that are killed. This government responds it is usually
:13:40. > :13:46.not the worst athat Taftanaz has no one, Rosslyn not even the worst
:13:46. > :13:49.not the worst athat Taftanaz has no Syria that day. But their attacks
:13:49. > :13:57.have increased and Britain suspects it is because of the threat of
:13:57. > :14:00.Before this strike the shelled us with missiles and artillery for
:14:00. > :14:04.Before this strike the shelled us reason. They are all civilians here.
:14:04. > :14:07.Over the past few days it has gotten heavier. I think it is because of
:14:07. > :14:15.statements by America regarding This is where one of the bombs
:14:15. > :14:23.landed in the latest attack. Many This is where one of the bombs
:14:23. > :14:58.landed in the latest attack. Many came home thinking it was now safe
:14:58. > :15:08.as our blood is cheaper than yours? Christian, Jewish? I respect you but
:15:08. > :15:11.as our blood is cheaper than yours? did anyone do? It is almost as if
:15:11. > :15:18.you enjoy watching it. Like millions within his own country, his family
:15:18. > :15:29.on the move, desperate for shelter and safety. But few paths of Syria
:15:29. > :15:32.offer that comfort. Events on the ground have consistently outpaced
:15:32. > :15:34.the international debate about what to do and up and the rocky hills of
:15:34. > :15:42.the North, the struggle between to do and up and the rocky hills of
:15:42. > :15:43.army and the rebels is undiminished. There has been bitter fighting going
:15:43. > :15:49.on in this particular area over There has been bitter fighting going
:15:49. > :15:52.past three or four days. This region itself has been contested heavily
:15:52. > :15:56.over the last year and a half. Locals are bracing themselves as to
:15:56. > :16:04.what may come from the international community. There is no sense of
:16:04. > :16:07.what may come from the international fighting each other as hard as ever.
:16:07. > :16:12.While one side fears the possibility opportunity. Rebels talk about using
:16:12. > :16:16.them to push forward. If it does not resentment and marginalise more
:16:16. > :16:19.moderate groups ready to engage resentment and marginalise more
:16:19. > :16:27.the West. The struggle to control Syria has left large swathes of
:16:27. > :16:29.the West. The struggle to control impassable. At night the lights
:16:29. > :16:31.the West. The struggle to control government controlled cities in
:16:31. > :16:36.the West. The struggle to control distance seem to taunt rebel-held
:16:36. > :16:48.Syrians have different views on their future. What they can't agree
:16:48. > :16:55.on is that the suffering must end. Let's bring you some other news
:16:55. > :16:55.on is that the suffering must end. The deputy president of Kenya,
:16:55. > :16:59.William Ruto, has made history The deputy president of Kenya,
:17:00. > :17:05.unwillingly - at the International Criminal Court in the Hague. William
:17:05. > :17:10.Ruto was the first ever sitting government official to go on trial
:17:10. > :17:15.there. He is pleading not guilty to violence in the wake of Kenya's
:17:15. > :17:24.disputed elections six years ago. Kenyatta is also accused of crimes
:17:25. > :17:29.against humanity. His trial is due to open in November. With me is
:17:29. > :17:39.Richard Goldstone. He is a former International Criminal Tribunals,
:17:39. > :17:44.Rwanda. They presented themselves for trial voluntarily. That is an
:17:44. > :18:30.found there was a reasonable case. pretty that Kenya have not put
:18:30. > :18:36.found there was a reasonable case. summons, rather than an arrest
:18:36. > :18:42.assurance that the defendants would appear voluntarily. It has got to
:18:42. > :18:50.come to my now whether the ICC is committing war crimes, and they
:18:50. > :18:53.come to my now whether the ICC is thinking will they be summoning
:18:53. > :19:03.come to my now whether the ICC is at some point question mark --?
:19:03. > :19:11.There is a private initiative at a university who has been involved in
:19:11. > :19:20.previous cases. The idea is to put together a draft statute at some
:19:20. > :19:23.future democratic government can look at and be proactive and prepare
:19:23. > :19:36.some sort of recipe for the setup of international... The crimes are
:19:36. > :19:41.some sort of recipe for the setup of serious. This is something that
:19:41. > :19:46.government as well? Certainly the US government has indicated it would be
:19:46. > :19:50.our useful exercise. Your point being all the way through that it is
:19:50. > :19:59.better to deal with such alleged crimes domestic league? Absolutely.
:19:59. > :20:14.If it came to it, the ICC troops be calling on Bashar al-Assad. If the
:20:14. > :20:19.Security Council are able to appeal to the International Criminal Court
:20:19. > :20:26.of Syria, the International Criminal Court would take on the case. Thank
:20:26. > :20:30.Let's take a look at the other news A court in India has phoned for
:20:30. > :20:32.Let's take a look at the other news guilty of the gang raped and murder
:20:32. > :20:44.of a woman on a bus in Delhi last widespread calls that they should
:20:44. > :20:48.Three generations of British family have been shot while on holiday
:20:48. > :20:52.Three generations of British family Turkey, leaving one dead and two
:20:52. > :20:58.had been celebrating a birthday family, from the north of England,
:20:58. > :21:06.had been celebrating a birthday party at their luxury villa at
:21:06. > :21:11.fire. A man has been arrested at the At least 44 people have been killed
:21:11. > :21:13.fire. A man has been arrested at the in a run when two buses collided.
:21:13. > :22:21.If it wins, it will be the shortest novel to ever take the prize. A
:22:21. > :22:39.short time ago I spoke to the writer and broadcaster Natalie Haynes. We
:22:39. > :22:55.have got authors from all over the Canadian-Japanese. Jhumpa Lahiri is
:22:55. > :23:03.American and also Indian. Jim Crace, Birmingham, my home town. Colm
:23:03. > :23:17.Toibin, Irish. Now Violet Balla wheel, -- now Violet Balla wheel,
:23:17. > :23:22.now lives in the US. How British is this? I think we can safely say
:23:22. > :23:23.now lives in the US. How British is did not set out to the filling each
:23:23. > :23:31.one of those boxes, but we did. did not set out to the filling each
:23:31. > :23:39.is also the case that if Eleanor youngest ever winner. If Jim Crace
:23:39. > :23:46.wins, he would be one of the oldest, he is 67. You are making waves?
:23:46. > :23:46.wins, he would be one of the oldest, can feel the buzz about the short
:23:46. > :23:51.list. It is really lovely. When can feel the buzz about the short
:23:51. > :23:57.bring out the long list, you do can feel the buzz about the short
:23:57. > :24:01.with some fear in your art. -- your heart. People were pretty positive.
:24:01. > :24:09.We thought the short list would heart. People were pretty positive.
:24:09. > :24:21.generally feel that we have picked a strong short list. Do you think
:24:21. > :24:31.taste now? Absolutely. I think it has changed publishing a little
:24:31. > :24:35.taste now? Absolutely. I think it well because they do sell well.
:24:35. > :24:41.taste now? Absolutely. I think it can get reviews that sold very well
:24:41. > :24:51.in the UK. There is a definite sense the New York Times or the age in
:24:51. > :25:06.Australia. Wherever people are the New York Times or the age in
:25:06. > :25:13.of you. A smaller task than the the New York Times or the age in
:25:13. > :25:17.here we had to beat 251 books. the New York Times or the age in
:25:17. > :25:23.was a lot of fun but an awful lot of work. Now I have to be six books and
:25:23. > :25:29.a month. That is like a normal amount of books that people read.
:25:29. > :25:37.Last year I did the Orange prize for fiction. In two years I have read a
:25:37. > :25:48.little bit over 200 books, I think. We're going to leave you with some
:25:48. > :25:56.extraordinary gem. A diamond the size of a hen's egg. It is expected
:25:56. > :26:02.to reach an incredible price. This could sell for anything between
:26:02. > :26:07.to reach an incredible price. This and 35mm $ option. That would make
:26:07. > :26:16.diamond. -- $28 million and 35mm all Let's remind you know of Armenia 's
:26:16. > :26:29.on Syria. Syria says it is prepared inspectors to inspect facilities.
:26:29. > :26:38.There will be a Security Council meeting in a few hours. Russia has
:26:38. > :26:43.already told France that a binding UN resolution would be unacceptable.
:26:43. > :26:48.That is all from the programme for now. Next the weather. Goodbye.