we are just seeing him sitting down there in geneva. she going to be talking from the nations ahead of the third rounds of negotiations so let's listen in to what he is saying. >> introduce the special envoy staffan de mistura who doesn't have much time this morning but did want to meet with you before the talks and staffan de mistura you have a few words to say first. >> yes and i will take requests. >> really? two or three. >> okay, the first thing, thank you, thank you very much, the first thing i would like to say is that i would like on behalf of the secretary-general and of my own team to expense my own condolence and those of the united nations for this horrific attack which took place in ankara yesterday. it's the first opportunity for me to say so and i did call this morning, very early this morning the turkish ambassador here in geneva to express our own sadness about it. >> are you hearing okay everybody? sor sorry. >> let me qualify a little bit now of the talks and then give you some indications about the information i can

on page 6 of our report, we note that funding for phase 2 of the geneva car barn project has not been identified which is currently estimated to cost 22 million 116 thousand 788, regarding the 3545 onondaga avenue project, table 3 and that's on page 6 of our report summarizes the estimated cost for short and long term improvements for that project and it's shown in table 3, the estimated costs range from 3 million 35 thousand for short term improvements to 4 million 903 thousand for long term improvements. on page 8 of our report, we notice that the city's general fund reserve balance is currently 73 million 931, 443, if the board of supervisor approves the proposed 5 million supplemental appropriation ordinance t general fund reserve would be reduced to 68 *f 68 million 941443, our recommendations on page 8 based on the prior appropriations previously approved by the board of supervisor, we have recommended you sever the proposed ordinance to separate the 5 million request into two, 2 million 500 thousand dollar requests, one for the geneva car barn and one for the onondaga propertie

our deployment editor, has been following things in geneva, james bays is joining us. russia has announced they are starting to withdraw their military force from syria. do we have a clear idea exactly what they mean? >> reporter: well, i think it is this the statement. i think the question is: what it actually means in terms of their support for the assad regime. in the hotel behind me, the syrian government delegation. led by the syrian ambassador for new york. i think this is rather uncomfortable to him potentially because not only has the russian military involvement been a game change are it also gives them diplomatic mat might aat these s and the ambassador should be pretty pleased at the announcement coming from moscow, the announcement by president putin himself. this is what he said. >> translator: i believe that the goal set out to the ministry of defense and the armed forces has overall been fulfilled and that's why i ordered the minister of defense as of tomorrow to start the pullout of the main part of our force he from the syrian republic. >> reporter: yo

the issue that i have --geneva: correct. the issue that i have is that he has been indicted for lying. i believe that that should have extended over into the jail. amy: former state senator nina turner, you are in ohio. talk about why you decided to go with bernie sanders. thinktalk about why you he did not win ohio. after the michigan miracle, it was felt that maybe he could take ohio, as well. nina: we were certainly hoping for that michigan miracle. i think one of the biggest differences between michigan and ohio is that in michigan, independents could vote. independentss wins across this country overwhelmingly. in ohio, independents cannot vote unless they declare themselves to be a democrat or republican. senator sanders was 30 points behind in ohio months ago. he has come a mighty long way. we are so proud of all of his accomplishments. in states like missouri, it is still a tossup. it is kind of curious to me that even when republicans who are in the second or third tier of the race, they declare victory when they are

in geneva, the u.n. chief mediator at those peace talks describes them as a moment of truth and says the only plan b is a return to war. we'll get the latest from our correspondent in moscow and geneva in just a second. and germany's chancellor vows to push on with her liberal migrant policy despite severe losses for her conservatives in sunday's state elections. angry voters flocking instead to the new anti-immigration party, the right wing asd. thank you for joining us. russian president vladimir putin has ordered his military commanders to start withdrawing russian troops from syria. the russian leader said the pullout should begin on tuesday. he has also said russia will intensify its role in the peace negotiations to end the conflict. for more on this, let's go to our moscow correspondent. winky for being with us. give us more about what president putin has been saying. guest: it is worth saying that this is a surprising move. at the meeting with the defense and foreign ministers, he said i think th

when we talk about geneva, which is based on geneva communique and based on the security council resolutions, they are calling for a genuine political transition. genuine transition of power. if this does not happen, then the syrian government will not be solved. we cannot solve this war without a genuine change in the political system in syria. this means that bashar al-assad has to go and if bashar al-assad doesn't go, then i don't think that the war will stop >>> very briefly, would you accept the presidency going to someone else if that happened as a consequence of the elections that staffan de mistura is promising us will happen 18 months from now? >> talking about elections is very premature now. the geneva process is calling for a transition of power to a transitional governing body. this transitional governing body is going to organise and arrange new issue after stabilization. so it is premature to talk about election. but transitional power to transitional governing body which can be after 18 months >>> thank you for your time. >> thank you >>> meanwhile on the ground syrian govern

headquarters in geneva as james bays. james, are the delegates there having to tweak their thinking about what the kurds have been saying now? >> certainly it's an important development that was going to come at some stage. p.y.d. represents armed fighters and people with significant territory in north syria and are not part of this pros because of the objection of turkey, they are excluded from these talks in the first round of talks that failed when everyone gathered in january, the leader of the p.y.d. was here in switzerland, waiting for his invitation. it never came. i think the p.y.d. have now decided to put themselves on the agenda by these announcements, what had been the position of the u.n. was well, we are going to put the issue of the kurds on hold to try to deal with some of the other stuff and come to it at a lighter stage. it seems they are forcing themselves on to the agenda. >> i guess quid pro quo is what did you think we were fighting for, because everyone agrees that the kurds are very good at fighting

our correspondent in geneva was talking about why pyg didn't get an invite to the talks in geneva, how do you think this will impact the political influence? >> i feel that the other component in this region from the beginning they believe in federalism as a solution for syria in general and for the crisis that is going on for more than five years. now in syria without the federalism there will not be an in for them. so if they attend the geneva or not, what is going on the ground is the federalism that represents the region of the component of the region for the solution in syria. >> so you keep using this word federalism for certainly what the kurds want to do, do you think this is the beginning of the federalism in the country, do you think it could be a leading event? >> actually, the components they believe federalism is not just for north syria or the kurdish region and must be for them in general because the federalism and the diplomacy is going to be granted otherwise there must be another kind of, you know, system which will bring teourne for syria. >> you said preparations ha

brokered talks aimed at ending the syrian conflict gets underway in geneva. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead, a powerful car bomb in turkey's capital ankara kills at least 34 people and injuries more than one hundred. al-qaeda says it carried out an attack on a beach resort on the ivory coast. 16 people are dead. trees are worth more in gold in hong kong >>> a new round of talks to try and end the syrian conflict are due to get underway in geneva in just a few hours. diplomats are hoping to build on a truce that has been in effect since february. the syrian government has agreed to attend but the foreign minister says the post for president is not up for discussion. there will only been an accepting of the government in 12 months. russia wants ethnic kurds included in the talks but they have not been invited. i.s.i.l. and the armed group al-nusra front also been excluded. syrian i can't's-- syria's ambassador says there should not be conditions >> translation: the meeting happened in geneva is an all-syrian meeting without any foreign int

secretary of state has arrived in geneva. talks in gen eve to end the syrian conflict are due to begin on monday. voting is underway in three german states to elect regional parliaments. this is a litmus test on angela merkel's policy. the refugee policy has been a major talking appoint point. thousands have attended rival rallies in the capital >>> more on our top story. lites ym five years since syria's up rising began. it was insfird inti events across the arab world. -- inspired by event across the arab world >> reporter: with memories as vivid as their disa-appointments run deep, these syrians in turkey turn to books when they can, seeking comfort in their pages are, solace in their chapters. an escape, albeit a brief one from the reality of a looming and horrific milestone. five years of a war that brought with it the kind of unmitigated misery no-one here could have foreseen. at the beginning, though, the arab spring had spread hope. >> what happens in tunis and egypt, all the area to go to the street, they give the co

who is at the geneva talks? the foreign ministers say that the syria sir post for the syrian president is not up for discussion. they do not want bashar al-assad to be part of it. russia wants ethnic kurds to be part of the talks, but they have not been invited either. anand alqaida-affiliated al nusra also has not been invited to the talks. >> i don't know whether anyone else has a plan b, i'm only aware of a plan a, which is giving the maximum chances with the maximum pressure by international community in order to insure that this type of talks and the cessation of hostilities and the humanitarian task force is given the maximum opportunity. the alternative to that to my knowledge would be regretbly returning to where we were, which was basically an ongoing conflict, which is going to be celebrated sadly and tragically until this time. >> diplomatic editor james bays is in geneva and joins us live now. hi there, james, what does syria's chief negotiator have to say? >> he said that they've had an useful meeti

he's at the talks in geneva. good to have you with us. i'm not sure that you heard the syrian spokesman speaking in the last couple of minutes or so but he said he's feeling positive after speaking to staffan de mistura. he has submitted ideas for a political solution. any idea what this is? >> you see we are here to see whether this can negotiation starts. we came and as we keep repeating, we're keen really to see a solution that lifts the suffer from the syrians. we heard, you know, what mr. staffan de mistura said yesterday in fact, we heard it from him when he met with us here where we are staying. i agree there are positive points. we are willing to do anything for our own people there. >> would when you say you are willing to do anything for your own people there, where does this leave bashar al assad? that seems to me the main sticking point, the opposition wants him to go. we heard yesterday the syrian government say that's not under discussion. >> it's, you know, they can say whatever they like. i mean, the representative of assa

in geneva. also on the program, a powerful car bomb in turkey's capital kills at least 34 people and injures more than 100. an attack carried out in the beach resort in the ivory coast. 16 people are dead. thousands of coal miners defy authorities in china to take part in rare protests. a new round of talks to try and end the syrian conflict are due to get underway in geneva in a few hours time. diplomats are hoping to build on a true which is in force. the syrian government has agreed to attend but the foreign minister said it will not discuss the presidency. the main opposition parties will be there. the syrian national coalition and an affiliate with the free syrian russian. russia wants the kurds to be involved but they have not been invited. a meeting needs to take place without any preconditions. >> reporter: putting up preconditions contradict the fundamentals we came upon. it is an all syrian meeting without any foreign intervention and without preconditions >>> i'm joined by our senior

they have not yet decided to come to geneva but if they do want to focus on the future governance of syria moving beyond the one current ruler. >> james, we reported earlier on the desperate humanitarian conditions for many people still in syria. what discussion has there been on that. >> there has been discussion on a task force meeting in the last hours saying they are making progress. out of the 18 besieged areas, they've reached 10. they have plans in two other areas, yarmouk, the refugee camp in damascus, they believe they'll start to get aid into that palestinian refugee camp. they are working on their plans for another attempt to an airlift, leaving six areas. i then pressed to the advisor on humanitarian issues to mr. staffan de mistura about those remaining six areas and he confirmed that those six areas are all areas besieged by the syrian government. >> all right, james bays reporting to us lives from geneva. >>> now there have been several more attacks across israel and the occupied palestinian territories in the past 24 hours. israeli police have shot their two palestini

--retary rusk: to reconvene >> to reconvene the geneva conference. that's efficient -- that suggestion has been made many times, chiefly from our side. the other side has been unwilling to come to such a conference. we indicated, and it was one of our 14 points, we would welcome a conference on southeast asia or any part of it. we thought nine months ago there ble in this direction on the other side. hanoi sent a delegation to moscow. they seem to approve to the possibility of a conference on cambodia and perhaps on laos. we were ready for a conference but something happened after the meeting broke up in moscow. perhaps it was a move to interrupted. those comforters were not held. we would -- those coverages were not held. -- conferences or not held. we would be happy to see a conference on vietnam, laos, cambodia. >> do you know of any other channels that you can follow toward bringing about a negotiation? a conference? secretary rusk: let me say simply that the problem here is not that of technique or channel or contact. or the ability to be in tou

s headquarters for europe in geneva. we understand that the opposition delegation, the main opposition bloc will not be meeting the special envoy in geneva on monday. their meeting will come a day later on tuesday. i think mr. dimistora although he says these are substantive talks says they are going to deal with the mother of all issues, the political transition, he is taking it slowly because he knows on that key issue and the part of that issue that's being -- the main problem, i think, throughout the five years of the war, the role of president assad and those around him, he knows is a real difference. >> i talks about james, the spoilers, those who want these talks to fail. who is he referring to go? >> reporter: he wouldn't say. he was warning us, the media, to expect that there would be also some drama here at the talks but, also, those beyond the talks back in syria, and remember, this whole process dreamed up by the regional and international players, the so-called issg, the international syria support group, in

secretary of state john kerry is in paris to meet his european counterpart ahead of landmark talks in geneva on monday and want an end to a conflict that displaced 10 million syrians and field an exodus of refugees into europe and diplomatic editor james base is live from geneva and james how difficult are these talks expected to be? >> they are going to be extremely different, jane. i think they are going to be different from previous talks we have seen on syria, remember we had talks in the last few weeks that collapsed as soon as they started because of russian and syrian bombardment. we had talks two years ago whether to arose the agenda the syrian government trying not to talk about the future governments of syria and the role of assad and now it's going to be different and the central issue according to staffan de mistura of the special envoy and wants to talk about the governments of syria and wants to talk about getting a transitional government and two elections as the main substance of his talks which he wants to start on monday. already we heard from the syrian government and, in

in geneva for the latest rounds of syrian talks. chief negotiator bashar al jaffray has been here before. >> this is a moment of truth. >> staffan de mistura said there is no plan b for syria. tends to move quickly to matter of substance. >> the mother of all issues, political transition. >> reporter: no sign they discussed that yet. ambassador jaffray has made it clear the role of president assad is nonnegotiable. he spoke mostly of nonprocedural issues. >> the final framework is very important to achieve substantive success. >> the main negotiation block will meet mr. de mistura on tuesday. the idea of political transition is simple, clear change, meaning the removal muc of president asd but the opposition is not likely to accept that. >> we know the mentality we're dealing with this. it is not a suffer of five years, it is a suffer of 40, the role of the father, then the son. >> reporter: getting these talks restarted was hard enough but now they must deal with the most difficult core issues. james bays al jazeera at the united n

james bays, al jazeera, the united nations in geneva. >> u.s. president barack obama has announced his nomination to take his seat at the supreme court. there is an empty seat on the supreme court after justice antonin scalia died in february. president obama's choice must not be confirmed by the u.s. senate. >> he walked away from a comfortable and lucrative law practice to return to public service. merrick accepted a low level job as federal prosecutor in president george h. w. bush's administration. he traded in his elegant office for a windowless closet that smelled of stale cigarette smoke. this was a time when crime in washington reached epidemic proportions, and he wanted to help. he made a name for himself going after corrupt politicians an and criminals. >> what are the implications of obama's nomination? >> well, it's basically made very plain, felicity, the tough partisan nature of government in washington right now. even before the president had decided that he was going to nominate judge garland to the high court, republicans in the

it has been excluded from talks in geneva. the kurds have been a long oppressed minority in syria under the bashar al-assad family's rule, but their fighters have been most effective against i.s.i.l. the bashar al-assad regime, turkey and the u.s. have all condemned today's declaration. vladimir putin says he is hoping for successful peace talks in geneva. he made his first remarks since ordering the withdrawal of russian troops from syrian battle fields. he warned he could easily scale up forces again if needed. >> reporter: for the past three days pictures of soldiers and jet fighters returning to russian were shown on national television. mr putin did say that at this specific moment the mission was accomplished and the rest was really an closed affair, russia would not interfere with that. he said among the accomplishments was to reduce the terrorist's capabilities on the ground. he said, for example, supply roots were destroyed, oil tankers were destroyed, oil facilities under control of various groups were also destroyed

and russia are working closely together in terms of air strikes and diplomatic channels of geneva and this is a setback for i.s.i.s., not the end yet but seems to me to be the beginning of the end. >> reporter: it includes a unesco world heritage site and i.s.i.l. captured the historic city in may and began mass executions and destroying sites. it's strategically located between damascus and the i.s.i.l. stronghold. government control of palmyra would help it cutoff a supply root and ceasefire between rebel factions significantly reduced violence but it excludes el nusra and i.s.i.l. considered terrorist groups by the syrian government and they withdrew most fores from syria after area strikes after six months. but this is evidence that the government of syrian president bashar al-assad is still making advanc advances, al jazeera. >>> ending the fighting in syria ended in geneva and the special envoy to the u.n. staffan de mistura wrapped up indirect talks with the syrian government and the opposition but both sides are still in disagreement over the transition of power. staffan de mi

i doubt there to the geneva car barn that he is an amazing project. i look forward to hopefully turning that into a reality i however do feel the same way a supervisor tang around doing this is a supplemental during the budget process. will be happy to support during that period time. so, that being said, dropping a deuce board a motion saying this forward with no recommendation to the full board of supervisors. if there is a intend to revise that ugly happy to do that. otherwise we can take a roll call vote. my colleagues be 6 supervisor wiener >> as i stated last week or 2 weeks ago whenever it was before us before, sport this project. if the project we should be funding. i think it's obviously a legitimate topic of conversation whether we do this be a supplemental or try to do it as part of the regular budget process but clearly it's a project that deserves support. since there is it seems like everyone is in favor of sending this out of committee and to the full board of supervisors, seeing as there's a split about with a recommendation or with no

entering a fifth day in geneva, the u.n. special envoy says the divide between the government and opposition delegates is large but both agree on uniting syria. the turkish prime minister has arrived at the european union summit which enters the second day of talks over the refugee crisis and look to finalize a deal with turkey that includes ankara taking in eu refugees in return for increased funding and other political stipulations. well greece has called for countries that shut borders to face sanctions and refugees left stranded by closers are urged to move to organized camps and thousands remain on the greek-macedonia border and we have this report. >> reporter: the camp in northern greece where 13,000 refugees are stranded, officials from the european asylum support office encourage them to the location, with the borders closed they are told the only option for them is to seek asylum officially. all officials engaged in the camp and she is one of them. >> since october 2015 which is the operational date starting days o

in geneva for the latest round of-y talks. this was the government delegation led by chief negotiator and u.n. ambassador bashar al jane arraf. jaffray. but staffan de mistura said no plan b for syria. says he plans to move quickly to issues of substance. >> the mother of all issues, political transition. >> ambassador jaafrrey says the role of bashar al-assad is nonnegotiable. >>> the framework is very important to achieve substantive success. >> reporter: the main opposition block will pete mr. de mistura on tuesday. a clear change meaning the removal of president assad but their spokesman admits the other side is never likely to accept that. >> we know the mentality we're dealing with because it is not only a suffer of five years, it is a suffer of 42 years in the role of assad the father and then the son. >> getting these talks restarted was hard enough. but now, they must deal with the most difficult core issues. james bays, al jazeera at the united nations in geneva. >>> tuesday marks five years since the syrian conflict

both sides set to take part in indirect talks in geneva on monday. already the negotiations have gun. the fortunately minister says the delegation will attend. there are continues and the government will only the way for 24 hours and head back home if the opposition does not show up. on friday syria's main opposition confirmed it would take part but said president bashar al-assad should not have a role in the transitional period. staffan de mistura said elections will be held in 18 months. it was said he had no right to set a date for syria's presidential poll. it was added that breaking up the country was not an option. >> translation: we are adamant on holding the territorial integrity and sovereign ultimately of syria as one state. at least this is what has been intimated by the documents released, including those released in an attempt to resolve the situation in syria >>> live now to geneva and our diplomatic editor james bays. some issues looking positive, some issues looking potentially negative. i do not yes. it is getting to the crunch issue

james bays, al jazeera, the united nations in geneva. >>> the u.n. is seth up a commission to investigate human rights abuses in south sudan. the panel will look at whether rains and attacks on civilians constitute war crimes. thousands of people have died in a sieval war that began in 2013. more than 2 million people have been displaced. >>> time for a short break here on al jazeera. when we come back. these argentinians say barack obama is not welcome. >>> and meet the man on a mission to give indonesia's endangered orangutans a future. more on that, stay with us. , stay with us. hoy s'oi gho, esak ? hoesak hoy s'oi gho, esak th la p hceotas hke hy wn'retht ey llkelicaots? cthstcainusiness an fiwi, ro cd ju dd a czetomi hy wn'retht ey e ytowir ro pasplgepa an u'yo rlleastcusererwheithesey aa - dd a czetomi hy wn'retht ey e yt diresicpasplgepa orupr odtrg in pfiwi, hthatyow us bs.es howgrr ounes. u y'n'e se eat dvery ascomc.ss odtrg in pfiwi, htht ilbur ssnees howgrr ounes. u y'n'e se eat dvery when groups garth earlies for mr. obama's visit. >> tra

secretary of state john kerry accuses the syrian government of derailing talks in geneva. hello, you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also coming up, a test for german chancellor angela merkel's refugee policy even as numbers of new arrivals drop due to tighter border controls in the balkans. >>> a call for unity, u.s. president barack obama said any politician who plans to lead the country should not cause division. >> i'm reporting from myanmar where lives continue to be affected by civil war, despite the signing of a nation whited ceasefire agreement. >> first, the u.s. secretary of state john kerry has accused the syrian government of trying to disrupt upcoming talks in geneva. he condemned the syrian government's demands. his delegation has arrived in geneva and is insisting that removing president bashar al assad is a red line. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry met his european counterparts. they admitted the talks will be difficult but say it's the only way to stop the exodus of refugees flowing into europe. >> if we don't want to be back here next year o

you are launching a new suv in geneva. is that a reflection of low oil prices, showing that you are back in the gas guzzling game? >> i think these cars are a great opportunity, with a change in the price of oil. this is the fastest-growing segment in the market, and it will continue to be like this. oil prices you think are helping? are people able to spend more money on a big car because it is cheaper to fuel? luca: i think it is a concept that people like because it gives a sense of comfort and safety because of the issue. people tend to be very loyal. they jump on an suv and they never get down. how the take us through last year was, the recovery helping you in spain. are you expecting a similarly positive outlook for the year ahead? ca: we think the economy will continue to grow in the automotive market, maybe the european markets, where it is applied. we are pretty optimistic this year, and we have seen figures at the beginning of the year that are normally at the end of the year. it is an interesting transition. par

our diplomatic editor james bays has just left the meeting in geneva. james, what else do we know? >> this was a briefing on the humanitarian task force which is part of all the process here in geneva, the idea at a meeting of international leaders in mine nick was to take out of the main negotiation process this desperate need of people in besieged areas to get help to them. one of those besieged areas is an area that is besieged by isil. there's no way to get convoys in there, isil will not allow the convoys in there. a short time ago, we were hearing from the humanitarian advisor to staffan de mistura, the special envoy. he explained more about trying to air drop aid to isil. he said their tests hadn't worked and he ordered new parachutes. he then explained that they had to do these high altitude air drops because the danger the air drops faced and he raised a very interesting prospect and worrying prospect. he said he had been advised that they couldn't go any lower than the height they were trying to operate these air drops from because of the threat of surface to air missiles

how do we blend that into what is going on in geneva? >> reporter: well, i think the idea -- the big idea, the big-picture idea from the russians and the u.s. is they have got to try to deal with the problems of syria which are spreading well beyond syria's borders. those are clearly isil which is a threat to other parts of the middle east and exists in other parts of the id l east, for example in libya, and may well be involved in planning attacks in other parts of the world, particularly in europe, and the other way that the crisis in syria is spreading to europe is that mass migration, all of the refugees spreading through turkey and then on to europe. i think the big idea is try to solve the fundamental problem in damascus, solve the political problem, and the new syrian government that represents elements of the current government and elements of the opposition, and then you stop the war, and then you can deal with those problems that are going well beyond syria east territorial borders. the new syrian government if you get there, a

in geneva. it includes u.s. officials, including military officials, russian officials, military officials from russia, as well and the united nations and they, too have succumbed to military officials for a number of countries. they're supposed to look at all the reports of violations. russia it seems doesn't like that approach. it would like a more punitive approach towards those that have violated the cessation, the problem with that is that most of the violations have actually come from russia's allies, the syrian government, and there have been even been violations, according to some of the other countries monitoring this by the russian air force themselves who have been on occasion bombing members of the opposition who are here in part of these talks, even though the cessation is technically in place, so big question marks about what the russians are trying to achieve by these statements. the suggestion perhaps that with the u.s. secretary of state on his way to moscow for meetings with his counterpart, th

. >> hold your horses >>> syria is accused of stalling the geneva talks. now the opposition is calling on russia to put pressure on the bashar al-assad government. the u.s. steps up air strikes against i.s.i.l. in iraq as the pentagon deploys more troops on the ground. greece says it needs more help before it can send refugees back to turkey under a new e.u. deal. after half a century of hostility between the u.s. and cuba, president obama is trying a different approach. he has become the first u.s. president to visit cuba in nearly 90 years. >> reporter: with this single step obama is hoping to change the course of history. the first sitting president in 88 years to step foot on cuban soil >> i'm glad you have brought your families here because i always like pictures with kids. that's the future that we hope for. young american children, young cuban children. by the time they're adults, our hope is that they think it's natural that a u.s. president should be visiting cuba. they think it's natural that the two peoples are working together. >> reporter: tha

banks in geneva where they're in direct talks. the group sent ripples through all of the syrian factions. james bay has more. >> reporter: as the talks in geneva continue, a group not invited forced them onto the agenda. u.n. envoy decided to exclude the pyd from the process for now under pressure from turkey, which calls the kurdish party a terrorism group. the deputy told reporters the question of federalism was an issue to be decided by the representatives of the syrian people at the talks. >> translator: the u.n. position is very clear when it comes to this. every syrian that i spoke to stands with the unity and sovereignty of the nation. >> reporter: the head of the pyd actually turned out for the last round of talks in january before he found out he was not invited. other opposition members say his party should be excluded because they've been working with the assad regime. >> translator: only when they openly announce they disengage with the regime completely, only then will they have a place in the syrian revolution and we

-lead talks in geneva. the message from putin to its diplomats, it's your turn. >> i think that it should be -- >> reporter: [ inaudible ]? >> well, we believe we have helped undercut their infrastructure and destroy much of their infrastructure. the fight against terrorists there is going to continue. >> reporter: russian air strikes in syria have allowed the syrian government to regain lost ground. the syrian government was told about the decision to pull out, a statement from assad said it was taken jointly. >> they used military force, but they did it as part of creating a diplomatic political process, where now russia co-chairs the political process with the united states, which is a dramatic increase in russian power and influence over this process. >> reporter: moscow, however, will not end its military presence in syria, it will keep control of an air base and have control of a port further south. >> it's a good timing because of the talks. the air strikes have already declined, so pulling out the a

s top diplomat has attempted to breathe new life in the talks in geneva. our diplomatic editor james bays reports from geneva >> reporter: one of the most senior officials in the european union after a meeting with the head of the syrian government delegation in geneva. there were no pictures of the actual meeting between them, but the ambassador was aware of the value of giving interviews straight afterwards. at the same time he headed to the united nations for a meeting with staffan de mistura. she made it clear she had met both sides in geneva and there was no change to e.u. policy. >> reporter: why did you decide to choose this moment to reward the bashar al-assad regime with such a high-profile meeting? >> i will support to the option-- our support to the opposition has not only been in place for the last five years, butl for the future and this is something we discussed. as i said, what i have done today is consistent, fully consistent, with what we decided together as the european union to actively support the work of the u.n. and in particular that

brokers a new round of talks in geneva to try to end the five. year conflict in syria. funerals begin for the victims of a car bomb in ankara. turkey's president vows to crackdown on terrorism. and the coal miners defy authorities in china to take part of protests. and search for life on mars. we look

how are talks going in geneva? i would say, you know, they're in good hands, proceeding, but still the way is long. when the news of the attacks in brussels came, my first out was that the responsibility that we're all halving, and on behalf we are all having is first and foremost for the syrian people but also for the europeans. the threat that is coming from elsewhere in the region and elsewhere in the world has clear connections also with daesh. and if we want to tackle this threat, this extension threat in an effective way, we are for sure to do some things internally in the european union, and i'm not the person to address this, and to accelerate and facilitate our work to put the end to the war in syria and sons trait and join--concentrate and join forces against daesh. i met today first of all which those who know which way the europe piano can support the efforts, but the message we all share to the delegations that we expect them to engage in the process on three key elements that were agreed by all of us

the envoy is holding talks with opposition figures in geneva on tuesday. there are doubts whether any agreement reached would take hold on the ground, where multiple groups control large parts of syria's territory. these organizations, including the islamic state group, al qaeda affiliate the all this for fun, and the syrian kurdish party, were not invited to the talks. catherine: hundreds of people who marched out of omicron camp on the greece-macedonia border have been stopped by macedonian troops. police say a group of several hundred migrants will be sent one to greece, while witness from the reuters news agency put the figure at as many as 2000. at least 12,000 people have been living in limbo in a sprawling ad hoc camp on the greek side of the border. macedonian authorities effectively sealed across a week ago as other countries shut their borders, too. in turkey, 11 people are under arrest in relation to a bombing , onhe capital, ankara sunday that kind 37 lives. authorities say they have identified 2 suicide attackers that have been linked to the o

she made it clear she had met both sides in geneva and there was no change to e.u. policy. >> reporter: why did you decide to choose this moment to reward the bashar al-assad regime with such a high-profile meeting? >> our support to the opposition has not only been in place for the last five years, but it is going to be there also for the future and this is something we discussed. as i said, what i have done told is consistent, fully consistent, with what we decided today as the european union, to actively support the work of the united nation and, in particular, of staffan de mistura in bringing the negotiations forward. >> reporter: despite high representative's firm position that this is not a change in the e.u. policy, i can tell you i've spoken to diplomats from a number of different countries who say they are surprised that she held this meeting. one added there is only supposed to be one mediator in this process. earlier ambassador told reporters he would soon be returning to damascus. after almost two weeks in geneva, the opposition say he is not even start

the hnc, people who talk for the rebels on the grouped, if they barely want to get off the plane in geneva when it comes to diplomacy and diplomatic pressure, i'm interested to know where the points come to be found when exerting more pressure on the different groups involved in the conflict. >> i think just to reiterate that the last weeks have been positive, so like you say, increased u.s. engagement and i think that is a key part of the puzzle, so the gulf states, turkey and u.s. has influence over them, as well as over groups which are operating on the ground. i think key here also is russia given its huge military intervention, the amount of support which it provides to the syrian government, i think that is absolutely critical that the u.s. and russia come together and if and when they do that, we will see more progress on the ground >>> what's the silver bullet of diplomacy here, because if you have the united states literally using the same words, the same language that lavrov has used two to four weeks beforehand in communiques between the kremlin, i'm still at a loss to understan

we have the latest now from geneva. >> both main sides now say they're coming to geneva for the talks. the confirmation for the government coming from the deputy prime minister and foreign minister. he made it clear that the role for president assad was not up for discussion. >> we are adamant on holding the integrity and sovereignty of syria as one state. at least this is what has been reiterated by the international documents. including those who would resolve the situation in syria. >> those comments have angered the opposition. they've made it clear that there should be no pre-conditions for these talks. the u.n. special envoy in an interview with al jazeera said he hopes to get substantive issues on day one. >> we can say that when we started talks in earnest, with substantive talks on the 14th, we'll be able to at least tell everyone that this is happening, therefore, one is not enough, and we need to push further. and, two, now we can concentrate on the real agenda. what is it? the political process. what is that? well, it is a new governance that will be completely different f

conference in geneva, the first for this year, yielded pledges to take in only 7000 people. compare that to the nearly half a million syrians -- they need homes. there is a lot of talk left to do. [applause] >> wednesdays pledges come on top of the places already promised to provide for refugee leader location -- refugee relocation. as the conference began, the high commissioner called on the international community to show support. >> we cannot leave neighboring countries continue to bear the brunt of this refugee crisis. the world must show solidarity and share the responsibility. our aim is to find admission for at least 10% of the refugee population, or 480,000 people over three years. reporter: they were hoping to give the refugees a variety of options, options discussed in geneva included academic scholarships and family reunions, allowing students to finish studies interrupted by the war. about 6 million syrians have fled the country and despite the fact that the migration crisis is dominating headlines, most syrians are in neighboring countries, like in lebanon. >> i

back in geneva for the latest round of syria talks. this was the government delegation led by bashar al jaffray, he's been here before. but the main envoy from u.n. says this is different. >> this is a moment of truth. >> he told reporters there was no plan b for syria. if the talks fail, he says there will only be worse bloodshed. >> the mother of all issues acknowledge political transition. >> reporter: in the first meeting with the government delegation there was no sign they discussed that yet. ambassador jaffray said it was too early to discussion transition. the role of assad is nonnegotiable. >> translator: in diplomacy the final framework is very important to achieve substantive success. >>> the main committee will meet mr. de mistura on tuesday. for them the idea of political transition is simple: a clear change meaning the removal of president assad but their spokesman admits the other side is never likely to accept that. >> we know the mentality we're dealing with because you know it's not the suffer of five years, it is a s

claire: another round of un-sponsored peace talks in geneva monday. the opposition negotiations committee responded to russia's move cautiously. despite kremlin denials, it is believed russian troops have targeted not just islamic state targets but moderate opposition once, too. when they remove all russian the othersyria, positives that should be taken by mr. putin by saying that he is standing beside the syrian people, besides the dictators of syria. claire: putin did not specify how many troops would be withdrawn. he did say russian air and sea basis will stay in operation, and they will be secured by land, sea, and air. activity has been reduced since the cease-fire began last month. officially it's job will now be to monitor to what extent the cease-fire -- molly: for more on the fallout, "france 24"by our specialist in jihadist movements. we know the air campaign and the with thebegan in syria objective to beat terrorism in syria, but we know as of now the air campaign will continue, despite this drawdown. so what is the impact going forward? th

we have reports from geneva. >> the u.n. envoy said that the stalled syrian talks have restarted, but for now the only people he has been meeting are diplomats and u.n. colleagues. however, he's hopeful the syrian government and the main on significance block will be back in geneva soon. >> the focus will be on substance, the agendas, new governance, constitution and elections. the future elections in 18-month's time. most presidential and parliame parliamentarian. that was aimed at the negotiating committee. it's spokesman said that he was encouraged by that focus. he said that the eventually outcome had to be the formation of the new government without president assad. the opposition still have concerns, though. the cessation of hostilities have been in place for nearly two weeks. they say violations by the government like this attack are continuing. they also want detainees particularly women an women and children released. and as the u.n. task force met in geneva, they've been complaining about the government not allowin

to hear this item and also for all the previous work that the board of supervisors has done for the geneva car barn and the newest version or newbesting building that we're trying to restore in district 11 are the emergency hospital on onondaga and the home and health site on onondaga and elevate, these latitude buildings are two public buildings under the department of public health jurisdiction that had been empty, i believe it's been around 7 years that they've both been empty, they've been sources of blight fwl the neighborhood and just along the corner of alamani and onondaga, there have been homeless encampments there on the build, there's been people squatting inside the building as of last year, the corner building and it's also a part of the commercial corridor in district 11 that we're trying desperate toy to bring up to viability and economic viability, we've made some really good improvements close by on that corner, but you know, being able to activate vacant buildings is going to be a major part of our effort to bring economic vitality to this part of san francisco. and, clea