Military attack on syria on hold, saying he wants to give diplomacy a chance. His comments came in an address to the nation last night. Obama says washington wants to explore a russian plan to put serious chemical weapons under international control, but warned that the u. S. Military was ready to strike is the plan failed. A minutes silence on the white house lawn to remember the victims of 9 11. The u. S. Used the al qaeda attacks as justification for the wars in afghanistan and iraq. 12 years later, the majority of americans are against involvement in another armed conflict. With that in mind, obama pitched his address to the nation. My fellow americans, tonight i want to talk to you. America is not the worlds policeman. Terrible things happen across the globe and it is beyond our means to right every wrong. But when, with modest effort and risk, we can stop children from being gassed to death, and thereby make our own children safer over the log run, i believe we should act. Despite this, obama said he was willing to give diplomacy another chance come up but he made clear that a military strike remained on the table. Meanwhile, i have ordered our military to maintain their current posture, to keep the pressure on assad, and to be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails. Many suspect rushs for serious to give up its chemical weapons was simply a plot to buy time, but it provided a face saving opportunity for obama, whose plan to trikes was facing a likely defeat in congress. The stakes on syria are high with washington and moscow sparring to outdo each other. One russian lawmaker says his country could increase arms sales to iran and make it difficult for u. S. Forces to transit to afghanistan if they launch a strike against syria. So far, the kremlin seems to be pleased with the way things are progressing. Russian state television highlighted moscows role in paving the way for syria to put its chemical weapons into the hands of international monitors. It took credit for president obamas lastminute decision to hold off from carrying out a military strike. The russian position is more reasonable. It is much more realistic than what the u. S. Per pet what the u. S. President is proposing. We have to seek a peaceful solution. Anything else will just provoke further conflict in the region. The Russian Parliament also debated decorations on syria. Lawmakers unanimously approved a nonbinding resolution calling for washington, along with the international community, to find a nonbinding end to the crisis. The lobbyist in washington will do anything in their power to defeat russias proposal. Russia is strong, and the world listens to what we have to say. I think our peace plan has a real chance. Russian media report the kremlin has already provided the u. S. With a detailed plan for serious to hand over its chemical weapons. The Russian Foreign minister and the u. S. Secretary of state will hold talks on the matter thursday in geneva. Russia wants to present itself as a nation that works to promote peace and prevent a military strike against damascus. It also carries responsibility for the Current Situation in syria. For almost two years, the russian leadership be towed you in action and supplied arms to the assad regime the russian leadership vetoed action and supplied arms. We go over to our washington correspondent. Do you have any more details about how the russian plan might look at what the americans would hope it contains . The u. S. Are trying to position themselves at the moment without closing any potential diplomatic doors by being too abrupt, by asking for too many things. That is probably the reason why president barack obama did not mention a possible timetable in his speech on tuesday. That is probably also the reason why jay carney, the white house spokesman, did not say what he are the white house expected to be hard of any possible you in resolution. They are trading rather carefully any possible un resolution. The military posture is still there and apparently he is ready to use the u. S. Military if he deems it necessary. How are the American People perceiving obamas inconsistency in his syria policy . Has a damage him at all, would you say . That is hard to say. What would really damage him is starting a war in syria with american soldiers. That is what everybody agrees on would really damage him, not necessarily what is happening now. He is being criticized by a lot of pundits for the speech on tuesday, because they think it reflects all those inconsistencies of his Foreign Policy regarding syria over the last weeks. Having said that, the latest polls of how his speech went down with the American Public show that the American People are ready to follow him down this new path of diplomacy. They like that one than the military path, because of obamas speech has not convince them that a military strike is necessary. What is likely to emerge on the unc purity council the Un Security Council . Theres going to be this meeting on wednesday afternoon but probably not much is going to come out of that. Maybe some discussions about wording in the resolution, but that is pure speculation. We think the diplomats in new york will wait for anything significant to see how the big dogs are going to handle this on thursday. Secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart, if anything significant resembling a breakthrough is discussed, or is to come out of anything, it will be that meeting in geneva. Thank you very much, max there in washington. We will return to the fallout from the Syrian Crisis after the break. How far should a citizens right to religious freedom extend . That was the question before the german court, which has ruled that a muslim girl cannot be excused from taking swimming lessons with boys. The school has suggested the girl where a full body swimsuit, or burkini, as a compromise, but she rejected this as unacceptable. In germany, boys and girls usually share the pool when they are learning to swim. That is a problem for some conservative muslim families. They ensure their daughters wear a burkini, a swimsuit that keeps their bodies covered from head to foot. That was not enough for her parents. She claimed that she should not have to see scantily clad boys. This point of view was influenced by their home country of morocco and the religious ideals of the parents there. It is a big stricter than usual a bit stricter than usual. Initially a court rejected the plea. The case then came before the federal administrative court, which had to weigh the arguments between religious freedom in mandatory schooling. Religious freedom is not just about the right to believe in something or not. It must include the freedom to follow ones faith as one sees fit. On the other hand, the government has laid out regulations regarding public education. The decision will have repercussions are beyond this family. Muslim girls, according to the court, can no longer be excused from swim lessons on religious grounds. In 2008, the eu economy faced his most serious financial crisis since its creation. The Global Economic crisis triggered a worldwide banking meltdown that still has not been resolved completely. One of the dire consequences for europe has been the ongoing debt crisis that continues to cripple the economies of some member states. Now, in an effort to avoid a relapse, they have what is known as a Banking Union. It is proving to be a tough sell. The European Commission president once again urged the European Parliament to make a Banking Union a reality. Exit is the first and most urgent phase underway as mapped out and presented last autumn. The original vision went too far for the parliament and the European Central bank. There is no longer any talk of centralized deposit insurance which he had championed. The backlash in germany was too great. Many savers feared they would be liable for Bank Failures in other countries. But with the parliamentarians and the ecb now said to give the green light, he was bullish. The facts tell us that our efforts have started to convince. Countries are paying less to borrow. Industrial output is increasing. Market trust is returning. But some parliamentarians did not share his rosy assessment. Austerity is undermining solidarity between states and also between citizens. What we see is the second phase in this process. A long period of economic salvation. He says the Banking Union will be an important factor. Lets get a check of what has been moving the markets. This summary from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange of what was on investors minds on wednesday. The upswing of the stock market has softened somewhat, but this is not a big surprise, if we look at where stock prices have climbed again. The dax is not far away from its alltime high, and the ndax has reached an alltime high this wednesday. Quite obviously, investors are interested in riskier assets again. The socalled safe haven investments are not so interesting anymore. You can see it on the bond market as well. Germany came out with a new 10 year Government Bond this wednesday and for the first time in two years, the yield on these bonds has climbed above 2 again. Germany has to pay high interest in order to be able to sell its bonds. Conrad there for us in frankfurt. We can stay for a closer look at wednesdays numbers. The bluechip dax index closed. 6 higher. Stocks rallied, closing up almost a half are sent. In the u. S. , stocks are up. 67 and at last check, the euro is trading at 1. 33. Thousands are fleeing in a southern philippines as fighting intensifies between Government Forces and muslim insurgents on the island of mindanao. Militants from the National Liberation front try to seize control of the port city. They accuse the government of excluding them from a peace deal. At least nine people have been killed in the latest fighting. Government forces patrolled the streets of them away and got of zamboanga. They are Holding Around 100 hostages. There are reports that some of them are being used as human shields. The army says Government Forces are not intending to attack the rebels but just want to contain them. We are seeing this is to pave the way for negotiations. The violence has prompted thousands to flee their homes. More than 10,000 are taking shelter in a sports stadium in zamboanga. Facilities in the stadium are reported to be dire. Life in the city has ground to a standstill. Schools, shops, and offices are closed. Most airplane and Ferry Services have also been suspended. The rebel group is calling for an independent state. They say the government reneged on a 19 96 Peace Agreement and that the only way to end the conflict now is to bring in international mediators. Time now for a quick break. Coming up, cerium refugees fleeing the civil war in their home country arrive in germany. That and more. Stay with us. Welcome back. The civil war in syria has created millions of refugees. As part of a un relocation program, germany is set to receive another 5000 Syrian Refugees in the coming months. The first group of syrian men, women, and children arrived in hanover on her charter flight from beirut on monday. The interior was on hand to welcome them. After a short stay in hanover, they will relocate to different refugee Housing Centers across the country. Thousands of Syrian Refugees are already here waiting on asylum applications. Refugee status often means the difference between life and death. Concerned for their loved ones still in syria is never far from their minds. Next this doctor visits a refugee Housing Center in hamburger almost every day. Hundreds of syrians are staying here while they wait or political asylum. He organizes support programs and listens to their stories. They came on small boats like this one. More than 120 people on a boat made for 15 passengers. They looked death in the eye, but it was better to drown in the ocean than to die 100 times over in syria. The central Reception Center in hamburg was built to house 200 50 people. Today over 500 refugees live. Millions have fled the war in syria. The number is at least 2 million, if not much more. That is the official number of registered refugees. By all measures it is a catastrophe. When i was in syria a couple of weeks ago, i saw the Living Conditions there. People lived in makeshift camps and live doppler emergency rations of food and water. Medical care is like something in the middle ages. After months of being spied on by the syrian police, she felt she had to flee for her own safety. She says it is important for her to stay in contact with those back home. The first thing i do is log into my friends account that is still inside syria to make sure they are still alive, that they are fine, nothing bad had happened to them. The dr. Tries to stay in contact with his family back in syria. His hometown was destroyed in the fighting. He is happy his nephew could escape the violence. He arrived in germany two months ago. His life was in danger. If they had caught him, they would have shot him on the spot. That is why he had to flee. After leaving syria, he traveled through turkey to come to germany. They both hope the rest of their family can make it to germany. We now turn to the upcoming elections. When germany goes to the polls in just over a week, an estimated 6 Million People will be left on the sidelines. It doesnt matter how long they have lived here, worked and because they do not have german citizenship. We met with one man who wants that system to change. He calls frankfurt home. He has lived here since arriving from turkey as a young man, more than 30 years ago. He says he likes germany and feels integrated into german life. He closely follows the election campaign. He is interested in the people and parties who want to run the country, even though he isnt allowed to vote. It makes you feel sidelined, as if you dont belong here. Its like they are saying you can stay at home, you dont need to go out and vote. He says it is unfair and out of step with the times when only german citizens are allowed to vote in german general elections. For 20 years, he has worked for the mail company, paying taxes to the German Government every month. But while his colleagues can have their say on polling day about how those taxes are spent, he cannot. And that angers him. An expert on migrants political participation. She believes denying the vote to people who make germany their home could be damaging to the country over the long term. It infringes on the fundamental principle of democracy, the issues that affect everyone should be decided on by everyone. The dangers of the will of the people not being represented, and they do not see their interest being reflected. Increasingly they are ostracized from the political system and that could undermine the stability of our system. Gregs he does not like to sit on the sidelines. He wants to get involved. In his free time, he does volunteer work, helping migrants file their taxes. Conservative politicians oppose changes to the electoral system. They say the solution is simple. Migrants should give up their turkish passport and take german citizenship. What role does it lay for me or for the society if i have german citizenship alongside turkish citizenship . The point must be that i fulfill my duties as a citizen, that i dont do wrong, and that i dont break the law. Gregs his hope is that he might one day be able to vote in local elections. That is a proposal being put forward by three opposition parties. It would be the first step toward more fairness and having his voice heard in how his hometown is run. You can find out much more about the german elections by going onto our website. Still to come, chile marks the anniversary of the countrys military coup. We talked to a survivor who took refuge in former communist east germany. Here are some other stories making the news. At least 33 people are dead and 55 wounded after a car bombing and Suicide Attack outside a mosque in a baghdad suburb. Officials say the devices were detonated as worshipers were leaving after evening prayers. More than 4000 have been killed in sectarian violence in a rack over the last four months alone. In iraq over the last four months alone. Dozens of bushfires in new south wales. Over 60 fires are burning. Cooler weather and lighter winds have helped contain some of them. The blazes that erupted on tuesday left at least six firefighters injured and one home destroyed. The European Commission has unveiled a plan to eliminate roaming charges for mobile phone users within the you. The proposal should within the eu. European Telecom Companies opposed the measures. As new york marks 12 years since the september 11 terrorist attacks, the date 9 11 is also a significant anniversary in chile. 17 years in power market ring of terror when thousands of people were tortured, killed, or went missing, especially those beauty as communist dissidents. Some managed to flee the country and took refuge in germany. We met up with one lady who still has very vivid memories of that time. She has started learning the piano. This is a song from 1941. 10 years after i was born. This is the 82yearolds new hobby. In 1970, she campaigned in the president ial election. She supported the vision of a socialist chile. After the coup, her communist Party Membership landed her in prison. On the fifth of october, 1973, half past two in the afternoon, soldiers arrested me and my parents house. They took me to the police station. I was tortured. That was common in those days. The attack on the president ial palace and subsequent overthrow of the government changed her life forever. Communist east germany offered asylum to many who were persecuted by the dictator. Marie antonia was one of them. When they arrived in east germany, she and her daughter stayed at the Albert Einstein house near berlin. Now, after nearly 40 years, she is revisiting her first german home. She came to east germany with the expectations, hoping to find the political system she had lost in chile. She is still grateful she was given asylum. I came to east germany as an immigrant. They brought us to the town. We got german lessons. They found jobs for us. Kindergarten. These photos take her back to her time as a Research Assistant at a berlin university. At t the 1980s, she try to get a job back in chile, but couldnt. I said to myself, i cannot go back to a country that has no jobs. How would i live . That was the reason why i decided not to go back. Maria antonia finds it sad that her country is still so divided today, as well as learning piano, she studies so she can help others who come to germany seeking asylum. Thanks for watching. Goodbye. Captioned by the National Captioning Institute www. Ncicap. Org