IRAN - RUSSIA - MIDEAST NEWS TODAY

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Tornado search ends with toll at 10. 3-The Nation's Weather. 4-Progress seen in Iran-EU nuclear talks. 5-Russia Launches First of 8 New Nuclear Subs. 6-Putin says foreigners meddling in Russia. 7-Rice says missiles no threat to Russia. 8-Abbas group rejoices over U.S. deaths in Iraq. 9-MK Shteinitz: Egypt May Be Planning a Pan-Arab Attack. 10-Barroso organising mini-summit on EU constitution.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Thu Apr 26 9:49 AM EDT

APR 26,07
MAP 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.6 ATACAMA, CHILE
MAP 5.1 MASBATE REGION, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.1 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.6 MAUI REGION, HAWAII
MAP 5.0 VANUATU REGION
MAP 5.4 VANUATU REGION
MAP 4.8 COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 3.6 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 4.9 NEAR THE SOUTH COAST OF MYANMAR
MAP 4.5 SOUTHERN IRAN
MAP 4.5 SOUTHERN IRAN
MAP 5.1 SHIKOKU, JAPAN

APR 25,07
MAP 3.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 6.3 VANUATU
MAP 4.9 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.5 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 4.0 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.2 SOUTHERN IRAN
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 VANUATU
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.0 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Tornado search ends with toll at 10 By MICHELLE ROBERTS
Thu Apr 26, 4:08 AM ET

EAGLE PASS, Texas - Ricardo Tijerina saw the sky darken and expected a typical spring storm to roll in. I saw some clouds, but I never imagined it was going to be that bad, said Tijerina, who suddenly found himself riding out a series of tornadoes Tuesday night with his six children huddled under beds. At least 10 people were killed in both this community and Piedras Negras, a town on the other side of the Mexican border.

The storm killed two other people in Louisiana and Arkansas.

Neither Eagle Pass nor Piedras Negras had a siren warning system like those that helped people evacuate ahead of the same storm when it flooded streets and peeled roofs off homes in North Texas. No injuries were reported there.After the tornado passed, neighbors poured into Eagle Pass' darkened streets, checking for anyone who needed help, said Eglanteina Alamillo, 20. You could hear everyone was walking around and helping people get out of the trailers, she said.The twisters cut a 4-square-mile swath through the rural community southeast of this city of 26,000 about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio. Two empty elementary schools, a church, business and homes were destroyed, some cut open like dollhouses.Maverick County Judge Jose Aranda said all residents on the Texas side of the border were accounted for, but that 50 to 200 families were left homeless.A family of five a girl, her parents and two other relatives was killed in Eagle Pass when the winds blew their mobile home across the street and into Rosita Valley Elementary School.

It was a whole family, and they were all together, probably like they were huddling, said police Officer Ezekiel Navjas, who arrived Tuesday night just as crews were pulling from the wreckage the body of the girl, believed to be about 5 years old.Gov. Rick Perry, who arrived for a tour Wednesday, said he was pleased with officials' response. The state has asked the federal government for quick assistance and a disaster declaration, which would entitle it to federal aid.It is stunning, the devastation, he said.

Across the Rio Grande, three people were killed and 300 homes were damaged in Piedras Negras. About 1,000 people sought refuge in shelters.The toll in Texas also included one person found in a house, and another died after being taken to a San Antonio hospital, authorities said. More than 80 others were injured, and at least four remained in critical condition Wednesday.Lightning was blamed for a death Wednesday as the huge weather system plowed through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. The bolt started a fire near Shreveport, La., that killed a 101-year-old man, authorities and the man's family said.A 12th person died in Arkansas when high winds swamped a boat on a lake, officials said.

The sprawling front also spun off tornadoes Tuesday in Oklahoma and Colorado, caused flooding in Iowa and Nebraska and piled snow more than a foot deep in the Rockies.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Thu Apr 26, 5:15 AM ET

A low-pressure system is expected to continue moving through the Plains and into the Ohio Valley before pressing toward the Great Lakes on Thursday, bringing precipitation northward ahead of the storm's cold front. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected east of the Mississippi Valley. There is also a slight chance of severe weather in portions of the Southeast due to these thunderstorms.Light to moderate rain is likely in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region. Rain is also likely in the Northeast.Rain is expected in areas from the Rockies to the Plains. Washington is also expected to get light rain.

Temperatures are expected to be in the 50s and 60s in the Northeast and to reach into the 80s in the Southeast. In the upper Midwest, they are expected to rise into the 60s, and in the Southwest, temperatures could reach the 90s and triple digits.Temperatures in the lower 48 states Wednesday ranged from a low of 20 degrees at Greer, Ariz., to a high of 100 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.

Progress seen in Iran-EU nuclear talks By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer Wed Apr 25, 6:53 PM ET

ANKARA, Turkey - Senior Iranian and Western envoys signaled Wednesday that they may have made progress in trying to break a deadlock over Tehran's defiance of a U.N. demand to suspend uranium enrichment, saying they planned to meet again in two weeks. In announcing the additional talks, neither European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana nor Ali Larijani, Iran's top international negotiator, revealed details of their two meetings Wednesday, including a previously unscheduled dinner session.But an official based in a European capital said the two touched on having discussions of what would constitute a suspension. A more flexible definition of a freeze acceptable to both sides is the key issue, said the official, who was briefed on the day's talks.

There was also mention of a double time out a simultaneous freeze of Iranian atomic activities in exchange for a commitment not to impose new U.N. sanctions, said the official, who agreed to tell The Associated Press about the private talks only if not quoted by name.Both Solana and Larijani were upbeat after their meetings.We will have some talks tomorrow and in two weeks, Larijani told reporters. He described the discussions as pleasant.Solana spoke of a very constructive dinner, adding that talks will continue tomorrow and in the coming weeks also.Government officials outside Turkey had told AP before the meeting in Ankara that the six powers negotiating with Iran the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany might be willing to allow Iran to keep some of its uranium enrichment program intact, instead of demanding it be dismantled.

But all emphasized the meeting was preliminary and meant only to establish if there was enough common ground for further talks that could lead to the resumption of formal negotiations.The double time out concept is supported by the chief of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, and is part of a confidential document shared Wednesday with AP.The one-page document, based on a Swiss initiative, proposes that during such a double-moratorium Iran will not develop any further its enrichment activities and the six powers will not introduce any additional U.N. resolutions and sanctions.Diplomats said the document was opposed by the United States, Britain and France, but said it could nonetheless serve as the basis of a later agreement leading to formal negotiations.Solana was expected to brief Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice next week, when he attends an EU-U.S. summit in Washington, as well as the foreign ministers of the other five powers.

They, in turn, were likely to set ground rules for his next meeting with Larijani.Iran says it is running more than 1,300 centrifuge machines to enrich uranium at its underground facility at Natanz. Its ultimate goal is to have 50,000 centrifuges. That would be enough to supply fuel for what Tehran says is a planned network of atomic reactors to generate electricity or material for a full-scale nuclear weapons program.The U.S. might accept allowing a limited number of centrifuges to remain assembled in series, but not running, one diplomat said. Iran, he said, would likely push for keeping the machines operating, although perhaps not producing enriched uranium.

The six powers also want to reduce the number of hooked-up centrifuges to less than 1,000.The officials who talked with AP some of them diplomats, others government officials based in their capitals are familiar with the discussions on Iran or specialize in nuclear nonproliferation. All insisted on speaking anonymously because the talks are sensitive. With agreement to strive for a new definition of enrichment, Larijani and Solana may be able to sidestep the issue that for months has thwarted the resumption of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, the officials said. Iran's defiance of a U.N. Security Council demand to suspend all activities linked to enrichment has led to two sets of sanctions against the country.

Iran argues the sanctions are illegal, saying it has the right to enrich uranium for use in power-generating reactors under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Iranian officials say that is the only purpose of the program, disputing suspicions they are trying to develop atomic bombs. But the United States and others say Iran's past suspicious nuclear activities, including a program that Tehran kept secret for nearly two decades, set the country apart from others that have signed the treaty.
September talks between Solana and Larijani foundered over the same issue. Solana demanded Iran dismantle not only its fledging enrichment efforts but all linked aspects, including assembling centrifuges for enrichment and facilities to house such plants. Iran refused. Earlier negotiations last year between Iran and the three European powers broke down when Iran refused to suspend enrichment in exchange for a package of economic and political inducements, including help in developing a peaceful nuclear program.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA,
MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO
MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

JOEL 2:20,30
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Russia Launches First of 8 New Nuclear Subs
By NABI ABDULLAEV, MOSCOW APR 25,07

Russia launched its long-awaited new-generation Borei-class submarine, the Yuri Dolgoruky, on April 15, its first new nuclear sub produced since the fall of the Soviet Union. Military officials said seven additional Borei-class (Project 955) submarines are expected to be built in the next decade. The subs will be the core of Russia’s naval strategic missile forces, yet the Bulava intercontinental ballistic
missiles (ICBMs) they are supposed to carry are nowhere near ready for production, let alone deployment.For the first time in 17 years, we are launching such a vessel, Sergei Ivanov, first deputy prime minister in charge of technology, said during a ceremony at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk.

In essence, this is the first Russian nuclear submarine.

The Yuri Dolgoruky was moved April 15 from the Sevmash building berth to a dock at the Severodvinsk submarine base, where construction and testing will continue until it is commissioned in 2008, Adm. Vladimir Masorin, Navy commander, told journalists. The process of building eight Borei-class submarines, expected to be commissioned by 2017, is designed in such a way that beginning from 2008, they should be commissioned by the Navy with minimal intervals, he said.

The Dolgoruky’s crew, under the command of Capt. First Rank Konstantin Mitkin, already has undergone training at the Obninsk center outside Moscow.It took 11 years to build the first submarine due to funding problems. High oil prices that helped to boost the Russian economy in the past several years finally allowed work to accelerate on the Dolgoruky and two other Borei subs under construction.

According to the Kremlin’s Web site, Ivanov on April 16 told President Vladimir Putin that the Dolgoruky is 85 percent completed, and that the second Borei, the Alexander Nevsky, is 50 percent built. The Nevsky is to be commissioned in 2009. Last spring, a keel was laid for the third vessel, the Vladimir Monomakh. All the submarines are named after ancient Russian princes.Putin called the Dolgoruky’s launch an important ... event for our armed forces and the entire nation. Putin often stresses in his speeches that Russia’s nuclear arsenals protect the country’s sovereignty and deter foreign meddling in Russian affairs.The Dolgoruky, 170 meters long and 13.5 meters wide, will be capable of descending to a depth of 450 meters and carrying 107 sailors for 100 days without surfacing. The Interfax news agency, citing unnamed defense officials, reported April 15 that it cost 23 billion rubles ($900 million) to build it.

ICBM Woes

Each Borei submarine is designed to carry 12 Bulava (SS-NX-30) ICBMs, a naval analog of the Topol (SS-27) land-based missile used by the Russian strategic missile forces. Bulava missiles are expected to have an 8,000-kilometer range and carry up to 10 nuclear warheads with individual targeting.But in four of five test launches since September 2005, the Bulavas veered off their trajectories and exploded shortly after takeoff.Masorin told journalists in Severodvinsk the next test launch will be in June.After the latest failed test in December, Anatoly Perminov, head of the Federal Space Agency that oversees work on the missile, told journalists that 12 to 14 test launches will be required before the Bulava is commissioned by the military. This may take three years, given that only two to three missiles are produced each year.

The military’s launch of the Dolgoruky will put more pressure on the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technologies, which designed the Bulava and Topol, to accelerate work on the ICBM to get it ready for deployment, said Ivan Safran-chuk, an analyst at the Moscow branch of the Center for Defense Information, a U.S. think tank.The military just will have no choice, no one will refit the submarine’s launch shafts when it is on the water, he said, referring to the fact that the Dolgoruky already has been refitted once to carry Bulavas. It was initially designed to carry R-39 Bark (SS-N-20 Sturgeon) missiles.Safranchuk and Mikhail Barabanov, a naval analyst with the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a think tank here, agreed that it will be years before the Dolgoruky’s systems are fully operational and fine-tuned.

The reason, Safranchuk said, is that production cycles were hectic over the years as the submarine was built, with teams of technicians and engineers changing and working on and off because of the unsteady financing.Russia’s nuclear sub fleet is second only to the U.S. fleet in size. According to the Center for Arms Control Studies, another think tank here, the Russian Navy included 12 strategic nuclear subs as of July 2006. They carried 180 sea-launched ballistic missiles that can deliver 636 warheads. The vessels are deployed only with the Northern Fleet in the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Fleet. E-mail: nabdullaev@defensenews.com.

Putin says foreigners meddling in Russia By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer APR 26,07

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin charged Thursday that foreigners seeking to thwart Russia's resurgence are increasingly interfering in its affairs. He also declared in his state-of-the-nation address that he will not seek a third term, but refused to suggest a successor and said nothing to quell speculation that he seeks to remain in power behind the scenes.Putin's second term in office ends in 2008, and he is constitutionally barred from running for a third. While many observers have suggested he would try to stay in office, Putin again dismissed the idea.The next state of the nation address will be given by another head of state, he said.He acknowledged expectations that he would take advantage of his speech to reveal his choice for a successor, then drew a laugh by saying it is premature for me to declare a political will.Russia enters a high-stakes political season this year with
parliamentary elections in December, followed by presidential elections in March. Russian officials in recent months have complained that Western countries are trying to meddle in the political process by funding pro-democracy organizations, and Putin echoed those allegations.There is a growth in the flow of money from abroad for direct interference in our internal affairs, Putin said in his address, delivered to members of both houses or parliament.

There are those who, skillfully using pseudo-democratic rhetoric, would like to return to the recent past some to loot the country's national riches, to rob the people and the state; others to strip us of economic and political independence, Putin said.Putin did not cite specific countries as sources of the funding. The Russian Foreign Ministry this month complained extensively about U.S. funding of
democracy-promoting organizations in Russia.Officials contend that such funding aims to provoke mass opposition protests such as those that helped propel pro-Western leaders into power in neighboring Georgia and Ukraine in recent years.Police harshly cracked down on a series of opposition protest marches this year, beating some demonstrators and detaining hundreds.Opposition forces charge that Putin is strangling democracy through an array of measures to centralize power and increase the influence of large political parties such as his allied United Russia party, which dominates the Russian parliament.

This year's parliamentary elections will see seats distributed entirely on a party-list basis, eliminating the opportunity for small parties to win seats through strong local support in particular districts a change that critics say is among the measures to smother opposition.But Putin, in his speech, said it was part of a revolutionary step modernizing the elections system ... (it will) help the opposition widen its representation.The death Monday of Putin's predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, drew new attention to complaints that Putin is heading the country away from democracy. Yeltsin, as Russia's first post-Soviet leader, worked changes that encouraged pluralism and nudged the country toward democracy.But Putin clearly aimed to portray himself as the curator of Yeltsin's legacy. He began the speech by calling for deputies to stand in silence in memory of Yeltsin and later called for a national library to be established in his name.Putin also praised the development of Russia's economy, which has soared during his presidency, driven largely by high world oil prices. But he called for more of the country's revenues to be applied to improving the lives of its citizens, many of whom have been left behind in the boom and find themselves with insufficient pensions and unable to afford to move out of deteriorating Soviet housing.He proposed a $10 billion fund to repair housing and resettle residents, saying: It is inadmissible for a country with such reserves accumulated from its oil and gas revenues to be at peace with the fact that millions of its citizens live in Khrushchev-era housing.

So-called Khrushchevki are hastily built blocks of cramped apartments that are among Russia's most widely despised housing. Putin also called for initiating a program under which the government would match every 1,000 rubles, or $40, that citizens put into private pension plans.

Rice says missiles no threat to Russia By PAUL AMES, Associated Press Writer APR 26,07

OSLO, Norway - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday dismissed as ludicrous Russian concerns that Washington's plans to deploy anti-missile defenses in Europe would endanger Moscow's nuclear arsenal. A flurry of high-level talks in recent weeks has failed to soften Russia's public opposition to the U.S. plan to install radar scanners in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland.Washington says the deployment is aimed at protecting Europe and North America from a growing threat of missile strike by North Korea, Iran or others in the Middle East. Moscow says those countries do not pose an immediate threat, and claims the U.S. plan aims to target Russia's strategic missile arsenal.Let's be real about this and realistic about this.

The idea that somehow 10 interceptors and a few radars in Eastern Europe are going to threaten the Soviet strategic deterrent is purely ludicrous and everybody knows it, Rice told reporters ahead of NATO talks with Russia's foreign minister.

The Russians have thousands of warheads. The idea that you can somehow stop the Russian strategic nuclear deterrent with a few interceptors just doesn't make sense.The missile debate was expected to dominate two days of talks among NATO foreign ministers, who also will focus on efforts to back up the alliance's military mission in Afghanistan, and a split between Russia and Western powers over the future of Kosovo.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will join the talks after an opening session among the 26 NATO allies.

Rice said the U.S. would continue efforts to demystify the plan for the Russians by pushing an offer to cooperate with Moscow by sharing data and technology. She insisted that Russia, Europe and the United States shared a common threat from the risk of Iran developing long-range ballistic missiles.We are very happy to continue this dialogue, but we have to continue it on the basis of a realist assessment of what we are proposing, not one that is grounded somehow in the 80s, she told a brief news conference with her Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Stoere.Russian officials and generals have revived Cold War language in criticizing the American plan, threatening to target the installations in Eastern Europe. The rhetoric has unnerved some in Western Europe, who fear the negative impact on relations with the Kremlin may outweigh any benefits of the missile shield.

Stoere said he needed to hear more from the Americans. I remain to be convinced about the nature of the threats and the way to respond to them, he told reporters after his meeting with Rice.However, NATO diplomats said there was growing support for the U.S. plans among European governments.

Ministers should get a report on Iran's nuclear stance from EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, after his talks with Iran's chief negotiator, Ali Larijani. The two met Wednesday and planned more discussions Thursday aimed at breaking the deadlock over Tehran's defiance of a U.N. demand for a freeze on uranium enrichment.

If Iran complies, Rice said the White House is prepared to reverse 27 years of American policy and sit down face-to-face with the Iranians, with our allies, to talk about how Iran can have civil nuclear power.On Afghanistan, Rice is likely to restate U.S. concerns about the refusal of some NATO allies to send troops to the frontline provinces in the south, where Canadian, British and U.S. troops are leading the fight against the Taliban. NATO ministers are expected to discuss plans to back up the military campaign with more political and economic support to the Afghan government.

Western allies are likely to press Lavrov to support a U.N. plan that would grant independence to Kosovo under international supervision. Russia has backed Serbia's opposition to the plan and has threatened to veto the plan. NATO fears that could leave its 17,000 peacekeepers facing the potentially violent consequences of a unilateral declaration of independence by the territory's Albanian majority. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Doug Mellgren contributed to this report.

Abbas group rejoices over U.S. deaths in Iraq 9 American dogs killed in bombing proves the collapse of the big empire is near April 26, 2007 - By Aaron Klein - WorldNetDaily.com

Mahmoud Abbas

JERUSALEM – Members of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah militias are celebrating a suicide car bombing that killed nine U.S. soldiers in Iraq earlier this week, stating the attack bolsters their belief the U.S. will soon be defeated and retreat from Muslim lands.It was a very happy day for us Palestinians to hear nine American dogs were killed in Iraq.

We feel encouraged and we feel great solidarity with our brothers in Iraq, and we consider this heroic operation, which aims to humiliate the Americans, as proof that the will of the our resistance is more powerful than any [big] American war airplanes, Abu Ahmed, the northern Gaza commander of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, said in a WND interview today. The Brigades is the declared military wing of Abbas' U.S.-backed Fatah party, which American policy largely considers moderate. Abu Ahmed was responding to news Monday of a suicide car bomber that struck a patrol base northeast of Baghdad, killing nine U.S. soldiers and wounding 20. It was one of the deadliest attacks against American ground forces since the Iraq war started more than four years ago.

The Iraqi people, with the help of the mujahedeen fighters all over the world, are teaching the American dogs a huge lesson that will serve for generations for anybody who will dare attack lands of Muslims, Abu Ahmed said. Iraq will be the beginning of the collapse of the American empire.

The Palestinian terror leader said he believes the U.S. will soon withdraw from Iraq, and he labeled any retreat a victory for resistance.Bush is speaking about bringing more soldiers to Iraq as a way to hide his crisis, but by the end of the day the Americans don't support the occupation and Bush will give up the conflict, which is judged from Allah to fail, he said. This is the era of resistance. Bush is staying [in Iraq] now only because Cheney and the Israelis are pressing on him.Abu Ahmed said Palestinians are learning from the Iraq insurgency for their own war against Israel. The coming victory in Iraq proves the next step is to release Palestine if we speak in one voice, he said. We the Palestinians are learning both on the political and military level from our brothers, the heroes in Iraq. They are a model for us. We can be inspired from them because the challenge the Americans are putting in the Green Zone is similar to the challenge the Zionists are putting on us. Andin spite of Israeli pilotless drones, we are succeeding to shoot rockets and winning.

Asked if his group or other Palestinian organizations received help from Iraqi insurgent elements, Abu Ahmed replied, Thanks to Allah the Palestinian people have enough fighting capacity and don't need outside help, but it is our full right to get assistance from anyone for our fight against Israel.

The Palestinian revolution throughout history witnessed participation of different nationalities, but for the moment we don't need help.The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades has taken responsibility together with the Islamic Jihad terror group for every suicide bombing in Israel the past two years. The Brigades recently carried out scores of shootings and rocket attacks against Jewish population centers. The U.S. regularly provides weapons and funds to Fatah militias. Congress earlier this month approved a $59 million aid package to bolster Fatah forces. Many members of the Fatah militias, including dozens recently arrested by Israel, are openly members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Abbas last June appointed senior Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader Mahmoud Damra as commander of Force 17, Fatah's presidential guard units, which are trained by America. Damra, who was arrested by Israel in November, was on the Jewish state's most-wanted list of terrorists. This past January, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the Al Aqsa Brigades members firing the missiles from Gaza are not affiliated with Fatah and don't take orders from Abbas. She said the militants are directed by the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

But in a WND interview following the spokeman's remarks, Abu Ahmed said his group, including the militants launching rockets, is loyal to Abbas and coordinates resistance operations with the Fatah party. The Al Aqsa Brigades is the military wing of the Fatah and the President Abu Mazen (Abbas) is the chairman of the movement, Abu Ahmed said.

We are committed to our leadership, to Abu Mazen. All our activity is in accordance with the political line of Fatah, which consists of fighting the occupation until the creation of a Palestinian state. The rocket-shooting is part of this vision.Most rockets fired recently from Gaza have been launched from the northern part of the territory, which falls within Abu Ahmed's jurisdiction in the Brigades. Asked why Abbas distances himself from Al Aqsa's rocket firing, Abu Ahmed told WND, Listen, we are aware of our president's (Abbas') declarations, but we are also aware of the international political system that brings the president to adopt this position.

MK Shteinitz: Egypt May Be Planning a Pan-Arab Attack
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (INN) APR 26,07

Even as an Egyptian delegation has brought a supposed ceasefire offer from Palestinian Authority terrorist factions to Israeli officials, Knesset Member Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) warns that Egypt's strategy is to drain IDF energy and resources by quietly promoting The Likud MK claimed that Egypt is cooperating with Syria and Iran.continued fighting with PA terrorists. In fact, Shteinitz warns, it is not unreasonable to assume that Egypt is planning for another pan-Arab attack on the Jewish State.

According to the message conveyed to Israel on Thursday by an Egyptian delegation of military officials, which met with terrorist leaders in Gaza, the armed PA factions would agree to a new calm (tahadeya) provided Israel cease all counter-terrorist activities in PA-controlled territories in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The supposed offer from PA terrorist groups comes in the wake of intimations by Israeli officials that a large IDF operation in Gaza is in the offing. No PA faction has publicly admitted to agreeing to the Egyptian formula and there has been a steep increase in rocket attacks on Jewish towns in the Negev in recent days.

One of the Egyptian envoys, Burhan Hammad, informed the Israelis of the new commitment by the [PA] factions and at same time stressed that factions demanded the calm be reciprocal and simultaneous, according to a source quoted by Reuters. MK Shteinitz, a former head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said Wednesday that the covert Egyptian strategy is to facilitate continued fighting between Israel and PA-based Arab terrorists.

To that end, Shteinitz charged, Egyptian forces are allowing continued smuggling of weapons and men from Sinai into Gaza. Egypt is not afraid of an Arab terrorist entity in Gaza, Shteinitz explained, which Egyptian leaders believe will serve to weaken the IDF. The Likud MK further claimed that Egypt is cooperating with Syria and Iran in an anti-Israel coalition. Furthermore, Shteinitz did not reject the possibility that Egypt is The covert Egyptian strategy is to facilitate continued fighting between Israel and PA-based Arab terrorists.currently planning a pan-Arab attack against Israel. The possibility is particularly worrisome due to the weakness of the current government, he said, which he believes is the weakest government in 30 years.

In an interview with Arutz-7 on Wednesday, MK Shteinitz said that Israel must ignore pleas for a ceasefire from the PA and launch a large-scale defensive operation in Gaza, similar to Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.

He called on the government to return the security situation to what it was before the Oslo Accord agreements by expelling the terrorist leadership of the PA from the country and retaking control of all areas of Judea and Samaria. Any planned Israeli operation, MK Shteinitz emphasized, must also target senior Hamas officials, such as Ismail Haniyeh, despite their inclusion in the PA government. As an example, he noted, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon isolated Fatah terrorist and former PA leader Yasser Arafat in his Mukata compound, and even considered expelling him from the country.

Barroso organising mini-summit on EU constitution
25.04.2007 - 11:05 CET | By Honor Mahony and Mark Beunderman

EUOBSERVER BRUSSELS/European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso is in the
process of organising a mini-summit brainstorming on a new-look EU constitution with the aim of giving momentum to the ongoing talks on the future treaty.The informal meeting is to take place next month, soon after the second round of the French elections with 12-13 May being slated as the date.Exactly who will be coming remains unclear, with only a select number of EU leaders expected to be invited.Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reports that Dutch leader Jan Peter Balkenende has already been invited and that German chancellor Angela Merkel and Portuguese prime minister Jose Socrates are also set to attend.Sources have told EUobserver the upcoming EU presidencies until 2009 the end of Mr Barroso's current mandate have been invited.

The next EU presidency is Portugual in the second half of this year, followed by Slovenia, France and the Czech Republic. Sweden, who has the presidency in the second half of 2009, has reportedly also been invited as has Poland and the UK, with Mr Blair already having accepted to go.

Meanwhile, Finland, Belgium and Ireland are not invited.European Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger told this website that Mr Barroso is keen to inject momentum into the talks.Mr Laitenberger played down the significance of the meeting, which is supposed to take place in Sintra in Portugal.[Mr Barroso] is preparing a brainstorming session with a few personalities, he said, adding that the president is engaged in a series of informal contacts and has discussions in different settings with a whole range of people.

France?

But the meeting is bound to take on political significance coming just weeks before the June summit, where all EU leaders are supposed to sign up to a time plan and a skeletal outline for the a new institutional settlement.

It remains unclear whether France will be present with a French diplomat saying it is constitutionally inconceivable that a newly elected president attends such a meeting before being sworn in something that will not take place until after the Barroso gathering.If the new French president does attend the elections are on 6 May it will be the first time that France sits round an EU table with a leader that will have to take a position on the future treaty since French voters rejected the constitution two years ago. The constitutional question has largely been left on ice since then, with Brussels waiting for elections in both France and the Netherlands who also voted no to the draft EU charter in mid-2005. The recently-formed Dutch government has in the meantime started indicating what it wants in the new document saying that a starting point should be the current Treaty of Nice and that any constitutional elements should be dropped.The UK's Tony Blair has shown support for the Dutch view, with most leaders in EU countries with eurosceptical popular sentiment now keen to see a pared-down document that will not have to be put to a referendum.In this respect, whether Mr Sarkozy or Ms Royal wins the election will be crucial to the treaty talks. The latter has promised a referendum on the new treaty, while Mr Sarkozy falls more into the same referendum-avoiding camp as London and The Hague.For its part, the European Commission and its president support the principles, values and substance of the draft constitution, but recognise that the text as is, is not going to enter into force.The commission has also said it will organise more such meetings, probably next year, and that they will cover a range of issues to do with the future of the EU.