NETANYAHU TO WIN ISRAELI LIKUD PARTY

Israel Asks EU Assembly To Not Host UN Panel On Palestinians
AUG 13,07

BRUSSELS (AP)--Israel has asked the European Parliament not to provide space this month for a two-day U.N. panel meeting on the rights of Palestinians, saying the U.N. group co-hosting it has an anti-Israel record.Ran Curiel, the Israeli envoy to the European Union, wrote a letter last week to E.U. parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering asking him to prevent the planned Aug. 30-31 conference from taking place at the E.U. assembly's building in Brussels, Israeli officials said.They said Curiel also wrote to a few dozen E.U. parliamentarians to complain about the planned conference, which is to be held under the auspices of the U.N's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.Israel views the committee as a legacy of the 1975 U.N. General Assembly resolution - revoked in 1991 - that equated Zionism with racism.

Curiel called the parliament's decision to allow the conference lamentable and said the assembly had rejected a similar request for a meeting by the U.N. panel a few years ago because the committee has called for boycotts and sanctions against Israel.E.U. parliament officials weren't immediately available for comment.The committee, chaired by Senegal, has 22 members and 26 observers. Cyprus and Malta are the only members who are also E.U. member states, according to the U.N. Web site.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires - 08-13-071005ET - Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Trichet concerned over EU treaty change
13.08.2007 - 09:06 CET | By Honor Mahony

The European Central Bank (ECB) last week sent a letter asking member states to make sure that the bank's independence is maintained in a new EU treaty following a small but potentially significant change to the draft treaty outline.In a letter sent to the current Portuguese EU presidency published 9 August, ECB head Jean-Claude Trichet asked for specific changes that would guarantee that the bank has a special status, separate from other EU institutions such as the parliament and commission.

Because of its specific institutional features, the ECB needs to be differentiated from the union's institutions, said Mr Trichet in his letter sent to Manuel Lobo Atunes, Portuguese Europe minister.This special status was secured in the original draft EU constitution, which fell by the wayside after being rejected by French and Dutch voters two years ago.But the clause did not make it into the outline for a new EU treaty agreed by EU leaders before the summer and set to be finalised by the end of the year.Mr Trichet fears that if the current treaty outline remains the same, with the ECB listed along the commission and parliament as an institution, it will be subject to the same general rules as these institutions which work together and follow certain agreed goals and European values.

This could leave the bank legally open to pressure from EU leaders to follow certain more politcal goals.Maintaining the bank's independence has become more of a public battle ground since French president Nicolas Sarkozy came to power earlier this summer.Mr Sarkozy has made several comments indicating that he would like to curb the bank's independence by calling for greater political influence in monetary policy making.Mr Sarkozy has also repeatedly criticised the strength of the euro as well as what he sees as the bank's too strong emphasis on inflation. Late last month the bank publicly hit back at the French president. The President of the ECB repeats with gravity that any attempt to seek to influence... the ECB in the performance of its tasks' violates Article 108 of the EC Treaty and that therefore such declarations are not acceptable, said a spokesperson on behalf of Mr Trichet.

EU and US central banks consider currency swap
13.08.2007 - 09:21 CET | By Renata Goldirova

Amid fears that US mortgage market problems would prompt a worldwide credit crunch, the European Central Bank, ECB, is expected to continue pumping funds into the eurozone banking market today (13 August). According to the Financial Times, the Frankfurt-based institution may also seek to arrange a currency swap with the US Federal Reserve – a move allowing it to lend dollars to European banks struggling to meet short-term dollar funding needs.The attitude is don't show me anything east of a [New York] 212-area code. If you lend to [those banks], it could be a career-ending experience, one banker said, the FT reports.

An ECB request for a currency swap – reportedly due in the next few days – is seen as a helpful way of dealing with the market turmoil and is likely to be welcomed by the US Federal Reserve. A swap would be a market calming measure and would be logical in the current situation, Chris Furness from economics consultancy 4Cast told the FT. It would also be the first such arrangement between the world's two biggest central banks following the terrorist attacks in the US in 2001. Conditions in the money markets have been extremely difficult since last Thursday (9 August), when French Bank BNP Paribas suspended three investment funds worth two billion euros, citing problems in the US sub-prime mortgage sector. The complete evaporation of liquidity in certain market segments of the US securitization market has made it impossible to value certain assets fairly regardless of their quality or credit rating, BNP Paribas said in the statement.

Sub-prime mortgages are loans made to borrowers who would not usually qualify for the normal market interest rates, often due to a poor credit history.They are riskier both for the borrower and lender because of this combination of higher interest rates and weak credit history. New market conditions have prompted banks to seek ways to limit their risks and they have begun charging significantly more for the money they lend to each other.For their part, central banks worldwide have responded by injecting cash into the financial system. The ECB poured €61.05 billion into the eurozone money market on Friday (10 August) to assure orderly conditions in the euro money market.The US Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan and the Reserve Bank of Australia also injected cash into the system to ensure sufficient liquidity.

European stock markets were in positive territory across the board at the market opening Monday (13 August), in a tentative sign that swift Central Bank intervention has calmed investors' jitters. And the ECB said Monday morning it will continue to closely monitor developments in the market, in another bid to soothe market concerns.

Stargazers enjoy meteor spectacle AUG 13,07

Thousands of people in the northern hemisphere have witnessed a spectacular light show of shooting stars, known as the Perseid meteor shower. The annual event coincided with a new Moon, providing stargazers with the best viewing conditions for years. The shower lasts about two weeks, but reached its peak overnight on Sunday. It was most apparent in the north-east part of the sky near the Perseus constellation prime viewing locations were Western Europe and North America. Dr Robert Massey from the UK's Royal Astronomical Society said that as many as 100 meteors an hour would have been visible where the sky was clearest and darkest.

Tiny particles

The annual Perseid showers are caused by small bits of debris, many no bigger than a grain of sand, that enter the Earth's atmosphere when our orbit passes through the tail of the Swift-Tuttle comet.These particles travel at very high speeds, reaching up to 50km per second (32 miles per second), and burn up in the atmosphere.
This causes the air around them to get extremely hot, which produces the visible streak of light. David Hughes, professor of astronomy at the University of Sheffield said the particles typically burned up at 97 to 193km (60 to 120 miles) above the Earth's surface. The meteors were visible as streaks crossing the paths of stars
We should have been able to see these things - I'm sure - for millennia. The first record of these is about 1,000 years ago, Professor Hughes told the BBC. The Perseids were traditionally known as the tears of St Lawrence because they often appeared around the saint's feast day.

It's a spectacular phenomenon that everyone can enjoy. The great thing is that you don't need any equipment apart from your eyes, Dr Massey said. It's a laid back form of astronomy. You can go outside, look up at the sky and enjoy it.As an added bonus, watchers should have been able to see Mars, which was set to be in view as a bright red dot in the eastern sky after midnight.

Russia Upgrading Missile Defense System AUG 13,07

(RTTNews) - Russian President Vladimir Putin while on a visit to the new early-warning radar station at Lekhtusi near St Petersburg, announced a program to upgrade Russia's missile defense system. Putin said the Lekhtusi station was the first step in the major construction project up to the year 2015. The Lekhtusi station, about 50 km north of St Petersburg, replaces the Soviet Union's Skrunda radar station in Latvia, dismantled in 1998. The station was built in just 18 months and opened in December last year. Another such installation is being built at Armavir, southern Russia.Russia had objected to US plans for a US missile defense system in Eastern Europe, raising serious concerns to its security. Russia subsequently pulled out of the European military pact, warning that it would take measures to counter the U.S. plan. The US, however, insists the missile defense system program is aimed at countering threats from countries such as Iran and North Korea.

David's Comment: The Fire Brigade is Pouring Fuel on the Fire AUG 13,07

I don't claim to be a military expert, in fact I don 't claim to be any kind of expert, but at the same time I am not a blind man. And I am not one who hates the USA as do many in the UK & Europe ( not to mention the Muslims ) nor do I go out of my way to bash the US without good reason. BUT ........ last week's news should have come as instant revelation to anyone with even just half a brain, as to the true motives of the United States.Fire chief George W Bush and his fire station manageress, Condalessa Rice are going out of their way to put out the fire that has been burning here in the Middle East for 3000 plus years. Of course I am referring to the fiery conflict between the Muslims and the Jews. Hardly a day or press conference goes by at the Fire House in Washinton DC that fire chief Bush or his offsiders does not fly in the face of God Himself, and proclaim the future existence of a Palestinian State on Israel's land. Over the last 15 years, since the Oslo Peace Accords we have seen a succession of failed US peace plans - Olso, Tennent, Zinney, etc etc. On the surface it seems that the US is intent on bringing peace to the Middle East at any cost - to Israel, and in defiance of the Lord's plans and purposes for the region.

However this weeks news makes it very clear that the US does not really want peace - she wants to sell weapons. Not guns and bullets for the camel mounted Islamic hordes to attack Israel with, but the very latest super hi-tech jet fighter, missiles and associated 21st century military equipment. Surely I am not the only one who sees that pouring billions of dollars of such equipment into the midst of a 3000 year old family feud is not going to bring a lasting peace, but at some stage a horrifying war. How does supplying the very latest equipment that is only designed for war to both sides of an age old conflict contribute to establishing peace ?
On the contrary it can only encourage those who have them to use them. Who is the US State Department trying to kid. One doesnt have to be a professor to see that providing 15 billion dollars worth of weaponry to Egypt, 20 billion dollars worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, and 30 billion dollars worth of weaponry to Israel is nothing less than pouring fuel on the already burning fire.The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.

Shabbat Shalom ... David & Josie

This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
August 9, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,

Once again in the Middle East there is talk of peace negotiations. Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met earlier this week in Jericho as a prelude to a Middle East peace summit scheduled to take place this fall in the U.S. The aim is to create a Palestinian state that will not only recognize Israel's right to exist, but coexist peacefully with Israel and work alongside it for the betterment of the greater region.It is an immense challenge. Israel has proven her genuine desire for peace, and her willingness to make painful sacrifices for it. Her Arab neighbors have not, and this is the primary reason that previous efforts of the sort that will take place in the U.S. in the fall have not lead to lasting peace. There are many flashpoints for conflict in this part of the world - and here are some of the most prominent:

Syria continues its saber-rattling over the Golan Heights, the 450 square mile area in northeast Israel that is of critical importance to the security of the Jewish State. For nineteen years after the founding of Israel in 1948, Syria used the high elevations of the Golan as staging areas for attacks against Israel. During the 1967 Six Day War, Israel took control of the area, finally stopping the attacks. But Syria has never given up its claims to this relatively small plot of land. Last week, Syrian Prime Minister Bashir Assad declared that his country is determined to retrieve every grain of land in the Golan Heights, and went on to boast, We are stronger than we have been in the past. Syria is also reported to have established a military presence several miles within Lebanon's borders, and continues to transfer weapons from Iran to the Hezbollah terrorist group, as well as bid for control of Lebanon through tactics of assassination and its sponsorship of pro-Syria Lebanese politicians. While there is some difference of opinion about the possibility of Syria going to war with Israel, it is beyond dispute that the situation remains volatile.

Gaza has settled down a bit since Hamas' takeover in June, but it is hardly peaceful. Bloody clashes between Hamas and its rival Palestinian faction, Fatah, are still common. Rockets fired from the area still fall on Israeli cities like Sderot. And Hamas' propaganda campaign continues to teach hatred of Jews and Israel to children and solidify Palestinian opinion against Israel. One recent news story described a summer camp for Palestinian youth where Israel-hatred is a staple of the curriculum. A quote from one Palestinian boy tells the chilling story. Asked what he has learned, the boy replies, They do teach us about Palestine and the Jews who occupied it. Hamas officials are clear about their motives. These kids are Hamas' future army, one said in an interview. We sponsor their academic education in the Islamic University and thus we nurture a leadership and membership for the future. The future envisioned by Hamas obviously includes training more Palestinian children to dedicate themselves to the destruction of Israel - not raising a new generation of leaders who will work toward peaceful coexistence with the Jewish State.

The 13,000 United Nations troops charged with keeping the peace in southern Lebanon seem unable to fulfill their mandate of stopping the flow of weapons into the area. As a result, Hezbollah terrorists continue to rearm and regroup for another possible attack against Israel. In fact, the U.N.'s powerlessness is such that one news story told of U.N. member states seeking Hezbollah's protection for U.N. peacekeeping troops, who are under threat from Sunni Muslim and Al-Qaeda terrorists! The idea of U.N. troops being escorted on their patrols by Hezbollah for protection might be funny if it weren't so tragic - and if a rearmed Hezbollah did not pose such a dire threat to Israel.

It is impossible to discuss these issues without mentioning Iran, the proverbial wizard behind the curtain fueling so much of the instability and anti-Israel, anti-American propaganda and violence in this part of the world. Iranian president Ahmadinejad has not stopped his outrageous threats against Israel or America, and has shown that he will do everything in his power to arm and train Israel's enemies, funding terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon (as well as those fighting U.S. forces in Iraq), and forming a powerful alliance with Syria. The world community is divided on how best to deal with Iran's flouting of international laws prohibiting its development of nuclear weapons. One thing, however, is certain - it must be dealt with in some fashion.

In light of the tense situation in the Middle East, I ask you to please continue your support of Fellowship programs that contribute so much to the well-being and security of the Jewish State. And, please continue your prayers for the peace of Jerusalem, secure in the biblical assurance that, "The Lord … hears the prayer of the righteous" (Proverbs 15:29).

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Israel to Europe: Hamas-Fatah talks a huge mistake By Adam Entous
Tue Aug 14, 9:58 AM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Tuesday it would be a big mistake for the international community to try to bridge differences between Hamas Islamists and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was responding to calls from Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and British parliamentarians for dialogue with Hamas, whose fighters routed Fatah and seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.I know that it looks tempting and I know that the international community is eager to see a kind of an understanding between Hamas and Fatah, Livni told a news conference with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso.This is wrong. This is a mistake. Big mistake. Huge, Livni said, tapping the table for emphasis.

Israel and the United States have tried to isolate Hamas in Gaza while opening economic and political taps to support Abbas and his Western-backed government in the occupied West Bank.Livni said the international community's role was critical and any compromise with terror, any compromise with these extremists, can lead to undermining the new government in the Palestinian Authority.The idea is that now there is a chance in the dialogue between Israel and the new Palestinian government. We can reach something. It's there, Livni said.Steny Hoyer, the majority leader in the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives, emerged from a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad voicing confidence Fatah would not seek a new unity pact with Hamas.Mr. Fayyad made it very clear that Hamas could not be and would not be a partner in moving forward, Hoyer told reporters.

U.S. PRESSURE

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been under pressure from the Bush administration to take more concrete steps to bolster Abbas before a U.S.-sponsored conference on the long-stalled peace process expected to take place in November.The goal is an agreement on statehood principles.The idea is to reach the widest common denominator between Israel and the Palestinians, Livni said.To bolster Abbas, Olmert has started releasing frozen tax funds, freed some Palestinian prisoners and agreed to hold talks on fundamental issues for establishing a Palestinian state.During their meeting last week, Olmert assured Abbas he would begin to remove some of the roadblocks that restrict Palestinian travel in the West Bank, Palestinian officials said.But senior Abbas aide Saeb Erekat, who had expected to receive a roadblock removal plan from Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak this week, said: They told us they're not ready yet. I'm really disappointed.

Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Friday quoted Barak as saying that he would not carry out Olmert's roadblock plan. Barak was also quoted as dismissing as fantasies any talk of a peace deal with the Palestinians any time soon.Israel says its checkpoints and unmanned roadblocks, usually piles of rubble on roads linking towns or villages in the West Bank, help prevent attacks by militants. Palestinians call them collective punishment. Israel has promised to remove roadblocks in the past. Many of the promised changes were either never made or reversed.

Netanyahu set to be re-elected chief of Israel's Likud by Michael Blum
Tue Aug 14, 7:00 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel's former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to be re-elected on Tuesday as leader of Likud, the hawkish party topping opinion polls a year after its worst electoral defeat. Internal party opinion polls have given Netanyahu a massive lead in the party primary, with at least 70 percent of the vote in the race against Moshe Feiglin, backed by Likud's hardline religious current, and another little-known candidate, Danny Danon.Former foreign minister Silvan Shalom, the only candidate to threaten Netanyahu's leadership, refused last month to take part in the race after Netanyahu decided on the party primary date without consulting him.The biggest threat to Netanyahu in Tuesday's vote is turnout -- as it is taking place in the middle of summer vacation, many of the 100,000 registered members of Likud could stay away, observers say.A decent showing by Feiglin -- a religious hardliner -- could force Netanyahu to give him a senior leadership post, a move that could dent Likud's currently soaring ratings and hurt the party's chances for a comeback should early elections be held.To avoid that scenario, Netanyahu has appealed to Likud voters to cast ballots.Go out and vote as tonight starts the true race for leadership of the government, he said while casting his ballot in Jerusalem. I ask Likud voters to think about the future of the country.

Likud cannot become a marginal party, he said earlier. We don't want an inaccurate representation that suggests we advocate insubordination and messianic ideals.Party members were casting ballots from 0700 GMT until 2000 GMT on Tuesday, with the first unofficial results expected to be released around 2100 GMT.Although Netanyahu's grip on Israel's main right-wing opposition party was never in doubt, the primary was called because under Likud's charter, a new leadership vote must be held if the party loses national elections.During Israel's last parliamentary polls in March 2006, Likud suffered a stinging electoral defeat under Netanyahu's stewardship. It took only 12 seats in the 120-member parliament, the worst result since it won its first legislative election in 1977 and began to dominate national politics.The humiliating reversal came four months after Netanyahu was elected chairman to replace former premier Ariel Sharon, who quit to form the centrist Kadima that won the March poll.

But the fortunes of Likud and Netanyahu have turned around, as the ratings of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Kadima have slid in the wake of last year's inconclusive war in Lebanon and a string of scandals involving senior government officials.Today 57-year-old Bibi, as Netanyahu is known in Israel, is the public's first choice to be Israel's next prime minister -- 36 percent favoured him in a recent opinion poll, compared with eight percent for Olmert and 22 percent for former premier Ehud Barak.
The same poll showed that Likud would more than double its representation in the Knesset if new elections were held, winning 26 seats, more than any other party.

Many Feiglin supporters fear a Feiglin victory AUG 14,07
By Daniel Ben Simon

There were times during yesterday's Likud primary when it seemed that Moshe Feiglin was the only candidate for party chairman, rather than one of three. Benjamin Netanyahu has been depicted as the obvious leader and Danny Danon as a neophyte. Only Feiglin, head of the Likud's far-right Jewish Leadership faction, generated curiosity mingled with concern, not to say fear. Only Feiglin's photograph could be seen yesterday at the entrance to the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, where a polling station was located. Some of his hard-core supporters, mostly ultra-Orthodox or hilltop youth, wandered among the voters and urged them to vote for Feiglin. Not much of the old Likud is left. The largest political movement in Israel, which had 300,000 members at its peak, has become a small party. In Jerusalem, undisputed stronghold of the Likud and especially of Feiglin, the number of members dropped from 24,000 in the last elections to less than 8,000 this year. It is enough to see how many religious voters and settlers have moved over to the Likud to understand what has happened to the party over the past decade. Feiglin has gone from the margins of the party to center stage. The disengagement from Gaza two years ago, and its ramifications, gave Feiglin political power and brought many Likud members closer to his Jewish approach.

The kippa, the beard, the religious devotion, the Jewish identity, the return to Judaism's roots: These are the assets that Feiglin is marketing to his followers. Yesterday morning, before heading to the polls, he prayed near the Temple Mount, as a reminder of the source of his worldview. Feiglin is ideologically close to me because of his Jewish approach, said Rafi Bar-Chen, who used to serve as deputy director general of the party, though he added that he would not actually be voting for Feiglin. Indeed, several people who said that they support Feiglin ideologically are not sure they want him to be the Likud's leader. Feiglin is right, but I'm afraid of him, because I'm afraid of everything extreme, said Haim Frankel, who voted for Netanyahu so as to dwarf Feiglin's achievement at the polls. Another Feiglin supporter, David Lapid, said that he simultaneously wants and fears a Feiglin victory. Feiglin, he added, should be a spiritual leader. Some are upset that Feiglin had the temerity to run for Likud chairman in the first place. It kills me that an empty vessel like that dares run for the Likud leadership, said Shmuel Slavin, a former director general of the Finance Ministry. Who is he anyway? Slavin shouted at Feiglin supporters. What did he ever do in his life? Who is he anyway? A man of intellectual vapidity.

3rd SPP summit shrouded in secrecy
Bush to interrupt Texas vacation to join Mexican, Canadian leaders
August 13, 2007 - By Jerome R. Corsi - WorldNetDaily.com

President Bush will interrupt his summer vacation in Crawford, Texas, next week to attend the third summit meeting of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, or SPP, slated for Aug. 20 and 21 in Montebello, Quebec, at the five-star Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello resort. President Bush to join leaders of Mexico and Canada at the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello resort in Quebec next week for the third summit meeting of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America.
Bush will meet with Mexico's President Felipe Calderon and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the event. The meeting has been hidden in a cloud of secrecy until WND obtained from an Access to Information Act request a previously unreleased copy of a government report detailing agenda plans for the third SPP summit. According to WND reports, as many as 10,000 protesters are expected to be in Quebec to oppose the meeting. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's national police force, and the Sûreté du Québec, the state police, plan to maintain a 25-kilometer protest-free zone around the Montebello resort where the meeting is to be held.

WND has reported that a multinational business agenda is driving this upcoming SPP summit according to the heavily redacted document obtained from the Canadian government. The memo clearly states at center stage in the Montebello SPP summit will be recommendations by the North American Competitiveness Council, regarding promoting North American competitiveness for multinational corporations through integrating and armonizing regulations between Mexico, Canada and the U.S. The council, an executive group composed of 10 top multinational corporations from each of the three SPP countries, was constituted under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Commerce to provide guidance to the 20 SPP working groups of U.S., Mexican, and Canadian bureaucrats. WND has also reported that President Bush will discuss at the summit a plan to send U.S. military assistance to Mexico to assist Mexico's military and civilian law enforcement agencies to combat Mexican narco-criminals and drug lords. The leaders at the end of their summit are expected to make a statement on U.S. military aid to Mexico, provided their discussions have reached a point of agreement and conclusion.

At issue are questions of how the U.S. military can limit involvement to equipment and training, and how U.S. and Mexican officials can be certain the corruption common to Mexico's drug war does not subvert their effort or provide sophisticated equipment and technology that ends up in the hands of the drug kingpins. WND has also reported the Montebello SPP summit will create a coordinating body to prepare for the North American response to an outbreak of avian or pandemic influenza. The three leaders also plan to create a coordinating body on emergency management similar to that set up for avian or pandemic flu. WND previously reported on National Security Presidential Directive No. 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive No. 20, which allocate to the office of the president the authority to direct all levels of government in any event the president declares to be a national emergency. WND also has previously reported that under SPP, the military of the U.S. and Canada are turning USNORTHCOM and Canada Command into domestic military command structures, with authority extending to Mexico, even though Mexico has not formally joined with the current U.S. – Canadian USNORTHCOM/Canada Command structure.

WND has also learned the Montebello SPP summit will include discussion of a proposal to provide U.S. military assistance to the government of Mexico to help Mexico's military combat narco-trafficking in Mexico. The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was declared at the first trilateral meeting held at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, on March 23, 2005. The second SPP summit meeting was held by President Bush, Mexico's President Vicente Fox and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancún Hotel in Cancún, Mexico, on March 31, 2006. The SPP website, maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce, lists a 2005 Report to Leaders dated June 2005 and a 2006 Report to Leaders dated August 2006, which document over 250 memoranda of understanding and other agreements that have been signed by the SPP working groups. Most of these SPP memoranda of understanding and other agreements cannot be found on the SPP website or elsewhere on the Internet published in their entirety. No comparable 2007 Report to Leaders has yet been published on the SPP website. WND has applied for press credentials to attend the Montebello SPP summit to report on the proceedings.

Africa: Continent to Sign EU Market-Access Pact First AUG 14,07
Posted to the web 14 August 2007 - Julius Barigaba - Nairobi

With barely five months to the expiry of the current trade arrangement between the European Union and Africa, Pacific and Caribbean countries, the East and Southern Africa region will sign only parts of the new trade pact, the Economic Partnership Agreement.The current rules, contained in the EU-ACP Cotonou Agreement, which was signed in 2000, gave preferential market access to the EU to 77 ACP countries.The agreement, which governs trade and development co-operation between the two blocs, expires in December.However, the ESA region has agreed to prioritise negotiations on market access and development to meet the December deadline.The grouping will sign pacts on the two issues and push negotiations on the other EPA issues beyond December.

We are prioritising market access in order to be WTO-compatible. If we sign on market access we will then maintain our preferential access to EU markets, said Emma Mutahunga, a trade policy analyst in Uganda's Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry.The EPA has six areas of concern that are being negotiated - market access, development, fisheries, trade in services, trade related issues and agriculture. Signing part of the EPA clusters is a strategy that the ESA group adopted at a regional negotiation forum in Port Louis, Mauritius, from August 3-5.The strategy will enable the region to maintain its preferential access to the EU markets and, at the same time, remain compatible with World Trade Organisation rules, which require all countries to open up their markets.This means that the next two forums of regional trade experts, as well as the ESA-EC ministerial meeting, will devote more discussion to market access, while the other pending clusters will be put on hold.

According to Mutahunga, once the region wraps up the deal for market access and development, it will then seek to negotiate the remaining clusters in 2008, since they do not impact on WTO rules.At next ESA-EU meeting in September the region is expected to table its strategy to focus the talks on market access, but this could also be a tenable proposition for the EU.Already, the EU has planned a proposal for duty-free quota-free market access for the ESA group, according to Peter Thompson, trade director at the EU Secretariat.The EU wants countries in the region to respond to this proposal before the end of 2007.On market access for goods, the EU has an offer on the table. We have had indications from ESA on their approach, but have yet to see the details. It is something on which we must move forward quickly, said Mr Thompson.Uganda and 15 other countries from the ESA are negotiating the trade agreement with Europe and have two more regional meetings in which to wrap up the negotiations.The negotiations started in 2004; they have to be concluded and the respective blocs have to sign the deal by December 31, or the ESA will lose European market access.

Mr Thompson says the African countries have had the offer since April, to be effective from the date of signing the agreement, with a transition period for sugar and rice, which ends in 2015 and 2010 respectively.The African countries are expected to gradually open their markets for EU products with a phased removal of tariffs. Uganda currently exports products worth about $380 million to Europe annually.But for the signing to take place, Africans say the EU must commit more development resources to the region to enable it to address production, infrastructure and marketing constraints. This is one of the issues that will dominate the remaining rounds of negotiations.During the February ESA-EU ministerial meeting in Brussels, the conclusions on financing adjustment costs such as loss of revenue pointed to the need for the EU to provide 2 billion euros ($2.8 billion) by 2010.These funds are to be available before the EPAs are signed, the Brussels meeting noted.