BUSHES SCHEDUALE IN MIDEAST

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.

Three quakes off B.C. coast; no tsunami warning, or damage or injury reports JAN 5,08

VANCOUVER - A trio of moderate to powerful earthquakes struck early Saturday off the B.C. coast, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.Guy Urban at the Alaska and Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a moderate quake of magnitude 5.3, perhaps a pre-shock was recorded at 5:39 a.m. EST.Two stronger quakes, the first with a magnitude of 6.7 was recorded about 20 minutes later, followed by a magnitude 6.5 temblor, in an area about 230 kilometres southeast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, west of Port Hardy, B.C.Urban said the centre had received no e-mails or calls from anyone feeling the quake, and no tsunami warning was issued.The Tsunami Center issues warnings when earthquakes are larger than magnitude 7.We're pretty much convinced that no tsunami has been generated, Urban said. We're watching our tide gauges scattered around the Pacific Coast and we saw no tsunami anywhere on any of those.However, he said there might be some slight sea-level changes.Fortunately it was out in the water, Urban said. Had it been on land, it could have caused some significant damage.

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.

Heavy snow blankets Iran, air travel hit Sun Jan 6, 11:19 AM

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Sunday awoke to heavy overnight snowfalls which forced schools to shut, blocked major roads and led to the cancellation of domestic flights, state media reported.Primary and secondary schools were closed for the day in Tehran and most cities in the north of the country, state television said.The authorities ordered all government offices closed on Monday and Tuesday, the official IRNA news agency said.State airline Iran Air cancelled all of its morning domestic flights from Mehrabad airport in the centre of Tehran, while roads in the northwest of the country were closed to traffic.Meanwhile international flights, which now run exclusively from Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) several kilometres (miles) south of the capital, were delayed, state media reported.Tehran and several other cities in the north and centre of Iran lie at altitudes of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) above sea level and are regularly hit by heavy falls of snow in winter.State television said that the snowfalls would continue in the coming days.

A spate of cold weather has already created problems in Iran with around a dozen towns suffering gas cuts last week because of a surge in demand, a shortage compounded by a cut in exports from Turkmenistan.The authorities have urged the public to reduce their notoriously profligate consumption of gas to ensure there are no further cuts amid plunging temperatures.

Winter storms batter western states Sun Jan 6, 10:18 AMBy Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Storms battered the western United States on Saturday with strong winds, heavy rains and a blanket of snow that caused widespread power outages, a levee break in Nevada and two deaths in California.In the Los Angeles-area city of Chino, a woman was swept away in floodwaters when she tried to abandon her stalled car, and in Yuba City, north of Sacramento, a worker was killed when a falling tree struck him, according to a spokesman for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.A canal levee broke near Reno, Nevada, flooding an estimated 800 homes and causing some 3,500 residents to evacuate by helicopter and boat, a Nevada Department of Public Safety spokesman said.Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski declared a state of emergency in Umatilla County in the northeastern corner of that state due to high winds that ravaged the area.The first of three storms swept through Northern California on Friday, blowing scaffolding off buildings and shutting down streets in San Francisco. Big trucks were barred from the Golden Gate Bridge, where winds reached 55 mph.Mountains in the eastern part of the state were hit by major snowfall and wind gusts as high as 100 to 150 mph.

Snow accumulations of 8 to 10 feet were expected in the Sierra Nevada range over the weekend as another storm moves through the region.(The bad weather) will continue through at least tomorrow, and then there's another round on Monday,said Jane Hollingsworth, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Weather Service.The weather pummeled Los Angeles and communities to the south in Orange County, where roughly 3,000 people had been asked to leave their homes in hillside areas hit by wildfires and prone to mudslides.

But no major slides occurred and no significant damage was reported to homes or buildings, according to Michael Miller of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.There were relatively few power outages in Southern California, and by Saturday most electricity had been restored to customers, according to several utility companies.The story was different in Northern and Central California where some 1.8 million customers of PG&E Corp lost power. By late afternoon on Saturday, roughly 400,000 homes remained without power, according to PG&E.Near Fernley, Nevada, an agricultural and suburban town 32 miles east of Reno, a 30-foot-wide breach erupted in a canal levee. Some homes in the lower-lying section of town stood in 3 feet of water and people were evacuated to a school.(Additional reporting by Adam Tanner; Editing by Xavier Briand)
officials said.

Ice slows cleanup in flooded Nev. town By MARTIN GRIFFITH, Associated Press Writer JAN 6,08

FERNLEY, Nev. - Hundreds of homes sat in as much as 8 feet of water Sunday following a canal rupture as freezing weather spread sheets of ice over yards and streets, hindering efforts to get the water to drain away. As many as 400 homes were damaged when the canal's bank gave way following heavy rainfall produced by the West Coast storm system that had piled snow as much as 11 feet deep in the Sierra Nevada.Thousands of customers had been blacked out in three states and many of them in California could remain in the dark for days because the storm ripped down nearly 500 miles of power lines, utility officials said Sunday.Six snowmobilers and two skiers were reported missing in heavy snow in the mountains of southern Colorado, and one hiker was missing in snow-covered mountains in Southern California.At least three deaths were blamed on the storm.The irrigation canal failure at Fernley released a wave of frigid water into the town early Saturday.

In 10 minutes the entire back yard was completely flooded. It was just nothing but water, said Kristin Watson, whose home backs up to part of the canal. We just sort of panicked because we knew we had to get out of there real quick.The canal was repaired by late in the day, but as much as a square mile of the town was still under water at least 2 feet deep Sunday as ice impeded drainage.
Our hope is over the next 24 hours to get the water out, Fernley Mayor Todd Cutler said at a briefing Sunday morning. But we still have up to 8 feet of water in some areas. We need to keep the storm drains unclogged to keep the water moving to a wetland. We also may need to do some pumping in some areas.Lyon County Fire Division Chief Scott Huntley estimated 1,500 people had been displaced. No injuries were reported in the town of 20,000 people about 30 miles east of Reno.Huntley said officials knew of 18 cases of people rescued from atop homes or cars as fire department and private boats plus four helicopters were pressed into action Saturday, but he believes there were many more.The sheer number of rescues was amazing, Huntley said Sunday.For citizens to give of themselves and to help their neighbors, I'm choked up about it, Cutler said.Despite heavy rain Friday, Gov. Jim Gibbons said the canal was not full when the bank failed. This indicates to me there might have been a structural weakness over the years. Nobody knows and we don't want to speculate at this time, he said.One possible factor that officials have mentioned was rodents burrowing holes in the earthen bank, which also was involved in a smaller collapse that flooded about 60 Fernley homes in December 1996.If you get just a tiny little break, from a rodent, from anything, it can take the rest of the soil and gravel with it, said Martha VanGeem, principal engineer with CTLGroup, a Skokie, Ill.-based consulting firm.They could have caught it early if there wasn't so much rain, VanGeem said.Rescuers in Colorado resumed a search Sunday for six snowmobilers last seen Friday, before the storm dumped 3 to 4 feet of snow near Cumbres Pass, close to the New Mexico line.

The Denver Post said the snowmobilers were two couples from Farmington, N.M., and their two children, ages 14 and 13. Donna Oney of the Colorado State Patrol said 11 search and rescue team members and three deputies were looking for the snowmobilers. Two skiers were missing 40 miles away in the Wolf Creek ski area, Oney said. Wolf Creek had reported 39 inches of snow overnight In the mountains east of Los Angeles, authorities searched Sunday for a 62-year-old man who went hiking Friday just before the storm began, San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire said. Searchers last had cell phone contact with him early Saturday, before snow began falling in the area. In the rugged Sierra Nevada range, the Kirkwood ski resort near Lake Tahoe reported about 11 feet of snow had fallen since the storm system moved inland from the Pacific last week. As much as 3 feet more snow could hit higher elevations of the Sierras by Tuesday evening, the National Weather Service said. Parts of Northern California will get a reprieve from the rain and snow on Monday, but in the mountains, there's a chance of snow and snow showers all the way through Thursday, said weather service meteorologist Angus Barkhuff.

More than 234,000 homes and businesses in Northern California were still without power Sunday, and Pacific Gas and Electric said the storm had downed nearly 500 miles of power lines and more than 500 utility poles. Repair crews in the snow-covered Sierra foothills will have to use snowshoes, all-terrain vehicles and helicopters, utility officials said. Fewer than 5,000 customers were still blacked out in the Los Angeles area. The storm also caused blackouts in parts of Oregon and Washington. In all, more than 2 million customers from the northern town of Eureka to Los Angeles had lost power since early Friday. Seven people were hospitalized at Willows, Calif., near Chico, after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from a propane lantern they used indoors because of the blackout, Glenn County officials said. The storm was blamed for two deaths in California, including a woman whose pickup truck was swept into a flood channel east of Los Angeles, and one death in Oregon, police said. Associated Press writers Peter Prengaman in Los Angeles, Scott Sonner in Reno and Kathleen Hennessey in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

A is for the ark of the covenantBy Susan Orr

The Ark of the Covenant played a central role in early Jewish religious life, and the object still generates intense interest among archaeologists and theologians.The ark is a type of chest that contained the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved.As described in the Bible, God told the Israelites exactly how to build the ark. Among other specifications, the ark was to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, and cherubim with outstretched wings were to be on the ark's cover (Exodus 25:10-22).The ark was considered a holy object, and the Israelites carried it with them into battle and when they traveled.After Solomon built the first temple, the ark was placed there. That temple was destroyed in 586 B.C., and researchers don't know what happened to the ark after that.

According to one theory, the Babylonians took the ark after they destroyed the temple. Another idea is that the Israelites hid the ark in a location that is no longer known. A modern-day group of Christians in Axum, Ethiopia, says it has possession of the ark, while archaeologist Leen Ritmeyer has said he believes the ark may be buried inside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.The 1981 movie Raiders of the Lost Ark showed the sense of mystery and intrigue that still surrounds the Ark of the Covenant.Sources: Jewish Virtual Library (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org); Encyclopedia Judaica; New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia (www.newadvent.org)

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

04-01-2008
United voice in EU unusual

The fall of the Berlin Wall could have paved the way for closer Nordic co-operation on defence and trade, but mutual competition between the countries still gets in the way. Kristeligt Dagblad has analysed the negative impact on Nordic co-operation of Denmark's inability to commit to the Nordic Battle Group because of its EU defence opt-out.A 2,800-strong joint Nordic military force for peace-making and peace-keeping missions in Europe and Africa? A mere decade ago, almost any honest Nordic enthusiast would have given his right arm for such a future dream. Imagine finally being able to convert 50 years of speeches at the Nordic Council into practical joint defence policy! The future dream turned into reality at the turn of the year, albeit with a single exception, i.e. that Denmark is unable to provide troops because of its EU opt-out. The Nordic Battle Group is part of the EU's attempts to make its mark on the international stage. It consists of troops from Sweden, Norway and Finland, as well as from the former Soviet republic Estonia and from Ireland.

It is hardly surprising then that self-avowed Euro-sceptics and opponents find it difficult to decide where they stand on the issue. The Danish People's Party, the Left and other EU opponents have traditionally called for closer Nordic co-operation, often positing the Nordic Region as an alternative to the EU. On this issue, we are faced with the unusual combination of an EU project under Nordic auspices.The Nordic countries seldom speak with a single voice in the EU, even though the countries otherwise have a great deal of common values, e.g. In terms of democracy, health, the labour market, culture and international relations. In practice, the countries pursue their own goals and regularly end up competing with each other. It is symptomatic that the Danish government's greatest misgiving about being left outside the Nordic Battle Group is apparently that the other countries will end up dominating the high command, Henrik Hoffmann-Hansen concludes.

Brussels seeks European mulitinational firefighting force
By Aimée Turner

Europe is on course to launch a common rulebook establishing a crack multinational firefighting force by early summer, building on the unprecedented level of international co-operation last year when catastrophic forest fires ravaged Greece.The new rules will mean offers of specialist firefighting assistance from EU member states - already co-ordinated through the European Commission's Civil Protection Mechanism - are now framed within 13 new response modules designed to organise a common system of readily deployable, pre-defined specialised clusters of personnel and equipment.The plan to strengthen Europe's civil SOS infrastructure, which will include the medical aerial evacuation of disaster victims, was adopted by the Commission on 20 December and Europe's 27 member states now have until 13 May to signal their willingness to sign up to the new guidelines supporting the future rapid reaction force.A senior EC source said that the latest effort to provide the most rapid and effective emergency response possible involved essentially developing a standardised technical framework with individual modules determining structure, resource and minimum capability requirements for any member state wanting to assist.

The Commission has been working with member states over the last two years primarily to define the areas where modules would be useful, meeting with experts and well-informed specialists to define a common framework, he said.The modules that have been developed all rely really on the type of pre-existing national resources offered on a voluntary basis by EU member states and so they're not so very different from what member states organise already.Modules, however, will also feature an outline of the necessary training in order for participating member states effectively to become interoperational with other EU nations' firefighting efforts and, furthermore, equivalent emergency modules. Another new feature of the standardised approach will be that aerial firefighting modules involving EU helicopters and aircraft will not only become interoperable but also capable of operating outside the European Union.There is no obligation for participation, however. There could even be joint modules featuring co-operation between member states, similar in many ways to the existing co-operation in firefighting between France, Italy and Spain, said the source.

The EC Community Protection Mechanism budget has tripled in the last year. Annual spend will rise to €30 million ($44 million) by 2013 as part of the six-year €200 million initiative, with the European Parliament understood to be ready to vote for additional budgetary resources targeted at firefighting.The added value with the new module approach is that, as well as a lot more resources going into community protection, it will also improve co-ordination, essentially through training, exercises, technical workshops where common procedures will be defined, he said, adding that an area of special focus would be ground to air communications and how their effectiveness may be compromised by language and equipment factors.The interoperability of a unified EU firefighting force will be tested this summer when FireFour, an EC pilot project led by France with the participation of Italy, Spain and Portugal, will run a full-scale joint earthquake and firefighting exercise.

Aerial forest firefighting module using helicopters
Capacity Three helicopters with a capacity of 1,000 litres (264USgal) each.
Ability to perform continuous operations.
Main components  Three helicopters with crew, to guarantee that at least two helicopters are operational at any time.
Technical staff.
4 water buckets or 3 releasing kids.
1 maintenance set.
1 spare parts set.
2 rescue hoists.
Communication equipment.
Deployment Within maximum 3 hours
Aerial forest firefighting module using aircraft
Capacity Two aircraft with a capacity of 3,000 litres each
Ability to perform continuous operations.
Main components Two aircraft.
Three crews.
Technical staff.
Field maintenance kit.
Communication equipment.
Deployment Within maximum 3 hours
Medical aerial evacuation of disaster victims
Capacity Capacity to transport 50 patients every 24 hours.
Ability to fly day and night.
Main components Helicopters/aircraft with stretchers.
Deployment Within maximum 12 hours

Debate on EU Reform Treaty referendum gets underway
Saturday, January 05, 2008

The debate over the new EU Reform Treaty referendum is underway.
Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche says we must vote yes or else the progress of Europe will be restricted.Mr Roche Ireland either allows the EU to reform its decision making procedures or else it will just stagnate.The Anti-Treaty Organisation Libertas says such claims by the Government are nonsense.The referendum on the new treaty is expected to take place some time this summer.

Highlights of Bush's trip to the Mideast
By The Associated Press, Associated Press
Last update: January 5, 2008 - 10:53 AM

Highlights of President Bush's upcoming trip to the Middle East, according to the planned schedule as outlined by the White House:

Jan. 9

Arrives in Israel. Meets with Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and president, Shimon Peres.

Jan. 10

Visits the West Bank to meet with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and prime minister, Salam Fayyad, at their headquarters in Ramallah.

Jan. 11

In Israel to meet with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy. Lays a wreath at the Israel's official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. Travels to Kuwait to meet with the emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

Jan. 12

In Kuwait to meet with U.S. troops at Camp Arifjan and receive updates on the situation in Iraq from the top U.S. commander, Gen. David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. He also meets with Kuwaiti women. Travels to Bahrain to meet with King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.

Jan. 13

Visits the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain. Travels to the United Arab Emirates to meet with the president, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and gives a speech in Abu Dhabi on freedom in the region.

Jan. 14

Visits Dubai and then travels to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah.

Jan. 15

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for meetings.

Jan. 16

In Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to meet with President Hosni Mubarak before returning to Washington.

Interview of President Bush by Hisham Bourar, al Hurra TV
Contact: White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 202-456-2580

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following text is of an interview of President Bush by Hisham Bourar of al Hurra TV:
Map Room January 4, 2008 4:22 P.M. EST

Q Thank you, Mr. President, for taking the time to do this interview on Al Hurra TV. Big trip to the Middle East. What are your objectives, and why now?

THE PRESIDENT: Now because I believe that it's possible to advance the Annapolis agenda; now because I believe it's just going to be -- that it will be a chance to be effective on my trip. I'm going to advance three things: one, the vision of two states, Palestinian-Israel, living side by side in peace; two, to convince our friends and allies in the region that it is in their interest to support the peace process; and three is to remind people that the United States is committed to helping secure the region, that we have a active presence in the Middle East and that presence is not going to wane, that we're committed to helping people realize -- deal with the threats and the problems of the 21st century.

Q What can you do, personally, to press both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to reach an agreement this year?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, the agreement -- they must decide they want to reach agreement. In other words -- and so the first thing I can do is to make sure there's a sincere desire on the parts of President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert to achieve an agreement. I believe that desire exists. The Annapolis Conference was a success because they wanted it to be a success. And it's to give them confidence and encourage them to come up with what a state will look like, to define that state so that people there in the region can have hope that this kind of a longtime conflict will finally come to an end, and the first step is the definition of a state.

I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands. And so I'm -- I will go to encourage them to stay focused on the big picture. There's going to be all kinds of distractions, and people will be trying to throw up roadblocks and people will be trying to cause these gentlemen to -- not to -- lose sight of what's possible. And my job is to help them keep a vision on what is possible.

Q Do you still believe that your vision of a Palestinian state can be achieved before you leave office?

THE PRESIDENT: I think the outlines, the definition of a state can be achieved. The implementation of a state will be subject to a road map. In other words, there's a lot of work that has to be done. Palestinian security forces have to be reformed -- which we're helping with, by the way. The entrepreneurial class of people has to be encouraged with new capital. The institutions of government need to be strengthened. And so the state will come into being, subject to, but the first step is to -- here's what a state will look like. And I believe we can get that done by the time I leave office.

Q Will you be asking Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, to normalize relations with Israel?

THE PRESIDENT: I'll be reminding the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, that in order for this to be successful, in order for this process to work, there has to be strong support for both the Palestinians and the Israelis in the neighborhood. And that's why the Annapolis Conference -- another reason it was an important conference, because in that room were -- my friend, the King of Saudi Arabia, kindly sent his Foreign Minister to that Annapolis meeting. I thought it was a strong signal. And so both sides are going to need to know that they'll have support from the neighborhood.

Q Recently there has been some rapprochement between Gulf countries and Iran. Do you feel that the last NIE report makes it difficult for you to convince these countries that Iran still poses a threat to national security?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm sure this subject will come up, and I will remind them that the NIE said that, one, Iran had a military covert program. They suspended the program. I will also remind them that a regime that once had a program could easily start the program up again, and that the key ingredients to having a weapons program is, one, the capacity to enrich uranium; secondly, the ability to take that uranium and make a bomb; and thirdly, the ability to deliver the bomb by rockets.

Well, the rocket program still exists. As you know, they say they, only for civilian purposes, they're learning to enrich. Well, if you can learn to enrich for civilian purposes, you can easily transfer that knowledge to military purposes. And therefore, Iran is a threat. And so that will be my message.And my other message will be, we've got a strategy to deal with it, and that is to prevent them from learning how to enrich. And I'll explain to them the different types of sanctions and international efforts we're making, and how they can help, as well.

Q Recent visits to Damascus by U.S. lawmakers, like a recent one by Senator Arlen Specter, Republican, and Senator Kennedy, do they help or undermine your position toward Syria?

THE PRESIDENT: That's an interesting question. I don't know. But President Assad must understand that if he wants better relations with the United States -- and frankly, better relations in the region -- the first thing he's got to do is stop interfering in the Lebanese presidential process. And I would hope that those representatives sent that message to President Assad.

I don't know how he interprets these meetings, but one thing he can't be mistaken about is the position of the U.S. government, the White House. And our position is, is that you can have better relations, a better way forward with the United States, but you have got to get out of Lebanon, in terms of the presidential elections, and stop harboring Hamas, stop letting suiciders go into Iraq, and there's a better way forward.