SAUDIS ISLAMIC UNITY DRIVE

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

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.

5.3 Aftershock Shakes Sichuan JUNE 4,08

(newser) – Another strong aftershock has rattled China's quake-devastated Sichuan province amid increased concerns about lake floodwaters, reports AP. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries from the 5.3 tremblor, which came as authorities began evacuating people downstream from a lake formed by last month's quake. The water level in the quake lake is rising, putting over a million survivors at risk from flooding.

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.

MORE RAIN WORRIES IN CHINA
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BLOODY DRUG WARS IN MEXICO
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50,000 LIGHTNING STRIKES IN ONE HOUR AND 33 TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS REPORTED TODAY IN THE U.S.A.

Storms pop up in Plains as forecasters sound alarm By ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press Writer JUNE 5,06

WICHITA, Kan. - Tornadoes dropped onto the Great Plains on Thursday after forecasters warned of a potentially historic outbreak, causing some damage and spooking a pair of circus elephants in Kansas that escaped their enclosure and roamed a town before being captured. One of the animals entered a backyard less than a mile from the fairgrounds in WaKeeney and was blocked off by fire trucks until trainers could coax it onto a truck, said Trego County Sheriff Richard Schneider.I guess it got tired of walking around, he said.The second elephant was tranquilized in another backyard, coaxed into a truck and returned to the circus, which was already packing up to head to the next town, Schneider said.At least four tornadoes touched down in western and central Kansas. Tornadoes were also reported in Nebraska and Missouri, and a funnel cloud was spotted in Colorado.

A twister in Clay County in north-central Kansas destroyed a home, damaged several other buildings, and toppled trees and power lines, said sheriff's dispatcher Cat Dallinga. Storms also damaged roofs at the Pratt County airport in south-central Kansas and overturned tractor-trailers along Interstate 29, officials said.Wind and hail caused extensive roof damage in Collyer, near WaKeeney, Schneider said.Computer forecasting models for Thursday resembled those on June 8, 1974, when 39 tornadoes raked the southern Plains and killed 22 people. The National Weather Service on Tuesday took the unusual step of giving advance warning of a possible tornado outbreak based on the conditions.By late evening, no storms had caused major damage or injuries, though Noreen Schwein of the National Weather Service in Kansas City cautioned there was still potential for strong storms.We're certainly not out of the woods yet, she said.Wichita State University canceled evening classes because of the weather predictions.Storms on Wednesday soaked the region and then moved across to the mid-Atlantic region. Four deaths were blamed on the storms, in Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia.

Tornadoes touched down in southern Iowa, causing isolated damage in rural areas. Many rivers flooded.The rivers haven't had a chance to go down, and with the heavy rains, they just keep going higher, said Brad Fillbach, another meteorologist with the National Weather Service.Fillbach said Creston, Iowa, which had a brush with a tornado Wednesday evening, had about 6 inches of rain by Thursday morning. Some roads were under 3 feet of water early Thursday.The weather has been real active this week. It'll be nice to get a few days to dry out and get these rivers back down, Fillbach said.In the Washington area, Wednesday's storm toppled tree lines and power lines, leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity Thursday. Some failures could last for several days because of the severity of the damage, Pepco spokesman Bob Dobkin said.Associated Press writers Nelson Lampe and Josh Funk in Omaha and Bill Draper in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this report.

Floods from storm Arthur kill five in Belize Wed Jun 4, 10:08 PM ET

BELIZE CITY (Reuters) - Flash floods caused by tropical storm Arthur have killed at least five people in southeastern Belize, including a toddler, the government of the tiny Central American country said on Wednesday. Arthur, the first storm of the year in the Atlantic, dumped over 11 inches of rain across Belize this week as it moved inland, also drenching southern Mexican states.The body of a 2-year-old boy was found on Tuesday evening. His father had struggled for half an hour in turbulent floodwaters before the infant was washed away.Two people from the southeastern district of Stann Creek were still missing on Wednesday.Belize, wedged between Mexico and Guatemala with a population of just 300,000, is best known for its laid-back atmosphere, palm-fringed islands and coral reefs.Torrential rains from Arthur -- which have also left swathes of southern Mexico waterlogged -- swelled rivers in Belize and wiped away two bridges in the south, severing key transport arteries for Belize's farming and fishing industries.This was really a kind of freak occurrence that with the best will in the world, and all the resources in the world, we could not have anticipated, Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who became Belize's first black leader on taking office in February, said this week.
Authorities estimated that 13,000 people across the country were affected by Arthur.(Reporting by Adele Ramos; Editing by Eric Walsh)

DC STORMS KNOCKS TREES AND POWER
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WIRES DOWN IN AA COUNTY
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Storms pop up in Plains as forecasters sound alarm By NELSON LAMPE, Associated Press Writer JUNE 5,08

OMAHA, Neb. - Severe storms popped up over the Great Plains on Thursday afternoon as forecasters warned of a potential tornado outbreak that could rival that of a June day in 1974 when 22 people were killed. A funnel cloud was spotted over southwestern Nebraska, and flood warnings and watches were issued for much of the state as streams and rivers overflowed, thanks to recent rainfall of more than 5 inches in places.Large hail, strong winds and heavy rain whipped through northwest Kansas. There was 1.5 inches of hail in Goodland, Kan., and winds of 70 mph in Ruleton, the National Weather Service said.In a strongly worded statement Thursday, the weather service warned that parts of Kansas could suffer hail bigger than baseballs, winds higher than 80 mph and a few strong to violent long-lived tornadoes.Computer forecasting models for Thursday resembled those on June 8, 1974, when 39 tornadoes raked the southern Plains. The National Weather Service on Tuesday took the unusual step of giving advance warning of a possible tornado outbreak based on the conditions.

Forecasters had said severe thunderstorms would form in Kansas and move toward eastern Kansas, Nebraska, northwestern Missouri and Iowa. Heavy rainfall and flooding were also possible, especially late Thursday night in southeast Kansas.The highest risk is central Kansas and the entire central portion of the country, said Brad Mickelson, a weather service meteorologist. There is a high risk of severe thunderstorms.Singled out as at high risk were Omaha; Topeka, Kan.; Des Moines, Iowa; and south-central Minnesota, he said. The region at risk of severe thunderstorms stretched from northern Texas to Minnesota and Wisconsin.On Wednesday, storms soaked the Midwest and then moved across to the mid-Atlantic region. Three deaths were blamed on the storms.Tornadoes touched down in southern Iowa, causing isolated damage in rural areas. Many rivers flooded.The rivers haven't had a chance to go down, and with the heavy rains, they just keep going higher, said Brad Fillbach, another meteorologist with the National Weather Service.Fillbach said Creston, Iowa, which had a brush with a tornado Wednesday evening, had about 6 inches of rain by Thursday morning. Some roads were under 3 feet of water early Thursday.The weather has been real active this week. It'll be nice to get a few days to dry out and get these rivers back down, Fillbach said.In the Washington metro area, Wednesday's storm downed tree lines and power lines, leaving more than 200,000 homes and businesses without electricity Thursday. Some outages could last for several days because of the severity of the damage, Pepco spokesman Bob Dobkin said.Associated Press writer Bill Draper in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this report.

Southeast Asian team finally enters Myanmar cyclone zone
Thu Jun 5, 1:34 PM

YANGON (AFP) - Southeast Asian aid experts flew into Myanmar's devastated Irrawaddy Delta on Thursday for a mission to assess cyclone damage, but US navy ships sailed away -- laden with supplies rejected by the junta.Nearly five weeks after Cyclone Nargis hit, leaving 133,000 dead or missing, the first members of the joint ASEAN-UN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team flew by helicopter into the shattered towns of Labutta and Pyapon.The 200-strong team of aid experts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United Nations will later move into more remote areas of the delta, where entire villages were washed away in the storm, ASEAN secretary general Surin Pitsuwan said in a statement.

Their final findings will not be reported until mid-July, even as the United Nations estimates that one million hungry and homeless survivors have yet to receive any international assistance.

Myanmar's regime sparked international outrage by sealing off the delta for three weeks after the cyclone hit on May 2-3.Now the military leadership has allowed some foreign aid workers into the region, a maze of swollen rivers and swamps that even in the best of times is inaccessible by road.One ASEAN official here said the new team will try to get full access, and all efforts are being made to reach the victims.But when asked if Myanmar's military authorities were cooperating fully with the aid effort, the official said: How can I fully answer that without hurting the mission? Myanmar has agreed in theory for 10 helicopters from the World Food Programme to ferry supplies into the region, but so far only one is actually flying.The junta has rejected help from US, French and British warships. Four US ships left the area on Thursday, after three weeks of trying to convince the regime to accept their aid.The United States said it remained ready to offer Myanmar helicopters and landing craft from amphibious ships, even though the USS Essex group has left.Junta leader Than Shwe agreed nearly two weeks ago to allow foreign aid workers into the delta, but international agencies say access remains patchy.

The regime has agreed for ASEAN to coordinate the relief effort, and Surin said the next two weeks would be crucial for building international confidence in this joint mission between ASEAN, the UN and the Myanmar government.On the ground, hundreds of thousands of desperate survivors have been left to fend for themselves, cobbling together whatever shelter they can find to survive the daily monsoon rains while scavenging for food.Amnesty International accused the regime of forcing thousands of weak and hungry survivors to move back to flattened villages and in some cases refusing aid unless rebuilding work is done.The junta has ordered increasing numbers of victims to return to their villages while still traumatised and with no food, shelter or other aid to help them once they return, Amnesty's Southeast Asia researcher Benjamin Zawacki told reporters.Jon Mitchell, Myanmar director of the charity CARE, said he recently visited the remote delta village of Kan Phar, where 4,000 people once lived. Only 800 remain, he said.

We asked them what they had been eating before aid arrived. All of their rice stocks had been destroyed. They told us they were either collecting coconuts or eating spoiled rice to survive, Mitchell said.Private donors from Yangon and other towns have tried to fill the gap by delivering aid themselves, but some say security forces have turned them away.A top figure in the local aid effort, Myanmar comedian Zaganar, was arrested late Wednesday at his Yangon home, a relative said Thursday.Zaganar had been briefly detained during anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks last year. Those ended with a junta crackdown which left at least 31 people dead, the United Nations has said.Myanmar analyst Aung Naing Oo said in Thailand that Zaganar was likely arrested for producing videos showing the true extent of the devastation, with graphic images of dead bodies still lying in fields.The situation is pretty grim everywhere, Aung Naing Oo said.

FAMINE

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)

INDIA PROTESTS OVER OIL PRICES.
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FINANCIAL SHOCK
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Oil jumps more than $5 as dollar slides
By Matthew Robinson JUNE 5,08

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil jumped more than $5 to nearly $128 a barrel on Thursday, rebounding from a sharp two-day sell-off as the dollar slid on signals the European Central Bank could raise interest rates this year.U.S. crude settled up $5.49, or 4.5 percent, at $127.79 a barrel -- the biggest percentage gain in more than two months. London Brent settled $5.44 higher at $127.54 a barrel.The surge reverses most of a nearly $6 slide this week that had been triggered by worries that high prices were starting to eat into global demand.Investors have rushed into oil and other commodities in recent months as a hedge against the weak dollar and inflation, helping drive crude to a record $135 a barrel in May.

But the greenback fell sharply against the euro on Thursday after European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet signaled it could increase rates later this year.He sounded hawkish and talked about raising rates. It sent the dollar down rather quickly, said Chris Jarvis, senior analyst for oil at Caprock Risk Management in New Hampshire.The comments offset a rare warning issued earlier this week by the U.S. Federal Reserve on the inflationary risk posed by a weak dollar, suggesting the central bank is not likely to cut U.S. interest rates further this year.More weakness had come from concerns that Asian demand growth -- which has helped underpin the six-year rally in oil prices -- could falter as some countries ease fuel subsidies due to high prices.You have a large layer of global oil demand which is undertaking cuts in subsidies. Right now, that is what's driving the fundamental worries, said Olivier Jakob, analyst at Petromatrix.

This week, India raised retail petrol and diesel fuel prices by about 10 percent and Malaysia hiked petrol prices by 41 percent, after Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia reviewed their subsidies last month.Rising fuel prices in Asia and weaker fuel consumption in the United States, the world's top consumer, are expected to lead to further reductions in estimates for global oil demand growth in 2008.The International Energy Agency, adviser to 27 industrialized countries, issues its latest forecasts next week and has said it may lower its 2008 demand projection further.The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday reported gasoline inventories rose 2.9 million barrels last week while gasoline demand over the past four weeks slumped 1.4 percent versus last year.Distillate stocks jumped by 2.3 million barrels, while crude stocks fell 4.8 million barrels.(Reporting by Matthew Robinson, Gene Ramos, and Robert Gibbons in New York; Alex Lawler in London; Maryelle Demongeot in Singapore; Editing by David Gregorio)

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

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.

OBAMAS MIDEAST VISION
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ABBAS EXTENDS OLIVE BRANCH
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Hamas welcomes new spirit from Abbas By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Wafa Amr JUNE 5,08

GAZA/RAMALLAH (Reuters) - The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip welcomed on Thursday what he called a new spirit of dialogue from the Palestinian president but it was unclear how far the rival factions were moving to end a year-old schism. Aides to President Mahmoud Abbas strongly rejected suggestions that Abbas had employed any warmer tone toward his Islamist opponents in Gaza during a keynote speech on Wednesday.That view was echoed in Washington after Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, spoke by telephone with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who opposes contact with Hamas unless it drops its hostility to Israel and ends attacks on the Jewish state.The flurry of debate on relations between Hamas and Abbas's secular Fatah movement coincided with Palestinian commemorations of the Israeli capture of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 and the first anniversary of the outbreak of fighting that saw the Islamists rout Fatah forces in Gaza and take control there.The schism has hampered Abbas in efforts to negotiate for a Palestinian state in U.S.-sponsored talks with Israel although it also brought an end to Western sanctions on the Fatah-run West Bank after Abbas fired the elected Hamas-led government.Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, whom Abbas dismissed as prime minister a year ago, said: We welcome President Abu Mazen's call for a national and comprehensive dialogue and view positively to the new spirit that appeared in the speech.

Our hands are outstretched to the brothers in the homeland ... We confirm our readiness to make dialogue succeed as quickly as possible and to show the flexibility needed from all sides.Aides to Abbas, who on Wednesday had called for a national and comprehensive dialogue with Hamas, were quick to insist the president wanted only discussion on the implementation of a recent Yemeni diplomatic initiative which called for Hamas to give up its hold on Gaza -- not a debate on mutual concessions.President Abbas' position has not changed, Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said. It is wrong to say that Abbas no longer calls for ending Hamas' coup to end the divisions.

However, after Haniyeh's speech, senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said: We welcome any positive approach and we hope that Haniyeh's readiness will translate into practical moves.But he made clear Abbas brooked no rivals: The dialogue must be on the basis of one authority, one gun, one law.

TALKS WITH ISRAEL

Some analysts saw Abbas's forceful renewal of a call for Arab states to mediate an end to the split between Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank as part of strategy to bolster his position at home in the face of mounting skepticism over the prospects of reaching a deal this year on establishing a Palestinian state in U.S.-sponsored talks with Israel.Reminding Israel and its U.S. and European allies that he has the option of again embracing their enemies in Hamas if talks fail, may offer Abbas some negotiating leverage.One senior Israeli official said Israel believed the talk from Ramallah was meant to increase pressure on Israel and the United States to salvage a peace process that is threatened by a corruption scandal facing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and by Palestinian complaints over Israeli settlements.Echoing comments from Fatah officials, Haniyeh noted the success of Arab mediators in brokering a deal last month among rival factions in Lebanon and expressed hope a similar approach could succeeding in healing Palestinian rifts.We are ready to have this dialogue in any Arab country on the basis of no loser and no winner in the hope of an agreement that would make the Palestinian people the victors, he said.U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack commenting on Rice's call to Abbas, played down suggestions that Abbas had softened his opposition to dialogue with Hamas, saying that the Yemeni plan called for contacts conditional on Hamas accepting Fatah leadership and previous Fatah agreements with Israel.

His conditions for any discussion with Hamas have not changed, McCormack said. We don't detect any movement at all.U.S. President George W. Bush hopes Israel and Abbas can strike a deal on a Palestinian state before he leaves the White House in January. But Israel has warned it could review its ties with Abbas if he were to mend relations with Hamas. After Hamas won a parliamentary election in 2006, Israel, the United States and European Union imposed sanctions that were lifted only when Abbas dismissed Haniyeh's government last June. Yemen tried to broker a deal between Fatah and Hamas in March but efforts broke down after disagreement over whether Hamas should cede control of Gaza before formal talks started. Arab ministers have said Hamas must cede control of Gaza and have backed the Yemeni proposal. Erekat said Abbas would travel to Arab states to ask them to help implement that proposal. A Hamas spokesman said Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa called Haniyeh and praised the new spirit that dominates the Palestinian situation. Moussa also called Abbas, he said. (Writing by Alastair Macdonald; editing by Sami Aboudi)

Blair defends neutrality in Middle East role Thu Jun 5, 9:31AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair defended himself against claims he was too close to Israel and the United States Thursday as he gave evidence to a British parliamentary oversight committee. The former prime minister -- in his first appearance before parliament since stepping down last year -- suggested that his controversial decision to send British troops into Iraq and Afghanistan did not bother most Palestinians.He also revealed he had not yet visited Gaza in the role and said the militant Islamist group Hamas could probably stop rocket attacks on Israeli checkpoints, which have reportedly hit aid convoys.Blair was asked about his neutrality as he gave evidence to the lower House of Commons international development committee, which is looking at the humanitarian and development situation in the Palestinian territories.

I think sometimes when people talk about whether you're independent or not, what they really mean is you're too close to America or Israel, he said.But as I always say to people out there, the thing about this peace deal between Palestine and Israel is that it includes Israel.And he added: Actually out in Palestine, the issues to do with Iraq and Afghanistan and the broader questions, all they want is someone to go and help them sort their situation out.Blair was asked whether Hamas was responsible for rocket attacks on checkpoints when efforts are being made to take aid into Gaza.The one thing you can't dispute is that Hamas have a military grip on Gaza and therefore my view is that if they wanted to stop these attacks, they could.Maybe they couldn't stop all of them all of the time, he added.A strategy of deliberately targeting the crossings at the same time as saying... this is a humanitarian catastrophe, you can't really justify that.Blair told the cross-party committee of lawmakers that he had his own very strong view about how Israel has got to go further and faster, particularly on the West Bank.

Explaining why he had not yet visited Gaza, Blair said he did not want to exacerbate the current tense and sensitive situation and that he would choose a moment that helps rather than a moment that harms.

BUSH WELCOMES ISRAELI PM
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IRAN-MIDEAST PEACE ON BUSH-OLMERT AGENDA
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Olmert wraps up US visit that focused on Iran By MATTI FRIEDMAN, Associated Press Writer Thu Jun 5, 4:52 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Israel's prime minister prepared to end a U.S. visit dominated by discussions on the dangers of a nuclear Iran to face his own domestic threats — a burgeoning police investigation and a public eager to see him go. Ehud Olmert's legal and political travails have been pushed into the background during his three days in the U.S., where he received four standing ovations during a speech to pro-Israel supporters and where President Bush warmly saluted him twice publicly as my friend in less than a minute before they met in the Oval Office.Olmert planned to spend his final day in Washington meeting senators and talking over the phone with the presidential candidates before returning home to what many believe will be his term's final chapter.Olmert was scheduled to speak with Sens. John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, according to Olmert spokesman Mark Regev. He also was set to meet Senate leaders and figures from the U.S. Jewish community before departing in midafternoon.Regev would not say what Olmert planned to discuss Thursday, but so far his trip has focused on Israel's fears that Iran could develop nuclear weapons.Olmert called Iran the main threat to all of us ahead of his meeting Wednesday with Bush and later told reporters that it dominated the leaders' discussions.

Bush sought to reassure Israelis who are worried about the U.S. commitment to keeping Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Israel will one day be wiped off the map.Iran is an existential threat to peace, Bush said. It's very important for the world to take the Iranian threat quite seriously, which the United States does.The visit has clearly been a welcome break for the beleaguered Olmert, who appeared relaxed and confident in a talk with reporters Wednesday. His domestic woes hadn't come up in his meeting with Bush, he said.The U.S. administration is familiar with the developments and follows them, but the meeting dealt with the matters on Israel's national agenda, Olmert said.Before their meeting, Olmert grinned as Bush spoke and then effusively praised the president's speech last month before the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem, widely interpreted as favoring Israelis over Palestinians in their long-running dispute. It was, Olmert said, the best expression of the United States' commitment to the security and the well-being of the state of Israel.Olmert's political future has been thrown into doubt because of testimony from Morris Talansky, a New York businessman who says he gave Olmert envelopes stuffed with cash over a decade and a half, in part to fund a lavish lifestyle. Olmert's political allies are conspicuously refusing to come to his defense, and instead are jostling for his job.Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, would not say whether Olmert's troubles were a topic of discussion in private. But there are hints the Bush administration understands Olmert may be on his way out. Hadley stressed, as have other administration officials recently, that the negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians were entered into by Olmert on behalf of the government. The implication is that the process can continue without Olmert.This is a shift from Bush's initial reasoning for why an agreement could be reached this year, which posited that Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were the right leaders at the right time to reach a historic compromise.

It involves participation by other ministers in this process — Foreign Minister Livni and Defense Minister Barak, Hadley said. So, at this point, we follow the lead of the parties and the parties have indicated that they want to continue this process.Olmert said he thought it was still possible to make real progress before Bush's ambitious deadline of reaching an agreement by the end of the year. I hope that we will be able to make decisions during 2008, he told reporters, and noted that not even half of the year has gone by.Associated Press writer Jennifer Loven contributed to this report.

After millennia, Baghdad Jews dwindle to a fearful handful
By Stephen Farrell Published: June 1, 2008

Written in broken English but with perfect clarity, the message is a stark and plaintive assessment from one of the last Jews of Babylon.The community of Jews in Baghdad is now all but vanished in a land where their heritage recedes back to Abraham of Ur, to Jonah's prophesying to Nineveh, and to Nebuchadnezzar's sending Jews into exile here more than 2,500 years ago.Just over half a century ago, Iraq's Jews numbered more than 130,000. But now, in the city that was once the community's heart, they cannot muster even a minyan, the 10 Jewish men required to perform some of the most important rituals of their faith. They are scared even to publicize their exact number, which was recently estimated at seven by the Jewish Agency for Israel, and at eight by one Christian cleric. That is not enough to read the Torah in public, if there were anywhere in public they would dare to read it, and too few to recite a proper Kaddish for the dead.Among those who remain is a former car salesman who describes himself as the rabbi, slaughterer and one of the leaders of the Jewish community in Iraq.

Today in Africa & Middle East
Israel, reversing policy, will let some Palestinian students leave GazaEmirates to name ambassador to BaghdadSyria to limit UN nuclear inspectors' access Although many of his Muslim friends and immediate neighbors know he is Jewish (I'm proud, I'm Jewish, not ashamed. I'm not hiding, he wrote at one point.), he was wary of being named because it could draw more dangerous attention to him or his friends. To protect him, he is referred to as Saleh's grandson, because his or his father's name would be too easily recognizable here. Interviews with him were conducted by correspondence over the course of several months.He lamented that Jews in Baghdad had had no meeting place since the Meir Tweig synagogue, the last in the city, was closed in 2003, after it became too dangerous to gather openly.I do my prayer in my house because we closed the synagogue from the war until now. If we open it, it will be a target, he wrote, adding later: I have no future here, I can't marry, there is no girl. I can't put my kova on my head out of the house. If I'm out of Iraq, I'll share with people in all our feasts and do my prayer in the synagogue and will be with my family.Now in his early 40s, he exists as anonymously and discreetly as he can. He cannot reliably hide his religion: it is stamped on his official identity card, which he must present at any security checkpoint. So he stays mainly in his own neighborhood, protected by Muslim neighbors who have been family friends for decades.He is a very cautious man. After contact with him was first established through an intermediary, and his identity was confirmed by his family abroad, he consented to speak directly for only a few moments over the telephone. Even that was just to propose a safer way to correspond, under a version of his name different from the one that other Iraqis know.His fears are all too real in a city where bodies are still found dumped in the street almost daily, despite a fall in the overall death toll.Christians, a far larger group, have fled Iraq by the thousands, and even Sunni and Shiite Muslims, who live among millions of their fellows, remain fearful of religious and sectarian fanatics.

Jews were once a wealthy and politically active part of the spectrum of Iraq. In a fading red volume of the Iraq Directory of 1936, the Israelite community, then numbering about 120,000, is listed along with Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and Sabeans. Rescued from a Baghdad library, this book lists Hebrew among the six languages of Iraq and describes a country in which the mosque stands beside the church and the synagogue.However, the directory predates decades of trauma: the 1941 Farhud pogrom in which more than 130 Jews were killed during the Feast of Shavuot, World War II, the Holocaust, the anti-Zionism of Saddam Hussein and the post-2003 rise of Islamic militants.

Most traces of Jews are now gone beside the Prat and the Hidekel rivers, the Hebrew names for the Euphrates and Tigris. Baghdad's Jewish quarter, in Taht al-Takia, is no more. And about 80 miles south of Baghdad lies the Hebrew-inscribed tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel, son of Buzi. During a visit there on Saturday, dozens of Muslim pilgrims filed through the well-tended shrine, its interior blackened by centuries of lamp smoke, to honor Ezekiel as a respected prophet.Among these fragments of their civilization live the moribund huddle of holdouts.Saleh's grandson is now alone. His mother died two decades ago, his older brother left in 1991, and his father, now 87, was among the last handful of Jews taken from Iraq by the Jewish Agency after 2003, reducing the current community to single figures.Most of his other relatives departed in 1951, among more than 100,000 Jews who fled Iraq between 1949 and 1952, in the years after the state of Israel was created. Their exodus was code named Operation Ezra and Nehemiah, after the Jewish leaders who took their people back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon beginning in 597 BC

Some of the remaining handful of Iraqi Jews are middle class, including two doctors. Others, including Saleh's grandson, are poor and unemployed, dependent on handouts.We see each other if there is something necessary, like a death, or to discuss some important things, or if someone needs help, he wrote. We take care about the people in the Jewish community only, not the half or part-Jewish. We don't know about them after they left us.Some Jews say they are too old to leave. Some do not want to leave their friends behind.

The few remaining Jews ignore the entreaties of worried relatives and friends abroad and await an unlikely renaissance, demographic extinction or a more sudden end.Concern for their safety rose two years ago when one of them, a middle-aged man, was kidnapped. They have no idea whether he was taken because he was Jewish, wealthy, or whether the abduction was random.We don't know anything about him, and don't know the reason, Saleh's grandson said.His relatives voice frustration at his insistence on remaining in Iraq, saying he cannot be persuaded to relinquish the family home. He wants to sell it for $300,000 to help build a new life abroad but has had no takers.I talk with him all the time, said his older brother, who lives in Europe and requested anonymity to protect his brother. I call him every two weeks, and always I give him advice to leave, because it is dangerous, and because he needs to build his life and to find a wife.The family argues that if buyers were going to come forward they would have done so long ago. They say that in Iraq's current instability, an unscrupulous buyer could simply steal the money back, knowing that Saleh's grandson would have no recourse without a tribe to protect him.Now there is nobody buying because of the situation in Sadr City, his brother said. I keep telling him, Money is nothing.The Jewish Agency for Israel, an organization that arranges immigration to the Holy Land, has offered to relocate the entire group. Should the remaining Jews in Baghdad request to immigrate to Israel, the Jewish Agency will immediately facilitate this request and also take care of their absorption needs in Israel, said Zeev Bielski, the agency's chairman.

However, Michael Jankelowitz, an agency spokesman, conceded: They are not interested in leaving. Their philosophy is, We are old, no one is affecting our day-to-day life. If we have to leave, we know how to contact the Jewish Agency.The holdout's father says that he regrets leaving Iraq, the country of his birth, five years ago, but that he would not return in the current dangerous climate.Why did we have to leave? he said, sighing. In Iraq I was always with my friends. Everyone was very, very, very, very nice. I had Muslim friends for 50 to 60 years. They were friends, like family. I used to spend more time with Arabs than Jews.His son says he knows the risks. I'd like to leave, but I have my house, I can't leave it, he wrote. I have no future here to stay.He insists that he has responsibilities to his fellow Iraqi Jews, no matter how few in number.If I'm faithful in GOD, I'm not afraid of anything, he wrote, and GOD BLESS ME.

Belgian finance minister eyes eurogroup presidency
ELITSA VUCHEVA 05.06.2008 @ 09:26 CET

Belgian finance minister Didier Reynders could succeed Luxembourg's premier Jean-Claude Juncker as the next president of the eurogroup –the club of EU countries using the euro - according to press reports.Mr Reynders told French daily Le Monde he would do it gladly, provided that there is a consensus on my name, the paper reported on Wednesday (4 June).Fifteen EU countries currently use the euro, with Slovakia expected to join the eurozone next year. (Photo: European Community)The Belgian minister has had a seat in the eurogroup almost as long as that of Mr Juncker himself, and is reported to have the support of several member states, particularly France.Mr Reynders has views close to those of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and both men have criticised the European Central Bank before.In 2001, Mr Reynders had clashed with the then ECB president, Wim Duisenberg, over the orientation the bank's monetary policy should follow, calling for the latter to be more relaxed.

Last year, he again raised a criticism, telling French financial daily Les Echos: What strikes me often is to hear ECB officials explain how the situation has changed, how it is worrying, and [then] do nothing about it.For his part, Mr Sarkozy has repeatedly criticised the ECB for its monetary policy, and drawn fire from other member states, in particular Germany, for trying to interfere with the bank's affairs and curb its independence.Besides Mr Reynders' interest in the post however, his spokesperson has affirmed that he is not yet a candidate, neither official, nor unofficial, and prefers first to see how his counterparts feel about his possible appointment, writes La Libre Belgique on Thursday (5 June).Other potential candidates for Mr Juncker's succession include Spanish finance minister Pedro Solbes, who is also a former EU economic and finance affairs commissioner, as well as Dutch finance minister Wouter Bos, according to French and Belgian media.Mr Juncker himself has already completed two terms of 2.5 years each at the head of the eurogroup and is not planning to run for a third one. A decision on the matter is to be taken in September – under the French EU presidency, during an informal meeting of EU finance ministers in Nice.

France readies for 'heaviest Presidency in EU history'[fr][de] Published: Monday 2 June 2008

With climate and energy negotiations at the top of France's priorities and a reshuffle of the European institutions in sight for 2009, the French Presidency promises to be the heaviest in EU history, diplomats say.

Background:
On the night of his election in May 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised EU expectations by vowing to put France back in Europe (EurActiv 07/05/07).But his cheerful words were soon followed by a warning against the EU's perceived excessive penchant for economic liberalism, a tendency believed to be a major factor behind the rejection of the draft EU Constitution by French voters in 2005.I conjure our European partners not to lend a deaf ear to the wrath of the peoples who perceive the European Union not as a protection but as a Trojan horse of all the threats brought by a transforming world, Sarkozy warned on his election night.A more protective Europe was hence chosen as the motto of the upcoming Presidency (EurActiv 06/11/07).

On 1 July 2008, France takes over the EU's six-month rotating presidency from Slovenia with an exceptionally busy agenda.

According to a French diplomat in Brussels, this presidency is the heaviest one of all the history of the European Union in terms of workload.This, he explained, is because the EU is getting more cumbersome: there are more countries and commissioners than ever before and the Parliament has gained more powers. But it is also because additional factors have accumulated.For the first time, you have this coincidence of a heavier Union but there is also the end of the political mandate of the Commission and Parliament as well as the end of the [ratification process of] the Lisbon Treaty. You never had all these things together.A series of sensitive dossiers have also piled up, all of which have to be closed by the end of the year. The energy and climate change package, tabled by the European Commission in January, is the first among them. The package includes a proposed revision of the EU's CO2 trading scheme and a new renewable energy directive, two dossiers which involve tough negotiations on how to share the burden of commitments between each EU member state.Energy and climate change is enough to feed a presidency, the diplomat pointed out. But he added that there are circumstances which mean the agenda is heavier for political reasons because some things have been delayed. This includes for instance a debate on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, which the French are keen to help shape under their Presidency.

Irish referendum on everyone's minds

The outcome of the Irish referendum on 12 June will undoubtedly have a considerable impact on the Presidency's schedule. Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, spoke about the issue at the European Policy Centre in Brussels on 26 May. If the process continues without incident as it has so far today - and our sights are first turning to Ireland - we will have at heart to finish the preparatory work that started under the Slovenian presidency, he said.But what will happen if the Irish reject the treaty? There is no Plan B, Kouchner answered, echoing the European Commission's official line.In practice, though, a solution will need to be found if the treaty is rejected and EU leaders will have plenty of time to discuss this during a summit on 19-20 June, just days before the start of the French Presidency. Follow-up work would then have to be handled by France, potentially adding to an already busy agenda. The responsibility of the entry into force of this new treaty is, we are conscious of it, essential, Kouchner said. We will therefore attach all our energies to it.

Preparing for the EU diplomatic service

And provided all goes well and Ireland ratifies, there will still be a lot to do as the pressure then will fall on preparations for the Treaty's new provisions, which enter into force on 1 January 2009.According to Kouchner, the French Presidency's work there will centre on designating the future permanent president of the Council and the new foreign policy chief, decisions which are all expected to be taken by EU heads of state at a summit in December.

Speculation is already rife about the names of the candidates, with names already being circulated (see our LinksDossier on Mr. Europe). But Kouchner recently suggested that there could still be a few surprises and that more candidates could emerge (EurActiv 27/05/08).Kouchner also said France will work to lay the foundations for the new external action service as of the 1st of January 2009, indicating that the challenge will be to find an efficient functioning between the Presidency of the European Council and the rotating Presidency, and, incidentally, to define the role of foreign affairs ministers in this new scheme.Questions remain, however, as to how all the new roles will fall into place. According to the agreed schedule, the Treaty should be ratified by the end of 2008 and start applying as of 1 January 2009. This should also apply for the new permanent EU President and foreign policy chief. But when EU leaders meet in December to pick their champion, the outcome of the European elections will still be unknown. And whichever party wins the poll in June will have the legitimacy to ask for the negotiations to be reopened, a situation which could place the new President in a difficult situation if he or she is not backed by the new majority.

Alain Lamassoure, a leading centre-right MEP who advises Sarkozy on European affairs, believes there could be two solutions to this problem. Writing on Blogactiv.eu , he says the first could be to delay the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty until June 2009, leaving the Czech Prime Minister to exert the Presidency according to the current rotating system. Alternatively, he says EU leaders could choose to appoint an interim president as of 1 January 2009, and wait for the results of the parliamentary elections in June. This second option is likely to be chosen for the High Representative: why not resort to it also for the President of the Council?, asks Lamassoure.

A more protective EU, focused on citizens

After the Treaty, Kouchner said making the EU care more about its citizens will be a central concern, guiding France's initiatives in almost every area.Our second objective will be to respond to the demands of our peoples, who want a stronger Europe to answer globalisation, he told the EPC conference, saying that despite its positive achievements, Europe does not convince anymore. He said the French and citizens from other founding EU member states often fear globalisation because they see it as being responsible for part of the unemployment and faults in our social protection system. Back at home, it is often the interrogations and anxieties which prevail, Kouchner said.The issue has come up regularly in speeches by President Nicolas Sarkozy. On his election night, he portrayed the EU as a Trojan horse of all the threats brought by a transforming world. More recently, he promised to put politics back into Europe, criticising along the way Brussels Eurocrats who dictate automatic rules that leave no room for political decision and accountability (EurActiv 11/02/08). The criticism was also directed at the European Central Bank, which Sarkozy has made a recurrent target.We must be able to talk about everything, Sarkozy said, just like in any democracy: of our currency which is not a taboo subject, of trade policy, of industrial policy, of reciprocity in competition matters or the excesses of financial capitalism.Concretely, Kouchner said, the French approach will seek to review the EU's search for more competitiveness (the Lisbon agenda) to associate it with a renovated solidarity, through quality public services that contribute to growth, a renewed social agenda, and the fight against discrimination.A social policy package, which the Commission originally planned to publish earlier this year, has been delayed to 2 July, just after the start of the French Presidency.

Four priorities

The four priorities of the Presidency are already widely known. Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French secretary of state for European affairs, further detailed them on 20 May at a hearing before the Conference of Committee Chairmen of the European Parliament. They are:

Finalising the energy-climate package;
Better controlling immigration flows by agreeing on a European Immigration and Asylum Pact;
European security and defence policy, and;
Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy.
EurActiv will return to each of these topics in more detail during the course of the week.

Barroso to inaugurate European synagogue
PHILIPPA RUNNER 04.06.2008 @ 09:23 CET

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso will in a ceremony on Wednesday (4 June) help dedicate a Brussels temple as the Great Synagogue of Europe, amid prayers for EU leaders to act justly.The synagogue - an 1878 Romanesque-style building in Brussels' central Rue de la Regence - is to become a symbolic focal point for Judaism in Europe, a little like St Peter's Basilica in Rome is for Roman Catholics.Jose Manuel Barroso's name will appear on a plaque inside the building (Photo: EUobserver.com)

The commission head will sign a document of dedication along with two chief rabbis and two witnesses, with Mr Barroso's name also appearing on a plaque inside the building.The event will involve the reading of a specially-drafted Prayer for Europe as well as singing by the European Choir - a Brussels-based team of 100 singers from 20 EU states set up in 1958 to act as musical ambassadors for Europe.The prayer will ask for happiness for European citizens and for the continent's leaders to act with justice and equanimity to create a spiritual union, Polish daily Rzeczpospolita reports.The EU appears to be convinced that the European construction must not only be based on economic interests but also on religious and spiritual well-being, chief rabbi Albert Guigui of the Rue de la Regence church told the European Jewish Press.

Palestinian protest

In a separate development, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad has written to the EU institutions, urging the bloc not to deepen relations with Israel at a meeting later this month.The letter, dated May 27 and made public by Italian leftist MEP Luisa Morgantini, denounces Israel's flagrant disregard for Palestinian rights by building fresh settlements in disputed territory, Reuters reports.EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 16 June will discuss upgrading the EU's current association pact on trade and security co-operation with the EU neighbour.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE 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.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) 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 KINGS OR NATIONS).

Australian PM wants EU-style bloc for Asia-Pacific
LUCIA KUBOSOVA 05.06.2008 @ 09:26 CET

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has suggested that Asia and Pacific countries, including the region's heavyweights such as China, India and Japan, form a regional bloc similar to the European Union.The key thing is to enhance security and regional co-operation, which at present is fragmented, Rudd said in a radio interview on Wednesday (4 June), AFP has reported, after he presented the idea during an address to the Asia Society of Australasia. Mr Rudd suggests Asian-Pacific community would loosely follow the EU's integration path (Photo: Council of the European Union)

He argued that an Asia-Pacific Community could be founded by 2020 as a forum for tackling climate change and terrorism, as well as settling territorial conflicts, such as over Kashmir, the Taiwan Straits and the Korean peninsula.Furthermore, it could serve as a trade platform to help exploit the benefits of the looming economic power of the region, which he thinks will be at the centre of global affairs throughout this century.Put simply, global economic and strategic weight is shifting to Asia, he said.Commenting on possible comparisons with the 27-strong European Union - which is set to enlarge further - Mr Rudd said that it does not serve as an identical model of what we would seek to develop in the Asia-Pacific, but what we can learn from Europe is this: It is necessary to take the first step, according to Radio Australia.

His suggestions come shortly after a similar process of regional integration has resulted in the creation of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), set up by a founding treaty signed last month.The new supranational and intergovernmental body has combined two previously existing customs unions – Mercosur and the Andean Community – with 12 participating countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru and Chile.Its institutional structure directly copies the EU model, with UNASUR's headquarters to be located in Quito, Ecuador, a South American parliament seated in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and a Bank of the South to be situated in Bogota, Colombia.Other regional groupings inspired by Europe include a single market without trade barriers for goods and services agreed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as the African Union.

NUMBER 15 OF 27 PASS LISBON TREATY.

Dutch MPs vote in favour of Lisbon Treaty
LEIGH PHILLIPS 05.06.2008 @ 09:38 CET

The House of Commons in the Netherlands passed the Lisbon Treaty on Wednesday evening with a wide majority, some three years after the Dutch people rejected the constitutional treaty in a popular referendum.With the governing Labour Party and Christian Democrats, together with the market-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) voting in favour of the ratification of the treaty, the legislation passed easily. All the mainline Dutch political parties supported the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty (Photo: wikipedia)

Only the left-wing Socialist Party (SP), the Freedom Party of hard-right anti-Islam provocateur Geert Wilders and the Party for the Animals, an animal rights party with two seats in the chamber, voted against.The Dutch Senate still has yet to approve the document, however. The upper house is expected to debate the treaty over the summer.Three years ago, in June 2005, the European Union was dealt a body blow when the Netherlands voted heavily against the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. The win for the Nee, or No side – a powerful 61.5 percent of voters on a turnout of 63.3 percent - together with a strong Non from France the month before, effectively killed off the European Constitutional project.

This time around, European leaders have ensured that the new treaty has not been put before citizens in referenda, with the exception of Ireland, where one is constitutionally required. Instead, parliaments are simply ratifying it.The two Dutch governing parties have said it was not necessary to consult the population a second time because what was now on the table was only a classic modification treaty, stripped of its constitutional trappings.

Additionally in the Lisbon Treaty, argued Dutch Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende, national parliaments are to play a greater role in the European legislative process, with the ability to put a halt to legislation they object to. However, the SP, whose support has soared since it took the lead in the 2005 campaign against the constitution, steadily eating away at the centre-left Labour Party's support base, argued that there was little difference between the two treaties.SP Europe spokesperson Harry van Bommel presented a 42,000-signature petition against the Lisbon Treaty to the parliament ahead of the vote, but to no avail, with the chamber rejecting his proposal for a second referendum.During the debate, Mr van Bommel said: It is a disgrace that there is still no public version of the Treaty of Lisbon available.Obviously one does not want to inform the population, he added.After the vote, VVD house leader Han Ten Broeke rubbished the idea that the treaties were the same. Even if less than five per cent has changed, … your DNA differs by only two per cent from that of a monkey, but the difference is still fundamental, he said, according to Radio Netherlands.The Dutch Green Left party had mixed feelings about the treaty, which in the end they supported. Green MP Mariko Peters said: It is an great moment because we stand to ratify a new treaty concerning Europe. At the same time is a sad moment because democracy failed.All eyes are now on Ireland, which has its say on the treaty on 12 June.

Church
Vatican preparing guidelines for religious dialogue
Posted: Thursday, June 5, 2008, 8:50 (BST)

The Vatican department that oversees relations with Islam is preparing guidelines for Catholic dialogue with non-Christian religions, its head said on Wednesday.Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran told Vatican Radio that work on the document was starting after many years of hesitation and would offer guidelines for priests as well as ordinary followers.Tauran, a Frenchman, is head of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, which oversees Catholic relations with all non-Christian religions except Judaism.

The Vatican's relations with Islam have been particularly thorny in recent years.In March, the Vatican and Muslim leaders agreed to establish a permanent official dialogue, known as The Catholic-Muslim Forum, to improve often difficult relations and heal wounds still open from a controversial papal speech in 2006.Catholic-Muslim relations nosedived that year after Pope Benedict delivered a lecture in Regensburg, Germany, that was taken by Muslims to imply that Islam was violent and irrational.Muslims around the world protested and the pope sought to make amends when he visited Turkey's Blue Mosque and prayed towards Mecca with its Imam.Tauran did not say when the new document would be completed.

Saudis launch Islamic unity drive JUNE 5,08

King Abdullah chaired the opening session of the three-day conference Saudi Arabia's monarch has urged Muslims to speak with one voice in preparation for interfaith dialogue with the Jewish and Christian worlds. King Abdullah was speaking at a three-day conference in Mecca, attended by hundreds of Muslim delegates.

The king, whose country is mainly Sunni Muslim, said extremists were exploiting the tolerant nature of Islam. As well as extremism, delegates hope to tackle what is seen as the negative perception of Islam in the West. BBC Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says the meeting is supposed to be the Saudi answer to the controversial clash of civilizations thesis of US academic Samuel Huntington.

Muslim writers often cite Prof Huntington's ideas as evidence of Western hostility to Islam in particular.

Voice of justice

King Abdullah entered the hall alongside Iranian politician Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who sat beside him on the stage. ... I tell you that there are many things in common and there's no need to look at differences Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Introduction: Sunnis and Shias

Correspondents say the message was that the Sunni kingdom was now in agreement with moderate Shia Muslims such as Mr Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president. You have gathered today to tell the whole world that... we are a voice of justice and values and humanity, that we are a voice of coexistence and a just and rational dialogue, King Abdullah told the delegates. Extremism was a challenge to Islam that targeted the magnanimity, fairness and lofty aims of the religion, he said. That's why this invitation was extended - to face the challenges of isolation, ignorance and narrow horizons, so that the world can absorb the good message of Islam.Mr Rafsanjani said Saudi Arabia presented a great message to all humanity in the world and appealed for Shia-Sunni dialogue and mutual support. We should... not weaken each other or sully each other's reputation, he said. As a Muslim and a Shia and an expert in Islamic issues ... I tell you that there are many things in common and there's no need to look at differences.

Banned symbols

Delegates said the aim was to agree on a global Islamic charter for dialogue with Christians and Jews, ahead of a call by Saudi Arabia for an interfaith dialogue. Saudi Arabia currently has no diplomatic ties with Israel, and non-Muslim religious services and symbols are banned in the kingdom. King Abdullah has said Saudi Arabia's top clerics, who like the ruling family are from the hardline Wahhabi trend of Sunni Islam, have authorised his interfaith approach. Mainly Sunni Saudi Arabia and mainly Shia Iran stand on opposite sides of many of the conflicts dividing the Muslim world, and some observers say political rifts are being laid bare, such as different attitudes towards the US. Mr Rafsanjani also urged the world's one billion Muslims to stop Washington controlling the natural resources in their countries - a pointed comment in oil giant Saudi Arabia, a top ally of Washington. Why should this tremendous group be weak before the international arrogance? he said, using the Iranian revolutionary term for the US. Earlier this week, a group of independent clerics issued a statement saying Shia political movements like the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon were posturing against Israel to hide an anti-Sunni agenda.

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)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
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's Medvedev visits Germany on first European trip as president Thu Jun 5, 6:41 AM By The Associated Press

BERLIN - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was making his first trip to western Europe since succeeding Vladimir Putin - an official visit Thursday that comes as the European Union and Russia prepare to start much-delayed talks on a new strategic partnership.

Medvedev was to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and President Horst Koehler during his one-day visit, only his second trip abroad since he was sworn into office May 7. Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, speaks Russian. Still, ties have been more businesslike under Merkel than the friendly relationship that her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, enjoyed with Putin. Merkel said before Medvedev's visit that it is necessary to expand and strengthen Germany's close, friendly and strategic relations with Russia, a major gas supplier to her country and the rest of Europe. She also praised his intentions on the domestic front. Medvedev has indicated that he wants to develop and strengthen the constitutional state, she said in her weekly video podcast last Saturday. I think this is a good signal.Merkel said her discussions with Medvedev would range from the upcoming Group of Eight summit in Japan to the thorny issue of Kosovo, which declared independence from Russian ally Serbia in February. Germany is among the many EU nations that have recognized Kosovo's independence; Russia fiercely opposes it, and has sided with Belgrade in opposing Kosovo's split from Serbia. Thursday's talks also are expected to touch on future EU-Russia relations. EU nations last week finally cleared the way for negotiations on a far-reaching new pact with Russia on widening economic and political ties. Efforts to start the talks had been held up first by a Polish-Russian dispute over meat exports and then by Lithuanian demands that Russia improve relations with neighbours such as Georgia and Moldova.

Merkel said it would be important to make clear that the European Union acts together on energy security. Within the EU, a planned German-Russian gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea has caused tensions with Berlin's eastern neighbours. Medvedev was Putin's hand-picked successor in the Kremlin, and few clear signs have emerged so far about who will lead Russian foreign policy. Traditionally Russia's president holds that responsibility, but many expect Putin to retain a substantial say in policy as prime minister. Before the visit, Guido Westerwelle, head of Germany's opposition Free Democrats, said in Thursday's Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper that Medvedev had already promised more openness, more liberalness and more democracy.It would be good if it is already clear during this visit to Germany that Russia, in the interests of our mutual relations, is already actually going in this direction, he was quoted as saying. Germany's leaders already have been working to sound out the new president. Merkel met Medvedev in Moscow in early March, and Steinmeier met him on a trip to Russia last month. Medvedev's one foreign trip as president so far was to China and Kazakhstan. In Beijing, he and Chinese President Hu Jintao criticized U.S. missile defence plans that involve facilities in two eastern EU members, Poland and the Czech Republic. Medvedev praised recent close ties between Russia and China as key to global stability and said the two wanted to strengthen their strategic partnership.

Exclusive: Limited US attack on Iranian Revolutionary Guards bases in sight June 3, 2008, 12:25 PM (GMT+02:00)

US stealth warplanes
Our Washington sources report that president George W. Bush is closer than ever before to ordering a limited missile-air bombardment of the IRGC-al Qods Brigade’s installations in Iran. It is planned to target training camps and the munitions factories pumping fighters, missiles and roadside bombs to the Iraqi insurgency, Lebanese Hizballah and Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza.

Iran is geared up for counteraction.

US intelligence estimates that Tehran’s counteraction will likewise be on a limited scale and therefore any US-Iranian military encounter will not be allowed to explode into a major confrontation. Because this US assault is not planned to extend to Iran’s nuclear installations, Tehran is not expected to hit back at distant American targets in the Persian Gulf or at Israel.

DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources report, however, that Iran’s military preparations for countering an American attack are far broader than envisaged in Washington. Tehran would view a US attack on the IRGC bases as a casus belli and might react in ways and on a scale unanticipated in Washington. Two days ago, Iran’s defense minister Gen. Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar warned: Iran’s Armed Forces are fully prepared to counter any military attack with any intensity and to make the enemy regret initiating any such incursions.According to DEBKAfile’s Iranian and military sources, the IRGC had by mid-May completed their preparations for a US missile, air or commando assault on their command centers and bases in reprisal for Iranian intervention in Iraq.

These preparations encompass al Qods’ arms, most of them undercover, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sudan. At home, the Revolutionary Guards have evacuated their key bases together with manpower and equipment to regular army sites or temporary quarters in villages located in remote corners of eastern and northern Iran. Their main headquarters and central training center at the Imam Ali University in northern Tehran are deserted except for sentries on the gates.Indoctrination seminaries and dormitories hosting fighting strength in the holy town of Qom are empty, as is the Manzariyah training center east of the capital. Deserted too is the main training camp near Isfahan for insurgents and terrorists from Iraq, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. It is here that they take courses from friendly al Qods training staff on how to sabotage strategic targets such as routes, bridges and military installations, and the activation of the extra-powerful roadside bombs (EFPs) which have had such a deadly effect on American troops in Iraq.

NATO expansion will spoil ties with West: Medvedev Thu Jun 5, 12:17 PM ET

BERLIN (AFP) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that the eastwards expansion of NATO risked spoiling relations between Moscow and the West in a radical way for years to come. With attempts to expand the military alliance eastwards towards Russia's borders, our relations will be undermined, spoiled in a radical way for a long time, Medvedev said in his first major foreign policy speech since succeeding Vladimir Putin last month.

Moscow has been angered in recent years by the prospect of NATO -- an organisation set up originally in the Cold War as a counterweight to the Soviet Union -- moving into what it sees as its traditional sphere of influence.At its summit in Bucharest in April, NATO turned down applications by Georgia and Ukraine for a Membership Action Plan -- a stepping stone to joining -- but did say the former Soviet republics would eventually become members.

Western powers have grown increasingly concerned by a stand-off between Georgia and Russia over separatist Abkhazia.Georgia accuses Russian peacekeepers of backing Abkhaz rebels and has demanded they be replaced by an international force.Earlier on Thursday, Medvedev had said he was worried by a lack of mutual understanding in relations between Moscow and the West on security issues, including NATO expansion.

Two nuclear plant incidents reported
Published: June 5, 2008 at 11:39 AM

BRUSSELS, June 5 (UPI) -- Two incidents at nuclear power stations in Slovenia and the Czech Republic were quickly handled but left nerves jangled, the European Union said.The EU said there was no environmental impact in either case but the scares had done little to help Brussels' campaign to restore public confidence in nuclear plant activity.A water leak from the primary coolant unit in Slovenia's Krsko nuclear plant Wednesday forced the 25-year old facility to shut down its single reactor for emergency repairs, the EU Observer said.There is no impact on the environment, the matter is under control, the Slovenian nuclear safety administration chief said. Krsko was expected to be out of action for a few days.On Tuesday in the Czech Republic, the 35-year old Dukovany plant's automated safety system cut output from one of its four reactors after a worker mistakenly turned off coolant pipes. A spokesman said there was no environmental damage but the plant did release a cloud of white steam above the reactor building.

Military shoots down missile in test off Hawaii JUNE 5,08

HONOLULU - The U.S. military says it has intercepted a ballistic missile near Hawaii in a test. The sea-based test Thursday was the military's first since an errant satellite was shot down earlier this year.A target was fired from a decomissioned amphibious assault ship about 100 miles off the island of Kauai. It was a Scud-like missile with a range of a few hundred miles.The USS Lake Erie fired two interceptor missiles at the target. It was shot down in its final seconds of flight about 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean.

The Lake Erie is a Navy cruiser based at Pearl Harbor. In February, the ship shot down a U.S. spy satellite in the Aegis defense program's first real-world mission.