MEDITERRANEAN UNION BIRTHED

REVELATION 13:1-3
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea,(IN THE BIBLE THE SEA IS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA) and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU IS THE ONE STARTED THIS TRADE BLOCK JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS HERE).
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he 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.

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 shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

THE NEW CLUB MED - TRADE BLOC IS BORN ON THIS HISTORIC DATE OF SUNDAY JULY 13,2008.

Mediterranean, EU nations to boost ties with grand new union
JULY 13,08

PARIS (AFP) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy and 42 leaders on Sunday launched a union between Europe and its Mediterranean neighbours amid hopes the grand plan will bring fresh impetus to Middle East peace efforts.Heads of state and government from the 27 EU nations and an arc of countries from north Africa to the Balkans -- representing some 756 million people -- will inaugurate the new forum at the Grand Palais on Paris' Champs Elysees.The goal of the summit, Sarkozy said, is that we learn how to love each other in the Mediterranean, instead of continuing to hate and wage war.It doesn't mean that all of the problems are resolved of course, he said, following talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on the sidelines of the summit.The meeting will see Syrian President Bashar al-Assad return to the international stage, but while he will sit at the same table as Olmert no talks between them are planned.It is also providing a venue for France to step up its Middle East diplomacy.

We have never been as close to an accord as we are today, Olmert told reporters after his talks with Abbas, in the presence of the French leader.French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner recognised that the region was fraught with tensions and economic disparities but he nevertheless hailed a time of hope for Middle East peace.A new wind of dialogue is blowing around the Mediterranean, he said.

Through his energetic lobbying, Sarkozy scored a major coup by getting almost everyone to the venue, although their attendance will not be enshrined in any family photograph, due to objections.

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi is boycotting the meeting, while Jordan's King Abdullah II and King Mohammed VI of Morocco are sending senior representatives.Ahead of the summit, Sarkozy met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who agreed to attend despite Ankara's reservations about the union in the face of France's opposition to Turkey's EU membership.To sidestep differences between Israel and its Arab neighbours, the new forum will concentrate on a series of modest regional projects such as cleaning up pollution in the Mediterranean sea or developing solar energy.The union aims to build on the EU's 13-year-old Barcelona process, which was plagued by disputes between Israel and its Arab neighbours.The world is not going to be changed by the meeting today, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt told reporters. But the entire region will, hopefully, be changed over time by this particular approach.Drawing up a final declaration has proved difficult, with references in a draft version to the fight against weapons of mass destruction likely to be chopped out.On the eve of the summit, signs emerged that regional differences could rear their heads, with the Arab League saying the new forum must not ignore the plight of the Palestinians.Some partners are reluctant to take part in projects with Israel.Most emphasis in the draft text is on raising the public profile of the forum, by setting up a joint presidency -- with France and Egypt set to take the first turn -- and organising summits every two years.A secretariat will also be created to supervise the projects, but its composition, size and location are not to be decided before November.The summit, starting at 1330 GMT, will be held at the glass-domed Grand Palais that was built for the Paris Exhibition in 1900.

Union of the Mediterranean comes to life
Published: Sunday 13 July 2008 06:53 UTC

Forty three heads of state and government leaders from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East are preparing to set up the Union for the Mediterranean. The union, which will be agreed at a summit in Paris on Sunday, is intended to increase cooperation between EU countries and those around the Mediterranean Sea, and to address environmental, infrastructural and economic concerns.Members will include the countries of the European Union, together with Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Monaco, Montenegro and Turkey. From North Africa come Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. The Middle Eastern countries of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Syria will complete the union.Previous attempts to reach a workable cooperation between the countries have always stumbled to a halt because of tensions between Israel and the Arab states.

Turk PM urges France to be loyal to its commintments at the summit JULY 13,08

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged EU President France to be loyal to its commitments in its accession talks with Turkey at his meeting held with French President Nicholas Sarkozy in Paris on Sunday, where he is attending the summit on the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean. Heads of state and government from 43 countries are in Paris for the launch summit of the new regional club, bringing together countries that line the Mediterranean as well as European Union member states. (UPDATED)

Erdogan had communicated Turkey's expectations from France during its presidency in its accession talks with the EU while Sarkozy promised to allow accession talks to run its course, the Anatolian Agency (AA) said citing French Presidency officials who spoke to reporters regarding the meeting.The negotiation chapters which were ready for review would be opened to negotiation during the French Presidency, the AA also said.The two leaders discussed Turkey-EU relations, bilateral issues, the Middle East peace process, and the dissolution case against Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), the AA quoted presidency officials as saying.Officials added that Sarkozy appreciated Turkey's mediatorship between Israel and Syria, and he welcomed Turkey's active participation in the Union for Mediterranean Project. Sarkozy reiterated that the Union for Mediterranean Project and Turkey's EU bid were totally different issues.France which opposes Turkey's full membership to the EU and offers privileged partnership instead, announced earlier that it would not object to the opening of two or three chapters to negotiations during its term as EU president. France vetoed earlier, opening of the chapters on common fiscal and economic policy as it made direct reference to full membership.The Union for Mediterranean is a project aiming at developing cooperation in the Mediterranean. This project is not an alternative to Turkey's EU membership process. It was underlined by European leaders on many occasions. Erdogan said in Istanbul prior to his departure for France on Sunday.

The final statement to be released at the end of the summit will also refer to it. From the very beginning, Turkey has been advocating to develop tangible projects for development of cooperation in the Mediterranean, he added.Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan also accompanied Erdogan in the meeting that was closed to the press.

NEXT MEETINGS

After his meeting with Sarkozy, Erdogan will meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel, President Bashar al-Asad of Syria, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of Sweden, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark and Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands, during his stay in Paris.Turkey initially viewed with suspicion the initiative of Sarkozy, who has long opposed Ankara's bid to join the 27-nation EU bloc.

MIDDLE EAST AGENDA

The Middle East peace process is high on agenda since the leaders of Syria, Israel and Palestine are also attending the summit.Eyes will be on Syrian President Bashir al-Assad who stages a comeback to the international stage with his Paris visit and will find himself at the Grand Palais along with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.Israel and Syria technically remain at war ever since the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, although they have moved to revive peace efforts through indirect talks, with Turkey as mediator.France had floated the idea of a historic meeting between Assad and Olmert, but both sides rejected the move as premature.

French diplomats say the seating arrangement at the summit -- by alphabetical order -- will ensure that Israeli and Syrian leaders are kept well apart.The Union for the Mediterranean is a proposed community of EU-member states and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea planned to be established in July 2008. It was originally suggested by Sarkozy as part of his election campaign.

Sarkozy, last year, invited all Mediterranean leaders to the summit in France to take place on July 13, 2008. The project envisages cooperation among the EU-member states and Mediterranean-littoral countries in environment, potable water, energy, transportation, sustainable development and fight against illegal migration.The only no-show at the founding summit of the Union for the Mediterranean in Paris is Libyan President Moamer Kadhafi, who has assailed the new club as a European ploy to undermine Arab and African unity.

Battle to host France's Union for the Mediterranean headquarters By Nick Meo and Susan Bell 12:30AM BST 13/07/2008

President Nicolas Sarkozy will unveil his grand vision of a Union for the Mediterranean in Paris, but his hoped-for diplomatic triumph may be marred by squabbling about where to put its headquarters. Details of the 44-member grouping will be announced by Mr Sarkozy at a summit to launch what he hopes will be the centrepiece of France’s European Union presidency. Yet one important detail is missing: the new organisation does not have a home. North African leaders are fighting to get the headquarters of what some have nicknamed Club Med located on their soil. Even though the secretariat will be small to begin with, all the countries concerned are aware of its potential to grow. Malta, Spain and the French city of Marseilles have also staked a claim to the headquarters. A French diplomat said: This is not going to be settled at the summit. There is tension between the Maghreb countries, they are very jealous. One likely outcome is for the secretariat to move to Tunisia. A base in an important non-EU nation is the favoured option. Tunis could be an acceptable compromise for Morocco and Algeria, which are bitter rivals. The new grouping will link 15 mostly Mediterranean countries, including Israel, with a combined population of 279 million, to the EU’s 27 member states and 495 million citizens. Away from the choreographed events, which will be attended by Gordon Brown, there will be arguments and deal-making. President Sarkozy’s original dream was for a new body, supported by the EU and taking in all the nations around the shores of the Mediterranean. Its creator believes it will draw Europe closer to its poorer southern neighbours and ensure billions of euros are spent on their infrastructure and environmental projects. But the attempt to set up the union has sparked rows and claims that France is trying to reassert its influence in the region while expecting the EU to foot the bill. Mr Sarkozy has had to water down his plans since he announced them halfway through a French election campaign. The southern countries expected generous spending if they joined, but the new body is now expected to have less cash than was hoped for and today’s declaration is expected to consist more of vague platitudes than firm pledges. In March, Mr Sarkozy lost a fight with Angela Merkel, pictured, over his plans and was forced to agree to membership being widened to include northern EU states, including Britain.

He also had to change the proposed name of Mediterranean Union because it was seen as too similar to the European Union, and had to guarantee to Germany that spending would not be switched from eastern Europe to the south. He has also had to reassure Turkey that the Union for the Mediterranean is not intended to give it a second-rate alternative to full EU membership. Last week, Libya’s leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, denounced the new body as colonialism reborn and raised fears that it would provoke a terrorist backlash. A less lurid concern is that it will never amount to more than an expensive French pet project which could produce more bureaucracy. Under its predecessor, the so-called Barcelona Process, the EU spent nearly €6 billion (£4.8 billion) in about seven years in North Africa and the Middle East. This year, the House of Commons’ European Scrutiny Committee raised questions about the spending. Among the projects Mr Sarkozy hopes to get off the ground through the new grouping are efforts to clean up pollution in the Mediterranean, and solar power programmes in North Africa. There is no plan to make the EU more open to immigration from its southern neighbours; billions will be spent on developing their infrastructure, in the hope that if their economies develop there will be less illegal immigration.

Al-Jazeera Highlights Moroccan, Algerian Position on Mediterranean Union By: iStockAnalyst Sunday, July 13, 2008 7:52 AM

Al-Jazeera TV on 12 July discussed the launch of the Union for the Mediterranean at a 13 July Paris summit. The station's main concern was the presence of Israel in the summit, and in the union itself, as well as the position of Arab countries on that point in particular. To reflect Morocco's position, Al-Jazeera carried a video clip of Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb El Fassi Fihri, speaking to reporters, in which he said: Israel has been attending meetings relevant to the Barcelona Process since 1995. Naturally, the Israeli presence does not mean any normalization of ties with any Arab country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel. It is the contrary. This is an opportunity to convey the view point of the Arab group, which is not an opposing one. It is more than that. It is a strong initiative, an Arab peace initiative.The TV presenter's tone was one of doubt, especially with regard to the minister's comment in which he said that the presence of Israel did not mean normalization of ties with Israel. To reflect Algeria's position, which Al-Jazeera said was hesitant for a long time before President Bouteflika decided to attend the Paris summit, the station interviewed Mesbah Manas, a political analyst and academic from Algeria. Manas defended his country's last- minute shift, and said Algiers had to look after its interests. He said: To be honest, we live in a world of blocs. I believe historical ties with France and mutual interests, especially when these ties had gained higher importance following the visit of French President Sarkozy to Algeria, are facts entailing that Algeria must not be absent from the summit. Yes, there are objections to the summit in relation to Israel and the overall agendas. However, in my opinion, the absence of Algeria would have had more negative impact. I also think that [Algeria's] presence, as a start, is positive and important.

Asked why not sticking to the Arab League, the Arab Maghreb Union or the African Union, Manas said: Algeria is a central country in the Mediterranean basin. Algeria has ties and interests, and let us not forget that there is an Algerian community in France that numbers in the millions. There are mutual interests. Asked about fears of normalization of ties with Israel, which Al-Jazeera thought was the hidden goal of the summit, Manas said: I believe that [Algeria's] presence would not mean normalization because the official Algerian position continues to stress that normalization of ties with Israel is based on several conditions, most importantly is for Israel to respect the international legitimacy represented in the UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the Shab'a Farms, Kafr Shuba, and all [change of thought], and also the Golan Heights. There will be normalization when Israel have addressed all these points. Therefore, the presence of Algeria [in the summit] does not necessarily mean normalization. He further repeated what the Moroccan minister had said earlier in the programme about Israel's presence in the Barcelona Process meetings. Libya's boycott of the summit seems to have met the station's expectations from Arab leaders who have flown to Paris to attend the 13 July launch of the union. The Union for the Mediterranean is a scaled-back version of a French idea promoted by Sarkozy to boost ties with the southern neighbours of the EU bloc and improve cooperation on trade, security and migration.

Originally published by Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 2130 12 Jul 08. Story Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East.

Mediterranean union must not ignore Palestinians: Arab League 13 July 2008, 00:19 CET

(PARIS) - The new Union for the Mediterranean to be inaugurated on Sunday in Paris must not ignore the plight of the Palestinians, Arab League chief Amr Mussa said Saturday.Mussa was attending a meeting of Arab foreign ministers held ahead of the founding summit of the new union that will bring together 43 leaders from Europe, the Middle East, north Africa and the Balkans.When the UFM examines the situation in the Mediterranean region, it must not ignore the Palestinian cause, Mussa told journalists.But he added that Arab countries do not expect the new forum to find solutions, because the solutions are there and are known.He cited halting the expansion of Jewish settlements, creating a Palestinian state and an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories.Arab foreign ministers were meeting to consider provisions of the summit's final declaration that deal with the situation in the Middle East.Finding an acceptable wording for such declarations has in the past dogged meetings of the European Union's Barcelona process, which sought to bring together EU and Mediterranean leaders.The Paris summit will be attended by 43 leaders, with only Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi boycotting the gathering after dismissing it as a ploy to undermine Arab and African unity.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be attending along with Lebanon's new head of state Michel Sleiman, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.Text and Picture 2008 AFP. All other 2008 EUbusiness Ltd.

Israel sees Mediterranean Union as way to boost Arab ties JULY 10,08

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel hopes the new Mediterranean Union will help improve relations with the Arab world, but Arabs warn against any attempt to bring normalisation in through the back door.Israel has always considered that it is in the interest of all the peoples of the Mediterranean to reinforce their cooperation, which is why we are happy to participate in the Mediterranean Union, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said of the entity that will be launched at a Paris summit on Sunday.This is the first time that the top leaders of the Mediterranean meet with the participation of Israel, he said.As with every international meeting, we hope that it will provide the opportunity for direct encounters between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Arab leaders, he added.One Arab leader attending the summit will be Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose country recently resumed peace talks with Israel, after an eight-year break, through Turkish mediation.On Tuesday, Syria called on European governments to show understanding of Arab refusal to normalise ties with Israel without a comprehensive peace deal.The Europeans need to understand Arab demands to recover their lands and not engage in a normalisation process for free with an enemy that is still occupying our territory, said the ruling party's Al-Baath daily.Arabs want to see the launch of a comprehensive development process so that progress and peace can reign on both shores of the Mediterranean, it added.Peace and security are not achievable if territories are not restored to their rightful owners and if the social and economic gap between the two shores of the Mediterranean is not closed.

That's the Arab message that President Bashar al-Assad will be taking to Paris, it concluded.The editorial echoed concerns raised at a meeting in Algiers early last month when Arab foreign ministers called for clarification surrounding Israel's membership of a Mediterranean Union.Among the items that must be clarified are the consequences of Israel's presence inside the Mediterranean Union, said Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci.The Mediterranean Union must not normalise (relations) between Israel and Arab countries, something which has not been achieved by the Barcelona process, launched in 1995 to bring the European Union and five countries from the Mediterranean's southern rim closer together, he said.Normalising relations with Israel is the issue of a separate debate among Arab countries, which voted in 2002 that Israel must withdraw from territories captured during the 1967 Middle East war before normalisation can occur.Medelci warned that Mediterranean Union countries that do not have relations with Israel must not be forced to be part of joint projects with Israel inside the Union.Syria's Assad and Israel's Olmert are both attending the summit, but the Israeli press has said that, in order to avoid any embarrassing situations, they will be seated well apart at the summit table.For his part, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said we welcome the fact that the Syrians are talking to the Israelis.The two sides, which remain at a state of war despite a 1974 armistice, have held three rounds of Turkish-mediated talks and have agreed to hold another.Syria has made any peace deal conditional on Israel's withdrawal from all of the Golan heights, the strategic plateau the Jewish state seized in 1967 and annexed in 1981 in a move never recognised by the international community.Israel is also engaged in peace talks with the Palestinians, who are also unwilling to see the Mediterranean Union as a vehicle for papering over differences between the two sides.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has said the new entity will be a step in the right direction, but no project for regional cooperation will be able to function fully while the Israeli occupation continues.In order for a genuine partnership to emerge, the countries involved (in the Mediterranean Union) should press Israel to put an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories.Israel has also made overtures about achieving peace with another neighbour, Lebanon.It is expected that recently elected Lebanese President Michel Sleiman will attend the Paris summit, but there has been no indication of planned meetings with the Israelis.