I WROTE JUNE 18-19 AS THE DATES THE BILDERBERGS WILL BE PRESSURING IRELAND TO GET THE LISBON TREATY RATIFIED.IT WILL BE AT THIS SUMMIT HERE THAT THE BILDERROBBERS WILL FORCE IRELAND AND THE WORLD TO DO A MEDIA PRESSURE BLITZ FOR THE LISBON TREATY.
Call for Ireland to set referendum date
HONOR MAHONY 19.05.2009 @ 09:27 CET
The Irish government has been asked to set a date for its referendum on the Lisbon Treaty at an EU summit in June.The call by Czech Europe minister Stefan Fule followed a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday (18 May) where member states agreed to draw up strong legal guarantees to try and persuade Irish voters to vote yes in its second referendum.Mr Fule said he believed the government should make other member states aware of the date during the traditional summer gathering of EU leaders on 18-19 June once the guarantees have been agreed, although he noted that it is first of all the sovereign decision of the Irish authorities.The issue of the date did not come up during the actual meeting itself, an EU diplomat said.The government is currently working with the Czech EU presidency on three legal guarantees that the Lisbon Treaty will not affect Irish sovereignty in tax, defence and ethical issues. There will also be a further declaration on workers' rights, but this will not be legally binding.Irish officials have indicated the texts will be wrapped up in the week before the June summit and say they will start bilateral meetings with EU partners next week on the final wording of the guarantees. So far, Dublin has refused to be drawn on a date until the guarantees are finalised, despite some impatience in some EU circles. It is likely to ask Irish voters to go the polls on the Lisbon question around the beginning of October.Although the topic is of great interest in Brussels, the Irish government has been too preoccupied with dealing with the fall-out from the global economic crisis and what it will mean for the local and European elections on 5 June to do much publicly about the Lisbon Treaty.
EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)
REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the 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 AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
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.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.
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.
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
EPHESIANS 6:10-13
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,(DEMONIC ANGELS IN HIGH PLACES) against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(SPIRTIUAL DEMONIC PERSONS)
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
LUKE 4:5-7(BECAUSE SATAN OFFERS WORLD POWER, WORLD ORDERERS HAVE ACCEPTED SATANS GIFT)
5 And the devil, taking him (JESUS) up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(ENVIROMENTAL OCCULTISM) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully,(ECONOMICALLY) and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy(NEW AGE,PEACE,LOVE,PROSPERITY,ENVIROMENTAL WORSHIP)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; but he shall be broken without hand.(THIS ECONOMIC BURGLERY IS BY ECONOMICAL MEANS NOT MILITARY)
DANIEL 11:20-21,23,38-39
20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
Skelton: Stop Bilderberg’s Nightmare Future At All Costs .London Guardian journalist warns of horrendous future of spot checks, harassment and subjugation if population accepts ID cards, microchips Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Tuesday, May 19, 2009
London Guardian journalist Charlie Skelton, who began his coverage of the 2009 Bilderberg conference in a jovial and mocking manner, is now warning that the horrendous treatment dished out to him by both police and undercover spies is just a taste of what we can expect in our daily lives if we allow Bilderberg’s agenda, and specifically ID cards and implantable microchips, to be implemented.Initially setting out to cover the event in a satirical way, Skelton left Greece yesterday chilled to the bone about how he had been harassed, detained and stalked for days on end by authorities merely for taking photographs of the hotel where Bilderberg members were staying.My experience over the last several days in Greece has granted me a single, diamond-hard opinion,writes Skelton,That we must fight, fight, fight, now – right now, this second, with every cubic inch of our souls – to stop identity cards.I can tell you right now that the argument If I’ve done nothing wrong, why would I worry about showing who I am? is hogwash. Worse than that, it’s horse hockey. It’s all about the power to ask, the obligation to show, the justification of one’s existence, the power of the asker over the subservience of the asked. (Did you know that most Greek police don’t wear a number? This is an obligation that goes one way.)I have learned this from the random searches, detentions, angry security goon proddings and thumped police desks without number that I’ve had to suffer on account of Bilderberg: I have spent the week living in a nightmare possible future and many different terrible pasts. I have had the very tiniest glimpse into a world of spot checks and unchecked security powers. And it has left me shaken. It has left me, literally, bruised.Skelton adds that the ID card turns the citizen into a suspect and would be the end of everything, noting that plans are also afoot to replace the ID card with an implantable microchip for greater efficiency and tracking of the population, a subject that was up for discussion at last year’s Bilderberg Group conference.
During the meeting in Washington DC, journalist Jim Tucker’s source told him that Bilderberg were discussing the microchipping of humans on a mass scale, which would be introduced under the pretext of fighting terrorism whereby the good guys would be allowed to travel freely from airports so long as their microchip could be scanned and the information stored in a database.Highlighting the fact that authorities in Greece found it so easy to intimidate and harass journalists because there were so few there, Skelton is now calling for a deluge of citizen journalists to descend on Bilderberg 2010 where it is held.Publicity is pure salt to the giant slug of Bilderberg. So I suggest next year we turn up with a few more tubs. If the mainstream press refuses to give proper coverage to this massive annual event, then interested citizens will have to: a people’s media. Find the biggest lens you can and join us for Bilderberg 2010. No idea where it’s going to be, but there’s usually a few days’ notice,he writes.Bilderberg 2009 was again marked by an almost universal media blackout of around 150 of the planet’s top powerbrokers meeting in secret to steer the future of the world. A G8 summit or a World Economic Forum would attract thousands of media stories and yet Bilderberg, despite its alluring cloak and dagger secrecy which would normally attract journalists seeking a scoop like a moth to a flame, was mentioned by a mere handful of corporate media outlets. Not one U.S. news network dared touch the story.As Skelton highlights, the more light thrown on Bilderberg’s shady activities will lead to more questions being asked of the people who attend.Petition newspapers to send a correspondent. Petition your MP to ask a question in parliament. This happened a few days ago in Holland. Citing an article by Paul Joseph Watson on prisonplanet.com, a Dutch MP asked in parliament about the involvement of the prime minister, the minister for European affairs and Queen Beatrix, asking them to make public any items that were on the agenda, and whether the ratification of the Lisbon treaty was discussed,he writes.
JOHN PERKINS WEB
http://www.johnperkins.org/
http://www.johnperkins.org/about.htm
JOHN ON ALEX JONES TODAY AUDIO MAY 19,09
http://rss.nfowars.net/20090519_Tue_Alex.mp3
JOHN PERKINS VIDEO-ECONOMIC TAKE OVER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6WstddMJZQ&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oARBdBtGenM&feature=player_embedded
http://fora.tv/2008/05/09/John_Perkins_on_Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgqfs8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29GhXsx7-Rs&feature=related
HERES HOW THE ROBBER BANKERS BANKRUPT A COUNTRY THEN FORCE THEM TO GIVE INTO THE BANK OR COROPORATIONS OR NEW WORLD ORDERS OR BILDERBERGS DEMANDS.THIEVES OR BURGLERS:THIS IS HOW THE BILDERBERGS AND WORLD GOVERNMENT PEOPLES DO IT PEOPLE THE SECRET IS OUT.THE OFF SHORE BANKERS OVIOUSLY CONTROLLED BY THE EU WILL BE THE ULTIMATE RESULT.
A bullet or a Swiss bank account? That's the choice Third World leaders of resource rich countries have been offered since at least post-World War II.Our gangster government, owned in reality by corporations, uses tax payer resources to subvert countries all over the world.The first line of offense? Loans. Easy term loans.
Sound familiar?
Everything the US does overseas - EVERYTHING - it also does to its own people.
Assassination of political figures...already a part of American life. Murder of civilians in cold blood...Waco and 9/11.Deliberately bankrupting the nation as a means of social engineering...that's what's happening right now.
Published November 13, 2007 11:24 pm - Transcript Staff Writer.The next generation is faced with worldwide social and economic problems, but there ...Former economic hit man challenges students to make a difference.The Norman Transcript.Transcript Staff Writer
The next generation is faced with worldwide social and economic problems, but there is hope for change, a self-described former economic hit man told about 75 University of Oklahoma students on campus Tuesday afternoon.You are the people who have inherited the challenges we created for you, said John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.Perkins worked as an economic hit man (EHM) for the United States for years before writing the best seller in 2004 that told his story of the corruption he'd been a part of.As an EHM, Perkins said his job was to convince Third World countries to accept large loans for infrastructure development and to guarantee that the development projects were contracted to U.S. corporations.Once the countries were saddled with huge debts, the U.S. government and the international aid agencies allied with it were able to control their economies and to ensure that oil and other resources were channeled to serve the interests of building a global empire, Perkins said.When the EHM couldn't corrupt the leaders of developing countries by promising fortune, the U.S. would resort to assassination, he said. When those attempts failed, then the military was called in, he said.The war in Iraq is a perfect example of this, he said. Saddam Hussein couldn't be bought or assassinated, so the U.S. invaded Iraq to protect its oil interests, he said.
Perkins' visit to OU was hosted by the OU chapter of Amnesty International.
When he appeared in Meacham Auditorium at Oklahoma Memorial Union, he was dressed comfortably in a long-sleeved gray polo shirt. His curly gray hair was shaggy but his lined face spoke of determination.Perkins summarized his job as an economic hit man, saying these U.S. policies created the current state of the world, where poverty runs rampant and a small part of the population exploits the majority.The ones who control the policies are not politicians, but what Perkins called the corporatocracy, he said. This is the group of executives that lead companies that exploit the world's resources.The corporatocracy isn't a conspiracy; the individuals don't get together and conspire to do dark deeds, he said.They all follow the unspoken goal of big corporations, and that goal is to consistently make huge profits, regardless of the social and environmental costs,he said.While he explained the state of the world, Perkins was suprisingly upbeat, pointing out progress that had been made.Eight countries in Latin America have elected leaders who said no to economic hit men in the past and are trying to do what's best for their people, he said.More change is happening even in the United States as Americans are waking up to the harmful legacy the country is leaving around the world, he said.Many are realizing the corporate culture in the U.S. needs to change. Profits can still be made, but in a way that promotes a sustainable, stable and peaceful world,Perkins said.
Corporate workers want to make this change too, he said, but they need our help, and they need our permission.One positive means for change is that corporations are entirely dependent on consumers, he said.All of us are the constituency of every corporation out there, and we have incredible power to change things,he said.Even on the OU campus, there is enormous potential for change, he said. The university contracts with Coca Cola and Nike, both of which need to improve their social and environmental policies, he said.Individuals can work for change by making small steps, such as writing letters to companies or not buying sweat shop products, he said. He pointed out the impact that Rosa Parks made with a simple act of refusing to give up her seat for a white man.Who the hell was Rosa Parks? Perkins asked. She's you.He brought up his third-grade teacher who taught him how to stand up to and befriend bullies. Without her, Perkins said, he would not be the person he is.He drew a parallel between the Revolutionary War and the movement for global change today. Each person in the war did what they were best at, he said.Everyone was taking a different path, they were following passions and talents, but they were all moving toward the same goal,he said. Perkins encouraged students to follow their talents and passions to bring change.Perkins said the intent of his time with students Tuesday was that when they left the auditorium, they would be united in their goal of creating a better world.The students who attended Tuesday gave Perkins a standing ovation at the end of his talk.Ephraim Alajaji, a 20-year-old sophomore, said the speech was sobering, but he believed what Perkins said was true. As much as Americans just want to be happy in their consumerism, they can't avoid what's going on in the rest of the world, he said.You know deep down you are a part of the problem,Alajaji said.
Students said they felt the hope Perkins gave, as well.
I like how it inspired me and gave me a little hope,Chris Schroeder said about Perkins' speech. The 20-year-old physics sophomore said he appreciated Perkins' comments about using individual talents to make changes in the world.It kind of gave me hope I could use my passion and help out somehow,Schroeder said.Julianna Parker
366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com
READ ARMY DOCUMENT
http://www.prisonplanet.com/military-personnel-ordered-to-comply-with-private-firearms-registration.html
Military Personnel Ordered To Comply With Private Firearms Registration
Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Tuesday, May 19, 2009
An alarming document sent to us by an Infantryman based out of Fort Campbell Kentucky shows that active duty military personnel are being secretly ordered to submit information to their Chain of Command on how many firearms they own privately, their location, as well of details of any Concealed Carry permits.The directive orders active duty personnel to report details of all privately-owned firearms to their Chain of Command, as well as future firearms purchases.Read the document below.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/military-personnel-ordered-to-comply-with-private-firearms-registration.html
DOCUMENT BY PRINTING
Department of the Army,Charlie Company,3RD BATTALION,187th Infantry Regiment
3RD BCT,101st ABN DIV (AASLT)Fort Campbell,KY 42223
AFZB-KC-H-C 12 MARCH 2009
Memorandum for Record
SUBJECT:PRIVETLY OWNED WEAPONS
1.Effective March 11,2009,All Choppin Soldiers in Possession of privetly owned weapons are required to inform their chain of command of the following:
A.Registration Number.
B.Location where weapon is stored.
C.Possession of a concealed carry Permit and issuing state.
2.If any Soldier comes into possession of a privetly owned weapon following the effective Date of this memorandum,he is required to inform the chain of command of the above information.
3.By signing this memorandum,I understand my responsibilities concerning privetly owned weapons as described in this Memorandum.
Squad/Platoon_________________
Printed Name__________________
Signed Name___________________
Date__________________________
Corporate Media Exploits Teen Idol to Push Cyberbullying Bill
Kurt Nimmo Prison Planet.com Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The corporate media has linked teen idol Miley Cyrus, who plays schoolgirl rock star Hannah Montana in the hit Disney series and movie, to an unconstitutional bill now working its way through Congress.Teen idol Miley Cyrus, who plays schoolgirl rock star Hannah Montana, had her feelings hurt, now the corporate media is using her as a poster child for a bill that would effectively criminalize free speech. According to Reuters, Cyrus recently posted an angry tirade on her Twitter web page in response to criticism about her weight. Those remarks that you hateful people use are fighting words, the ones that scar people and cause them to do damage to themselves or others, the teenager wrote.Kids hurt themselves. This is not something to be taken lightly.
The First Amendment of the Constitution shouldn’t be taken lightly, either. If passed, the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act (HR 1966) would outlaw speech meant to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person. According to the text of the bill, individuals who bully others via any electronic means could face fines, two years in prison, or both. Critics call it the Censorship Act of 2009.As UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh noted on his blog, a number of common situations could be considered felonious under the language of the bill.I try to coerce a politician into voting a particular way, by repeatedly blogging (using a hostile tone) about what a hypocrite/campaign promise breaker/fool/etc. he would be if he voted the other way. I am transmitting in interstate commerce a communication with the intent to coerce using electronic means (a blog) to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior — unless, of course, my statements aren’t seen as severe, a term that is entirely undefined and unclear, Volokh wrote.Volokh’s example is demonstrative. If the bill becomes law it will undoubtedly be used by government and political groups to go after opponents and critics. The Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act is less about assuaging the crushed feelings of teenagers and others easily hurt by insults and taunting than it is about shutting down the free speech of targeted individuals and groups.The Anti-Defamation League is a strong supporter of the bill.Research by the Anti-Defamation League found as many as half of U.S. teenagers are affected by cyber-bullying, whether through emails, instant messaging, cellphones, texting or websites, with the anonymity of electronic media emboldening bullies,reports Reuters.The ADL is a special interest group dedicated to shutting down the free speech of people accused of defaming the Jewish people and allegedly engaging in bigotry and other forms of racism (incidentally protected by the First Amendment). It is not specifically interested in protecting the feelings of teenagers teased because they are fat.
The ADL also tracks extremists and was instrumental in the production of the Department of Homeland Security’s document characterizing advocates of the Second Amendment, pro-life activists, and returning veterans as rightwing extremists deemed a threat to the country.In March of this year, the ADL described Joe Banister, Tommy Cryer, Pat Shannan, Dave Von Kleist, Jack McLamb, Greg Dixon, Ted Gunderson, and Michael Badnarik as extremist speakers.In April, the group attempted to link talk show host Alex Jones to the accused cop killer Richard Poplawski.One of Poplawski’s favorite places for such conspiracy theories was the Web site of the right-wing conspiracy radio talk show host Alex Jones. Poplawski visited the site, Infowars, frequently, shared links to it with others, and sometimes even posted to it,the ADL wrote on its website.The Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act would allow the ADL and other groups to effectively shut down the First Amendment for individuals they believe promote hate speech, that is to say speech not considered politically correct by favored groups (i.e., federally protected minorities). It would allow the government to shut down hate radio (conservative, libertarian, and patriot radio) without reimposing the so-called Fairness Doctrine. It would theoretically criminalize talk show hosts such as Alex Jones, Micheal Savage, and others who call for government officials to be arrested and tried for treason.Moreover, the bill would put a federally-imposed damper on the internet where the democratization of speech is widely accepted, much to the displeasure of the government and protected groups intolerant of criticism.Put simply, this legislation would be used as a tool for a judge and jury to determine whether there is significant evidence to prove that a person cyberbullied another, wrote the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Linda Sanchez. That is: did they have the required intent, did they use electronic means of communication, and was the communication severe, hostile, and repeated?
Free speech — especially free political speech — is often severe, hostile, and repeated. If enacted, the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act would turn passionate and even vehement political speech into a crime punishable by two years in prison.According to the founders, political speech was the only kind of free speech that government was strictly required to permit, as free speech is a natural right. Ten of the fourteen early state constitutions or Declarations of Rights, including the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution, name freedom of speech and the press as a fundamental right.Rep. Linda Sanchez and the supporters of this bill would deny that natural and god-given right.
Israeli officials blasts focus on 2-state idea By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer MAY 20,09
JERUSALEM – An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that media focus on the idea of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, favored by President Barack Obama, is childish and stupid.The aide, Ron Dermer, spoke The Associated Press after Netanyahu and his entourage arrived home from Washington. He denied that he called the two-state concept itself childish and stupid, as he was quoted earlier as an anonymous official briefing reporters on the plane carrying Netanyahu home.President Barack Obama made it clear that the U.S. backs creation of a Palestinian state, but Netanyahu has not endorsed the concept. Dermer said focus on the idea of two states for two peoples was childish and stupid, but he denied describing the concept itself in those terms.During his talks in Washington, Netanyahu constantly tried to shift emphasis away from the Palestinian issue toward the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program. He and Obama publicly disagreed about the relative weight of the two issues.In a brief statement at Israel's airport on his return, Netanyahu again began with Iran, mentioning the Palestinian issue as third on his list.Referring to his talks with Obama, Netanyahu said,There was an agreement that we need to immediately begin the peace process, I said I am willing to open peace talks with the Palestinians, by the way with the Syrians as well, of course without preconditions, but I made it clear that in any peace agreement there must be a solution to Israel's special security needs.
Ancient handle with Hebrew text found in Jerusalem By JOSEPH MARKS, Associated Press Writer MAY 20,09
JERUSALEM – Archaeologists digging on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives have discovered a nearly 3,000-year-old jar handle bearing ancient Hebrew script, a find significantly older than most inscribed artifacts unearthed in the ancient city, an archaeologist said.The Iron Age handle is inscribed with the Hebrew name Menachem, which was the name of an Israelite king and is still common among Jews.The inscription also includes a partly intact letter, the Hebrew character lamed,meaning to.That suggests the jar was a gift to someone named Menachem, said Ron Beeri, who directed the excavation for the Israel Antiquities Authority. There is no indication the inscription refers to the king himself.The name and similar variants have been found on Egyptian pottery dating back 3,500 years, and the Bible lists Menachem Ben Gadi as an ancient king of Israel. But this is the first time an artifact bearing the name has been unearthed in Jerusalem, Beeri said.It's important because it shows that they actually used the name Menachem during that period,Beeri said.It's not just from the Bible, but it's also in the archaeological record.Based on the style of the inscription, he dated the handle to around 900 B.C., the time of the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem as recounted in the Bible.The vessel the handle was attached to did not survive, so it is impossible to tell what it was used for, Beeri said. Similar vessels were known to have held products like oil or wheat.
Construction workers uncovered the archaeological site while digging the foundation for a girl's school being built in the area, Beeri said.Excavators also uncovered storage vessels and implements from two earlier nomadic settlements, both dating to around 2,000 B.C., he said, as well as artifacts dating from the time of the Roman Empire around 2,000 years ago.Archaeologists have completed their dig, and construction workers building the school are back on the job, Beeri said.The Mount of Olives is just outside Jerusalem's Old City. The hill is important to Jews because of its proximity to the destroyed Temple and to Christians, who believe it is the site where Jesus ascended to heaven.
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.
Australia's Queensland declares state of emergency Wed May 20, 7:44 am ET
SYDNEY (AFP) – Australian authorities declared a state of emergency in Queensland Wednesday as torrential rain and gale force winds caused extensive flooding and left one man dead.Almost 30,000 homes were without power in the state's southeast, where some areas recorded 300 millimetres (12 inches) of rain in 24 hours and wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometres (62 miles) an hour.Ambulance officers said a 46-year-old man was killed by flying glass when a freak wind gust smashed in a window on a building on the Gold Coast tourist strip.Queensland Premier Anna Bligh declared a state of emergency including the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast and extending inland to Toowoomba.Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the federal government was ready to offer assistance if required.Rudd said he had received a briefing on the emergency and was told the floods were causing havoc on roads in southeast Queensland.There are quite a large number of people who are at this stage isolated in their vehicles and I am further advised there are a number of schools that have been cut off as well, he said.
Police said tables, chairs and barbecues had been blown off the top of high-rise buildings on the Gold Coast and warned people to take extreme care if they ventured outside.School pupils in the town of Brookfield were stranded in their classrooms unable to get home because of the rising waters.The parents are talking to the teachers on their mobiles and they've been assured all the kids are safe, a spokeswoman for local politician Bruce Flegg said.Meteorologists have warned the wild weather could last for days.
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.
Small aftershock rattles downtown Los Angeles Wed May 20, 2:06 am ET
LOS ANGELES – A small but widely felt aftershock jolted the Los Angeles region Tuesday, two days after a magnitude-4.7 earthquake struck. An apartment building in Long Beach was evacuated due to roof damage but there were no reports of serious injuries.The magnitude-4 temblor hit at 3:49 p.m. and was centered 10 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles, near the Los Angeles International Airport, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Computers and seismologists initially estimated the magnitude at 4.1 but later downgraded the quake.A Long Beach fire dispatcher said at least a dozen people were evacuated late Tuesday from an apartment building after someone noticed the quake damaged the building's eaves. The dispatcher said inspectors will look at the damage and decide what action to take.Los Angeles city fire spokesman Brian Humphrey said no other damage was reported and there was no increase in emergency calls.The aftershock occurred near the epicenter of Sunday's quake, which caused strong shaking and light damage in the beach towns south of the airport.
Tuesday's quake was felt in the high desert city of Palmdale about 50 miles to the north and in San Diego, about 120 miles to the south.It was barely felt at the airport, but emergency workers were checking runways and other airport infrastructure to make sure nothing was damaged, airport spokesman Tom Winfrey said.It was very slight but as a precaution we always do that check,he said.Scientists said the latest rattle was a typical aftershock.It's a completely normal sort of pattern, USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said.That was little solace to a shaken Esther Robertson, a cashier at a Burlington Coat Factory store near the epicenter in Hawthorne. She said customers ran out of the store when the quake hit.It was terrifying,Robertson said.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Swine Flu Cases Surge Above 10,000
By VOA News 20 May 2009
The World Health Organization says the number of global H1N1 swine flu cases has surged beyond 10,200 and the death toll has climbed to 80.Passengers wear masks as a precaution against the swine flu in the morning rush hour in Sannomiya, Kobe, western Japan, 20 May 2009 WHO reports the vast majority of deaths, 72 of them, are reported in Mexico. But the greatest number of infections, nearly 5,500, are reported in the United States.On Wednesday, U.S. health officials in the midwestern state of Missouri reported a seventh death in the United States. Authorities say the 44-year-old patient was diagnosed with the swine flu after a trip to Mexico.Taiwan reported its first swine flu case on Wednesday. Health authorities say the 52-year-old Australian man arrived in Taipei on Monday, after working as a doctor on a cruise ship in the northeastern U.S. state of New York.The World Health Organization says the virus has spread to 40 countries, not including Taiwan. The confirmed cases span the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
Deadly pneumonia caused by super-bugs on rise: study Tue May 19, 7:08 pm ET
LONDON (Reuters) – Deadly pneumonia caused by so-called superbugs are spreading outside hospitals and represent a growing threat to the public, U.S. researchers warned on Wednesday.Making the problem more worrying is the recent H1N1 flu outbreak because the super-bug pneumonia most commonly appears following an influenza-like illness, Alicia Hidron of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta reported.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections can range from boils to more severe infections of the blood, lungs and the sites of surgery. Such infections can often be treated only with expensive intravenous antibiotics.Most cases are associated with hospitals, nursing homes or other health care facilities but infections acquired in the wider community are increasing, the researcher noted.
Community-acquired MRSA infections are no longer restricted to certain risk groups or to the geographic areas where outbreaks first occurred,they wrote in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.They now occur widely both in the community as well as health care facilities and have been reported on every continent.As these superbugs spread in communities, more pneumonia cases are likely -- and the researchers said these may have mortality rates of more than 50 percent.However, the overall incidence of community-acquired MRSA pneumonia remains unknown,the researchers wrote.In their analysis, Hidron and colleagues looked at two U.S. cases caused by a specific MRSA strain that is a culprit behind many superbug infections in the United States.They reported the pneumonia usually features high fever and low blood pressure with rapid progression to septic shock -- a widespread infection that sends the whole body into a tailspin -- and an urgent need for mechanical ventilation.The researchers said they do not know why community-acquired MRSA pneumonia appears so lethal but noted the bacteria that cause it are more susceptible to antibiotics than hospital-acquired infections.The best treatment of this ... disease has not been defined,they wrote.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn; Editing by Maggie Fox and Jon Hemming)
WHO seeks swine flu vaccine help for poor nations By FRANK JORDANS and MARIA CHENG, Associated Press Writers – Wed May 20, 12:49 am ET
GENEVA – The World Health Organization urged drugmakers to reserve some of their pandemic swine flu vaccine for poor countries, but received few concrete offers as experts disclosed that an effective flu shot is still months away.The global body wants companies to donate at least 10 percent of their production or offer reduced prices for poor countries that could otherwise be left without vaccines if there is a sudden surge in demand. But some are skeptical about what such a commitment could mean for their business.I don't think that all of the answers are there yet,said Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG spokesman Eric Althoff.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who met with 30 major pharmaceutical manufacturers, called Tuesday for global solidarity in confronting the disease. Solidarity must mean that all have access to drugs and vaccines,he added.The only major drugmaker that publicly agreed to the WHO request Tuesday was Britain's GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which said it would donate 50 million doses in a pandemic and offer more that WHO could buy at a discount for poor countries.A second drugmaker with only limited production capacity said it would share half of its vaccine doses. WHO officials declined to identify the company because the deal has yet to be signed.Smaller vaccine makers from developing countries also promised to share 10 percent of their vaccines with the U.N. at cheaper prices.I can reassure you I have received very serious commitments, WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan told reporters after meeting with the drugmakers. Nearby, health ministers from around the world gathered for WHO's annual assembly and discussed how to tackle the outbreak.
Swine flu has been confirmed in more than 9,830 people in at least 40 countries, with most of the cases in Mexico and the U.S. That figure does not include Taiwan which reported its first confirmed case on Wednesday. The global death toll was at least 83 — 74 in Mexico, seven in the U.S., one in Canada and one in Costa Rica.The impact of a pandemic — a global epidemic — is expected to be worse in poor countries, where people with other diseases such as AIDS and malaria are more susceptible to swine flu and national health systems are less able to respond.Many rich countries — including Britain, Canada, Denmark, France and Switzerland — have already signed deals with vaccine makers that promise them millions of pandemic vaccines as soon as they're available.Others companies that attended the Geneva meeting, including Sanofi-Aventis and Baxter International, could not immediately be reached for comment.Manufacturers won't be able to start making the vaccine until mid-July at the earliest, weeks later than previous predictions, according to an expert panel convened by WHO. It will then take months to produce the vaccine in large quantities.The swine flu virus is not growing very fast in laboratories, making it difficult for scientists to get the key ingredient they need for a vaccine, the seed stock from the virus, WHO said.Experts also found no evidence that regular flu vaccines offer any protection against swine flu.They estimated that under the best conditions, drug companies could produce nearly 5 billion doses of swine flu vaccine in the year after beginning full-scale production.
One expert, however, thought the 5 billion dose estimate was too optimistic.We should go forward with production as quickly as possible, but we should be cautious about predictions, said David Fedson, a vaccine expert and former medical professor at the University of Virginia. Chan has warned that it would be impossible to produce enough vaccine for all 6.8 billion people on the planet. In any case, mass producing a pandemic vaccine would be a gamble, as it would take away manufacturing capacity for the seasonal flu vaccine that kills up to 500,000 people each year. Some experts have wondered whether the world really needs a vaccine for an illness that so far appears mild. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday the U.S. felt it had a responsibility to ensure that both antiviral drugs and any new vaccine are also available to poor countries. The United States has so far refrained from reserving any new vaccine. Sebelius said the United States is working to boost its production capacity for seasonal flu vaccines so those factories could switch to the pandemic swine flu strain if needed. At this point we have not placed orders for vaccine,Sebelius told reporters in Geneva.There is still so much uncertainty about this virus that it is really premature for us to even make a determination of how many people would appropriately be vaccinated, in what order, how many doses would be required.Cheng reported from London.
KNOWLEGE AND WORLD TRAVEL INCREASED
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)
Gov't: 250,000 Pakistani refugees expected in camp By LARA JAKES, Associated Press Writer MAY 20,09
WASHINGTON – Up to a quarter-million Pakistani civilians are expected to remain in refugee camps through the end of the year as a result of fighting between Pakistani forces and insurgents that has forced them from their homes, a top U.S. Navy official said Wednesday.Rear Adm. Michael A. LeFever, who is overseeing humanitarian aid to Pakistan, estimated that militants are within 30 kilometers, or about 18 miles, of the refugee camps. He said the Pakistani army has set up roadblocks and other barriers to prevent the Taliban or other extremists from threatening the camps in northwest Pakistan.He said a registration effort by Pakistani officials have discovered a few people of questionable background who are seeking aid.The U.S. military flew two planeloads of meals and tents to Islamabad on Wednesday for the refugees. A third flight is expected Thursday.LeFever said Pakistani military officials estimate up to 2 million refugees who will need aid. He estimated between 200,000 and 250,000 of them will be living in camps through December.
DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/
HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS WED MAY 20,2009
09:30 AM +10.32
10:00 AM +101.79
10:30 AM +100.91
11:00 AM +80.68
11:30 AM +62.20
12:00 PM +16.96
12:30 PM +19.19
01:00 PM -1.12
01:30 PM +14.81
02:00 PM +35.52
02:30 PM +39.92
03:00 PM +37.19
03:30 PM -41.98
04:00 PM -52.81 8422.04
S&P 500 903.47 -4.66
NASDAQ 1727.84 -6.70
GOLD 938.70 +12.00
OIL 61.73 +1.63
TSE 300 10,232.44 +131.49
CDNX 1085.64 +9.15
S&P/TSX/60 622.55 +8.89
MORNING,NEWS,STATS
YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -3.44%
S&P +0.54%
Nasdaq +9.99%
TSX Advances 1,130,declines 501,unchanged 211,Volume 2,263,640,298.
TSX Venture Exchange Advances 439,Declines 406,Unchanged 358,Volume 309,376,903.
Dow +75 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -0.32 points at low today.
Dow +120 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $931.80.OIL opens at $61.26 today.
INVENTORIES
Crude Oil -2.1 MILLION Barrels.
Gasoline -4.3 MILLION Barrels.
Distillate +600,000 Barrels
Refinery Utilization -1.9% to 81.8%
AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow +120 points at low today so far.
Dow -0.32 points at high today so far.
DAY TODAY PERFORMANCE - 12:30PM STATS
NYSE Advances 2,628,declines 968,unchanged 94,New Highs 27,New Lows 53.
Volume 4,026,672,395.
NASDAQ Advances 1,784,declines 868,unchanged 125,New highs 25,New Lows 11.
Volume 1,058,930,484.
TSX Advances 992,declines 432,unchanged 243,Volume 1,432,599,351.
TSX Venture Exchange Advances 381,Declines 277,Unchanged 287,Volume 151,356,870.
WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -66 points at low today.
Dow +120 points at high today.
Dow -0.62% today Volume 468,638,131.
Nasdaq -0.39% today Volume -.
S&P 500 -0.51% today Volume N/A
PAUL DORNEANU ON BILDERBERG 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyCSoFYOIvY&feature=player_embedded
Eurozone posts surprise trade surplus
VALENTINA POP 19.05.2009 @ 09:25 CET
The eurozone posted an unexpected trade surplus in March, for the first time since the economic crisis broke out last year.Eurostat figures published Monday (18 May) showed that the 16 EU countries sharing the euro registered a trade surplus of €400 million, up from a deficit of €1 billion in February.The news is positive for eurozone nations, whose economies contracted by 2.5 percent in the first three months of 2009. Economists had forecast a trade deficit of €300 million in March. Exports rose by 1.4 percent and imports by 0.6 percent, the data shows.When it comes to the EU as a whole, however, the trade balance remains on the minus side, with a deficit of €9.5 billion. The trend is positive though, compared to a total deficit of €10.8 billion a month ago and €19.6 billion in March 2008.A breakdown on trade sectors for January and February 2009 shows that a trade surplus in chemicals, machinery and vehicles is falling, while a trade deficit in energy is declining compared to last year.The crisis hit trade flows with all major partners of the EU, the biggest decrease being recorded for exports to Turkey, which fell by 41 percent compared to the beginning of 2008.Imports from Russia fell by 39 percent in the first two months of 2009, when Gazprom cut off gas supplies via Ukraine for two weeks.Country-by-country statistics show that Germany had the largest trade surplus in January and February - €15.8 billion, followed by the Netherlands (€6.3 billion) and Ireland (€5.6 billion), while Great Britain posted the largest deficit (€16 billion), followed by Spain, Greece and Italy.
Banks line up to throw off TARP yoke By Joseph A. Giannone and Mark Felsenthal – Wed May 20, 6:00 am ET
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase & Co and several other banks eager to escape the restrictions and stigma linked to government bailout funds may get the chance to do so in the next few weeks.Regulators are talking to big banks that want to repay funds received under the government's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, a Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday.No announcements on returning funds will come until around June 8, the official added. The Fed official spoke on condition of anonymity because the application process is continuing.Earlier on Tuesday, JPMorgan Chief Executive James Dimon told shareholders he expects regulators will let a few strong banks repay TARP funds within weeks.Dimon made it clear that he was eager to escape strict regulations on compensation and other areas for TARP participants. In particular, he called restrictions under the program on banks hiring foreign-born workers a complete and utter disgrace.Similar concerns have been voiced by other TARP recipients Goldman Sachs Group Inc, and Morgan Stanley, which like JPMorgan recently submitted applications seeking permission to repay TARP funds, people familiar with the situation told Reuters.It's not going to be a big deal stock-price wise, but it is a huge deal competitively that they can use to their advantage,said Greg Donaldson, director of portfolio strategy at Donaldson Capital Management in Evansville, Indiana.Repaying the government funds will take the handcuffs off the management of these companies,agreed Brad Hintz, analyst with Sanford C Bernstein in New York.What I've told my clients is:You want to be the first one out of TARP and you certainly don't want to be the last one,Hintz said.
JPMorgan shares closed down 3.9 percent at $35.81 on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.There are so many banks talking about repaying TARP that it's already priced in,Donaldson said.Bank of America Corp, which has said it hopes to fully repay TARP funds within the next couple of years, said it issued 1.25 billion shares since May 8 at an average price of $10.77 per share, the largest U.S. bank said in a release late on Tuesday. The gross proceeds from the offer amounted to $13.47 billion.Regulators told the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender it needed to bolster its finances capital following a government stress test of its ability to handle a deep recession.
TAKING DOWN TARP
Last October, the Treasury stepped in with $125 billion of bailout funds for nine of the largest U.S. banks, part of a plan to stabilize a system rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Regulators wanted banks to have enough capital to lend during one of the worst recessions since the 1930s.Banks asking to repay TARP are among the 19 institutions that submitted to the stress tests to determine their ability to withstand a sharp economic downturn, the Fed official said. Supervisors will seek more information from the banks and then recommend to Treasury whether to approve repayments.Recommendations will be made in batches, not on a case-by-case basis, the official said. Going forward, supervisors will make repayment recommendations to the Treasury on a monthly basis, the official added.Before they make repayments, banks must show they can raise funds from private sources without any government guarantees. These conditions have sparked a wave of stock and debt sales in recent weeks.Government officials have expressed concern that banks, in their eagerness to sever government ties, may return the capital too soon, only to need it again later.
JPMorgan, which received $25 billion in funds in October, and Goldman, which received $10 billion, were found by the stress tests to have sufficient capital. Morgan Stanley received $10 billion in October and had a small capital shortfall under the stress tests, quickly erased by stock and debt sales.Even as banks line up to repay TARP funds, the U.S. Federal Reserve widened its safety net for downtrodden credit markets by making older commercial property loans eligible for an emergency program.
The move could help banks who are trying to move such loans off their balance sheets and allow borrowers to refinance existing loans on better terms. Separately, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp is looking to launch its June pilot sale of banks' distressed loans without using TARP money to help private investors buy up the loans, a source familiar with government plans told Reuters on Tuesday. The FDIC is looking to do a test sale to make sure that investors, banks and the public are comfortable with the mechanics -- without the complication of government co-investment -- before rolling out the full program. Some potential investors have expressed concern that loan purchases done in partnership with government money from the TARP could expose them to executive pay restrictions and other TARP conditions. (Reporting by Joseph Giannone; Additional reporting by Elinor Comlay, Jonathan Stempel, Karey Wutkowski and Steve Eder; editing by John Wallace, Carol Bishopric and Tim Dobbyn)
China lies at heart of Europe's recovery, says Brussels
ANDREW WILLIS 19.05.2009 @ 17:51 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Speaking on the eve of the eleventh EU-China summit to be held in Prague, European commissioner for external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner highlighted the central role China will play in Europe's economic recovery.China is one of our most important partners in meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow, Ms Ferrero-Waldner told policymakers and diplomats gathered in Brussels for a conference on EU-China relations organised by Friends of Europe and the Security and Defence Agenda, a pair of Brussels think-tanks. While Wednesday's (20 May) summit is to touch on a number of topics, including climate change and human rights, it is clear that the huge volumes of trade between the two sides form the backbone of their relationship.On Monday, the EU's statistics office, Eurostat, released new figures showing the marked increase in trade volumes between the two sides over the last nine years.Exports from the EU's 27 member states to China rose to €78 billion in 2008 compared to €26 billion in 2000, while its imports from China rose from €75 billion to €248 over the same period.Yet despite the substantially increased trade deficit, the economic crisis is causing some EU policy makers to see China as part of the solution to the current economic downturn.The increasing Chinese middle-class is an attractive market for EU goods, said Ms Ferrero-Waldner, citing figures contained in a recent report published by the European Ideas Network that predicts China and India will account for 50 percent of the world economy by 2060. The commission's director-general for trade, David O'Sullivan, also re-iterated this idea, saying that while competition with China in the coming years would be great, it would not result in a zero-sum game,where one side's gain implicitly meant the other side's loss. At the summit on Wednesday, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao is likely to renew calls for the EU to relax constrictions on high-tech exports and also reduce anti-dumping measures, while the EU will repeat its concerns over market access. This has the potential to create future friction if it is not dealt with in the correct way,said Mr O'Sullivan on the issue of market access.
China's stimulus package
While the EU looks for greater access to China's growing domestic market, Chinese policy makers are beginning to question the very basis of their current economic model, based primary on the export of low-added-value goods.Zhe Song, Chinese ambassador to the EU, said his country's exports were in great trouble, adding: We all fear the economic recession might cause social strife.However, he also said his country's economic fundamentals remained in good health and that the massive economic stimulus plan was starting to take effect.At over €400 billion, China's stimulus plan as a percentage of its GDP dwarfs all others currently deployed around the world, amounting to 14 percent of 2008 GDP.However, some analysts question whether this massive stimulus spending will bring about the necessary reforms to secure long-term growth levels once the current spending package comes to an end. For European companies, the real question is to what extent they will be allowed to bid for projects under the Chinese stimulus plan.Director for Asia in the commission's external affairs department, James Moran, says this is one area where the EU will be seeking greater assurances at Wednesday's summit.
China as a political actor
The interdependence between the EU and China means Europeans should not be perturbed by China's future economic growth, says Mr Moran. More of a question is China's willingness to take on a greater role as a political actor around the world, considering the country's previous reluctance to get involved in global disputes.Two areas where China holds particular sway have come to increasing public attention in recent weeks.We would like to say how sad we are over the ongoing casualties in Sri Lanka and the recent arrest of [human rights activist] Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, said commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on Tuesday, in an apparent bid to prepare the ground for Wednesday's discussions.
SURPRISE,SURPRISE THE GLOBAL TAX BILL.
Democrats Are Fast-Tracking Nearly 1,000-Page Cap-and-Trade Bill That Would Increase Electricity Bills Tuesday, May 19, 2009 By Matt Cover
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.)(CNSNews.com) – Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee put their cap and trade global warming bill--that would increase U.S. energy prices, including electricity bills--on the fast track Monday. Republicans, meanwhile, are complaining that the expedited process is designed to avoid well-informed public debate about what the bill will do and its consequences for American consumers.Spearheaded by committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Democrats hope to have a vote on the nearly 1,000 page bill by the end of the week, despite the fact that they only released a draft copy of the bill Friday--a day when many members of Congress had already left the Capitol.Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), the committee’s ranking member, accused the majority of ramming through legislation that neither lawmakers nor their constituents fully understand in an effort to skirt serious debate on the substance of the proposal.The majority’s motto: Pass it now! Explain it later,Barton criticized May 14. With just the barest smidgen of obfuscation, our majority colleagues can rise proudly to the challenge of global warming by moving out smartly, before a suspicious public takes notice and well ahead of any consultation with voters.Barton’s comments came after Democrats did not introduce the bill in the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, where the concerns of industrial state Democrats would have been heard in public. Instead, Democratic leaders Waxman and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) decided to work behind closed doors.
Barton cited a Rasmussen poll from May 11 that showed a public largely ignorant of what cap and trade is. The poll showed that only 24 percent of voters could correctly identify that cap and trade is an environmental policy. Twenty-nine percent thought it dealt with Wall Street, and 17 percent thought it was health care reform. Thirty percent had no idea what the term means.Waxman, in a memo sent Sunday, told members that he wanted the bill out of committee by Thursday, allowing only four days to debate a 1,000-page bill which would mean higher energy prices and a reduction in income for 80 percent of Americans, according to a May 7 Congressional Budget Office report.My goal is to conclude consideration of the legislation on Thursday, May 21. Waxman wrote.Members should be prepared to work late on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.The bill would require drastic cuts in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, cutting emissions across the entire economy to 17 percent of 2005 levels by 2050, meaning that the economy would be forced to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 83 percent by 2050.In a compromise with industrial-state Democrats, Waxman and Markey agreed to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to distribute – rather than auction – emissions caps to energy-intensive industries.Under this proposal, electricity producers would be given 35 percent of the caps, natural gas companies would get nine percent, five percent would go toward combating international deforestation, and 10 percent would go toward the states.
In all, 85 percent of the caps would be given away by the government, in direct opposition to President Obama’s plan, which called for 100 percent of the caps to be auctioned. Obama had planned to use to proceeds – a CBO-estimated $629 billion – to pay for his Making Work Pay and other tax credit programs.Under the Democratic compromise, 15 percent of the caps would be auctioned, with the proceeds going toward low- and moderate-income households to help offset the inevitable rise in energy prices.Waxman said the choice between a robust economy and clean energy was false, saying that Republican warnings about the bill’s negative economic consequences were nothing but doomsday predictions.Republicans, he said, will argue that this bill will undermine our economy. (They) will claim that there is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and clean energy. That is a false choice. Our economic prosperity and a clean energy future are inextricably linked. We have seen these same doomsday predictions before, Waxman said in his opening statement.Barton argued that the environmental benefit was minimal while the economic damage could be massive, saying Republicans had an alternative plan that would both clean the environment and grow the economy.We know the cost is significant. We know the environmental benefit is basically nonexistent. The Republicans are going to have a number of amendments. We’re going to have a complete substitute that we released Thursday that I’ll offer at the appropriate time,Barton said.Our substitute does not have cap and trade in it. Our substitute does have a renewable, clean energy standard. We believe that if enough members of the majority will join us, we will offer an amendment that could pass, wouldn’t wreck the economy, would have some economic benefits and wouldn’t do any environmental harm,Barton explained.
EU member states welching on aid promises, says commission
LEIGH PHILLIPS 19.05.2009 @ 17:42 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU's development commissioner has lashed out at the bloc's member states for reneging on past aid commitments, accusing them of cooking up reasons not to deliver the funds they have promised.Developing countries are at a critical stage. The poorest countries are hardest hit by the crisis,commissioner Louis Michel said following a meeting of European development ministers on Tuesday (19May), ... but I have noticed a certain trend among some member states.The EU in 2005 committed as a whole to providing annually 0.56 percent of its gross national income in aid by 2010 (Photo: Notat)They look as if they are lacking political will or cooking up false arguments not to respect the commitments into which they had entered in the past,he told reporters after the meeting.I have to say what I feel, he continued.We've got some good conclusions from this [meeting of development ministers] now, but we'll have to see whether member states actually respect those conclusions in practice.The ministers were considering a European Commission proposal from April suggesting the EU should speed up the deliver of aid, releasing early around €500 million in reserve funds, in reaction to the impact of the global economic crisis on developing countries, It's mobilising existing funding,said the commissioner.It isn't additional funding. It's just mobilising it more quickly. I got the impression that some member states were a little reluctant even about that.The development ministers in the end said that they welcomed the commission's proposal, but did not endorse it. Instead, they will await a more detailed presentation of the proposal in the autumn.I am fully aware of the fact that national budgets are hard hit by the ongoing crisis, but we do have to remember that if we don't do anything, it's going to cost us a lot more than making a determined effort now,he added, saying that increased poverty leads to wider instability and conflict and ultimately further migratory pressures on Europe.Governments have a choice. Either they show solidarity and take action or they don't do anything, which I think will cost Europe far more in the future.He accused governments of wanting to spend the money on themselves instead of needier countries.If we're not spending this, certain countries think this is money they can recoup and it's good news for them.
Off track
In 2005 at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, the EU committed as a whole to providing annually 0.56 percent of its gross national income in aid by 2010. Last year, however, Europe only provided 0.40 percent of GNI, according to a report released last week by Concord, an alliance of European development agencies. If the EU is to meet its 2005 pledge by the end of the decade, an additional €20 billion is needed over the next two years. They are well off track from a further commitment of 0.7 percent of GNI by 2015.Among the 15 old member states, Austria registered the biggest decrease in aid allocations, followed by a small drop from the Netherlands. In the group of the new Member States, Bulgaria and Malta were by far the worst performers, with decreases of 27%. Hot on their heels were Estonia, which dropped by 19%, Poland by 10%, Hungary 9%, and the Czech Republic by 1%. France and Germany slightly increased their allocations, but these figures conceal the reality of what Concord describes as inflated aid. Of the roughly €50bn that European governments provided in aid in 2008, almost €5bn was debt cancellation, €2bn was for student costs and close to €1bn was spent on refugee costs. When these figures are discounted from the glossy official numbers, European aid for 2008 amounted to only 0.34% of collective GNI, nothing like the officially reported 0.40%.Commissioner Michel, echoing the NGOs' frustrations, said: Governments have a choice. either they show solidarity and take action or they don't do anything, which I think will cost Europe far more in the future.Mr Michel is coming to the end of his mandate as a European Commissioner which may have allowed him to speak more freely than usual.Aid groups were pleasantly surprised by the commissioner's frank words saying they struck a chord.What the Commissioner did today was to call a spade a spade, said Laura Sullivan, Brussels spokeswoman for Action Aid, a development NGO.When you look at the amount of money that has been found to bail out banks, versus that spent on aid, you get a very distorted picture. France, for example, spent 45 times more on bailing out its banks last year, than it did on providing aid for poor countries,she said.Europe needs to refocus its efforts on bailing out the poor.
New Auto Standards vs. Old U.S. Preferences
Mileage Rules To Add to Price, Shrink Engines
By Steven Mufson Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The cars of the near future will be lighter, more expensive and maybe smaller. Big engines will shrink. And more and more cars will be hybrids or diesel-powered vehicles like those common in Europe. Those aren't qualities that American consumers have rushed to embrace in the past. But the new fuel-efficiency and tailpipe-emissions standards unveiled yesterday at the White House will push automakers and motorists in a direction aimed at reducing U.S. oil dependence and the emissions of greenhouse gases, just part of the administration's program for remaking the ailing American car industry. Many analysts worry that without boosting gasoline taxes to make fuel efficiency a priority for consumers, the administration may be setting a standard for new cars that won't match motorists' tastes. There's a general rule of thumb: The way to achieve higher fuel efficiency is to make cars lighter and put in smaller engines,said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of Edmunds.com, an automotive information firm.In some ways, it's formulaic. Unfortunately, those tend to be the cars people don't want to buy.But automobile manufacturers, two of which are already relying on U.S. government aid to avert bankruptcy, said yesterday that they welcomed the new harmonized national standards for fuel efficiency and tailpipe emissions. While meeting the targets for 2016 might be challenging, they said it would be easier than dealing with a patchwork of regulations that differed from California to the Transportation Department to the Environmental Protection Agency. What was so important for us was we had so many different regulations, testing procedures and classes of what we sell,said Susan M. Cischke, group vice president for sustainability, environment and safety engineering at Ford. It was a huge amount of work just to certify the vehicles. The national standard gives us the certainty and flexibility we need to meet these tough targets.Carmakers and administration officials said that the technology for building more fuel-efficient vehicles already exists, but they acknowledge that it will cost money.
James Lentz, president of U.S. sales for Toyota, said that eventually consumers would take fuel efficiency for granted the way they now expect cars to have air bags or stabilizers or anti-lock brakes, all innovations once considered expensive. It's just a question of time and money,he said. A senior administration official said on Monday that the new standards would add $600 to the price of the average car, on top of the $700 of added costs that would have resulted from more modestly increased targets permitted under the 2007 energy bill. Yes, it costs money to develop these vehicles, President Obama said yesterday in a Rose Garden ceremony that included governors, members of Congress, auto executives and the head of the United Auto Workers.But even as the price to build these cars and trucks goes up, the cost of driving these vehicles will go down as drivers save money at the pump.The president asserted that the typical driver would save about $2,800 by getting better gas mileage and that higher purchase costs would be paid off within three years. But payback periods will vary widely depending on the type of vehicle and the price of gasoline, industry experts said, and some highly efficient vehicles might never pay off. Hardly any cars on the road in the United States today meet the new standard -- 39 miles a gallon for passenger cars and about 30 for light trucks -- and virtually all are hybrids. Several small cars are within striking distance, and by averaging hybrids and traditional combustion engines, automakers could meet overall targets even if certain models fall short. Lentz said that Toyota passenger cars already average just three miles a gallon less than the target the Obama administration set yesterday for new 2016 cars. I'm fairly comfortable on the passenger-car side,he said. The challenge for us will be light trucks. Their average now is 24 miles per gallon, and the number to get to is going to be 30. So there is a lot of work to be done on the light trucks.
Like other automakers, Toyota is already trying to close the gap. The new Toyota Tundra has a 4.6-liter V-8 engine and a six-speed transmission; the previous model had a 4.7-liter V-8 engine and a five-speed. The new model gets 15 miles a gallon in the city and 20 on the highway, while the earlier model got 14 miles per gallon in the city and 17 on the highway. Ford, whose Hybrid Escape is one of a handful of vehicles on the road today that already meet the 2016 standards, yesterday announced that it had started production of new EcoBoost engines at a Cleveland plant that had been idled in 2007 and that Ford spent $55 million retooling. The new engines combine turbo-charging with direct gasoline injection to deliver up to 20 percent improved fuel economy and 15 percent less carbon dioxide emissions while preserving the performance of larger engines, Ford said. The company said it would deliver the power of a V-8 with the fuel economy of a V-6.The new 3.5-liter engines would debut this summer in the 2010 Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT, Ford Taurus SHO and Ford Flex, Ford said. A V-6 EcoBoost engine will be available for the F-150 pickup truck in 2010, the company said. The fuel efficiency standards will be applied to different classes of vehicles based on size but will still include broader fleet targets. Every category and size will be required to make improvements. Different manufacturers will end up with different targets, and some high-efficiency vehicles, such as hybrids and electric vehicles, could ease the pressure on other models. But the system is designed to make it harder for automakers to sidestep requirements as they did a decade ago by making more light trucks, which have lower standards than passenger cars.Ford's Cischke said that companies can also get credit by cutting leaks of greenhouse gases from air conditioners, but the offset against mileage requirements would be less than 1 mile per gallon.Edmunds.com's Anwyl was skeptical about whether motorists would be happy with the new world of automobiles. Consumers' natural preference is to buy bigger, more comfortable vehicles, he said. But he added that carmakers know how to reach the new standards. There's no magic to this,he said.It basically boils down to physics.
While condemning Sri Lanka violence, EU still sells arms to government
LEIGH PHILLIPS 19.05.2009 @ 17:35 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Union on Monday (18 May) called for an independent inquiry into alleged human rights violations resulting from the conflict in Sri Lanka and demanded those responsible be held to account.However, at the same as issuing strong language condemning attacks on civilians, certain EU member states continue to arm the Sri Lankan authorities in breach of the EU's code of conduct on arms exports, according to the latest data from European governments. The EU is appalled by the loss of innocent civilian lives as a result of the conflict and by the high numbers of casualties, including children, following recent intense fighting in northern Sri Lanka,said European foreign ministers in a statement following a meeting in Brussels on Monday (18 May).The EU calls for the alleged violations of these laws to be investigated through an independent inquiry,the statement continued. Those accountable must be brought to justice.A number of EU member states - including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the UK, France, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland - have however continuined to arm the Sri Lankan government since the election of hardline president Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005.According to the EU's latest report on arms export licences published in December, the nine governments authorised arm sales licences to Sri Lanka to the value of €4.09 million in 2007, the same year that Colombo launched its final offensive on the Tamil rebels.
The licensed material ranges from small weapons, ammunition and explosives to missiles, ground vehicles, naval vessels and aircraft, with the eastern European member states mainly supplying small arms, while western member states sell the bigger hardware.The EU report is compiled annually to ensure that European countries comply with the EU's Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, which is not legally-binding but which sets an ethical benchmark for the EU club. According to the code, members states should not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.
Bloodbath
The United Nations has reported that some 6,500 civilians were killed and 14,000 wounded in fighting in Sri Lanka from January to the end of April this year. On 8 May, the UN also called on the Human Rights Council to set up an international inquiry.In February, Human Rights Watch issued a report accusing the Sri Lankan Army of slaughtering civilians during indiscriminate artillery attacks, including regular shelling of hospitals. The group also demanded that Colombo cease detaining displaced people in army-controlled internment camps.Doctors working in clinics in the conflict area allege that 378 civilians were killed and another 1,122 injured during heavy shelling on the night of 9 May alone, according to BBC reports rejected by Colombo.
A UN spokesman in Colombo, Gordon Weiss, also reported that over 100 children were killed as a result of large-scale killing of civilians, describing the warzone as a bloodbath.
Code of Conduct impotent
The value of delivered EU shipments in 2007 is lower than the €4 million figure, coming in at €1.16 million, but the remainder may still have been shipped since or will be at some point in the future. The bulk of Sri Lanka's weapons shipments do not come from the EU, with Colombo preferring to access its armaments from poorer countries with lower prices. EU-origin arms sales to the south Asian country pale in comparison to those from Ukraine and Iran.In 2007, Ukraine sold four Mig-27s to Colombo for €7.2 million ($9.8m). Iran agreed to an arms deal worth up to €104 million ($140.9m), including missile systems for the Sri Lankan air force, navy patrol boats and a small arms ammunition plant, according to Jane's Defence Weekly.
China has been Sri Lanka's biggest arms supplier since the 1990s. In 2007, China sold €27.8 million ($37.6m) of ammunition and in 2008 lent Colombo six F7 jet fighters in 2008.European foreign ministers on Monday would not be drawn on the question of arms sales. Speaking to reporters following the meeting, the bloc's foreign affairs chief, Javier Solana, refused to comment.Siemon Weizeman, a senior fellow with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute working on its arms transfer programme, told EUobserver it is not the amount of the EU sales that is the problem, but that they showcase the impotence of the arms sales Code of Conduct.The EU has on numerous occasions condemned both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government for gross human rights violations,he said. Normally this would translate into denials of the sale of military equipment to these actors, but that has not been the case.They give the impression that there is an EU policy, but in reality there are just a series of national policies decided on a case-by-case basis,he continued.The scale of the transfers is not on the same level as other powers, but the EU needs to get its act together on this for its own moral integrity.
Slovenia wants changes to Croatia border resolution plan
ELITSA VUCHEVA 19.05.2009 @ 17:33 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn on Tuesday (19 May) confirmed he had received Slovenia's response to his latest proposal aimed at solving the long-standing border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia, saying he would meet the two countries' foreign ministers in the coming weeks to discuss amendments submitted by Ljubljana.I just received the [Slovenian] response personally,Mr Rehn said at a press conference in Brussels.I will study and analyse this response in detail shortly. We need the two countries to agree. The commission is only a facilitator,he added.The enlargement commissioner intervened in the 18-year-old border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia after it reached a new low in December when Slovenia blocked several chapters of Croatia's EU membership negotiations over the issue.Mr Rehn consequently proposed setting up a meditation mechanism to help break the deadlock, with the last version of his proposal suggesting that the countries should solve their dispute via a five-member international arbitration tribunal that would operate in line with international law – a point Croatia has been strongly pushing for.Zagreb accepted the proposal earlier this month, but the response presented by Slovenia on Tuesday includes a number of amendments to it.
Details of the amendments have not been made public, but they are said to include the so-called principle of fairness Slovenia had been insisting on - Ex aequo et bono, Latin for from equity and conscience.In a legal context, the term refers to the encouragement of arbitrators to look beyond purely juridical arguments and consider solely what they consider to be fair and equitable in the case at hand. Ljubljana was also unhappy that the commission proposal required that it lift the veto to the EU talks with Croatia as soon as the two countries agree to the arbitration, saying it could only do so after any form of agreement has been formally ratified by the two countries.Slovenia has made it clear that if its amendments are not taken into account, it could neither accept the proposal nor unblock Croatia's EU negotiations.
If alterations demanded by Slovenia are not accepted, the arbitrage deal will not be reached. If the agreement fails, there is no way that Slovenia will be forced to unblock Croatian accession talks,Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor told Slovenian POP TV earlier this month.Mr Rehn will be meeting the two countries' foreign ministers in the coming weeks to discuss the amended proposal with them, but a concrete date has not been set yet.Also speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Swedish foreign minister Carld Bildt, whose country will take over the EU's rotating presidency on 1 July, said he was not particularly optimistic the saga would end soon.
Fifteen years of experience of dealing with your part of the world [the Balkans] has taught me never to use the word optimist or the word pessimist.You have to deal with the situation as it is,Mr Bildt said, referring to his time serving as High Representative in Bosnia, as EU special envoy to the former Yugoslavia, and as UN special envoy to the Balkans.
Iran says it tests missile, Israel within range By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer MAY 20,09
TEHRAN, Iran – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran test-fired a new advanced missile Wednesday with a range of about 1,200 miles, far enough to strike Israel, southeastern Europe and U.S. bases in the Middle East.The announcement will not reassure the U.S. government, coming just two days after President Barack Obama declared a readiness to seek deeper international sanctions against Iran if it shunned U.S. attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear program. Obama said he expected a positive response to his outreach for opening a dialogue with Iran by the end of the year.Defense Minister (Mostafa Mohammad Najjar) has informed me that the Sajjil-2 missile, which has very advanced technology, was launched from Semnan and it landed precisely on the target,state radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. He spoke during a visit to the city of Semnan, 125 miles east of the capital Tehran, where Iran's space program is centered.Ahmadinejad is running for re-election in a June 12 vote and has been criticized by his opponents and others for antagonizing the U.S. and mismanaging the country's faltering economy.Most Western analysts believe Iran does not yet have the technology to produce nuclear weapons, including warheads for long-range missiles. A group of U.S. and Russian scientists said in a report issued Tuesday that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device in one to three years and a nuclear warhead in another five years after that.The study published by the nonpartisan EastWest Institute also said Iran is making advances in rocket technology and could develop a ballistic missile capable of firing a 2,200-pound nuclear warhead up to 1,200 miles in perhaps six to eight years.
Iran says its missile program is merely for defense and its space program is for scientific and surveillance purposes. It maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian energy uses only.The solid-fuel Sajjil-2 surface-to-surface missile is a new version of the Sajjil missile, which Iran said it had successfully tested late last year with a similar range.Iran's nuclear and missile programs have alarmed Israel, and the country's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pressed Obama to step up pressure on Tehran when the two met in Washington on Monday. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel's elimination, and the Jewish state has not ruled out a military strike to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat.
Iran tests missile as election race starts By Zahra Hosseinian and Fredrik Dahl MAY 20,09
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran launched a missile with a range of close to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) on Wednesday and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the Islamic state could send any attacker to hell,official media reported.The stated range of the surface-to-surface Sejil 2 missile would be almost as far as another Iranian missile, Shahab 3, and analysts say such weaponry could put Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf within reach.Ahmadinejad announced the launch in a speech on the same day that a powerful clerical watchdog body signaled the official start of campaigning for next month's presidential election by approving him and three rivals as candidates.The hardline president's main challengers in the June 12 election are moderates advocating detente with the West.But a Western military expert saw Wednesday's missile launch as Iran's response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week, during which he has underscored the Jewish state's worries about Iran.Every time they do it, it is in response to a particular event,Andrew Brookes, of the International Institute of Strategic Studies think-tank in London, said of Iran's latest display of its arms capability.The launch is likely to arouse further concern in the West and Israel about Iran's military ambitions. The United States and its allies suspect the Islamic Republic is seeking to build nuclear bombs. Tehran denies the charge.The Sejil 2 missile, which has an advanced technology, was launched today ... and it landed exactly on the target,the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
PLAYING WITH FIRE
Ahmadinejad was speaking during a rally in the northern Semnan province, where IRNA said the launch took place. State television said it was a test and showed footage of a missile soaring into the sky, leaving a vapor trail.U.S. President Barack Obama is seeking rapprochement with Iran after three decades of mutual hostility. But, like his predecessor George W. Bush, he has not ruled out military action if diplomatic efforts fail to resolve the nuclear row.Israeli leaders have raised U.S. concern by hinting at pre-emptive strikes if they decide diplomacy has failed. Israel is widely assumed to be the only Middle Eastern nuclear power.Iran has said it would respond to any attack by targeting U.S. interests and America's ally Israel, as well as closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for world oil supplies.Ahmadinejad said Iran had the power to send to hell any military base from where a bullet was fired against it.
He singled out Israel, which Iran refers to as the Zionist regime and does not recognize: Right now the Zionist regime ... threatens Iran militarily with its false threats and the Iranian nation should know that it is just theater.Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Iran was able to reach Europe as well his country: If anyone had any doubt, now it's clear to all that Iran is playing with fire.Brookes said Iran's missiles were perfectly good enough to go and cause a problem to Israel or elsewhere in the region.Iran previously test-fired a Sejil missile last November, describing it then as a new generation of surface-to-surface missile. Washington said at the time that the test highlighted the need for a missile defense system it plans to base in Poland and the Czech Republic to counter threats from rogue states.The Obama administration is reviewing the missile shield project for cost effectiveness and viability, though he has said Washington would continue to research and develop the plans.(Additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Russia links nuclear talks to U.S. anti-missile plan By Amie Ferris-Rotman MAY 20,09
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The United States must allay Russian concerns over its planned anti-missile system in Europe if the two sides are to achieve a breakthrough on cutting nuclear weapons, Russia's foreign minister said on Wednesday.U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev last month agreed to pursue a deal on cutting nuclear weapons that would replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), which expires in December.The world's two biggest nuclear powers began formal talks on Tuesday to find a replacement for START and diplomats hope progress can be made before Obama and Medvedev meet in Moscow on July 6-8.But the talks are complicated by Washington's anti-missile plan. It is considering stationing elements of a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, in order to intercept rockets fired from what it regards as rogue states, such as Iran. Russia sees this as upsetting the strategic balance and threatening its own security.The final product of the negotiations must of course be a step forward from the current system of limits and cuts,Lavrov told reporters at the 19th century mansion in central Moscow where talks on the successor to START continued on Wednesday.The fundamental principle of an agreement must be equal security for both sides and the preservation of strategic parity. This of course cannot be ensured without taking into account the situation with anti-missile defense,Lavrov said.
He added that the talks should also take account of any plans for space-based missiles and the development of highly destructive non-nuclear weapons.Finding a deal could herald a thaw in relations between the Cold War foes after bitter arguments under former U.S. President George W. Bush over missile defense, NATO expansion and last August's war between Russia and Georgia.Obama said last month that the United States would go ahead with the anti-missile system if Washington thought there was a continued threat from Iran.The negotiators face tight pressure to work through scores of complicated technical issues -- including differences over how to count nuclear weapons and ensure compliance -- before the December 5 deadline for replacing START.
(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Mark Trevelyan)
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