WTO-NO LEADERS MEETING YET

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL WEDNESDAY 5AM EST PSALMS 83,142 AND 130 IN THAT ORDER,THEN YOUR OWN PRAYER FOR ISRAEL.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/News.aspx/1969

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

EU diplomats to benefit from new intelligence hub-The new intelligence hub will contain a cell of delegates from EU states' secret services (Photo: Anonymous9000)ANDREW RETTMAN Today FEB 22,10 @ 08:49 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU is planning to pull together three intelligence-sharing bureaus based in Brussels to form a new department in the bloc's External Action Service (EAS). The EU's foreign relations chief, Catherine Ashton, is currently drafting a proposal for the future structure of the union's diplomatic corps, with a final paper expected in March. But sources in the EU institutions say she aims to merge into one new department the EU Council's Joint Situation Centre, its Watch-Keeping Capability and the European Commission's Crisis Room to help guide EAS decisions on security matters. The Joint Situation Centre, known as SitCen, today has 110 staff and is located on Avenue de Cortenbergh, in the heart of the EU quarter.It contains a cell of secret service agents seconded from EU capitals. The cell, headed up by a French agent, pools classified information sent in by member states and drafts occasional four-to-10-page-long reports on topics ranging from terrorism to, for example, Iran's diplomatic contacts with neighbouring countries.

SitCen also runs a round-the-clock alert desk which uses open sources, such as BBC Monitoring or photos taken by commercial satellites, and sends emails and SMSes to selected EU diplomats two or three times a day. The Watch-Keeping Capability is in the same building. Its team, made up of 12 people from EU states' police and armed forces, pulls in news from the EU's 23 police and military missions, such as the EUMM in Georgia. The Crisis Room, around the corner in the commission's Charlemagne building, is run by six officials. It operates a secure website with breaking news about the world's 118 active conflicts from open sources and from the commission's foreign embassies. It uses scientific tools, such as statistical analysis, and high-tech software: One program scans TV broadcasts round the world and automatically picks out quotes on search terms, such as people's names. The details of the EAS' new intelligence branch are still up in the air.It is unclear where it will be situated and who will be in charge. But the current head of SitCen, former British diplomat William Shapcott, is the top candidate due to his friendly ties with member states' secret services. The mandate for the new department also remains to be written. Some EU diplomats would like it to make policy recommendations as well as analytical reports. Others are posing questions about its ethos: Will it be used to aggressively pursue member states' national interests or for common goals, such as peace-building and crisis relief? one EU official asked. SitCen already sends staff to visit the EU's foreign police and military missions to gather information and has a mystique due to the secretive nature of its work. But the new EAS branch will not have undercover operatives in the field on the model of member states' intelligence agencies. Belgium and Austria proposed this [creating an EU secret service] after Madrid. But we are still light years away from it,the EU official said, referring to the terrorist bombing in Spain in 2004.

Circles within the circle

The questions of equal access to information and geographic balance are likely to feature in Ms Ashton's thinking on appointments.SitCen's official reports are equally available to all 27 EU countries via their envoys to the Political and Security Committee (PSC), a group of member states diplomats which meets regularly in the EU Council to discuss security issues.But the quality of the reports is in dispute: When I read magazines like Time or Newsweek the quality of analysis is sometimes the same. I sometimes get faster alerts from my national newswire,one EU diplomat said.The added value is that the information has been checked. You have to be damned sure it's good because decisions can be based on it,another diplomatic source said. Meanwhile, the best classified information is often shared through informal channels between smaller groups of EU countries with a history of intelligence co-operation. There are circles within the circle. It's an informal reality that takes into account the sensitive nature of intel,a contact acquainted with SitCen's work told EUobserver.Ms Ashton will also take charge of the PSC itself by appointing a permanent president for its meetings, with a mandate up to five years long. The names floating about for the new post include the current PSC ambassadors of Sweden (Olof Skoog), Belgium (Walter Stevens) and Spain (Carlos Fernandez Arias Minuesa). But an early favourite is France's former PSC ambassador, Christine Roger, who now works in the EU Council secretariat. The French are worried that the EAS will be dominated by British people,one EU official said.

Starting small

SitCen and the Crisis Room have come a long way since their beginnings some 10 years ago.SitCen started out as a piece of A4-paper, a telephone and a pool table, according to one anecdote. When 9/11 struck in 2001, the commission's phone lines and internet crashed due to heavy traffic, leaving it cut off and triggering the creation of the Crisis Room.There was one TV set in the building. We were crouched round a telephone listening to the TV at the other end of the line,another EU official said.

Greece misses EU deadline on currency swaps
ANDREW WILLIS Today FEB 22,10 @ 16:49 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Greece has missed a deadline to hand over information to the European Union, following recent allegations it used complex financial products to hide the true extent of its debt pile over the past decade. The news comes as a further embarrassment to the embattled Greek administration, already facing a major debt crisis and legal action over a budgetary deficit revision last October. Athens told us that the reason for the delay was partly due to the four-day strike which affected the ministry of finance, European Commission economy spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio said at a news conference on Monday (22 February). The deadline was last Friday. Greek customs workers ended a strike on Saturday, with the country's biggest union due to stage further protests this week.The EU request for information relates to accusations published earlier this month that currency swaps, provided by Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs in 2001, enabled Athens to net a €2.4 billion loan that went undetected by EU monitors. Athens insists the use of currency swaps did not contravene the bloc's rules at the time, adding that they were also deployed by other European capitals. The missed deadline adds to doubts over the Greek administration's ability to handle it's current predicament however, and raises a question mark over Brussels' ability to stamp its authority on wayward national capitals. And despite the fact that economy commissioner Olli Rehn made a clear request on 12 February for the information on the alleged use of the swaps, Athens is unlikely to face any consequences over the missed deadline. Consequences? No, not at this point, said Mr Tardio on Monday. Instead the EU is now seeking the information as soon as possible.

This is a bad signal,Cinzia Alcidi, a research fellow at the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies, told this website. It's a sign that it will be very difficult to ensure implementation of the plan Greece committed to.EU finance ministers last week approved a Greek-government programme of spending cuts, designed to slash its deficit by four percent this year after it totaled 12.7 percent of GDP in 2009.The commission could use tougher mechanisms at its disposal, added Ms Alcidi, citing the withdrawal of EU structural funds as an example, but so far there has been no sign of this.

€25 billion bail-out?

The commission also denied reports on Monday that euro area members are preparing a €20-25 billion aid package for Greece. German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that members of the single currency are preparing to bail out Greece to the tune of €20-25 billion, citing German finance officials. Despite the denials, EU and member state officials are widely perceived to be preparing a mechanism to transfer financial support to the Aegean state if necessary, with Athens set to roll over roughly €20 billion in debt this April / May. They are putting everything in place in case there is a need,said Ms Alcidi.

EU tones down condemnation of Dubai murder
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today FEB 22,10 @ 17:39 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have condemned the use of EU passports by the killers of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in January, but using softer language than originally proposed.
Notably, the bloc refrained from making any criticism of Israel, widely assumed to be behind the operation, and language referring to the practice of extra-judicial killing was removed.EU officials acknowledge the issue will present a hurdle to closer EU-Israeli relations in the future.The killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on 20 January raises issues that are profoundly disturbing to the European Union, the ministers said in a statement.This was an action that cannot be conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East. The EU strongly condemns the fact that those involved in this action have used fraudulent EU member states' passports and credit cards acquired through the theft of EU citizens' identities.The EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, explained that she would be meeting with Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Leiberman, for an informal dinner on Monday evening where she would raise the issue, as other EU ministers had earlier done in bilateral meetings with the minister.However, she said that to condemn Israel was to presume the state is guilty before anything has been proved.We can't move from a position where some press reports say something happened to taking a postion [assuming they are correct],she said.But the member states remain extremely angry.Earlier in the day, Irish foreign minister Michael Martin met with Mr Leiberman. I articulated our grave concern over the use of our passports in Dubai and the degree to which we are concerned about the safety of our citizens. He said Mr Lieberman had indicated strongly that he had no further information.It is understood that Mr Martin put it to his counterpart that the chief of the Dubai police had said he was 99 percent certain the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, was behind the killing.

At which point, Mr Lieberman dismissed the suggestion as press speculation.Mr Martin told reporters that he was glad the EU had now made a collective statement, rather than leaving it at the member state level. Last week, the European Commission had been adamant that the issue was not a matter of responsibility for the European Union.The fraudulent use of passports and credit cards is a concern for EU citizens collectively,he said.[Those whose identities had been stolen] will automatically be put on terror lists and so on. If any of them had travelled over the weekend, they would have had enormous difficulties.He said that his government had already received a complaint from a businessman who had received negative treatment in Dubai as a result: This has a real effect on citizens.Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman also met with the UK foreign secretary, David Miliband, where the British minister stressed the importance of Israel co-operating with investigtions into the murder. According to Mr Miliband, his Israeli counterpart responded that he had no information at this stage.One EU source described the final language of the ministers' communique as bland.The original text reportedly made reference to extra-judicial killing.It's been toned down a lot from where it was earlier and what some member states would have wanted. It's more symbolic, a show of solidarity among the member states than anyone telling anyone off. At the same time, there was no real opposition from the usual member states [that are more pro-Israel than the other ones], but this time Germany's one of the countries affected, so that makes things a bit different this time,the contact said.

Scanned copies of passports

The suspected killers of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh used passports from Ireland, France, Germany, and the UK. Initially 11 individuals were alleged to have been responsible for the murder, six Britons, three Irish, one French and one German, but the enquiry has now extended to 18 people, including two Palestinians.Dublin has confirmed that two of the subsequent suspects also carried Irish passports. The UK and France have said that the passports were fake. In the British case, the identities of six dual UK-Israeli citizens were stolen by the perpetrators. Authorities in London are investigating the possibility that the passport data were stolen when the individuals passed through Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.In the Irish case, the passports carried genuine passport numbers from the country's passport system, but were not genuine passports. But it's hard to say at this point whether they were counterfeit or just obtained in a fraudulent manner. All we have to go on are the scanned copies of the passports from the Dubai police, said one source close to the investigation.The United Arab Emirates is currently considering tightening visa availability for EU citizens in the wake of the incident.

Reports put Greek bail-out at €25bn
ANDREW WILLIS Today FEB 22,10 @ 09:22 CET

Reports suggest eurozone states are preparing to bail out Greece to the tune of €20-25 billion, even as the country's Prime Minister George Papandreou insisted over the weekend that no transfers were being sought. A Berlin-drafted plan could see eurozone countries contribute the aid to Greece according to their proportion of capital in the European Central Bank, said Monday's (22 February) edition of German news magazine Der Spiegel, citing national finance officials. As the largest eurozone member, Germany would contribute nearly 20 percent of the potential aid package, likely to take the shape of loans and guarantees. The aid would be tied to strict conditions, with loan tranches only to be paid out once these are met. German officials denied the speculation however, according to other news sources, with the country's politicians sensitive to national doubts on the merit of the move. EU leaders offered political support for Greece at an informal summit earlier this month, but financial markets have pressed for greater details of the bailout plan to be made public. Estimates put Greece's total debt pile at about €300 billion, with roughly €20 billion of bonds to mature in April and May. Athens appointed a senior commercial banker on Friday as the new head of its debt agency, fueling speculation the government could try to raise €3-5 billion in the coming days. EU finance ministers supported a package of Greek austerity measures last week, but coupled with rigorous monitoring from the European Commission. They also said supplementary measures were likely to be needed, following a mid-March progress checkup. Athens has committed to cutting it budget deficit by four percent this year after it reached 12.7 percent in 2009, with civil servant salary freezes, bonus cuts and a two-year increase in the average retirement age among the list of cutbacks already outlined. Despite high popularity ratings that have continued since elections last October, the centre-left Pasok administration has had to contend with a series of strikes from national unions as a result of the measures. Greek customs workers ended a five-day strike on Saturday, with the country's biggest union due to stage further protests this week.

No bailout requested, says PM

Despite beliefs that the economic reforms outlined by Greece could prove insufficient in tackling the country's debt problem, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou insisted on Sunday his administration was not seeking a bail-out.
Instead he said Greece needed political support to enable it to borrow at the same interest rate as other euro area members. Give us the time, give us the support - and I'm not talking about financial but political support - in order to show you that what we're saying is being implemented and we are credible again,he told the BBC. We don't have at this point a need for borrowing. Our borrowing needs are covered until mid-March,he added.

PSALMS 2:1-5
1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed,(JESUS)(ISRAEL-JERUSALEM) saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

WHEN THE WORLD CONDEMNS ISRAEL,THERE COMING AGAINST GOD (KING JESUS HIMSELF).AND GOD STICKS UP FOR ISRAEL-JERUSALEM,SO GUESS WHO LOSES-WORLD CONDEMNERS OF ISRAEL.

IF IT IN FACT WAS ISRAEL THAT GOT RID OF THIS HAMAS MURDERER,AND WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE.WE SHOULD BE THANKFUL TO ISRAEL FOR STOPPING A MASS MURDERER FROM FUTHUR KILLING.

WHO KILLED HAMAS MURDERER-ISRAEL MOSSAD OR CIA OR SOMEONE ELSE
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/News.aspx/1970

Lieberman: Why Blame Israel for Assassination?
by Gil Ronen FEB 22,10

(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman refused on Monday to confirm or deny that Israel carried out the assassination of Hamas terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on January 19. He suggested that the accusations against Israel stem from an anti-Israel bias among the Arab states. Lieberman' Irish counterpart, Michael Martin, asked him for clarifications about the assassins' use of forged Irish passports, when the two ministers met in Brussels. There is no information that shows that Israel was involved in the matter, Lieberman replied. If someone had presented other information, beyond reports in the media, we would comment on it, Lieberman added, but since there is no such information, there is no need to comment on the matter.There are many false accusations against Israel about all kinds of subjects and there is an Arab tendency to blame Israel for everything, Lieberman went on.In the Middle East, there are many internal struggles inside countries and bodies that are not as democratic as Israel.

EU condemns use of fake passports
The foreign ministers of the European Union issued a statement Monday condemning the use of forged European passports in the assassination of al-Mabhouh, but refrained from mentioning Israel. The EU strongly condemns the fact that those involved in this action used fraudulent EU member states' passports and credit cards acquired through the theft of EU citizen's identities,the statement said. We are extremely concerned that European passports... can be used in a different manner for a different purpose,Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters. French President Nicolas Sarkozy unreservedly condemned the assassination, speaking at a press conference with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas according to news agency AFP.

EU to condemn Dubai killings
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today FEB 22,10 @ 14:27 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels are to condemn the use of EU passports by the killers of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in January. The bloc however will refrain from making any explicit criticism of Israel, widely assumed to be behind the operation.Miguel Angel Moratinos, the foreign minister of Spain - currently at the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, told reporters this morning ahead of the meeting of foreign ministers that they were likely to issue a statement noting their common concern at what has happened.We are extremely concerned that European passports, which are a very rigorous and legal document, can be used in a different manner for a different purpose, he said.However, the EU will make no reference to the widely held assumption that Israel was behind the operation.There will be no references to Israel, and no member state was really pushing for it, as we can't condemn anyone for something that hasn't been proven yet, an EU diplomat told EUobserver.We can't name them without proof.The Dubai police have said they are 99 percent certain that the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, is responsible for the assassination.

The Israeli government for its part is sticking to its policy of ambiguity in intelligence matters, neither confirming nor denying its role in the matter.The suspected killers of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh used passports from Ireland, France, Germany, and the UK. Initially 11 individuals were alleged to have been responsible for the murder, six Britons, three Irish, one French and one German, but the enquiry has now extended to 18 people, including two Palestinians.Dublin has confirmed that two of the subsequent suspects also carried Irish passports. The UK and France have said that the passports were fake. In the British case, the identities of six dual UK-Israeli citizens were stolen by the perpetrators. Authorities in London are investigating the possibility that the passport data were stolen when the individuals passed through Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.In the Irish case, the passports carried genuine passport numbers from the country's passport system, but were not genuine passports. But it's hard to say at this point whether they were counterfeit or just obtained in a fraudulent manner. All we have to go on are the scanned copies of the passports from the Dubai police.The German authorities have yet to say whether the passport in question was fake, but news magazine Der Spiegel has reported that it was a genuine passport that was issued in Cologne in 2009

Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman is currently in the European capital meeting with Mr Moratinos, UK foreign secretary David Miliband and the German deputy foreign minister. On Monday evening, he will also meet EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton for an informal dinner where the matter will likely be discussed.The United Arab Emirates is currently considering tightening visa availability for EU citizens in the wake of the incident.

Rights court reforms to deal with huge backlog
VALENTINA POP Today FEB 22,10 @ 09:23 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Ministers from the 47 countries adhering to the European Court of Human Rights have agreed to reform the institution, so as to speed up the processing of its backlog of 120,000 cases.Switzerland, which currently holds the chairmanship of the council's committee of ministers, organised a two-day conference in Interlaken at the end of last week in order to tackle the problems facing the Strasbourg-based court.As it openly admits on its own website, the court dealing with human rights abuses faces a desperate situation, with 120,000 pending cases which would take 46 years to be processed, if current rules apply. Some 90 percent of all cases brought to the court are inadmissible or have no legal basis, so that judges are caught up in a lot of unnecessary work. Ministers have agreed for a single judge to be able to decide if a case can be pursued or not, whereas up until now a panel of three judges was necessary for such a ruling.Russia, accountable for a big bulk of cases, especially related to killings and torture in Chechnya, had initially resisted the reforms, BBC reports.It only agreed at the last minute when a provision was included to allow a Russian judge to participate in any decisions concerning the country.All 47 countries which have signed the European Convention on Human Rights - including Russia - have to obey the rulings of the court. However, the body cannot force states to comply, the ultimate sanction being expulsion from the Council of Europe, the body overseeing execution of these judgements and other matters relating to democracy and human rights.

Europeans can only file a complaint against their state when all the other national avenues of legal redress have been exhausted. Social issues, such as abortion, homosexuality and religion have also featured among the court's rulings, prompting criticism in some countries such as Ireland which feel their sovereignty on these matters narrowed by the European court. The Interlaken declaration also calls for a better implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights on a national level and for countries to fully execute the court's rulings. The first measures are to be implemented by June 2011. A review of the declaration goals will be made after five years.

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.

Tropical storms to be more intense but less frequent: climate study
Sun Feb 21, 6:25 pm ET

PARIS (AFP) – Tropical cyclones may become less frequent this century but pack a stronger punch as a result of global warming, a paper published on Sunday said.The study is an overview of work into one of the scariest yet also one of the least understood aspects of climate change.Known in the Atlantic as hurricanes and in eastern Asia as typhoons, tropical storms are driven by the raw fuel of warm seas, which raises the question about what may happen when temperatures rise as a result of greenhouse gases.Tom Knutson and colleagues from the UN's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) looked at peer-reviewed investigations that have appeared over the past four years, when the issue began to hit the headlines.Their benchmark for warming is the A1B scenario, a middle-of-the-road computer simulation which predicts a global average surface temperature rise of 2.8 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) over the 21st century.It is likely that the global frequency of tropical cyclones will either decrease or remain essentially unchanged, says the paper.But storms could have more powerful winds -- an increase of between two and 11 percent -- and dump more water, it warns.Rainfall could increase by 20 percent within 100 kilometres (62 miles) of the eye of the storm.In addition, some storm basins will more likely than not see a big increase in the frequency of high-impact storms.

The overview calls for an effort to fill in some big gaps in knowledge, including the variability of cyclones in the past and how global warming will affect storm behaviour in specific regions.It is published online by Nature Geoscience, a journal of Britain's Nature Publishing Group.The findings broadly concur with those of the UN's panel of climate scientists, which in a 2007 report said it was likely that tropical cyclones would become more intense this century, with heavier rainfall and stronger wind speeds.However, the panel said it was less confident in concluding whether the number of cyclones would decrease.

Hungary's key interest rate cut to record low
FEB 22,10

BUDAPEST, Hungary – The National Bank of Hungary on Monday cut its main interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 5.75 percent, its lowest level ever, to help the economy out of the economic downturn.The cut, to take effect Feb. 23, was in line with analysts' expectations, many of whom also believe the central bank would now stay on hold for some time — since July 2009 it has lowered rates at eight consecutive meetings.Analysts say external factors like market uncertainty caused by Greece's fiscal problems and expectations that the United States will also soon have higher interest rates are likely to slow or halt Hungary's rate cuts.On the domestic side, risk factors include Hungary's parliamentary elections in April and a chance that inflation will be higher than expected.The bank's rhetoric is clearly getting more and more cautious, a pause is to come soon,said analyst Gabor Ambrus at 4Cast in London.The central bank said higher inflation over the past three months could be attributed mostly to noncore factors, such as oil prices, while services prices continued to fall.Taking all these factors into account ... inflation may fall below the target over the next two years, albeit at a somewhat slower pace than earlier expected,the bank's Monetary Council said after the rate cut announcement.The central bank also noted that risks to Hungary's economy were little changed despite the weakening of investor sentiment due to Greece's debt crisis.The significant improvement of Hungary's external balance has reduced the vulnerability of the economy,the bank said.However, the high level of debt and weak indicators of economic activity continue to pose risks.The central bank also released fresh predictions for Hungary's inflation and growth rates. Consumer prices are now expected to rise by 4.4 percent in 2010 and 2.3 percent in 2011 — up from earlier forecasts of 3.9 percent and 1.9 percent. The central bank's medium-term inflation target is 3 percent.

On growth, the central bank confirmed the finance ministry's recent revision for a forecast of 0.2 percent contraction in 2010 — compared to earlier expectations of a 0.6 percent fall — and economic growth of 3.4 percent in 2011.With exports rising and domestic demand continuing to fall, Hungary's current account has been showing a substantial surplus since mid-2009, which the bank sees continuing in the medium term.The council therefore expects the economy to operate without reliance of foreign funding in coming years, the bank said.Analysts said that an upcoming reduction to seven from nine members in the NBH's monetary council also would make rate cuts less likely, as the two departing members, Ilona Hardy and Vilmos Bihari, were considered to be among the more dovish economists, favoring rate cuts.Their departure could mean a relative majority for those preferring monetary tightening, said a report from Equilor Investment Ltd. in Budapest.

WTO says too early for ministers to meet on Doha
Mon Feb 22, 9:24 am ET

GENEVA (AFP) – World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy said Monday that he was against inviting ministers to a meeting in March which is aimed at driving forward negotiations for a global trade liberalisation pact.While acknowledging that political commitment was needed to conclude the Doha Round of talks, Lamy also assessed that it was too early to call on ministers to make such a push at the end of next month.On... the political decision about 2010, I believe this is a judgment that belongs to ministers and that, on this specific issue, engagement will be needed, he told diplomats representing the WTO's 153-member states.Given where we are right now, it is also clear, however, that the end of March is too early for that, added the director-general of the WTO.Lamy said that the meeting in March, aimed at taking stock of the progress in negotiations, would be best undertaken by senior officials at this stage.Lamy had earlier warned that WTO member states risk missing the 2010 target set by world leaders for reaching a long delayed global trade pact unless there was a breakthrough by the end of the first quarter.The Doha Round of negotiations for a trade liberalisation deal began in 2001 with a focus on dismantling obstacles to trade for poor nations, by aiming for a deal that would cut agriculture subsidies and tariffs on industrial goods.

Deadlines to conclude the talks have been repeatedly missed.

Discussions have been dogged by disagreements, including on how much the United States and the European Union should reduce aid to their farmers and the extent to which developing countries such as India and China should lower tariffs.

Dubai property chief believes prices near bottom By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer – Mon Feb 22, 9:27 am ET

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Dubai's battered real estate prices have nearly bottomed out and should start to recover, but probably not until at least next year, the head of one of the troubled emirate's most prominent property developers said Monday.Prices in the Mideast sheikdom dropped by half in less than a year from their peak in late 2008 as overseas buyers, many of them speculators relying on easy credit, fled the market.The unexpectedly steep plunge led to widespread job cuts and contributed to Dubai's financial problems by depriving many local developers the cash they needed to pay the bills and cover debts racked up in a torrid building boom.Deyaar Development Co., Dubai's second biggest listed developer, was among those hurt by the downturn.CEO Markus Giebel told reporters Monday that while he does not expect a dramatic recovery in Dubai's property market, prices are unlikely to fall significantly further.Dubai has reached a bottom phase, Giebel said. I cannot tell you if it goes 5 percent up or down. But I'm very certain it will not go 20 or 30 percent up or down in the next year.Giebel said he expects prices will fluctuate in a narrow range before possibly starting to recover in 2011.

Unlike some other Dubai firms, such as troubled island-building developer Nakheel, Deyaar is not owned outright by the emirate's government, though the state does have an indirect stake.Deyaar last week said its 2009 profit dropped 95 percent to 30 million dirhams ($8.2 million), as sales fell and the company booked impairment charges and made other accounting adjustments.Giebel said Deyaar planned to move beyond primarily developing luxury high-rises to focus more on specialized markets and low-income housing, which is scarce in Dubai. It also is looking to expand to other parts of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and possibly Iraq.

Deyaar currently owes its contractors less than 100 million dirhams ($27.3 million), much of it overdue, but is working to clear those debts, Giebel said.Dubai is struggling to get out from under more than $80 billion in debt. Much of it was amassed by state-linked developers during a building boom over the past decade that transformed the once-sleepy emirate into a bustling business and tourism hub populated largely by foreigners.That property boom has left the city-state with a glut of new skyscrapers and man-made islands, most of which now sit empty.Analysts, however, say a recovery could still be far off.Los Angeles-based commercial property giant CB Richard Ellis said earlier this month the Dubai market remained sluggish through the end of 2009 and showed few signs to suggest any imminent upturn in fortunes.Another firm, Dubai-based Landmark Advisory, expected house prices in the emirate will stagnate as apartment values continue to fall.We predict apartments will decline as much as 20 percent over the next 18 months, analyst Jesse Downs and colleagues said in a report last week.

Gasoline heading above $3 a gallon by this summer By CHRIS KAHN, AP Energy Writer – FEB 22,10

NEW YORK – Retail gas prices likely bottomed out last week, and they're again headed to above $3 a gallon this summer, experts said Monday.Pump prices typically rise this time of year as refineries switch to a more expensive grade of gas. But this year, prices are increasing after millions of Americans received pink slips and kept their cars in the driveway.If you look at demand, it's just abysmal, said Fred Rozell, retail pricing director at Oil Price Information Service.What's pushing prices higher isn't American consumption. It's the crude oil that's used to make motor fuel, Rozell said. Crude is an international commodity that's become ever more expensive as demand grows in China.Retail gas prices rose Monday for the fifth straight day, adding less than a penny overnight to a new national average of $2.648 a gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service.A gallon of regular unleaded is still cheaper than it was a month ago. It's also 73.1 cents more expensive than the same time last year.Even though prices are climbing, motorists shouldn't expect a return of the price spikes of 2008, when gasoline jumped above $4 a gallon in some parts of the country. Americans simply aren't burning enough fuel to push prices that high, Rozell said.

I'll be surprised if it got over $3.25, he said.Benchmark oil for March delivery slipped 3 cents Monday to $79.78 a barrel on the contract's final day of trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Most of the trading volume already has shifted to the April contract, which added a penny at $80.07 a barrel.In other Nymex trading in March contracts, heating oil rose less than a penny to $2.0779 a gallon, and gasoline gained 1.63 cents at $2.102 a gallon. Natural gas dropped 19 cents to $4.854per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, Brent crude gave up 21 cents to $77.98 on the ICE futures exchange.Associated Press writers Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary and Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.

Stocks waver in following earnings, M&A By STEPHEN BERNARD, AP Business Writer – FEB 22,10

NEW YORK – The stock market paused from a four-day rally Monday after big consumer companies gave a cautious outlook for economic growth.The market, which has climbed on upbeat economic signals, fluctuated in a narrow range after Lowe's Cos. and Campbell Soup Co. reported higher earnings but reminded investors a recovery among consumers is expected to be slow. Stocks drew some support from news that oil field services company Schlumberger Ltd. agreed to buy Smith International Inc.Trading was also fragmented as investors hunted for deals following last week's big rally. The Dow Jones industrial average posted its best weekly gain since November on strong earnings and economic reports.I wouldn't read too much into this, Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at Standard & Poor's, said of Monday's trading.There could be some minor profit-taking.In early afternoon trading, the Dow fell 15.49, or 0.2 percent, to 10,386.86. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 2.13, or 0.2 percent, to 1,107.04, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 4.99, or 0.2 percent, to 2,238.88.

Falling stocks narrowly outpaced those rising on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 358.4 million shares, compared with 494.2 million traded at the same point Friday.Lowe's said Monday its fourth-quarter profit rose 27 percent as it cut costs and saw a slight increase in sales. The home improvement retailer's results beat analyst projections and Lowe's said it anticipates sales to grow as the housing market recovers. However, it predicted first-quarter earnings that were below expectations.Campbell Soup's fiscal second-quarter profit met forecasts as lower costs helped offset a slowdown in U.S. sales.Shares of Lowe's fell 11 cents to $23.01, while Campbell Soup dipped 56 cents to $33.37.The National Association for Business Economics echoed a similar tone that the economy is getting better, but at a sluggish pace. It reaffirmed in its latest outlook that an economic recovery remains on track, though it will be slow. The group of economists expects to see job growth later this quarter, but unemployment is expected to stay above 9 percent throughout the year.High unemployment — the rate currently stands at 9.7 percent — remains a major obstacle for a strong, sustained recovery. It has also dragged down consumer spending and confidence, which hurts companies like Lowe's and Campbell Soup.Other major retailers, including Macy's Inc., Target Corp., Home Depot Inc. and Gap Inc., release quarterly results this week. The reports should provide further clues about whether consumers are more confident in the recovery.

Schlumberger is buying Smith International for $11 billion in stock in a move to diversify its product offerings and better compete with rival Halliburton Co. Investors viewed the deal as a sign that demand is likely to grow for fuel as the global economy recovers.Energy and material companies were mixed on the day following the deal. Falling commodity prices dragged down the sector.Schlumberger shares fell $3.33, or 5.2 percent, to $60.57. Smith International rose $2.68, or 7.1 percent, to $40.38.Healthcare shares were also mixed after President Barack Obama renewed his push for insurance reform and a Senate report said drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has known about possible heart attack risks tied to its diabetes medication Avandia.GlaxoSmithKline shares fell 92 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $37.34.
Meanwhile, bond prices were also trading in a tight range. Long-term bonds fell slightly, while short-term rates increased — a sign that investors might expect the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark rates in the coming months. Fed chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to give his semiannual report on the economy and interest rates to Congress later this week. Last week the Fed started to remove its extraordinary stimulus measures put in place during the recession. It increased the rate it charges banks for emergency loans. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 0.18, or less than 0.1 percent, to 631.80. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 2.7 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.2 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.6 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 0.3 percent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

PA Working Feverishly to Achieve State
by Hillel Fendel FEB 22,10

(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority officials are working on several fronts to achieve a Palestinian state, with or without a peace agreement with Israel. These include:

-Building institutions: PA interior minister Saed Abu Ali told the Al-Hayat newspaper, In the framework of our political activity… we are building our state-to-be, and [the institutions] will turn it into an existing fact that will receive international recognition, and we are working with the world’s countries to end the occupation.Among the most important institutions being built for this purpose are the security forces, Abu Ali said. Instead of relying on one charismatic and somewhat dictatorial personality, such as Jibril Rajoub or Muhammed Dahlan, the chairman of the PA – Mahmoud Abbas – is the final authority, and he meets with the heads of the forces each week. It is not their job to maintain Israel’s security, Abu Ali emphasized, but rather to fulfill the PA’s diplomatic obligations.In this connection, he said that extremist Muslims associated with Al-Qaeda have been arrested. He noted, too, that 250 Hamas prisoners are being held in PA jails.

-PA elements are also encroaching on Israeli land in Judea and Samaria. The area has been divided into three zones: Area A, in which the PA has full control; Area C, in which Israel has full control; and Area B, where Israel controls military matters and the PA is responsible administratively. Based on the idea that all of Judea and Samaria is Arab land, the PA often builds, with foreign support, in Area C. For instance, a giant Arab stadium is nearly completed between Ramallah and the Jewish town of Psagot – in Area C. Stop-work and demolition orders have been issued on the giant structure, which is being funded by Germany and FIFA, but none have been implemented. The residents of Psagot are outraged, asking rhetorically, What will stop the thousands of fans from taking out their frustration after a loss from descending onto the Jewish houses of Psagot?

-Mahmoud Abbas continues to travel around the world to garner support for a PA state. He was in Paris this week, where just before, France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told a French newspaper over the weekend that he could envision the recognition of a Palestinian state even before its borders are drawn up. One can envision the proclamation soon of a Palestinian state, and its immediate recognition by the international community, even before negotiating its borders, Kouchner said.

-Abbas is also scheduled to meet in the coming days with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. The visits are intended to build regional support for recognition of a Palestinian state in Yesha, and for a total halt on Israeli settlement construction as a condition for the PA to agree to resume peace talks with Israel. Israel rejects the idea of foreign countries recognizing a PA state without a negotiated peace agreement.Imposing this kind of semblance of a partial solution from outside goes against the very idea of peace,a senior Israeli official told the French news agency AFP. Granting recognition when the issues of the conflict have not been settled would add fuel to the fire. This would only push the Palestinians to be even more intransigent and thus make any compromise impossible.

-If all else fails, the PA, whose forces initiated several intifadas against Israel and which continues to incite against Israel in its schools and via its media, has not abandoned the idea of violence and terrorism. Abbas told the French daily Le Monde on Friday,For the moment, we are controlling the situation ... If people don't believe that the future will bring them a Palestinian state, if there is an obstacle, I fear they will return to violence.Netanyahu: PA State Must be Demilitarized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has agreed to recognize a demilitarized Palestinian state. Any other type of arrangement, many experts feel, would lead to the formation of yet another hostile, if not terrorist, political entity on Israel’s doorstep. In his speech at Bar Ilan University last June, Netanyahu explained: Any area in Palestinian hands has to be demilitarized, with solid security measures. Without this condition, there is a real fear that there will be an armed Palestinian state which will become a terrorist base against Israel, as happened in Gaza. We do not want missiles on Petah Tikva, or Grads [Katyushas] on Ben Gurion International Airport. We want peace. And, to ensure peace, we don't want them to bring in missiles or rockets or have an army, or control of airspace, or make treaties with countries like Iran, or Hizbullah. There is broad agreement on this in Israel. We cannot be expected to agree to a Palestinian state without ensuring that it is demilitarized. This is crucial to the existence of Israel. We must provide for our security needs. This is why we are now asking our friends in the international community, headed by the USA, for what is necessary for our security, that in any peace agreement, the Palestinian area must be demilitarized. No army, no control of air space. Real effective measures to prevent arms coming in – not what's going on now in Gaza. The Palestinians cannot make military treaties. Without this, sooner or later, we will have another Hamastan. We can't agree to this. Israel must govern its own fate and security.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).

MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

STANLEY FISHER THE EX IMF,WORLD BANK WORKER NOW HEAD OF ISRAELS BANKING SYSTEM IS BEING SENT TO CHINA TO TRY TO GET THEM ABOARD TO STOP IRAN FROM NUKES.NETANYAHU PLACED STANLEY IN THE BANKING SYSTEM,I'M WORRIED FISHER IS A NWO BANKER BUYOUT.HE MIGHT BE A MAIN MAN TO GET ISRAEL TO BE GUARENTEED OF SECURITY BY THE EUROPEAN UNION SINCE HE WORKED FOR THE EU THROUGH THE IMF.

Iran: work on 2 new enrichment sites to begin soon By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer – Mon Feb 22, 7:29 am ET

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran said Monday it plans to build two new uranium enrichment facilities deep inside mountains to protect them from attack, a new challenge to Western powers trying to curb Tehran's nuclear program for fear it is aimed at making weapons.Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also Iran's vice president, said Tehran intends to use its more advanced centrifuges at the new sites, a decision that could add to growing concerns in the West over Tehran's program because the technology would allow Iran to accelerate the pace of its program.The two plants are among 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities Iran approved the construction of in November, a dramatic expansion of the program in defiance of U.N. demands it halt enrichment.Hopefully, we may begin construction of two new enrichment sites in the next Iranian year as ordered by the president, the semiofficial ISNA quoted Salehi as saying Monday. The Iranian calendar year begins March 21.As of now, our enrichment sites ... will be built inside mountains, Salehi added, according to ISNA.

The decision appears to be aimed at shielding the facilities from potential military attack.Israel considers Iran's nuclear program a strategic threat, and has hinted at the possibility of airstrikes against Iran if world pressure does not halt Tehran's nuclear efforts.The Israelis have launched such strikes in the past. In 1981, an Israeli air attack destroyed an unfinished nuclear reactor in Iraq. Israel also hit a suspected nuclear facility in Syria in September 2007.Iran's enrichment of uranium is the central concern of the United States and other nations negotiating with the country over its disputed nuclear program. The technology can be used to generate fuel for power plants and isotopes for medical purposes, but it can also be used to make weapons-grade uranium for atomic bombs.Tehran insists its enrichment work is only meant for peaceful purposes, but Washington and its allies worry the program masks efforts to build a nuclear weapon.Tehran has already said it may install its more advanced centrifuges at its small enrichment site near the holy city of Qom, which was made public last September. The new centrifuges are more advanced than the decades-old P-1 type centrifuges in use at the country's main enrichment facility at Natanz, in central Iran.Centrifuges are machines used to enrich uranium — a technology that can produce fuel for power plants or materials for a nuclear weapon. Uranium enriched to a low level is used to produce fuel, but further enrichment makes it suitable for use in building nuclear arms.The new models will be able to enrich uranium much faster than the old ones — which means Iran could amass more material in a shorter space of time that could be turned into the fissile core of missiles, should Tehran choose to do so.

Salehi said the new enrichment sites will be equal to that of Natanz in terms of production capacity but smaller in geographical size, another indication that more advanced centrifuges will be installed, requiring less space to churn out the same enriched uranium.More than 8,600 centrifuges have been set up in Natanz, but only about 3,800 are actively enriching uranium, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The facility will eventually house 54,000 centrifuges.Tehran produced its first batch of uranium enriched to a higher level earlier this month, prompting the U.S. and its allies to seek new U.N. Security Council sanctions.