PERES GOES TO VATICAN TO SEE POPE

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

Peres to Meet Pope Francis at Vatican, Receive Medal for Peace

President Shimon Peres is set to meet Pope Francis on a three-day visit to Italy, where he will receive the Medal of Honor for Peace.

By Arutz Sheva staff-First Publish: 4/24/2013, 8:34 PM-Israelnationalnews

President Shimon Peres-Flash 90

Israeli President Shimon Peres is set to meet Pope Francis on a three-day visit to Italy that will begin on Monday.Peres will also hold a series of diplomatic meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Italy, and take part in a ceremony in the city of Assisi.At the ceremony he will receive the Medal of Honor for Peace and will be greeted by "hundreds of Franciscan monks" at the central Basilica, according to an official statement."Peres will raise the issue of furthering peace and stability in the Middle East, progressing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians... and the deepening of relations between Israel and the Vatican," the statement said.Peres invited Pope Francis to Israel following his election in March, saying he "represents devotion, the love of God, the love of peace, a holy modesty and a new continent which is now awakening."
"He'll be a welcome guest in the Holy Land, as a man of inspiration that can add to the attempt to bring peace in a stormy area," said Peres.Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI visited the Holy Land and met Peres in 2009.

04/25/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Pope prepares IOR reform: “The Church is not a company”

In the Vatican

The Pope’s message to Vatican bank employees is that offices are necessary but only to a certain extent

Andrea Tornielli VATICAN CITY “Everything is necessary, offices are necessary, but only to a certain extent,” Pope Francis stated yesterday in the homily he pronounced during his customary morning mass in St. Martha’s House. In his message he also made explicit reference to the Vatican bank (IOR), which has had a rocky history, having often been at the centre of controversies, scandals and investigations.

His words indicated that the Vatican bank, along with all Curia’s various bodies, would be undergoing a review and reform in the next few months. The IOR, however, will not be shut down.Francis’ words were centred around the profound essence of the Church, which must never consider itself a “company” that “makes deals to gain more partners”, neither does it measure its success in terms of organisation. “The path Jesus chose for his Church is a different one: he chose the difficult path, the path of the Cross, the path of persecution.” The Church begins “in the heart of the Father.”“We, the women and men of the Church, we are in the middle of a love story: each of us is a link in this chain of love. And if we do not understand this, we have understood nothing of what the Church is,” Francis said. He spoke about the risk the Church faces if it focuses too much on organisation and becoming “a bit bureaucratic”: if it does become so, “it loses its key substance and runs the risk of turning into an NGO. And the Church is not an NGO. It's a love story.” The Pope then paused, looked at the faithful, amongst which there was a group of Vatican bank employees and said: “But there are those from the IOR ... excuse me, eh! .. some things are necessary, offices are required ... ok! but they are necessary up to a certain point: as an aid to this love story. But when organization takes first place, love falls down and the Church, poor thing, becomes an NGO. And this is not the way forward."

Taking a closer look at these words, pronounced off-the-cuff by Pope Francis and faithfully quoted by Vatican Radio, one senses that they do not express the Pope’s intention to close the Vatican bank down, but rather, to make it more transparent. And according to authoritative sources, this is the theory that is currently being studied.Honduran cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Madariaga, the President of the group of eight cardinals whom the Pope appointed as advisors in matters of Church government and to study the much-needed reform of the Roman Curia, last 13 April, stated: “We will address a number of issues with the Pope, which definitely includes the IOR.”Over the past weeks, the spokesman for the archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Federico Wals, did not exclude the possibility of the Vatican Bank being closed down. But La Stampa, one of Italy’s major dailies, has learnt that to this date, the Pope and his closest collaborators have not taken this into consideration. When he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio became familiar – as did many other bishops – with a side of the IOR that doesn’t usually make the headlines: when the financial crisis struck, he received help in rescuing the diocese’s finances. The future Pope had reformed said finances, keeping meticulous accounts, controlling spending and taking a line of austerity.This is the direction the IOR reform should take too, in the context of streamlining and reviewing the Curia’s offices. The aim – as outlined by cardinals during the pre-Conclave general congregations - is to remove any ambiguities surrounding the management of the IOR’s accounts, the transparency of its operations, the clarity of its aims and the privileges granted to its employees and collaborators.“There is a black legend against the IOR”, writes Aldo Maria Valli, a Vatican correspondent for Italian news programme Tg1, in his new book Il forziere dei Papi. Storia, volti e misteri dello Ior (The Popes’ coffers. History, faces and mysteries of the IOR) published by Ancora and in bookstores since yesterday. “And yet, precisely because these are the Popes’ coffers, the IOR has an even greater duty to transparency.”

Parents say Boston suspects framed, want truth from U.S.

By Alissa de Carbonnel | Reuters – 9 hrs ago APR 25,13

By Alissa de Carbonnel

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (Reuters) - The parents of the two main suspects in the Boston bombings said on Thursday their sons had been framed and accused U.S. authorities of killing the older brother to put on a display.Anzor Tsarnaev, the father, banged the table in anger as he announced plans to go from Russia to the United States to "find out the truth" and Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, the mother, said she had wanted to scream when she heard of her elder son's death.She denied Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, had made contact with Islamist militants during a stay in Russia last year and said she was considering giving up her U.S. citizenship."I wanted to scream to the whole world, 'What did you do?' What have you done with my son? He was alive. Why did you need to kill him? Why didn't you send him to Guantanamo or whatever? Why? Why?," she shouted at a new conference, her voice cracking."It is some kind of show, spectacle," she said, adding that she wanted her son buried in Russia, where he has roots.Wearing a black head scarf, she spoke in accented English as she maintained her belief her sons were victims of a conspiracy."Politics is a dirty business. I don't know in whose interest this was. I only know one thing, that my children didn't do this."She recounted that she had called Tamerlan after the bombing and he had told her not to worry.He was shot dead by police in a firefight four days after the bombings at the Boston Marathon which killed three people and wounded 264.
His brother Dzhokhar, 19, was captured after a manhunt. He has been charged with crimes that carry a possible death penalty and is now in hospital being treated for his wounds.Pounding the table with his fists, Anzor Tsarnaev said: "I am going to the United States. I want to say that I am going there to see my son, to bury the older one. I don't have any bad intentions. I don't plan to blow up anything.""I am not angry at anyone. I want to go find out the truth," said Anzor, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses.He said he would go as soon as possible but that he had not yet bought a plane ticket.

  INFLUENCE OF ETHNIC ARMENIAN EMIGRE
Anzor and Zubeidat returned last year to Russia's restive region of Dagestan, where they lived for a little over a year more than a decade ago before emigrating to the United States.Although the brothers have roots in Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya, neither had spent much time there until Tamerlan returned last year for six months.His parents denied he had had any contact with militants fighting to establish an Emirate in the region, saying they kept a watchful eye on him during his stay.They said, however, that Tamerlan had frequented a mosque which is considered by local police to be a hotbed of radical Islamist ideas.
Investigators are looking into whether Tamerlan was influenced by the local Islamist militants, who are waging an insurgency against Russian rule of the North Caucasus.Zubeidat was questioned for almost seven hours by Russia's security services on Wednesday on her son's movements during his time in Dagestan.On another occasion, when the FBI came to question Tsarnaev in the United States in 2011, Zubeidat said they had quizzed her about his religious views."They told me, 'Don't you think that Tamerlan is being a little extreme about religion? Do you think he would think about organizing something, some kind of ... terrorism?," she said.Despite the visit, she said: "I really did not see any reason for worry."Anzor and Zubeidat said Tamerlan had been influenced by an ethnic Armenian emigre from Azerbaijan whom they knew only by the name of Misha."Tamerlan very much respected him for him knowing Islam... He was (saying) like, 'Mom, look at him, he prays, he is fasting all the time'," said Zubeidat, who describes herself as a devout Muslim and said she was inspired to become more religious by the man called Misha.The family said they had met the man in the Russian-speaking diaspora in Boston in 2007.U.S. officials have said Tamerlan became more radical from around 2009."I wasn't praying until he (Misha) prayed in our house, so I just got really ashamed that I am not praying, being a Muslim, being born a Muslim ... while Misha, who converted, was praying," Zubeidat said."When he used to come to our house, there was nothing not to like about him. (He) was very nice, very gentle," she said.(Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Writing by Elizabeth Piper and Timothy Heritage; Editing by Alistair Lyon and Toby Chopra)

ISAIAH 34:10
10  It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29  And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30  The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31  One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32  And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)

COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AMERICA)

REVELATION 18:3-6,19-21
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,(U.S.A) and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,(U.S.A) and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her,(AMERICA) my people,(CHRISTIANS,JEWS) that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you,(WITH FALSE FLAG TERRORISM) and double unto her double according to her works:(DOUBLE-EMP 1ST,THEN RUSSIA NUKE ATTACKS U.S.A) in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.(PROBABLY A RUSSIAN CYBER ATTACK WILL SET THE WHOLE SITUATION UP AS RUSSIA HACKS THE USA ARMY COMPUTERS.THEN THE EMP,THEN THE NUKE ATTACK)
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.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Putin: Boston bombing shows West's mistake

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV | Associated Press – APR 25,13

MOSCOW (AP) — The Boston bombings should spur stronger security cooperation between Moscow and Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, adding that they also show that the West was wrong in supporting militants in Chechnya.Putin said that "this tragedy should push us closer in fending off common threats, including terrorism, which is one of the biggest and most dangerous of them."The two brothers accused of the Boston bombings are ethnic Chechens who had lived in the U.S. for more than a decade.Putin warned against trying to find the roots for the Boston tragedy in the suffering endured by the Chechen people, particularly in mass deportations of Chechens to Siberia and Central Asia on Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's orders. "The cause isn't in their ethnicity or religion, it's in their extremist sentiments," he said.Speaking in an annual call-in show on state television, Putin criticized the West for refusing to declare Chechen militants terrorists and for offering them political and financial assistance in the past."I always felt indignation when our Western partners and Western media were referring to terrorists who conducted brutal and bloody crimes on the territory of Russia as rebels," Putin said.The U.S. has urged the Kremlin to seek a political settlement in Chechnya and criticized rights abuses by Russian troops during the two separatist wars since 1994, which spawned an Islamic insurgency that has engulfed the entire region.It also provided humanitarian aid to the region during the high points of fighting there in the 1990s and the early 2000s.
Russian officials have repeatedly claimed that rebels in Chechnya have close links with al-Qaida. They say dozens of fighters from Arab countries trickled into the region during the fighting there, while some Chechen militants have gone to fight in Afghanistan.Putin said the West should have cooperated more actively with Russia in combatting terror."We always have said that we shouldn't limit ourselves to declarations about terrorism being a common threat and engage in closer cooperation," he said. "Now these two criminals have proven the correctness of our thesis."

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:(CONFISCATED) 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(THE FALSE POPE WHO DEFECTED FROM THE CHRISTIAN FAITH) causeth all,(IN THE WORLD ) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(MICROCHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,(MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the name of the beast,(WORLD DICTATORS NAME INGRAVED ON YOUR SKIN OR TATTOOED ON YOU OR IN THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the number of his name.(THE NUMBERS OF HIS NAME INGRAVED IN THE MICROCHIP IMLPLANT)-(ALL THESE WILL TELL THE WORLD DICTATOR THAT YOUR WITH HIM AND AGAINST KING JESUS-GOD)
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:(WORLD LEADER) for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM (6006006)OR(60020202006)(SOME KIND OF NUMBER IMPLANTED IN THE MICROCHIP THAT TELLS THE WORLD DICTATOR AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TOTAL ALLIGIENCE TO HIM AND NOT JESUS)(ITS AN ETERNAL DECISION YOU MAKE)(YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY)(YOU TAKE THE DICTATORS NAME OR NUMBER UNDER YOUR SKIN,YOUR DOOMED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND TORMENTS FOREVER,NEVER ENDING MEANT ONLY FOR SATAN AND HIS ANGELS,NOT HUMAN BEINGS).OR YOU REFUSE THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT AND GO ON THE SIDE OF KING JESUS AND RULE FOREVER WITH HIM ON EARTH.YOU CHOOSE,ITS YOUR DECISION.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYUgVL9PdxM&list=UU4SH8rh0OjYV3zwqnIfqNbA&index=1&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PX-vW4VccY&feature=player_embedded#!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/markets/indexes/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfPX59y4KxE&feature=related

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS FRI APRIL 26,2013

04:00 PM +11.75 14,712.55

S&P 500 1882.24 -2.92

NASDAQ 3279.26 -10.72

GOLD 1,456.50 -5.50

OIL 92.80 -0.80

TSE 300 12,220.20 -109.31

CDNX 965.22 +0.55

S&P/TSX/60 697.28 -6.61

MEPs divided on culture exemption from US trade talks

25.04.13 @ 16:20

By Benjamin Fox

BRUSSELS - MEPs are divided over whether the European culture sector should be excluded from talks on an EU-US trade agreement, following a vote on Thursday (25 April).Deputies on the Parliament's International Trade committee backed a report by Portuguese centre-left deputy Vital Moreira by 23 votes to 5 calling for the EU's priorities to include the opening up of the public procurement and financial services sectors.However, in a sign that MEPs are divided on the scope of trade talks, an amendment calling for cultural and audiovisual services to be excluded from talks was narrowly carried by 14 votes to 11.Following the vote, Moreira, who is also the committee's chairman, commented that excluding sectors before talks had even begun was "not helpful.""The best way to start negotiations is not to set out exceptions that would limit room for negotiations," he added. He was optimistic that the amendment would be reversed when MEPs take their final vote on the report during the May Strasbourg session.Moreira claimed that a transatlantic trade deal had "huge potential for growth and jobs" adding that the European commission's negotiating team should focus on increasing market access of goods and services as well as foreign investment in the US economy.Research prepared for the commission by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), a London-based think tank, has indicated that a US trade deal could increase EU economic output by up to €119 billion a year, equivalent to around 1 percent of GDP.But there are already concerns that member states want to limit the scope of talks. Last week the French government insisted that the EU exclude defence and culture from trade talks. France's trade minister Nicole Bricq stated that Paris would veto any deal which did not respect these red lines.Excluding entire sectors would limit the economic benefits of a trade deal, according to the CEPR, which claims that failure to go beyond agreement on conventional tariff barriers would limit economic gains to around €23.7 billion.The EU treaties already require its institutions to protect 'cultural diversity' across the bloc, with similar safeguards for public services and data protection.
Meanwhile, in a nod to the collapse of the controversial anti-counterfeit treaty Acta, Moreira called on the commission to "learn lessons".MEPs rejected Acta in May 2012, accusing trade commissioner Karel de Gucht of negotiating in secret without parliamentary scrutiny or access to documents.Moreira said that the EU executive had "given assurances" that the committee would be briefed both before and after each round of negotiations, expected to take between one and two years.Although parliament will not be involved in the negotiations, its support will be required for any agreement to enter into force.Ministers are expected to then agree on a negotiating mandate for the EU executive in June.

JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36  And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37  For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)

EZEKIEL 35:3-6,11-15
3  And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir,(ARABS) I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
4  I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
5  Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred,(AGAINST ISRAEL) and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
6  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
11  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
12  And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
13  Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.
14  Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.(ARAB,MUSLIMS)
15  As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir,(ARABS) and all Idumea,(ARAB,MUSLIMS) even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

ISAIAH 17:1,12-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

U.S. suspects Syria used chemical weapons, wants proof

By Phil Stewart and David Alexander | Reuters – 5 hrs ago APR 26,13

By Phil Stewart and David Alexander

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad has probably used chemical weapons on a small scale in the country's civil war, but insisted that President Barack Obama needed definitive proof before he would take action.The disclosure created a quandary for Obama, who has set the use of chemical weapons as a "red line" that Assad must not cross, and triggered calls from some hawkish Washington lawmakers for a U.S. military response, which the president has resisted.In a shift from a White House assessment just days earlier, U.S. officials said the intelligence community believed with "varying degrees of confidence" that the chemical nerve agent sarin was used by Assad's forces against rebel fighters. However, it noted that "the chain of custody is not clear."
While Obama has declared that the deployment of chemical weapons would be a game-changer and has threatened unspecified consequences if it happened, his administration will move carefully - mindful of the lessons of the start of the Iraq war more than a decade ago.Then, President George W. Bush's administration used inaccurate U.S. intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq in pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons that turned out not to exist.On top of that, polls show most Americans, weary and disillusioned by the wars just ended in Iraq and now winding down in Afghanistan, have little appetite for another U.S. military engagement in the Muslim world."Given the stakes involved and what we have learned from our own recent experiences, intelligence assessments alone are not sufficient - only credible and corroborated facts that provide us with some degree of certainty will guide our decision-making," Miguel Rodriguez, White House director of the office of legislative affairs, said in a letter to lawmakers.One senior U.S. defense official told reporters: "We have seen very bad movies before," where intelligence was perceived to have driven policy decisions that later, in the cold light of day, were proven wrong.The term "varying degrees of confidence" used to describe the assessment of possible chemical weapons use in Syria usually suggests debate within the U.S. intelligence community about the conclusion, the defense official noted.The White House said the evaluation that Syria probably used chemical weapons was based in part on physiological samples, but a U.S. official declined to say what kind of evidence it had, like soil samples or blood or hair from victims.The scale of the use of sarin appeared limited, with one U.S. intelligence official noting that nobody was "seeing any mass casualties" from the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria.The United States has resisted being dragged militarily into Syria's conflict and is providing only non-lethal aid to rebels trying to overthrow Assad. Washington is worried that weapons supplied to the rebels could end up the hands of al Qaeda-linked fighters.However, acknowledgement of the U.S. intelligence assessment appeared to move the United States closer to some sort of action in Syria, military or otherwise.A White House official told reporters "all options are on the table in terms of our response" and said the United States, which has been criticized for not doing enough to halt the bloodshed, would consult with its allies.The official said the U.S. military was preparing for a range of "different contingencies" but declined to give specifics. Options available to Obama could include everything from air strikes to commando raids to setting up a Libya-style "no-fly" zone, either unilaterally or in cooperation with allies.
SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT
Still, Washington appeared intent on deflecting pressure for swift action by stressing the need for a comprehensive United Nations investigation on the ground in Syria - something Assad has blocked from going forward.Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, in an interview with Reuters, dismissed Western and Israeli claims that government forces had used chemical weapons and said it was a "big lie" that Syria was preventing the U.N. probe.Assad has clung to power despite repeated U.S. calls for him to step down. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the revolt against his family's decades-long autocratic rule. A military stalemate has set in but Assad has still been able to rely on support from Russia and Iran.
"The reality is that as a country we can't declare red lines and then do nothing when they are crossed. Eventually we have to do something," said Ariel Ratner, a former Middle East adviser in the State Department and now a fellow at the Truman National Security Project.The Obama administration's sudden disclosure caught many off guard. It came just two days after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other U.S. officials appeared to play down an Israeli assessment that there had been repeated use of chemical weapons in Syria.France and Britain have also concluded that evidence suggests chemical arms have been used in Syria's conflict."The intelligence community has been assessing information for some time on this issue and the decision to reach this conclusion was made within the past 24 hours," Hagel said.The White House said it wanted to provide a "prompt response" to an April 24 query from lawmakers about whether Syria had used chemical weapons. The legislators' letter to Obama cited the assessments by Israel, France and Britain.Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, one of the leading advocates of deeper U.S. involvement in the Syrian conflict, said the intelligence assessment demanded a response."The president of the United States said that if Bashar Assad used chemical weapons, it would be a game changer, that it would cross a red line," he said. "I think it's pretty obvious that red line has been crossed."Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, voiced concern that the public acknowledgement of the U.S. intelligence assessment could embolden Assad and may prompt him to calculate "he has nothing more to lose.""Syria has the ability to kill tens of thousands with its chemical weapons. The world must come together to prevent this by unified action," she said.In Brussels, the NATO alliance was "concerned by reports of the possible use of chemical weapons," an official said."As NATO has said in the past, any use of these weapons would be completely unacceptable and a clear breach of international law, and if any side uses these weapons we would expect a reaction from the international community," the official said.Patriot missile interceptors that NATO has sent to Turkey, a member of the alliance which borders Syria, would "help ensure the protection of Turkey against any missile attack, whether the missiles carry chemical weapons or not," the official added.(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick, Roberta Rampton, Patricia Zengerle and Tabassum Zakaria. Writing by Phil Stewart and Matt Spetalnick. Editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Wilson)

Syrian troops capture key town near Damascus

By ZEINA KARAM | Associated Press – 6 hrs ago APR 26,13

BEIRUT (AP) — After five weeks of battle, Syrian government troops captured a strategic town near Damascus, cutting an arms route for rebels trying to topple President Bashar Assad's regime, state media and activists said Thursday.By taking the town of Otaybah, east of the capital, the army dealt a major setback to opposition forces that in recent months have made gains near the city they eventually hope to storm.Also Thursday, the White House and other top Obama administration officials said that U.S. intelligence has concluded with "varying degrees of confidence" that the Syrian government has twice used chemical weapons in the civil war, which has dragged on for two years.However, officials also said more definitive proof was needed and the U.S. was not ready to escalate its involvement in Syria beyond non-lethal aid despite President Barack Obama's repeated public assertions that Syria's use of chemical weapons, or the transfer of its stockpiles to a terrorist group, would cross a "red line."Syria's main Western-backed opposition promptly called on the international community to act "urgently and decisively." The opposition's statement said: "Failure to act will be seen by the regime as encouragement to use chemical weapons on a larger scale in the future."Ahmad Ramadan, a member of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group's executive body, called the U.S. assertion an "important step" that should be followed by actual measures. "The U.S. has a moral duty to act ... we are waiting for the next steps," he told The Associated Press by phone from Istanbul.The Syrian conflict began with largely peaceful protests against the Assad regime in March 2011, but eventually turned into a full-scale civil war. The fighting has exacted a huge toll on the country, killing an estimated 70,000 people and laying waste to cities, towns and villages.With fresh supplies of weapons from foreign backers, the rebels have recently seized military bases and towns south of the capital in the strategically important region between Damascus and the border with Jordan, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) away.The regime has largely kept the rebels at bay in Damascus, although opposition fighters control several suburbs of the capital from which they have threatened the heart of the city, the seat of Assad's power. Last month, government troops launched a campaign to repel the opposition's advances near the capital, deploying elite army units to the rebellious suburbs and pounding rebel positions with airstrikes.The director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said government troops regained control of Otaybah late Wednesday.State-run SANA news agency said Thursday that the army has "restored complete control" over Otaybah. The official news services also said Assad's troops "discovered a number of tunnels which were used by terrorists to move and transfer weapons and ammunitions."The regime and state media refer to rebels as terrorists and accuse them of being part of a foreign plot seeking to destroy Syria."It's a huge victory for the regime, and a big blow to the opposition that is now in danger of losing other towns and villages around Damascus," Abdul-Rahman said of the army's campaign.On Thursday, the army was already capitalizing on the territorial gains, pounding southern suburbs of Damascus, including the long-contested Daraya with artillery barrages and airstrikes, according to the Observatory. The group, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, also reported fierce clashes between rebels and army troops to the east of the capital.The army's offensive to dislodge rebel fighters from neighborhoods ringing Damascus is part of the government's broader campaign to secure central provinces of Hama and Homs, and areas along the Lebanese border. The region is of strategic value to Assad's regime because it links Damascus with the coastal enclave that is the heartland of Syria's Alawites and also home to the country's two main seaports, Latakia and Tartus.Syria's regime is dominated by the president's minority Alawite sect — an offshoot of Shiite Islam — while the rebels are mostly from the country's Sunni majority. Assad's major allies, the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and Iran, are both Shiite.Otaybah is located on a road linking Damascus with the eastern suburbs of Damascus known as Eastern Ghouta. Rebels have been using the road to transport weapons and other supplies to the capital. Many of the capital's surrounding towns and neighborhoods have been opposition strongholds during the 2-year-old conflict.Losing control of the town will make the defense of rebel enclaves in northeastern suburbs such as Douma, Harasta and others more difficult, Abdul-Rahman said.In Hama, rebels ambushed and destroyed an army vehicle after a six-hour battle with troops. Amateur videos uploaded by activists online showed an army vehicle in flames amid sounds of intense gunbattles.Another video showed rebels raising black Islamic flags over the Nasseh Alwani school after "liberating it" from troops who had transformed it into a military base, and what appeared to be the bodies of soldiers burning inside.The videos appeared consistent with AP reporting from the area.Fighting in Hama is rare because the government keeps it under tight control. The city was the site of a notorious massacre in 1982, when Assad's father and predecessor, Hafez, ordered the military to quell a Sunni rebellion. Amnesty International has estimated that between 10,000 and 25,000 people were killed in the siege, though conflicting figures exist and the Syrian government has never made an official estimate.The fighting across the country has forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes and seek refuge abroad. Millions have also been displaced inside Syria.
International aid agencies have been pleading for funds to help refugees in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon. They have also been asking the Syrian government to allow aid convoys into the country and facilitate access to the area inside cities and towns that have been affected by fighting.Jordan's U.N. Ambassador Prince Zeid al Hussein sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, saying the increasing influx of Syrian refugees had sparked "a grave humanitarian situation" that threatens his country's security and stability. More than 500,000 Syrians have fled to Jordan since the conflict began.The letter asks members to make a determination that the refugee influx, "if left unchecked and in the absence of the financial assistance required to enable Jordan to cope," constitutes a threat to international peace and security, a statement obtained by AP said. The letter asked the Security Council to invite Jordan to a private meeting on the issue and to visit Jordan as soon as possible.___AP journalist Mohammad Hannon reported from Zaatari. AP writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.

Canada train plot suspect traveled to Iran: U.S. officials

By Mark Hosenball | Reuters – 6 hrs ago APR 26,13

By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Investigators believe one of two suspects charged in Canada with plotting to blow up a railroad track carrying passenger trains traveled to Iran within the past two years, U.S. law enforcement and national security officials said on Thursday.Chiheb Esseghaier, a Tunisian-born doctoral student, traveled to Iran on a trip that was directly relevant to the investigation of the alleged plot, the officials said.They declined to say precisely when Esseghaier, who appeared in court on Wednesday in Toronto, had traveled to Iran, whether he had gone there more than once, or whom he was in contact with while there.

When they announced the arrest of Esseghaier and his alleged co-conspirator, Raed Jaser, this week, Canadian police said the two men had received "direction and guidance" in the plot from "al Qaeda elements in Iran."U.S. national security sources close to the investigation said that was a reference to a network of low- to middle-level al Qaeda fixers and "facilitators" based in the town of Zahedan, close to Iran's borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan, that moves money and fighters through Iran to support its activities in South Asia.Canadian police say there is no sign of Iranian government involvement with the suspects.Neither Canadian nor U.S. officials have said precisely what interactions they believe Esseghaier or his co-defendant engaged in with the alleged al Qaeda network in Iran. Canadian officials have disclosed only minimal details of the alleged Iran connection in public statements.Esseghaier and Jaser were arrested on Monday after a joint Canada-U.S. investigation that started last year, based on a tip from a member of the Muslim community.The pair are charged with plotting to derail a passenger train. U.S. officials said the suspects discussed blowing up a trestle on the railway line carrying daily Amtrak trains between Toronto and New York City shortly before the train was scheduled to pass over the track, thus derailing it.Esseghaier, 30, has been a doctoral student since 2010 at the INRS institute near Montreal where he is researching the use of nanotechnology to detect cancer and other diseases. In his court appearance, he disputed the authority of Canadian law to judge him, saying the criminal code was not a holy book.The lawyer for Jaser, 35, said he denied the charges against him and would fight them vigorously.U.S. law enforcement and national security officials said U.S. and Canadian agencies were investigating whether the suspects had accomplices in the United States or Canada.One official said there was "another shoe to drop" in the case. Canada's National Post newspaper reported on Thursday that the FBI was holding a third man in New York.A spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said his service was not granting interviews about the case. The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)