MEPS WANT TO BLACKMAIL COMMISSION

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

Johansson quits Oxfam over Israeli settlement trade spat

By Hazel Ward 4 hours ago-JAN 31,14-yahoonews

Jerusalem (AFP) - US actress Scarlett Johansson has ended her role as Oxfam ambassador following a dispute over her ad campaign for a firm operating in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.Johansson's departure, announced overnight by her publicist, was welcomed by Palestinian activists on Thursday, although some criticised Oxfam for not acting itself to sever ties with the Hollywood star they branded the "new poster girl for Israeli occupation."In a statement, Oxfam confirmed accepting Johansson's decision to step down, saying her promotion of Israeli drinks firm SodaStream, which has a factory in a settlement east of Jerusalem, was "incompatible" with her role at the international aid agency."Oxfam believes that businesses, such as SodaStream, that operate in settlements, further the ongoing poverty and denial of rights of the Palestinian communities that we work to support," it said."Oxfam is opposed to all trade from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law."And Human Rights Watch's Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson said: "It is impossible to ignore the Israeli system of unlawful discrimination, land confiscation, natural resource theft, and forced displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where SodaStream is located."The incident shines a spotlight on the creeping success of a campaign to boycott trade linked to Israeli settlements that are built on Palestinian land seized during the Six-Day War of 1967, and viewed by the international community as illegal.The 29-year-old actress, who has worked with Oxfam since 2005 and was recently crowned the "sexiest woman alive" by Esquire magazine, came under scrutiny earlier this month after she was named global brand ambassador for SodaStream.The firm, which is based near Tel Aviv and manufactures a device for making carbonated drinks at home, has 25 factories around the world, including one in Mishor Adumim industrial park, near Maaleh Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem.It employs 800 Palestinians alongside 500 Israelis, a company spokesman told AFP.Johansson quickly came under fire from boycott activists, who posted a series of provocative images online showing the actress promoting the drinks machine in front of destroyed Palestinian homes and Israel's towering West Bank barrier.And Oxfam itself weighed in with a statement expressing its opposition "to all trade from Israeli settlements."In response, Johansson insisted SodaStream was committed to "building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine, supporting neighbours working alongside each other, receiving equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights"."That is what is happening in their Maaleh Adumim factory every working day," she said in a statement to The Huffington Post.The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) praised Johansson's statement and commended her "principled opposition" to the "anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement"."BDS and anti-Israel activists have long engaged in a smear campaign against SodaStream," the US-based anti-Semitism watchdog said.'Poster girl for occupation'
Johansson's remarks sparked a firestorm of criticism, with the Palestinian BDS movement demanding Oxfam immediately sever ties with the Hollywood star over her "vocal support for illegal Israeli settlements."
Following Johansson's announcement that she was leaving Oxfam, the movement accused her of abandoning her principles to become "the new face of Israeli apartheid.""Scarlett Johansson has consciously decided to be the new poster girl for Israeli occupation and apartheid," co-founder Omar Barghouti told AFP.The BDS movement has chalked up a growing list of achievements in recent years in its attempt to convince governments, businesses and celebrities to cut all ties with Israel over its activities in the occupied territories, in a bid to repeat the success of the boycott which ended apartheid in South Africa.Separately, the European Union recently moved to block all grants and funding to any Israeli entity operating beyond the 1967 lines, sparking growing alarm in Israel.On Thursday, Norway's sovereign wealth fund blacklisted two Israeli companies involved in construction of settlements in annexed east Jerusalem.Born in New York to a Jewish mother and a Danish father, Johansson has been nominated four times for Golden Globes, including for her role in "Lost in Translation".As well as her stellar acting career she is known for her political activism, and appeared on stage at the Democratic National Convention to call for the re-election of President Barack Obama in 2012.

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.

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (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.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(TAKE OVER 3 WORLD REGIONS)

Vatican bank admits widows fell victim to glitch

By NICOLE WINFIELD 5 hours ago-JAN 31,14-yahoonews

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Dozens and perhaps hundreds of widows and Vatican pensioners recently came in for a rude surprise: The Vatican bank told them they had to close their accounts or risk losing access to their money — all in the name of Pope Francis' reform efforts, The Associated Press has learned.The bank now says it was all a "technical error" and that the widows and pensioners are being kept on as clients, amid the bank's highly-publicized plan to close so-called "lay accounts" as it tries to mend relations with Italian authorities who have suspected that Italians were using the bank as a tax haven.It's all come as a big embarrassment for an institution that is trying to fend off accusations of mismanagement and corruption.
"In some cases old ladies got nasty letters," Max Hohenberg, spokesman for the Institute for Religious Works — or IOR — told The AP. "The fact that a few dozen people were categorized in the wrong way and hence got a letter which was incorrect is a mistake which we have apologized for."Bank President Ernst Von Freyberg penned a terse letter to clients Sept. 19, telling them to come to the bank before Nov. 30 to transfer their money out because they no longer fit the criteria of account-holders set by the board. He warned somewhat ominously that if they didn't meet the deadline, their money would become subject to the "internal dispositions" of the bank, according to a copy of the letter obtained by AP. He didn't say what those "internal dispositions" were.But somehow some former Vatican employees and their widows got caught up in the sweep, apparently because of the way their accounts were classified by the bank internally. Their accounts have now been reclassified after they pleaded their cases to the bank.The bank's board issued new guidelines for who could have an account at the bank in July as part of efforts to end decades of problems and scandal that had tarnished the Holy See's reputation — and were in part responsible for bringing the reform-minded Francis into the papacy.The new criteria for determining account holders was also aimed at responding to recommendations by European experts who have been evaluating the Holy See's anti-money laundering efforts. In its 2012 inaugural evaluation, the Council of Europe's Moneyval committee urged the Vatican bank to put into law regulations about who can and cannot hold an account since the existing norms were vague.The issue has been of particular interest in Italy, where regulators have long suspected that the IOR was being used by well-connected Italian civilians to avoid paying taxes. The institute, which has just one office inside a tower in the sovereign Vatican City State, is considered a foreign bank by Italian standards and as such not subject to Italian regulatory control.In truth, many lay Italian citizens held legitimate accounts there because they worked for the Vatican: art historians from the famous Vatican Museums, gendarmes who protect the pope, as well as administrators, legal and financial experts working in the Holy See bureaucracy.When they retired, these former employees could receive their Vatican pensions into these accounts and benefit from the IOR's investment services. Whether they or their widows informed the Italian taxman of the existence of the accounts or paid taxes to Italy on any interest income earned is another matter.

Vatican retirees who live in Italy must declare the existence of a foreign bank account on their Italian tax returns, even if the Vatican pension itself is exempt, noted Benedetto Santacroce, a tax lawyer and expert in international taxation. He said any interest earned on that pension is taxable income as far as the Italian taxman is concerned.Failure to declare the account or pay taxes on any income could result in significant back taxes and sanctions, though the Italian government recently reduced the penalty in a bid to encourage "voluntary" disclosures to curb tax evasion, he said.Italian news reports have said that as many as 900 accounts were slated for closure and that some 300 million euros were expected to exit the IOR's coffers as the bank transferred the money to clients' accounts elsewhere.In a statement, Hohenberg stressed that the IOR had never confirmed or denied the number of accounts slated for closure, saying only that "a significant amount of customers" had been notified that their accounts were to be closed. Hohenberg said the termination process is now proceeding on a case-by-case basis and stressed that the account closure problem was a minor glitch in the bank's mammoth reform undertaking."While the board decision exactly defines the clientele to be serviced by the IOR, we are seeking to handle the whole process in a responsible and sensitive way and under close supervision of AIF," the Vatican's financial watchdog agency, he said. "Whenever an affected client can reasonably argue that the IOR's classification has not been accurate, the case will be looked at thoroughly."Monsignor Fernando Vergez, the No. 2 in the Vatican's governorate, which administers the Vatican City State, said in recent weeks he had compiled and signed "well over 100" personnel records and sent them to the bank at the IOR's request, attesting that these former employees were indeed receiving either partial or full Vatican pensions. The implication was that they should be entitled to keep their Vatican bank accounts to receive their Vatican retirement benefits."Some worked here for 40 years!" he said.___Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

German top court to rule on whether ECB can buy bonds

Today @ 12:48-JAN 31,14-EUOBBSERVER

By Valentina Pop

Berlin - Germany's constitutional court is expected to rule this spring on the legality of the European Central Bank's bond purchases, a scheme that has eased the eurozone crisis by calming markets.

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  The German Constitutional Court is expected to rule on the ECB's bond-purchasing scheme in April (Photo: Al Fed)

Udo Di Fabio, who served as constitutional judge between 1999-2011, told an audience at the Berlin-based Stiftung fur Familienunterhmen on Wednesday (29 January) that the court is "deliberating at the moment if the ECB can buy bonds at all."According to EU laws, the ECB is prohibited from direct government funding, meaning direct bond purchases when a national government tries to sell debt on the markets.But in the past years, the eurozone bank has engaged in "secondary bond purchases" which are bought from investors and considered an investment by the ECB.These bond purchases helped lower Spanish and Italian borrowing costs, which had spiked in 2011, prompting fears that the third and fourth largest economies in the euro would also be forced to apply for a bailout.One year later, when borrowing costs were on the rise again, ECB chief Mario Draghi came out with an even bolder promise.He said his bank would buy as many bonds as necessary to help a troubled country, provided it signs up to a reform programme.The so-called Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) scheme has never been used. But its calming effect on markets lasted throughout 2013 and helped the eurozone regain relative stability.Bond purchases were already deemed "unconstitutional" in a preliminary verdict by the Karlsruhe-based court in 2012.Back then, it spoke only about direct purchases which would have been in breach of EU law.More than 35,000 Germans have since filed complaints against the OMT, with the Constitutional Court expected to deliver a verdict in April or refer the case to the European Court of Justice.Di Fabio said it was unlikely for the court to reject the entire scheme and cause a "firebrand in Europe."But, as was the case with previous verdicts on the eurozone bailout fund and the Greek bailout, Karlsruhe is likely to boost the rights of the German Parliament were OMT to be activated."The particular issue Karlsruhe will be looking at is national budget sovereignty, as enshrined in German law. Budgetary self-determination of a nation is fundamental and cannot be transferred," he said."Parliaments were put in place so monarchs cannot use people's money as they please. National parliaments have to be sovereign in controlling the use of taxpayers' money.If Rome decides on an expenditure, it cannot be that the Netherlands and Germany are held liable for it. If that were the case, then Dutch and Germans should also be able to vote in Italian elections for the parliament," he added.Di Fabio said the current EU treaties also pose limitations on how many tasks the ECB can take on.
"EU treaties don't foresee a common bank supervisor and even less for the ECB to be it," he said.The former judge said the treaty needed to be added to in light of the ECB new future role of supervising the eurozone's largest banks.He also raised questions about the yet-to-be-established bank resolution fund, which foresees banks chipping in to a common pot to be used if one of them needs bailing out."European banks are heterogeneous. In some countries, banks are aggresive and oversized. If there was joint liability, it would force the less risk-taking banks - like the ones in Germany offering low interest rates to their customers - to guarantee the other banks in other states where interest rates are higher because risks are higher," he said.

MEPs want to 'blackmail' commission candidates over EU budget

Today @ 17:58-JAN 31,14-EUOBSERVER

By Nikolaj Nielsen

BRUSSELS - Budget control committee MEPs want future commissioners to take a tougher line on how member states spend EU funds.

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  The appointment of all commissioners, including the president, is subject to the approval of the European Parliament (Photo: Italian EU Presidency)

They say they will make this a key part of their assessment of new commissioners, due to start work in autumn.German centre-right Markus Pieper, in charge of assessing how the European Commission spent its money in 2012, told this website on Thursday (30 January) that candidates will face a hostile job interview if they don’t make a commitment to cut wasted expenses by a group of eight ‘black sheep’ member states.
“If the commission doesn’t fulfil our conditions, then we need stronger political pressure on the commission,” he said.The countries in the spotlight are: the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Poland, and Romania.With the five-year terms of the 28 EU commissioners soon coming to an end, member states are set to select a new team.But first, each candidate must be cross-examined by MEPs.Pieper said his candidate ‘black mail’ strategy has already received support among all the shadow rapporteurs.The circle of MEPs working on the report is set to lobby their colleagues to reject any candidate who does not meet their criteria.Pieper is unhappy with how the commission attempts to reduce member state error rates on EU-funded projects and programmes and wants the Brussels-executive to directly monitor the way EU funds are being spent.The error rates have increased for a third year in a row, according to the EU’s budget watchdog, the European Court of Auditors, with some 80 percent committed by the eight member states alone.Most of those mistakes should have been uncovered by the national authorities, according to the Court.But Pieper says there is little incentive to improve the rate because it is “EU money.”If a project is identified as having errors, making it ineligible for EU funding, then the money can be used by the member state for another project.“Up until now it is possible to replace projects and this is from our point of view, not very efficient,” he said.Any misspent money should instead trigger an automatic procedure that would deduct a sum from the national coffers, he says.The commission formulates its risk analysis on error rates by relying, in part, on national audit reports provided by the member states.“From our point of view, they [the commission] trust them too much, which is one of the reasons for our reservations for the next period,” said Pieper.Pieper wants the commission to bypass the eight member states’ national auditing authorities altogether and deal directly with those who receive the funds.If the upcoming commissioner candidates disagree, then they stand to lose the backing of the assembly, he says.For its part, the commission says it is working on ways to extend its oversight powers.MEPs are set to give their assessment of how the commission spent the 2012 budget in mid-April.

ISAIAH 17:1,11-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
11  In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
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 evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD KILLED IN OVERNIGHT RAID) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

AMOS 1:5
5  I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden:(IRAQ) and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir,(JORDAN) saith the LORD.

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)

JEREMIAH 47:1-7
1 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines,(PALESTINIAN/ARABS) before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.
2  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north,(NORTHERN TSUNAMI POSSIBLY) and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
3  At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses,(ISRAELS ARMY) at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;(ISRAEL POSSIBLY NUKES GAZA)
4  Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines,(PALESTINIAN FAKE ARABS) and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
5  Baldness is come upon Gaza;(NUKED POSSIBLY) Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?
6  O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.
7  How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? (MEDITTERANEAN SEA) there hath he appointed it.

EGYPT

ISAIAH 19:1-5
1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south ( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS-MUSLIMS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them,(BEFORE THE NUKE GOES OFF) and behind them a desolate wilderness;(AFTER THE ATOMIC BOMB GOES OFF) yea, and nothing shall escape them.(EVERYTHING NUKED)
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate,(SIBERIAN DESERT) with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

JEREMIAH 8:7
7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times;(MIGRATION TIME) and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming;(IN MIGRATION SEASON) but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.(WW3 MIGRATING BIRDS EAT ISRAELS ENEMIES FLESH AND BLOOD)

Foreign agendas keep Syrian peace talks going

By ZEINA KARAM and LORI HINNANT 3 hours ago-JAN 31,14-yahoonews

GENEVA (AP) — Weeklong Syrian peace talks have neither stemmed the bloodshed nor produced a deal, yet pressure is mounting on Syria's government and the opposition to keep the process going after a brief break.There are two major reasons: the United States and Russia, which both have their own interests in pushing the negotiations, and no obvious or viable alternatives to a process that seems to be going nowhere.
Crucial for the Americans is the need to prevent President Bashar Assad from running for re-election this summer in what they assume will be a rigged vote, analysts say. That would enable Assad to claim a mandate to stay in power and the violence to continue indefinitely.The talks have enabled the Russians, Assad's chief diplomatic backers, to show themselves as key players in Middle East diplomacy — a claim they can promote regardless of whether the process delivers an end to the civil war any time soon.In the meantime, the war in Syria rages unabated.Assad's forces are solidifying gains, but the battle lines are largely stalemated. The rebellion against Assad's rule has been sapped by deadly infighting among moderates, Islamic groups and al-Qaida-inspired militants competing for control of territory, weapons and influence. Much of the world appears to have lost faith in the rebels, largely because of the growing influence of Islamic extremists among their ranks.That has produced a narrowing of differences between the U.S. and the Russians, who now feel vindicated for sticking by their longtime ally in Damascus."I think what's most important for the Russians is that the peace talks are taking place," said Andrea Liebich, honorary professor of international history and politics at the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies."It's a question of prestige, and they are anxious to be seen on equal footing with the United States, to be in the spotlight. ... For them, the outcome of the talks is less important than the process itself," he said.
For the Americans, backing down from a threat to strike militarily following a chemical weapons attack in August has left the Obama administration with little choice but to pursue a diplomatic track."Any solution on the ground would require some kind of military action — and that's no longer on the table," said Rami Jarrah, a prominent Syrian anti-government activist. He said both Russia and the U.S. now had a stake in "politicizing" the Syrian conflict away from what is actually happening on the ground.The Western-backed Syrian National Coalition opposition group, whose support within Syria has diminished considerably, agreed only reluctantly to attend the peace talks after arm twisting from the Americans, but made clear that its purpose was solely to negotiate a replacement for Assad. For the Syrian government that's a non-starter.
"The opposition in exile has lost a lot of its authority on the ground. They've really staked their reputation on these talks, and they have to come away with something," said Anna Boyd, an analyst with IHS Jane's.
Delegations from the U.S. and Russia have been in daily contact in Geneva, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the talks' sensitivity. The open lines of communication indicate their growing — and shared — fears that the civil war is reaching a point where it can no longer be contained or controlled by any single player. Fear of a resurging al-Qaida is a common denominator among the U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran — all proxy players in the civil war now in its third year."The U.S. stands to lose if the talks are a failure, whereas the Russians have nothing to lose. But if they are a success they could claim part of the credit," Liebich said.In interviews with The Associated Press in Switzerland this week, government and opposition representatives have repeatedly said they would not walk away from the peace talks, regardless of the provocations or the bleak outlook.Meanwhile, international powers are using this engagement to search for common ground.Upcoming presidential elections in Syria may prove to be it.

Assad's family has ruled Syria since 1970. None of the elections for Bashar Assad or his father Hafez was considered free or fair by most international standards, and few analysts expect the upcoming contest originally scheduled for this summer to be any different should he run. Assad himself has said he is inclined to run, but he hasn't ruled out alternatives in the elections.The sides have a few months to persuade Assad not to run again, betting on it as the only way out of the current political and military impasse. But in an interview with the AP Wednesday, his adviser, Bouthaina Shaaban, suggested the vote might not take place amid the raging violence.Buying time for the vote could do the same for the peace process, which many involved expect to go on for weeks, if not months, as the two sides try to agree on smaller confidence building measures — such as local cease-fires, aid deliveries or prisoner exchanges.__Hinnant reported from Paris. Karam has covered Syria since 1996.