Commission welcomes signature of the Treaty of Lisbon and calls for its swift ratification. DEC 13,07
Marking an important step in European integration, the 27 Member States have today signed the Treaty of Lisbon. This marks a new phase in providing the Union with a new treaty to respond to the challenges of the 21st century. The Commission believes that the new treaty provides significant new benefits for citizens and will settle the institutional debate for the foreseeable future. In line with the Barroso Commission's twin track approach this will allow for a greater emphasis on the issues of concern to citizens such as jobs and growth, energy and climate change and migration. The Commission calls on Member States to ratify the treaty in good time for its entry into force on 1 January 2009.
The Commission has today launched a website on the Treaty that explains in an easy to read way the policy innovations and institutional reforms contained in the new Treaty President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso said, This treaty marks a watershed in the history of European integration. The Treaty of Lisbon puts citizens at the centre of the European project. After six long years of negotiation we can put institutional issues aside and concentrate all our energy on delivering policy achievements for our citizens. I call on the Member States to honour their commitments and seek to ratify the treaty in good time for its entry into force on 1 January 2009.
This new Treaty is good for European citizens, said Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström, responsible for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy. It will enhance efficiency and give the Union a single voice in external relations. People will have a greater say in European policies through the reinforced powers of their directly elected representatives in the European Parliament and the enhanced role of National parliaments. The new Citizens' initiative will allow a million citizens to ask the Commission to present a proposal. More democracy is fundamental for a Union based on citizens' consent and will help to restore confidence and trust in the European integration process.
The Treaty of Lisbon amends the current EU and EC treaties, without replacing them. It will provide the Union with the legal framework and tools necessary to meet future challenges and to respond to citizens' demands.The Treaty of Lisbon will bring many benefits: the new treaty will ensure European citizens have their say in European affairs and see their fundamental rights set out in a charter. The EU will be better equipped to meet expectations in the fields of energy, clime change, cross-border crime and immigration. It will also be able to speak with one voice on the international scene.
Among key planned improvements are:
a more democratic and open and accountable Union – both citizens and national parliaments will see decisions taken first hand as lawmaking discussions open up to public scrutiny. Europeans will be given the opportunity to influence proposed EU laws. a more effective Union – through effective and streamlined institutions. Including swifter, more consistent decision-making on law and order issues, giving the EU greater ability to combat crime, terrorism and human trafficking.more rights for Europeans – the EU's values and goals will be set down more clearly than ever before. And the charter of fundamental rights will be given the same legal status as the EU treaties themselves.a more prominent global actor – the EU will seek more coherence between the different strands of its external policy, such as diplomacy, security, trade and humanitarian aid. And the bloc will be given a single legal personality to strengthen its negotiating power.These improvements give the Union the capacity to deliver change, to make Europeans more secure and prosperous and to open up their opportunities to shape globalisation.
Background
The Treaty of Lisbon, drawn up by the 2007 Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), was approved at the informal European Council on 18-19 October and will be signed by the Member States on 13 December 2007. The signature of the Treaty will be followed by the ratification process in all 27 countries. It is hoped that the new Treaty will come into force on 1 January 2009.
he new website provides user friendly and easy-to-read information in all 23 official EU languages. On its pages, readers can discover how the new Treaty will enable the EU to tackle the challenges of today's world and to promote more efficiency, democracy and transparency within its institutions. Answers to the most frequently asked questions are also available, accompanied by fact sheets explaining theme-by-theme the main changes brought about by the Treaty.Visit the Commission's new Treaty of Lisbon website at:http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty
Speech by the Prime-Minister of Portugal and President of the European Council at the signing ceremony of the Treaty of Lisbon Date: 2007-12-13
Speech by José Sócrates at the signing ceremony of the Treaty of Lisbon (pdf format)
Honourable Heads of State and of Government, dear colleagues
Mr. President of the European Parliament
Mr. President of the European Commission
Ministers for Foreign Affairs
Mr. President of the Assembly of the Republic
Dear colleagues from the Government and dear Luís Amado, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs
Mr. Mayor of Lisbon Town Hall
Distinguished guests
Today we sign the Treaty of Lisbon. And the idea that motivates us in this ceremony for the signature is quite simple: to advance the European project. A project that has always been generous in its purposes and ambitious in its objectives. A project that has proven to be at the service of peace, development and the affirmation of the values we share.
It was this project of European construction that many generations dreamed of and others before us erected, with a sense and a vision of the future. But it is this project that we want, today, to take further, reinforce and develop. And that is what the people of Europe, those we represent here, expect from us.
Today we need a stronger Union. Stronger to respond to the longings of the European citizens, to promote the European economy and defend European values. But a more ambitious Europe is also the most important contribution we can give to a better world.
Perhaps History will not mention the words that will be uttered in this ceremony. But I am certain of one thing: what we are doing here is already part of History. History will remember this day as a day when new paths of hope were opened to the European ideal.
With the Treaty of Lisbon Europe finally overcomes the political and institutional impasse that limited its capacity to act during the last few years. The overcoming of that impasse started when, facing doubts and uncertainties, the Trio of Presidencies – German, Portuguese and Slovenian – undertook as a priority the elaboration of a new Treaty.
It is only right to recognise, also, that this process was successful just because, at the right time, relied on the engagement of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who reached a mandate without which it would not have been possible to follow through this path.
During all this process we could rely on the European Commission. I wish to thank the President of the Commission, Mr. Durão Barroso, all the help he gave the Portuguese presidency to conclude this Treaty.
I also thank the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering and the Parliamentary Groups the support they always gave us during the difficult negotiations that preceded this agreement.
But what truly brought about the achieved result in the Lisbon Summit, what really carried us to the Treaty we are signing here today, was the political will of all the European leaders and the trust they always displayed in the development of the European project.
The Treaty of Lisbon meets a central challenge. The challenge of European citizenship. Yesterday, in Strasbourg, the Council, the Commission and the Parliament adopted the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. This Treaty of Lisbon recognises the full legal value of this Charter. Here we reaffirm our compromise with the identity values of the European project. Democratic legality, respect for fundamental rights, communitarian freedoms, equal opportunities, solidarity, access to justice, respect for the pluralism and diversity of our societies. These were the values that inspired the founding fathers of the European project and that we proudly reaffirm here today.
The European project is a project founded on the equality among States, mutual respect, close cooperation and tolerance. The European project does not eliminate nor minimise national identities, nor the States’ specific interests; rather, it offers a multilateral framework of regulation from which benefits can be drawn for the whole and for each of the parts that participate in the project. This is the reason why the project of the European political and economic Union is still a source of inspiration for other continents and a reference guide for a world in need of institutions, principles and rules that are capable of contributing for a regulation on a global scale.
But this Treaty also meets the challenge of improving efficiency in the decision process. During these fifty years, we always knew that the European project becomes legitimate through its results. And only a Europe that is capable of deciding will be a Europe that is capable of getting results. In a world of accelerated change, in a global economy that is ever more demanding, it is absolutely imperative and urgent to adopt institutional reforms that allow Europe to meet the challenges it is facing.
Europe wants to be an open economy, which faces the challenge of global competitiveness. Which bets on Europeans’ qualifications, research and innovation. Which bets on an economic growth that creates jobs and is friendly to the environment and also bets on a more efficient energy policy that is capable of fighting against climate change.
In all these areas the Treaty of Lisbon speeds up the decision processes, increases the number of decisions by qualified majority, extends the conditions of democratic participation in the European Parliament, reinforces the role of our national parliaments and safeguards the central position of the European Commission and the European judicial system.
But the Treaty of Lisbon also defines a new institutional architecture: the new permanent president of the European Council; the High Representative for external affairs and defence; the new composition of the Commission and the reinforcement of its democratic legitimacy; the new system of weighting of votes in the Council. These changes represent a new equilibrium among States and offer an improvement in the functioning of the institutions, guaranteeing new conditions for Europe to assert its voice, its economy and its values.
The Treaty of Lisbon includes the best in the tradition and heritage of the European project but is not a Treaty for the past; it is a Treaty for the future. It is a Treaty for the construction of a more modern, efficient and democratic Europe.
Ladies and Gentlemen
For us Portuguese, this ceremony represents a return to the Jerónimos Monastery. It was here that, in 1985, Portugal signed the Accession Treaty to the European project. It was here that Portugal became a part of the European family.
I want you to know that it is an honour for my country the fact that it is precisely here, in the same place, that we sign the new Treaty for the future of Europe. And it is an even greater honour the fact that this Treaty shall be known by the name of Lisbon, a city where the 27 Member States sealed their agreement.
Lisbon has always been a city of openness and a meeting point. Its history is also the history of the discoveries, which this moment evokes. With the Treaty of Lisbon this city will also be linked to the history of the European construction.
This Treaty, however, is not the end of History. There will always be more History to be written. But this Treaty is a new moment in the European adventure and of the European future. And we face this future with the same spirit we always had: certain of our values, confident in our project, strengthened in our Union.
Thank you.
Taking Europe into the 21st century DEC 13,07
Europe is not the same place it was 50 years ago, and nor is the rest of the world.
In a constantly changing, ever more interconnected world, Europe is grappling with new issues: globalisation, demographic shifts, climate change, the need for sustainable energy sources and new security threats. These are the challenges facing Europe in the 21st century.
Borders count for very little in the light of these challenges. The EU countries cannot meet them alone. But acting as one, Europe can deliver results and respond to the concerns of the public. For this, Europe needs to modernise. The EU has recently expanded from 15 to 27 members; it needs effective, coherent tools so it can function properly and respond to the rapid changes in the world. That means rethinking some of the ground rules for working together.
The new Treaty of Lisbon sets out to do just that. When European leaders reached agreement on the new rules on 18 October 2007, they were thinking of the political, economic and social changes going on, and the need to live up to the hopes and expectations of the European public. They agreed on a treaty that will define what the EU can and cannot do, and what means it can use. It will alter the structure of the EU’s institutions and how they work. As a result, the EU will be more democratic and its core values will be better served.
This new treaty is the result of negotiations between EU member countries in an intergovernmental conference. The Commission and Parliament were also involved. After the official signing on 13 December 2007, the treaty will still not apply until and unless it is ratified by each of the EU’s 27 members. It is up to each country to choose the procedure for ratification, in line with its own national constitution.
The target date for ratification set by member governments is 1 January 2009 – some months before the elections to the European Parliament.
TO WATCH THE LIVE CEREMONY OF THE TREATY SIGNING WATCH HERE
http://www.eu2007.pt/UE/vEN/Media/Galeria_Video/
Thursday, December 13, 2007
TREATY SIGNING TODAY
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Earthquake of 4,1 points hit Kuriles, no casualties reported 12.12.2007, 08.26
YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, December 12 (Itar-Tass) - Two earthquakes measuring 4.7 and 3.4 points on the Richter scale were registered near the Simushir Island of the Kuriles chain on Tuesday. According to a duty officer of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry’s main department for the Sakhalin region, the earth tremors occurred with an interval of 10 minutes. The first earthquake was registered 186 kilometres northeast of Simushir at a depth of 80- kilometres. Ten minutes later the second tremor with a magnitude of 3.4 points occurred 200 kilometres to the northeast. The earthquakes were not felt in the region’s territory and no casualties, destruction or tsunami threat have been reported. Since a powerful earthquake that occurred here on November 15, 2006, a total of 868 aftershocks have been registered in the Simushir area.
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.
Storm damage cost rises to $138 million
December 12, 2007 08:45am
THE violent hailstorms that hit Sydney and the Central Coast on Sunday have so far led to 24,000 claims worth an estimated $138 million.The estimate is a dramatic increase on the 8000 claims, estimated at $65 million, lodged up to yesterday.Insurance Council of Australia chief executive Kerrie Kellyber says insurers are working around the clock to ensure claims are attended to as quickly as possible.Motor vehicles account for 61 per cent of all claims received to date and property accounts for 39 per cent of all claims, Ms Kellyber said.The Insurance Council encourages all policyholders to contact their insurers as a matter of priority in order to have their claims registered and assessed by their insurer quickly.Another Sydney suburb was last night added to the natural disaster zone declared after Sunday's violent storms that hit the city's west and north-west with hailstones up to the size of cricket balls.
NSW Emergency Services Minister Nathan Rees says a recovery committee will hold its first on-the-ground meeting in the city's battered west today.Mr Rees said Penrith had been added to the Blacktown, Baulkham Hills and Hornsby council areas already covered by the natural disaster declaration.This declaration provides a range of assistance for residents, business owners and councils whose properties were damaged in the storms, he said.The minister said the Western Sydney Recovery Co-ordination Committee was established to co-ordinate the clean-up operation.Acting Assisting Police Commissioner Bob Redfern will chair the committee and the Department of Premier and Cabinet's Regional Coordinator Robert Lennon will handle the recovery co-ordination.It will also include representatives of the State Emergency Service (SES), fire and ambulance authorities, affected councils, government departments, energy suppliers and Telstra.
The first official meeting will be in Blacktown today.
Mr Rees said the SES had received more than 3100 calls for assistance after the storms, and extra SES crews would arrive today to join 500 emergency workers who are in affected areas and surrounding districts.
Tropical Storm Olga Soaks Caribbean
By RAMON ALMANZAR – 16 hours ago
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tropical Storm Olga began to weaken slightly as it crossed the Dominican Republic and headed toward Haiti Wednesday, but heavy rains continued to drench the island shared by the two countries and forced the evacuation of low-lying areas.The rare December cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, and forecasters warned it could trigger dangerous floods by dumping as much as 10 inches of rain on the island.Olga struck nearly two weeks after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is only the 10th named storm to develop in the month of December since record keeping began in 1851, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.It's not completely unusual to have a storm form in December, said Daniel Brown, a hurricane specialist at the center, who noted that three named storms have formed after Nov. 30 since 2003.
At 1 a.m. EST, Olga was centered about 65 miles east-northeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, and nearing the Haitian border, the hurricane center said.The storm threatened the southwestern areas of the Dominican Republic that were hardest hit by Tropical Storm Noel six weeks ago. At least 87 fatalities in the country were blamed on Noel, the deadliest storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season.Authorities evacuated 22 communities in eastern provinces to prepare for the storm.Every civil defense agency has been activated, emergency services spokesman Luis Luna Paulino said.In neighboring Haiti, the government earlier had warned people in coastal areas to prepare for evacuations and urged fishermen to remain in port, said Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, head of the country's civil protection department.Olga was tracking westward at about 15 mph. Forecasters predicted it would gradually weaken into a tropical depression as its center crosses Haiti and continues across the Caribbean between Cuba and Jamaica.The storm passed Puerto Rico on Tuesday night, knocking out electrical service to 79,000 people and water to 144,000.A tropical storm warning was in effect for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected there within 24 hours.Olga will be included in the tally for the 2007 hurricane season, bringing the number of named storms to 15, including six hurricanes. The next season begins June 1.
US Plains ice storm leaves 800,000 without power
Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:23am EST
Plains ice storm leaves 410,000 without power Apple iPhone winning corporate fans despite flaws Comcast sees customer loss in 2008
Blockbuster in handset maker talks Digital camera shipments to U.S. up 22 percent
NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) - More than 800,000 customers in the U.S. Central Plains remained without power Tuesday morning after ice storms Sunday and Monday damaged power lines, electric companies said.In Oklahoma, the hardest-hit state, OGE Energy Corp's (OGE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Oklahoma Gas & Electric unit said the storm was the worst in the company's history, leaving more than 285,000 customers without power.OG&E estimated it would take between seven and 10 days to restore power to all customers.American Electric Power Co Inc's (AEP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Public Service Co of Oklahoma reported 252,000 customers without service.Both utilities said they were pulling in repair crews to help with the restoration.The weekend storm entered Oklahoma early Sunday, bringing freezing rain that caused significant ice accumulation on trees and overhead power lines. The weight of the ice pulled down tree branches and power lines, cutting power.
That system later moved across Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.
Other utilities with significant outages included Westar Energy Inc (WR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with 59,000 in Kansas, Empire District Electric Co (EDE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with about 58,000 in Kansas, Aquila Inc (ILA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with about 54,000 in Missouri, Great Plains Energy Inc (GXP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with about 27,000 in Missouri and Ameren Corp (AEE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with 27,000 in Missouri and 17,000 in Illinois. (Reporting by Scott DiSavino, editing by Matthew Lewis)
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.(TR 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).
Merkel Lauds EU Reform Treaty as Historic Success DEC 12,07
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Europe's leader will sign the treaty at Lisbon's Jeronimos monastery on Thursday
Chancellor Merkel praised the EU reform treaty she was largely responsible for keeping on track. She will attend the document's signing. But amid calls for a referendum, another EU leader's absence will be conspicuous.Set to be signed by the leaders of the bloc's 27 member states on Thursday, Dec. 13, Merkel said on Wednesday that the EU's reform treaty would bring about breakthrough for Europe.I really am not inclined to exaggerated euphoria -- but I think we can declare that this day marks a historic success, a success for Europe, she said in an address to the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament. It will perhaps be seen later as a decisive milestone for a greater ability to act in Europe.She added that the agreement, to be called the Lisbon Treaty, lays the groundwork for a new European Union in the 21st century.Merkel said she hoped the treaty would be ratified by May 2008. European politicians are pushing for the text, which requires unanimous approval before going into effect, to be in place before European Parliament elections in 2009.
Referendum riddles
The pair of constitutional no votes threw the EU into year-long period of near inaction.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be a notable absentee at the signing ceremony in Lisbon. He's said that a scheduling conflict will keep him from attending the morning ceremony, but he added he would sign the document later in the day. The nonattendance has led to domestic accusations of a semi-detached attitude to Europe.The reform treaty is the successor to the union's proposed constitution, which was rejected by voters in France and the Netherlands in 2005. Many governments, including the French and Dutch, have said there will be no need for national referendums to ratify the reform treaty.The treaty does not transfer sovereignty to the EU ... and there is no judicial reason to resort to a referendum, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday.In order to avoid a British referendum, London was granted key policy opt-outs, thereby securing its cherished red lines on foreign policy, labor rights, the common law and the tax and social security systems.Only Ireland is constitutionally bound to put the issue to a vote, something which Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said he would like to see take place next May or June.
Constitutional similarities
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been floated as a potential EU foreign policy leader.The new reform text will implement many of the changes suggested by the failed constitution, including the creation of a foreign policy chief and more permanent presidency to replace the current six-month rotating presidency system.The treaty also calls for cuts to the size of the European Parliament, freezes the number of seats on the EU Commission and institutes a double majority voting system that reduces the types of decision single nations can veto. Attached to the new treaty is an EU charter of fundamental rights which enshrines the rights of dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens' rights and justice, although Britain and Poland are opting out of making that binding.At the charter's signing Wednesday at the European Parliament, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates signed the document amid noisy protests from right and left-wing parliamentarians calling for national referenda on the reform treaty.DW staff (sms)
Europe News
PREVIEW: Party time in Lisbon as EU leaders sign long-awaited treaty Dec 12, 2007, 2:08 GMT
Brussels/Lisbon - The 27 leaders of the European Union gather in Lisbon on Thursday to sign their long-awaited Reform Treaty, which as from that day will formally come to be known as the Lisbon Treaty. Prime ministers and heads of state will assemble in the morning in the city's Jeronimos Monastery, where they will be entertained by the melodious music of Dulce Pontes, one of Portugal's most renowned singer. After signing the document, they will toast with a glass of port wine and board the city's traditional 'eletrico' trams, which will take them to a festive lunch at the National Coach Museum. The party caps a gruelling year of intense discussions among prime ministers and heads of state. And rarely were such discussions more fraught with difficulty than when they addressed the shake-up of their now 50-year-old union. The Reform Treaty seeks to simplify and speed up the decision- making process of an organization that, since its foundation in 1957, has expanded to accommodate 27 countries and nearly 500 million people.
The treaty, which had to be renegotiated after French and Dutch voters rejected its previous 'constitutional' version in referenda held in 2005, also seeks to give the EU more clout on the international stage. All of the bloc's leaders are planning to attend the ceremony, though not all of them took part in the full negotiating process. German Chancellor Angela Merkel certainly played a starring role in getting the treaty talks back on track in June and will be expected to receive plenty of pats on the back in Lisbon. France's energetic new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, will also expect to be thanked, as he claims that the so-called 'mini-treaty' was his idea. And the host of the occasion, Portugal's silver-haired Prime Minister Jose Socrates - nicknamed the George Clooney of Europe - is also likely to receive applause for steering negotiations to a successful conclusion in October.
Even Gordon Brown, appointed British premier only in June, managed to squeeze the ceremony into his busy parliamentary agenda, despite negotiating extensive opt-out clauses on behalf of his euro-sceptic electorate.
Some countries face a bit of an embarrassment, however.
Latvia, for instance, does not have a government and will have to send its president, Valdis Zatlers, instead. And Belgium, which has been without a government since June, will be represented by outgoing premier Guy Verhofstadt. One premier who will certainly revel in the Lisbon party is Donald Tusk. The new Polish premier ousted the combative Jaroslaw Kaczynski, whose nationalistic posturing threatened to torpedo the final text, just days after a deal was reached. And Tusk now says his country plans to be one of the first to ratify the treaty. Though the ceremony will bring together some of the planet's most important leaders, security does not appear to be a major concern in Lisbon. According to local daily Correio da Manha, there will be fewer law enforcing agents than the 3,000 who protected a recent EU-Africa summit in the same city. And there are no plans to bring in additional forces from other districts. Even close-by restaurants have not yet been asked to remain shut for the day.
Ministers are set to arrive at the Jeronimos Monastery at 1015 local time and be welcomed by the suave Socrates and his equally well-groomed foreign minister, Luis Amado. The signing process will start about one hour later and will be accompanied by speeches from the EU's Portuguese Commission chief, Jose Manuel Barroso, Socrates and the president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering The monastery is one of Lisbon's most prominent monuments and a powerful symbol of Portugal's might during the Age of Discovery. King Manuel I launched its construction in 1502 on the site of a hermitage where explorer Vasco da Gama had prayed on his last night before setting off on a world-changing sea voyage to India. Classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, the monastery once served as a house of prayer for seamen and contains the tombs of da Gama, King Manuel, and other prominent figures of Portuguese history. After lunch, the leaders will either head home or fly to Brussels, where a traditional end-of-year summit awaits them on the next day. Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
EU at crossroads as it marks 50th anniversary
www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-12 10:30:18
BEIJING, Dec. 12 -- The European Union (EU) celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Through half a century's volatilities, it has enlarged to 27 countries, and expanded gradually from Western Europe to Central and Eastern Europe. Today's EU has a total population of 480 million, and a combined GNP exceeding 10 trillion euros ($14.7 trillion). The EU has traveled a path that has never been smooth sailing. Today, it is at a new crossroads.
It needs to set out a blueprint that is both realistic and forward-looking to get out of the stalemate and regain vigor and vitality.
At the 50th anniversary celebrations, leaders of the 27 EU members issued the joint Berlin Declaration, promising to break the constitutional deadlock by 2009 and be united in our aim of placing the EU on a renewed common basis. At the summit held in June, leaders of the EU member countries endorsed the roadmap proposed by Germany after lengthy negotiations and reached agreement on the draft of a new treaty to replace the European Constitution. The draft kept such important measures in the European Constitution as improving the EU's decision-making mechanism and strengthening foreign policy coordination. The qualified majority voting rules will be used in the Council of the European Union, which means new legislation will have to be passed if it gets a 55 percent vote of all member countries and a 65 percent majority of EU citizens.
To coordinate EU external relations, the posts of European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will be merged into a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. To reform the organizational structure, the new treaty has abolished the existing system of rotating the presidency and has appointed a permanent president. However, the new treaty has dropped state-like features such as the EU flag and anthem, and the name European Constitution will not be used anymore. The EU was able to overcome this crisis mainly because it decided to move with the times. The world's forces are now undergoing profound changes. With China, India and other major developing countries rising, the focus of the world is gradually shifting toward Asia. Based on energy advantages, Russia's reinvigoration is also gaining momentum. The EU has realized that only when it becomes stronger and more effective and seeks strength through unity, can its members better uphold their own interests in a world that is becoming increasingly multi-polarized.
First names floated for Sarkozy's EU 'reflection' group
12.12.2007 - 09:29 CET | By Lucia Kubosova
The first names for who should head a 'reflection group' on the EU's future have started to be floated, with the ex-president of Latvia tipped as the hottest candidate.The new group is expected to be given the green light at an EU leaders summit on Friday (14 December).It is the brainchild of French president Nicolas Sarkozy who made the setting up of such a group a condition for Paris letting Turkey proceed with its EU accession negotiations.Mr Sarkozy had wanted the group to focus on a number of contentious issues, including the final borders of Europe.But the mandate of the reflection group has been severely watered down so that it will not touch upon the future borders of Europe and further enlargement or institutional and budgetary issues. We have first decided what we definitely do not want the group to discuss, so the remaining scope has ended up as quite weak, one EU diplomat commented.
Some member states wanted to make sure that the reflection group would not send a negative message to countries that want to join the EU, while others, such as the UK, did not want the group to create the impression that the bloc is planning to push for more political integration or re-open debate on its institutional set-up.The reflection group is expected to set out its ideas on the EU's challenges for 2020 to 2030 in mid 2010.This timetable is so that it will not interfere with the French EU presidency in the second half of 2008, which is due to reflect on the future reform of the bloc's budget.According to French daily Le Monde, following a specific request by the French government, Portugal, the current EU presidency, is planning to hold a debate during Friday's summit in order to get agreement on who should chair the wise group.
So far, four names have been floated among diplomats – former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Jorna Ollila, chairman of Nokia, Felippe Gonzales, the former Spanish prime minister and Pat Cox, ex-president of the European Parliament.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
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)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: 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 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
Cautiously positive assessment of NATO from FIIA
Institute of International Affairs avoids taking direct stand on membership
A report by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) takes a cautiously positive assessment of the NATO alliance.avoids taking a direct stand on whether or not Finland should join NATO. FIIA, which currently works under the Finnish Parliament, says that the report gives a real-time and comprehensive picture of NATO.Helsingin Sanomat has learned that the report notes that Finland and all other countries will have to make decisions on NATO on the basis of incomplete information, because NATO is in a constant state of change.NATO's position as a military alliance of collective defence will nevertheless remain unchanged, FIIA reports. The common European defence is to be organised in the future through NATO alone, alongside national decisions. Not even the countries that are members of both the EU and NATO have proposed organising defence through the European Union, because the EU would not be able to implement security guarantees in reality.
The report repeats the common view that NATO's more recent activities in crisis management will be tested in Afghanistan, which the alliance cannot afford to leave. Finland currently has about 100 soldiers in the NATO-led ISAF forces in Afghanistan.
Joining NATO would not cause permanent damage to Finland's relations with Russia, the report finds, even though membership would probably affect defence planning in the northwest of Russia.
The FIIA researchers deduce that Finland's relationship with NATO will change regardless of whether or not Finland joins the alliance.FIIA drew up its NATO report at the same time that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was drafting a report of its own. The two projects appear to be unrelated.The Foreign Ministry is scheduled to release its report after it has been presented to the foreign policy committee of the President and the government later this month.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
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 have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
From correspondents in Brussels
December 13, 2007 03:21am
NATO expressed deep regret overnight that Russia had suspended a key Soviet-era arms pact, but underlined that the military alliance would not take any retaliatory action.NATO allies deeply regret that the Russian Federation has proceeded with its intention to unilaterally 'suspend' implementation of CFE Treaty obligations as of 12 December 2007, it said. Russia's foreign ministry announced that participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty was suspended from midnight in Moscow (8am AEST Wednesday).Signed in 1990 and modified in 1999, the CFE places precise limits on the stationing of troops and heavy weapons from the Atlantic coast to Russia's Ural mountains - a mammoth agreement that helped resolve the Cold War standoff.
NATO said the 26 member nations expressed willingness to resolve differences with Russia over the treaty and said that they planned to continue, for the moment, to abide by it.They have therefore chosen not to respond in kind at this stage to the Russian Federation's political decision to 'suspend' its legal obligations and NATO allies will continue to meet theirs, without prejudice to any future action they might take, NATO said. Russia attributes its freeze to the failure of NATO members to ratify a revised 1999 version of the treaty but Moscow has also been riled by US plans to deploy an anti-missile shield in two former Soviet satellite states. NATO countries have said they will only ratify the CFE treaty once Moscow lives up to a pledge made in 1999 to pull its troops out of former Soviet republics Georgia and Moldova.However NATO said it continued to place the highest value on the treaty in its entirety and underlined that the nations see it as a cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security. The alliance insisted that it wanted to continue talks with Russia to resolve the outstanding issues. The allies urged Russia to respond to these efforts, including by implementing existing obligations in full, and not to take further steps that would undermine the future of the CFE regime.NATO officials have said that the CFE treaty has no mechanism for suspension, only a method for parties to withdraw from the pact altogether. We note that the Russian Federation's suspension is a unilateral measure not provided for under the terms of the CFE Treaty, NATO said after a meeting with Russian ambassadors in Brussels. This step does not contribute to the long-term viability of the CFE Treaty and we urge the Russian Federation to rescind its decision.NATO allies will carefully monitor the Russian Federation's compliance with its treaty obligations, it said, adding that an opportunity to do so would arise this week during an annual exchange of information on the treaty.
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Earthquake of 4,1 points hit Kuriles, no casualties reported 12.12.2007, 08.26
YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, December 12 (Itar-Tass) - Two earthquakes measuring 4.7 and 3.4 points on the Richter scale were registered near the Simushir Island of the Kuriles chain on Tuesday. According to a duty officer of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry’s main department for the Sakhalin region, the earth tremors occurred with an interval of 10 minutes. The first earthquake was registered 186 kilometres northeast of Simushir at a depth of 80- kilometres. Ten minutes later the second tremor with a magnitude of 3.4 points occurred 200 kilometres to the northeast. The earthquakes were not felt in the region’s territory and no casualties, destruction or tsunami threat have been reported. Since a powerful earthquake that occurred here on November 15, 2006, a total of 868 aftershocks have been registered in the Simushir area.
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.
Storm damage cost rises to $138 million
December 12, 2007 08:45am
THE violent hailstorms that hit Sydney and the Central Coast on Sunday have so far led to 24,000 claims worth an estimated $138 million.The estimate is a dramatic increase on the 8000 claims, estimated at $65 million, lodged up to yesterday.Insurance Council of Australia chief executive Kerrie Kellyber says insurers are working around the clock to ensure claims are attended to as quickly as possible.Motor vehicles account for 61 per cent of all claims received to date and property accounts for 39 per cent of all claims, Ms Kellyber said.The Insurance Council encourages all policyholders to contact their insurers as a matter of priority in order to have their claims registered and assessed by their insurer quickly.Another Sydney suburb was last night added to the natural disaster zone declared after Sunday's violent storms that hit the city's west and north-west with hailstones up to the size of cricket balls.
NSW Emergency Services Minister Nathan Rees says a recovery committee will hold its first on-the-ground meeting in the city's battered west today.Mr Rees said Penrith had been added to the Blacktown, Baulkham Hills and Hornsby council areas already covered by the natural disaster declaration.This declaration provides a range of assistance for residents, business owners and councils whose properties were damaged in the storms, he said.The minister said the Western Sydney Recovery Co-ordination Committee was established to co-ordinate the clean-up operation.Acting Assisting Police Commissioner Bob Redfern will chair the committee and the Department of Premier and Cabinet's Regional Coordinator Robert Lennon will handle the recovery co-ordination.It will also include representatives of the State Emergency Service (SES), fire and ambulance authorities, affected councils, government departments, energy suppliers and Telstra.
The first official meeting will be in Blacktown today.
Mr Rees said the SES had received more than 3100 calls for assistance after the storms, and extra SES crews would arrive today to join 500 emergency workers who are in affected areas and surrounding districts.
Tropical Storm Olga Soaks Caribbean
By RAMON ALMANZAR – 16 hours ago
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tropical Storm Olga began to weaken slightly as it crossed the Dominican Republic and headed toward Haiti Wednesday, but heavy rains continued to drench the island shared by the two countries and forced the evacuation of low-lying areas.The rare December cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, and forecasters warned it could trigger dangerous floods by dumping as much as 10 inches of rain on the island.Olga struck nearly two weeks after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is only the 10th named storm to develop in the month of December since record keeping began in 1851, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.It's not completely unusual to have a storm form in December, said Daniel Brown, a hurricane specialist at the center, who noted that three named storms have formed after Nov. 30 since 2003.
At 1 a.m. EST, Olga was centered about 65 miles east-northeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, and nearing the Haitian border, the hurricane center said.The storm threatened the southwestern areas of the Dominican Republic that were hardest hit by Tropical Storm Noel six weeks ago. At least 87 fatalities in the country were blamed on Noel, the deadliest storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season.Authorities evacuated 22 communities in eastern provinces to prepare for the storm.Every civil defense agency has been activated, emergency services spokesman Luis Luna Paulino said.In neighboring Haiti, the government earlier had warned people in coastal areas to prepare for evacuations and urged fishermen to remain in port, said Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, head of the country's civil protection department.Olga was tracking westward at about 15 mph. Forecasters predicted it would gradually weaken into a tropical depression as its center crosses Haiti and continues across the Caribbean between Cuba and Jamaica.The storm passed Puerto Rico on Tuesday night, knocking out electrical service to 79,000 people and water to 144,000.A tropical storm warning was in effect for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected there within 24 hours.Olga will be included in the tally for the 2007 hurricane season, bringing the number of named storms to 15, including six hurricanes. The next season begins June 1.
US Plains ice storm leaves 800,000 without power
Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:23am EST
Plains ice storm leaves 410,000 without power Apple iPhone winning corporate fans despite flaws Comcast sees customer loss in 2008
Blockbuster in handset maker talks Digital camera shipments to U.S. up 22 percent
NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) - More than 800,000 customers in the U.S. Central Plains remained without power Tuesday morning after ice storms Sunday and Monday damaged power lines, electric companies said.In Oklahoma, the hardest-hit state, OGE Energy Corp's (OGE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Oklahoma Gas & Electric unit said the storm was the worst in the company's history, leaving more than 285,000 customers without power.OG&E estimated it would take between seven and 10 days to restore power to all customers.American Electric Power Co Inc's (AEP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Public Service Co of Oklahoma reported 252,000 customers without service.Both utilities said they were pulling in repair crews to help with the restoration.The weekend storm entered Oklahoma early Sunday, bringing freezing rain that caused significant ice accumulation on trees and overhead power lines. The weight of the ice pulled down tree branches and power lines, cutting power.
That system later moved across Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.
Other utilities with significant outages included Westar Energy Inc (WR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with 59,000 in Kansas, Empire District Electric Co (EDE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with about 58,000 in Kansas, Aquila Inc (ILA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with about 54,000 in Missouri, Great Plains Energy Inc (GXP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with about 27,000 in Missouri and Ameren Corp (AEE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with 27,000 in Missouri and 17,000 in Illinois. (Reporting by Scott DiSavino, editing by Matthew Lewis)
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.(TR 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).
Merkel Lauds EU Reform Treaty as Historic Success DEC 12,07
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Europe's leader will sign the treaty at Lisbon's Jeronimos monastery on Thursday
Chancellor Merkel praised the EU reform treaty she was largely responsible for keeping on track. She will attend the document's signing. But amid calls for a referendum, another EU leader's absence will be conspicuous.Set to be signed by the leaders of the bloc's 27 member states on Thursday, Dec. 13, Merkel said on Wednesday that the EU's reform treaty would bring about breakthrough for Europe.I really am not inclined to exaggerated euphoria -- but I think we can declare that this day marks a historic success, a success for Europe, she said in an address to the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament. It will perhaps be seen later as a decisive milestone for a greater ability to act in Europe.She added that the agreement, to be called the Lisbon Treaty, lays the groundwork for a new European Union in the 21st century.Merkel said she hoped the treaty would be ratified by May 2008. European politicians are pushing for the text, which requires unanimous approval before going into effect, to be in place before European Parliament elections in 2009.
Referendum riddles
The pair of constitutional no votes threw the EU into year-long period of near inaction.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be a notable absentee at the signing ceremony in Lisbon. He's said that a scheduling conflict will keep him from attending the morning ceremony, but he added he would sign the document later in the day. The nonattendance has led to domestic accusations of a semi-detached attitude to Europe.The reform treaty is the successor to the union's proposed constitution, which was rejected by voters in France and the Netherlands in 2005. Many governments, including the French and Dutch, have said there will be no need for national referendums to ratify the reform treaty.The treaty does not transfer sovereignty to the EU ... and there is no judicial reason to resort to a referendum, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday.In order to avoid a British referendum, London was granted key policy opt-outs, thereby securing its cherished red lines on foreign policy, labor rights, the common law and the tax and social security systems.Only Ireland is constitutionally bound to put the issue to a vote, something which Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said he would like to see take place next May or June.
Constitutional similarities
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been floated as a potential EU foreign policy leader.The new reform text will implement many of the changes suggested by the failed constitution, including the creation of a foreign policy chief and more permanent presidency to replace the current six-month rotating presidency system.The treaty also calls for cuts to the size of the European Parliament, freezes the number of seats on the EU Commission and institutes a double majority voting system that reduces the types of decision single nations can veto. Attached to the new treaty is an EU charter of fundamental rights which enshrines the rights of dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens' rights and justice, although Britain and Poland are opting out of making that binding.At the charter's signing Wednesday at the European Parliament, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates signed the document amid noisy protests from right and left-wing parliamentarians calling for national referenda on the reform treaty.DW staff (sms)
Europe News
PREVIEW: Party time in Lisbon as EU leaders sign long-awaited treaty Dec 12, 2007, 2:08 GMT
Brussels/Lisbon - The 27 leaders of the European Union gather in Lisbon on Thursday to sign their long-awaited Reform Treaty, which as from that day will formally come to be known as the Lisbon Treaty. Prime ministers and heads of state will assemble in the morning in the city's Jeronimos Monastery, where they will be entertained by the melodious music of Dulce Pontes, one of Portugal's most renowned singer. After signing the document, they will toast with a glass of port wine and board the city's traditional 'eletrico' trams, which will take them to a festive lunch at the National Coach Museum. The party caps a gruelling year of intense discussions among prime ministers and heads of state. And rarely were such discussions more fraught with difficulty than when they addressed the shake-up of their now 50-year-old union. The Reform Treaty seeks to simplify and speed up the decision- making process of an organization that, since its foundation in 1957, has expanded to accommodate 27 countries and nearly 500 million people.
The treaty, which had to be renegotiated after French and Dutch voters rejected its previous 'constitutional' version in referenda held in 2005, also seeks to give the EU more clout on the international stage. All of the bloc's leaders are planning to attend the ceremony, though not all of them took part in the full negotiating process. German Chancellor Angela Merkel certainly played a starring role in getting the treaty talks back on track in June and will be expected to receive plenty of pats on the back in Lisbon. France's energetic new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, will also expect to be thanked, as he claims that the so-called 'mini-treaty' was his idea. And the host of the occasion, Portugal's silver-haired Prime Minister Jose Socrates - nicknamed the George Clooney of Europe - is also likely to receive applause for steering negotiations to a successful conclusion in October.
Even Gordon Brown, appointed British premier only in June, managed to squeeze the ceremony into his busy parliamentary agenda, despite negotiating extensive opt-out clauses on behalf of his euro-sceptic electorate.
Some countries face a bit of an embarrassment, however.
Latvia, for instance, does not have a government and will have to send its president, Valdis Zatlers, instead. And Belgium, which has been without a government since June, will be represented by outgoing premier Guy Verhofstadt. One premier who will certainly revel in the Lisbon party is Donald Tusk. The new Polish premier ousted the combative Jaroslaw Kaczynski, whose nationalistic posturing threatened to torpedo the final text, just days after a deal was reached. And Tusk now says his country plans to be one of the first to ratify the treaty. Though the ceremony will bring together some of the planet's most important leaders, security does not appear to be a major concern in Lisbon. According to local daily Correio da Manha, there will be fewer law enforcing agents than the 3,000 who protected a recent EU-Africa summit in the same city. And there are no plans to bring in additional forces from other districts. Even close-by restaurants have not yet been asked to remain shut for the day.
Ministers are set to arrive at the Jeronimos Monastery at 1015 local time and be welcomed by the suave Socrates and his equally well-groomed foreign minister, Luis Amado. The signing process will start about one hour later and will be accompanied by speeches from the EU's Portuguese Commission chief, Jose Manuel Barroso, Socrates and the president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering The monastery is one of Lisbon's most prominent monuments and a powerful symbol of Portugal's might during the Age of Discovery. King Manuel I launched its construction in 1502 on the site of a hermitage where explorer Vasco da Gama had prayed on his last night before setting off on a world-changing sea voyage to India. Classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, the monastery once served as a house of prayer for seamen and contains the tombs of da Gama, King Manuel, and other prominent figures of Portuguese history. After lunch, the leaders will either head home or fly to Brussels, where a traditional end-of-year summit awaits them on the next day. Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
EU at crossroads as it marks 50th anniversary
www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-12 10:30:18
BEIJING, Dec. 12 -- The European Union (EU) celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Through half a century's volatilities, it has enlarged to 27 countries, and expanded gradually from Western Europe to Central and Eastern Europe. Today's EU has a total population of 480 million, and a combined GNP exceeding 10 trillion euros ($14.7 trillion). The EU has traveled a path that has never been smooth sailing. Today, it is at a new crossroads.
It needs to set out a blueprint that is both realistic and forward-looking to get out of the stalemate and regain vigor and vitality.
At the 50th anniversary celebrations, leaders of the 27 EU members issued the joint Berlin Declaration, promising to break the constitutional deadlock by 2009 and be united in our aim of placing the EU on a renewed common basis. At the summit held in June, leaders of the EU member countries endorsed the roadmap proposed by Germany after lengthy negotiations and reached agreement on the draft of a new treaty to replace the European Constitution. The draft kept such important measures in the European Constitution as improving the EU's decision-making mechanism and strengthening foreign policy coordination. The qualified majority voting rules will be used in the Council of the European Union, which means new legislation will have to be passed if it gets a 55 percent vote of all member countries and a 65 percent majority of EU citizens.
To coordinate EU external relations, the posts of European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will be merged into a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. To reform the organizational structure, the new treaty has abolished the existing system of rotating the presidency and has appointed a permanent president. However, the new treaty has dropped state-like features such as the EU flag and anthem, and the name European Constitution will not be used anymore. The EU was able to overcome this crisis mainly because it decided to move with the times. The world's forces are now undergoing profound changes. With China, India and other major developing countries rising, the focus of the world is gradually shifting toward Asia. Based on energy advantages, Russia's reinvigoration is also gaining momentum. The EU has realized that only when it becomes stronger and more effective and seeks strength through unity, can its members better uphold their own interests in a world that is becoming increasingly multi-polarized.
First names floated for Sarkozy's EU 'reflection' group
12.12.2007 - 09:29 CET | By Lucia Kubosova
The first names for who should head a 'reflection group' on the EU's future have started to be floated, with the ex-president of Latvia tipped as the hottest candidate.The new group is expected to be given the green light at an EU leaders summit on Friday (14 December).It is the brainchild of French president Nicolas Sarkozy who made the setting up of such a group a condition for Paris letting Turkey proceed with its EU accession negotiations.Mr Sarkozy had wanted the group to focus on a number of contentious issues, including the final borders of Europe.But the mandate of the reflection group has been severely watered down so that it will not touch upon the future borders of Europe and further enlargement or institutional and budgetary issues. We have first decided what we definitely do not want the group to discuss, so the remaining scope has ended up as quite weak, one EU diplomat commented.
Some member states wanted to make sure that the reflection group would not send a negative message to countries that want to join the EU, while others, such as the UK, did not want the group to create the impression that the bloc is planning to push for more political integration or re-open debate on its institutional set-up.The reflection group is expected to set out its ideas on the EU's challenges for 2020 to 2030 in mid 2010.This timetable is so that it will not interfere with the French EU presidency in the second half of 2008, which is due to reflect on the future reform of the bloc's budget.According to French daily Le Monde, following a specific request by the French government, Portugal, the current EU presidency, is planning to hold a debate during Friday's summit in order to get agreement on who should chair the wise group.
So far, four names have been floated among diplomats – former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Jorna Ollila, chairman of Nokia, Felippe Gonzales, the former Spanish prime minister and Pat Cox, ex-president of the European Parliament.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
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)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: 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 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
Cautiously positive assessment of NATO from FIIA
Institute of International Affairs avoids taking direct stand on membership
A report by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) takes a cautiously positive assessment of the NATO alliance.avoids taking a direct stand on whether or not Finland should join NATO. FIIA, which currently works under the Finnish Parliament, says that the report gives a real-time and comprehensive picture of NATO.Helsingin Sanomat has learned that the report notes that Finland and all other countries will have to make decisions on NATO on the basis of incomplete information, because NATO is in a constant state of change.NATO's position as a military alliance of collective defence will nevertheless remain unchanged, FIIA reports. The common European defence is to be organised in the future through NATO alone, alongside national decisions. Not even the countries that are members of both the EU and NATO have proposed organising defence through the European Union, because the EU would not be able to implement security guarantees in reality.
The report repeats the common view that NATO's more recent activities in crisis management will be tested in Afghanistan, which the alliance cannot afford to leave. Finland currently has about 100 soldiers in the NATO-led ISAF forces in Afghanistan.
Joining NATO would not cause permanent damage to Finland's relations with Russia, the report finds, even though membership would probably affect defence planning in the northwest of Russia.
The FIIA researchers deduce that Finland's relationship with NATO will change regardless of whether or not Finland joins the alliance.FIIA drew up its NATO report at the same time that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was drafting a report of its own. The two projects appear to be unrelated.The Foreign Ministry is scheduled to release its report after it has been presented to the foreign policy committee of the President and the government later this month.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
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 have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
From correspondents in Brussels
December 13, 2007 03:21am
NATO expressed deep regret overnight that Russia had suspended a key Soviet-era arms pact, but underlined that the military alliance would not take any retaliatory action.NATO allies deeply regret that the Russian Federation has proceeded with its intention to unilaterally 'suspend' implementation of CFE Treaty obligations as of 12 December 2007, it said. Russia's foreign ministry announced that participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty was suspended from midnight in Moscow (8am AEST Wednesday).Signed in 1990 and modified in 1999, the CFE places precise limits on the stationing of troops and heavy weapons from the Atlantic coast to Russia's Ural mountains - a mammoth agreement that helped resolve the Cold War standoff.
NATO said the 26 member nations expressed willingness to resolve differences with Russia over the treaty and said that they planned to continue, for the moment, to abide by it.They have therefore chosen not to respond in kind at this stage to the Russian Federation's political decision to 'suspend' its legal obligations and NATO allies will continue to meet theirs, without prejudice to any future action they might take, NATO said. Russia attributes its freeze to the failure of NATO members to ratify a revised 1999 version of the treaty but Moscow has also been riled by US plans to deploy an anti-missile shield in two former Soviet satellite states. NATO countries have said they will only ratify the CFE treaty once Moscow lives up to a pledge made in 1999 to pull its troops out of former Soviet republics Georgia and Moldova.However NATO said it continued to place the highest value on the treaty in its entirety and underlined that the nations see it as a cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security. The alliance insisted that it wanted to continue talks with Russia to resolve the outstanding issues. The allies urged Russia to respond to these efforts, including by implementing existing obligations in full, and not to take further steps that would undermine the future of the CFE regime.NATO officials have said that the CFE treaty has no mechanism for suspension, only a method for parties to withdraw from the pact altogether. We note that the Russian Federation's suspension is a unilateral measure not provided for under the terms of the CFE Treaty, NATO said after a meeting with Russian ambassadors in Brussels. This step does not contribute to the long-term viability of the CFE Treaty and we urge the Russian Federation to rescind its decision.NATO allies will carefully monitor the Russian Federation's compliance with its treaty obligations, it said, adding that an opportunity to do so would arise this week during an annual exchange of information on the treaty.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
VATICAN - ISRAEL TALKS
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.
Ice storm causes blackouts, 15 deaths By KEN MILLER, Associated Press Writer DEC 10,07
OKLAHOMA CITY - A wintry storm caked the center of the nation with a thick layer of ice Monday, blacking out more than 600,000 homes and businesses, and more icy weather was on the way. At least 15 deaths in Oklahoma and Missouri were blamed on the conditions, with 13 of them killed on slick highways. A state of emergency was declared for the entire state of Oklahoma, where the sound of branches snapping under the weight of the ice echoed through Oklahoma City.You can hear them falling everywhere, Lonnie Compton said Monday as he shoveled ice off his driveway.The National Weather Service posted ice and winter storm warnings Tuesday for parts of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. Missouri declared an emergency on Sunday and put the National Guard on alert.Oklahoma utilities said a half-million customers were blacked out as power lines snapped under the weight of ice and falling tree branches, the biggest power outage in state history, and utilities in Missouri said more than 100,000 homes and business had no power there.
If you do the math, probably one out of three Oklahomans has no electricity at this point, said Gil Broyles, a spokesman for Oklahoma Gas & Electric, the state's largest utility.Roughly 11,000 customers were blacked out in southern Illinois and more than 5,000 had no electric heat or lights in Kansas, where Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was expecting requests from several counties for emergency declarations.Ice was as much as an inch thick on tree limbs and power lines in parts of the region.Schools across Oklahoma were closed and some hospitals were relying on backup power generators. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers sent 50 generators and three truckloads of bottled water from Texas to distribute to blacked-out areas of Oklahoma.Tulsa International Airport had no power for about 10 hours and halted flight operations for the day, and most morning flights at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City were canceled because of icy runways. Greyhound bus passengers were stranded overnight at a shelter in a church in Tulsa, and were joined by some local residents who had no heat.Portions of Interstate 35 and Interstate 44 were shut down early Monday afternoon in Oklahoma City after ice-laden power lines collapsed and fell into the roadways.Oklahoma utility officials said it could be a week or more before power was fully restored.
This is a big one. We've got a massive situation here and it's probably going to be a week to 10 days before we get power on to everybody, said Ed Bettinger, a spokesman for Public Service Company. It looks like a war zone.The Oklahoma City suburb of Jones, a town of 2,500 people, had low water pressure because there was no electricity to run well pumps, and firefighters said an early morning fire destroyed most of the community's high school.The icy weather stretched into the Northeast, where many schools across upstate New York were closed or started late because of icy roads.On ice-covered Interstate 40 west of Okemah, Okla., four people died in one huge cluster of an accident that involved 11 vehicles, said Highway Patrol Trooper Betsey Randolph.
Eight other people also died on icy Oklahoma roads, and Missouri had one death on a slippery highway. In addition, a homeless person died of hypothermia in Oklahoma City, the state medical examiner's office said.Associated Press writers Jeff Latzke in Oklahoma City, Marcus Kabel in Springfield, Mo., John Milburn in Topeka, Kan., and Cheryl Wittenauer in St. Louis contributed to this report.
PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS
JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME
ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE FINAL JUDGEMENT).
WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Colo. church gunman had been kicked out By JUDITH KOHLER, Associated Press Writer DEC 10,07
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The gunman believed to have killed four people at a megachurch and a missionary training school had been thrown out of the school a few years ago and had been sending it hate mail, police said in court papers Monday. The gunman was identified as Matthew Murray, 24, who was home-schooled in what a friend said was a deeply religious Christian household. Murray's father is a neurologist and a leading multiple-sclerosis researcher.Five people — including Murray — were killed, and five others wounded Sunday in the two eruptions of violence 12 hours and 65 miles apart.The first attack took place at Youth With a Mission, a training center for missionaries in the Denver suburb of Arvada; the other occurred at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where Murray was shot to death by a security guard. The training center maintains an office at the 10,000-member church.
Through both investigations it has been determined that most likely the suspect in both shootings are one in the same, police said in court papers.Colorado Springs police said the common denominator in both locations was Youth With a Mission.It appears that the suspect had been kicked out of the program three years prior and during the past few weeks had sent different forms of hate mail to the program and-or its director, police said.In a statement, the training center said health problems kept Murray from finishing the program. It did not elaborate. Murray did not complete the lecture phase or a field assignment as part of a 12-week program, Youth With a Mission said.The program directors felt that issues with his health made it inappropriate for him to finish, it said.Police gave no immediate details on the hate mail. And the training center said that Murray left in 2002 — five years ago, not three — and that no one there can recall any visits or other communication from him since then.Earlier Monday, a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity said it appeared Murray hated Christians.Investigators have not said whether Murray singled out his victims. But the two people killed at the church — sisters Stephanie and Rachael Works, ages 18 and 16 — frequented the training center, their uncle Mark Schaepe of Lincoln, Neb., told The Gazette of Colorado Springs.Authorities searched the Murray house on a quiet street in Englewood on Monday for guns, ammunition and computers. No one was home when a reporter visited the split-level brick home early Monday. Murray's father, Ronald S. Murray, is chief executive of the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center in Englewood.
Matthew Murray lived there along with a brother, Christopher, 21, a student at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.A neighbor, Cody Askeland, 19, said the brothers were home-schooled, describing the whole family as very, very religious.Christopher studied for a semester at Colorado Christian University before transferring to Oral Roberts, said Ronald Rex, dean of admissions and marketing at Colorado Christian. He said Matthew Murray had been in contact with school officials this summer about attending the school but decided he wasn't interested because he thought the school was too expensive.Police said Murray's only previous brush with the law was a traffic ticket earlier this year.Senior Pastor Brady Boyd of New Life Church said the gunman had no connection to the church. We don't know this shooter, Boyd said. He showed up on our property yesterday with a gun with the intention of hurting people, and he did.The gunman opened fire at 12:30 a.m. at the Youth With a Mission center. Witnesses said the man asked to spend the night there and opened fire with a handgun when he was turned down. They described him as a young man, perhaps 20, in a dark jacket and cap. Later, at New Life Church, a gunman wearing a trench coat and carrying a high-powered rifle opened fire in the parking lot and later walked into the church as a service was letting out. Jeanne Assam, a church member who volunteers as a security guard, shot and killed Murray, who was found with a rifle and two handguns, police said. The pastor called her a real hero.
When the shots were fired, she rushed toward the scene and encountered the attacker there in a hallway. He never got more than 50 feet inside our building, he said. There could have been a great loss of life yesterday, and she probably saved over 100 lives.Boyd said the gunman had a lot of ammunition and estimated that 40 rounds had been fired inside the church, leaving what looked like a war scene.Jessie Gingrich, who had left New Life and was in the parking lot getting into her car, saw the gunman get a rifle from his trunk and open fire on a van with people inside. Gingrich said she cowered in her vehicle, fumbling with the key. I was just expecting for the next gunshot to be coming through my car. Miraculously — by the grace of God — it did not, she told ABC's Good Morning America.About 7,000 people were in and around the church the time of the shooting, Boyd said. Security had been beefed up after the shootings hours earlier in Arvada, he said. The church had a total of 15 to 20 volunteer security officers inside at the time of the attack, he said. Some members of the congregation reacted with compassion and forgiveness, in keeping with their faith. Ashley Gibbs was getting into a car with David Harris when they heard the gunshots. They stayed in the vehicle. It was obvious that he was in some sort of pain and going through a lot, Gibbs told Today.I just prayed God would bring him peace.
New Life, with a largely upper middle-class membership, was founded by the Rev. Ted Haggard, who was dismissed last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him. Haggard admitted committing unspecified sexual immorality.The two people killed at the missionary center were identified as Tiffany Johnson, 26, and Philip Crouse, 24.
Johnson, who grew up in Chisholm, Minn., loved working with children and wanted to see the world, said family friend Carla Macynski. Tiffany was a well-liked, easygoing 26-year-old. She was friendly, adventurous and a definite leader, Macynski said as she choked back tears. Johnson had traveled to Egypt, Libya and South Africa with the missionary group. Crouse, of Alaska, was a former skinhead who went through a dramatic spiritual conversion at 18. He had helped build a foster home at a Crow Indian reservation in Montana, said Ronny Morris, who works with a Denver chapter of the mission. Whenever somebody asks me to give a specific situation where a kid's life has been changed or transformed, I always think of Phil, because he had such a radical transformation of life, said pastor Zach Chandler in Anchorage, Alaska. Youth With a Mission was started in 1960 and now has 1,100 locations with 16,000 full-time staff, said Darv Smith, director of a Youth With a Mission center in Boulder. The Colorado shootings came days after a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a busy department store in Omaha, Neb., killing eight people and himself. Associated Press Religion Writer Eric Gorski and AP staff writers Colleen Slevin and George Merritt in Colorado and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington contributed to this report.
European Union adopts Economic Partnership Agreements regulation 11 December 2007
The European Union (EU) has voted in favour of a regulation that will help bring new trade opportunities to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
Improved access to European markets
At a meeting on 10 December, the European General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) adopted the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Regulation by qualified majority. This formalises the offer of 100% duty-free, quota-free market access to the EU, with improved rules of origin, for ACP countries that have signed World Trade Organization (WTO)-compatible agreements. The European Commission will continue negotiations with those ACP countries that have yet to sign.
To date, 17 countries have signed WTO-compatible agreements:
East African Community: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. East and Southern Africa: Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Mauritius, Malawi and Madagascar.Southern African Development Community: Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho. Pacific: Papua New Guinea and Fiji West Africa: Ivory Coast
Those ACP countries that sign agreements before the end of 2007 will also benefit from this improved access to the EU from 1st January 2008. The European Commission reported that there is a good possibility that Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Namibia and the Caribbean will sign agreements in the coming week. The UK, along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland, made a declaration setting out our continued concern for those countries that have not yet initialled an agreement (see the Declaration below). The Commission will report back to the GAERC in January 2008.
The GAERC declaration on EPAs
Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom welcome the vigorous efforts made by ACP countries and the European Commission to complete EPA negotiations by the close of 2007.We are pleased that to date 17 ACP partners have secured significantly improved market access and opened up strong prospects for regional integration through the EPA framework.We are also pleased that all Least Developed ACP countries will continue to receive duty free and quota free market access through their inclusion in the Everything But Arms initiative.We regret that a number of other developing country ACP partners who are still involved in negotiations on EPAs have not been included in the Regulation and therefore face the risk of higher tariffs from January 2008. We continue to urge the Commission to show flexibility in reaching agreements on goods market access by the end of 2007, and to avoid ACP countries being made worse off from the 1st January.
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.(TR 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).
President Discusses with EU Peace Envoy Developments in Palestinian Territories
RAMALLAH, December 11, 2007 (WAFA)-President Mahmoud Abbas received on Tuesday in the Presidential HQ the European envoy to peace process, Mr. Mark Ott.The President Briefed Mr, Ott on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and the exerted efforts to revive the peace process in light of Annapolis conference.The President also cautioned of the continuation of settlements, particularly after Israel has pledged before Annapolis conference to freeze settlements.For his part, Mr. Ott confirmed the EU support for the peace process and final negotiations as well the implementation of the Road Map, adding that the EU would monitor the commitments of the Palestinian- Israeli sides on the plan.
Palestinian Leader Requests Vatican Presence in Peace Talks
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 10, 2007
(Zenit.org).- Shawqi Jabriel Armali, director of the office of representation to the Holy See of the Palestine Liberation Organization, asked Benedict XVI for an active Vatican presence in Middle East peace talks.The Vatican press office confirmed that the Pope received the Palestinian diplomat in audience today, but did not offer any details of the meeting.According to the French-language news agency I. Media, Armali delivered a message on behalf of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which the leader requests an active presence on the part of the Holy See in the Middle East peace process.
According to the agency, the Palestinian diplomat recognized the important role of the Vatican in the question of Jerusalem's status.Armali was named representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization before the Holy See in November. After meeting with Benedict XVI, he met with the secretary for the relations with states, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
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)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: 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 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
EVIL INVENTIONS ARE PREDICTED IN THE BIBLE.
ROMANS 1:29-32
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Difficult start for EU Battlegroups
By Jim Dorschner 10 December 2007
The next 12 months will be a watershed year in the evolution of a European defence capability as the second wave of EU Battlegroups (EUBGs) go operational and further consideration is given to establishing airlift and helicopter forces. The first two BGs to assume a standby role in January 2007 were Franco-Belgian and German-Dutch-Finnish. In mid-year they were replaced by battlegroups from Hungary-Italy-Slovenia and Bulgaria-Cyprus-Greece-Romania. Under the EU Battlegroup Concept established in 2005, two battlegroups are now on standby to deploy within five to 10 days of approval from the EU Council, providing the ability to conduct two separate operations at once if necessary, self-sustainable for 30 days or up to 120 days with replenishment.
EUBGs are rapid-reaction crisis-response forces organised for specific missions such as conflict prevention, separation of parties by force, military stabilisation, citizen evacuation and humanitarian operations. While they are fully prepared for combat, EUBGs are not intended for high-intensity conflict. With a nominal strength of 1,500 troops built around an infantry battalion with supporting arms and services, numbers can exceed 3,000, depending on attachments. Each battlegroup has a lead nation that provides most of the resources, with partner nations providing sub-capabilities, though several BGs scheduled for deployment by 2011 will be fully constituted by a single country. Operational command and control (C2) of deployed BGs may be exercised by a designated headquarters in the lead nation or one in another country if more appropriate. Activation of the Nordic Battlegroup (NBG) in January 2008 is generating considerable interest as a reflection of lessons learned thus far. As a result, it is a more robust force with a wider range of capabilities, including a helicopter detachment.
The new EU Treaty and the prospects for future integration Friday 7 December 2007 - Various authors, European Policy Centre (EPC)
As European leaders prepare to sign the Treaty of Lisbon on 13 December, a new publication from the European Policy Centre (EPC) considers the outlook for the future of EU integration.The 6 December publication explores how the EU can be turned from an elite-driven project into a people’s one, offering detailed analysis of the key issues currently facing the EU. It identifies the revised institutional balance, enhanced cooperation, the creation of a European public sphere and the implications of the Lisbon treaty for business among the most prominent of these.
The EPC publication features contributions from a wide variety of figures including Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates and European Movement President Pat Cox. Sócrates describes the Lisbon Treaty as a tool for improving the democratic accountability and efficiency of the EU's decision-making process.Moreover, it gives new impetus to the Union's energy and climate change strategies and responds to citizens' demands for it to play a more decisive role in world affairs and the fight against organised crime and terrorism, the Portuguese prime minister adds. Pat Cox calls for a new model of participative democracy that shows citizens that the EU offers an authentic political vision for a modern society and not only a platform for markets, economics and technocracy.
Cox fears that the grand vision of EU integration has slowly been eroded by an intergovernmental approach and the increased assertiveness of national interests over […] the common European good.Peter Sutherland, formerly both WTO director general and an EU commissioner, argues that the new treaty falls far short of being a constitution, so holding referenda to ratify it is clearly neither democratically necessary nor desirable. He speculates that those in favour of popular votes have a destructive motivation, particularly in the UK. Analysing the Lisbon Treaty's implications for business, the EPC's Fabian Zuleeg believes the difficulty in reaching agreement on contentious issues among the EU 27 during the negotiation process indicates a future in which few ambitious projects are likely to be put on the table. Zuleeg argues that without a robust defence of the single market's achievements and the […] positive effects of globalisation, there is a risk that economic integration could lose ground. Other notable contributions come from MEP Richard Corbett and senior EPC figures.
Poll: Danes back EU reform treaty
Posted : Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:27:01 GMT
DPA - Copenhagen - A majority of Danish voters back the new European Union reform treaty, according to an opinion poll published Monday. While 42 per cent would back the new treaty if a referendum were held now, 17 per cent were against, and the remaining 41 per cent were undecided. The poll also suggested that 46 per cent of those surveyed wanted a referendum on the reform treaty while 36 per cent said parliament should vote on it. In October, 59 per cent said they wanted a referendum on the reform treaty. The results of the Catinet poll, commissioned by Danish news agency Ritzau, were released on the eve of an expected Danish government decision on a possible referendum on the treaty.
Last week, the Justice Ministry reviewed the final EU reform treaty text adopted in Lisbon and said the new treaty did not transfer sovereignty from Denmark, and therefore the government was not obliged to call a referendum. Denmark joined the EU in 1973, but obtained opt-outs after voters initially rejected the Maastricht Treaty in a 1992 referendum. The opt-outs include the economic and monetary union, security and defence policy, and justice and home affairs. After elections in November, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the government planned a referendum on one or all of the opt-outs without specifying a date. He later said he did not want to include the opt-outs in a possible referendum on the reform treaty.
WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Europe, Africa look to build new world order
9 Dec, 2007, 1148 hrs IST, AGENCIES
LISBON: A century after European states carved Africa into a series of colonies, Europe is looking to create a new world order -in alliance with Africa. Imagine if we showed that with 1.5 billion people and 80 countries - almost half the UN membership - we can make a real impact, both regionally and as global partners, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the summit of the European and African Unions in Lisbon Saturday. The two continents should create a genuine partnership of solidarity and mutual respect which defends the priorities of Africa and its specific interests in global issues, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak told the 26 European and 53 African leaders. The EU-AU summit - the first in seven years and only the second in history - has been hailed by both sides as a chance to launch a new relationship between the continents.
And one key aim of that relationship, according to the agreement jointly drawn up by representatives of the two organisations, is to develop common responses to global challenges in international fora - including the UN. The EU and AU together represent 80 countries. Eighty votes at the UN is a very big power bloc, so there's no doubt that more comprehensive cooperation could be mutually beneficial, John Kotsopoulos, an Africa expert at the Brussels-based European Policy Centre, told DPA. The two decades since the end of the Cold War have been marked by the emergence of powerful global players such as China, India, Brazil and Russia - states with huge populations, growing financial reserves and immensely powerful corporations. Africa is already the scene of their rivalry, as the new great powers compete for dwindling energy supplies and raw materials. Africa is becoming the new grand chessboard on which the world's great powers manoeuvre. China, the US, Australia, India and Malaysia are more and more pushing elbow to elbow to take control of mineral, oil and gas deposits in Africa, EU Aid and Development Commissioner Louis Michel warned ahead of the summit. And while some African leaders fear that their continent risks becoming the renewed battleground of the world's rising powers, their European counterparts worry that those same powers could sideline Europe on major international issues. In terms of its broader foreign policy, Europe does need more allies, and certainly Africa represents the best opportunity, Kotsopoulos said. Indeed, in many ways a united Africa would be the logical partner for a united Europe in global debates: Europe is Africa's largest trade partner and aid donor, as EU officials regularly point out.
And the two continents have something else in common: neither is home to any of the half-dozen mega-states, which look set to dominate the coming century, such as China, India, the US, Russia and Brazil. The largest state in Africa, Nigeria, with an estimated population of some 120 million, is dwarfed by states such as the US (301 million), let alone China and India, with over a billion each. And even the largest economy in Europe, Germany, looks likely to slip down the global rankings in the next decade as China and India continue to expand at white-hot pace. Given the gradual eclipse of European power, and the resurgence of great-power games in Africa, it is no wonder that the idea of a strategic alliance between the EU and AU has won its supporters on both continents. But one immense problem remains. Both the EU and the AU are clubs of sovereign states, fiercely jealous of their prerogatives and quick to resent what they see as interference from supra-national bureaucracies. The organisations are often deadlocked over key issues, as member states block joint decisions to protect their national interests. And that being the case, no matter how much the institutions in Brussels and Addis Ababa might wish to carve out a place in a new world order, their members look more likely to prefer doing deals with the great powers of the old one. It's far easier to deal with a China that can mobilise massive capital with few conditions, than with a bloc of 27 countries that's still a patchwork of members, Kotsopoulos pointed out. The Chinese don't talk for a long time, they just do it, and very fast, very fast, very fast, Senegalese President Maitre Abdoulaye Wade added.
Support Sought for Temple Mount Synagogue
by Hillel Fendel DEC 11,07
(IsraelNN.com) Haifa's long-time Chief Rabbi She'ar-Yashuv Cohen, who has taken part in many interfaith conferences and gatherings with Moslem religious leaders, says he's trying to gather support for a synagogue on the Temple Mount. Rabbi Cohen, son of the late renowned Torah scholar known as the Nazir, Rabbi David Cohen, chairs the Chief Rabbinate Council for the Establishment of a Synagogue on the Temple Mount. Speaking on a special Temple Mount radio program on Voice of Israel's Moreshet (Tradition)-channel this week, he said he is working in the United States to amass support for the project.Other rabbis have also called for the construction of a Jewish prayer site on the Temple Mount. Former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu is among them, though he has not campaigned for this cause. Other members on the Chief Rabbinate committee are Be'er Sheva's Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri and Tzfat's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu.
Jewish Temple Mount supporters greeted Rabbi Cohen's announcement with enthusiasm. The Movement for the Establishment of the Temple declared, The holiday of Chanukah, commemorating the liberation and purification of the Mount and the Temple, is the perfect time for the establishment of a prayer site for the Jewish People on the Mount. This will be a step towards full Jewish sovereignty over the holy site.Rabbi Cohen took advantage of the opportunity to call upon the observant Jewish public to visit the site of the Holy Temple. He said this must be done only after taking the prescribed Halakhic [Jewish legal] precautions, such as immersing in a mikveh beforehand and others.
Other Temple Mount News
On Monday, the famous golden Menorah (candelabrum) - suitable for use in the Holy Temple, and familiar to visitors to the Cardo section of the Old City of Jerusalem - was relocated to the landing of the wide staircase that leads down from the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall. Click here to see photos of the procession. The $3-million, one-half ton Menorah is protected inside the same type of glass structure that has housed it until now. The Menorah's construction was made possible through the generosity of Vadim Rabinovitch, a leader of the Jewish community of Ukraine. Some 1,500 people took part in the monthly Temple Mount Gates March on Sunday night, Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) Tevet. The event was dedicated to the memory of Ido Zoldan, who was murdered last month by Palestinian terrorists; his family took part in the march.Hundreds of Jews have ascended to the Mount in purity - i.e., according to Jewish Law - on the various days of Chanukah. Rabbis of the Movement for the Establishment of the Temple were on hand to provide guidance and explanations.
Vatican, Israel set for new talks on diplomatic accord
Jerusalem, Dec. 11, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Israeli and Vatican negotiators will meet on December 12 for the latest round of talks on a long-awaited juridical pact. But the odds of real diplomatic progress appear remote, the AsiaNews service reports. Vatican officials have shown mounting impatience at the absence of an accord settling the economic and legal rights of Church institutions in Israel. That pact was promised as part of the fundamental accord that was signed in 1993, provided for Vatican recognition of Israel and the establishment of diplomatic relations. But negotiations stalled in 1994, and did not resume until American diplomatic pressure brought Israel's representatives back to the bargaining table in 2004. Even since the resumption of formal talks, Vatican representatives have complained that their Israeli counterparts seemed uninterested in concluding an agreement. In November 2007, Archbishop Pietro Sambi-- formerly the apostolic nuncio in Jerusalem, now stationed in Washington-- caused a stir by saying that Israel has consistently failed to fulfill its diplomatic promises. Last week Ambassador Oded Ben Hur, the Israeli envoy to the Holy See, told reporters in Rome that an agreement was near completion, with 85% of the issues now resolved. But Vatican officials have expressed misgivings about the prospects for a speedy resolution.
The ranking officials at this week's talks will be Israel's deputy foreign minister, Majali Wahabi (who is a member of Israel's Druze minority) and his Vatican counterpart, Msgr. Pietro Parolin.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
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 have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) 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.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, 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.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
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.
Olmert says Iran still seeking nuclear bomb
Tue Dec 11, 2007 3:35pm EST
JERUSALEM, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that Iran was still pursuing a nuclear weapon and called on the international community to pressure the Islamic Republic to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.It was the first time Olmert commented publicly on a U.S. intelligence report published last week that said Iran's nuclear weapon programme had been on hold since 2003.The U.S. report has created exaggerated debate, Olmert said at a security conference. Nothing has changed. Iran was and still is dangerous, and we need even stronger international pressure to dissuade Iran from its nuclear direction.
Israel, which is thought to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, believes Iran could have a nuclear bomb by 2010 and says an Iranian nuclear weapon would threaten Israel's existence.Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says it is enriching uranium only for use in generating electricity.A country rich in oil and gas does not need to enrich uranium for civilian needs to create alternative energy, Olmert said.Olmert said Iran was seeking two components necessary to build a nuclear weapon by developing sophisticated ballistic weapons systems and enriching uranium. (Writing by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Stephen Weeks)
Medvedev: Putin should be prime minister By DOUGLAS BIRCH, Associated Press Writer Tue Dec 11, 2:35 PM ET
MOSCOW - The day after President Vladimir Putin threw his colossal political weight behind a loyal aide in the 2008 presidential race, the aide returned the favor Tuesday, urging Putin to accept the post of prime minister. After a series of improbable twists, Russia's political course — for years the source of speculation and uncertainty — suddenly seems to have been carved in the red granite on Lenin's Tomb.If he chooses, Putin appears ready to retain effective power for the next several years — and possibly far beyond that.On Monday, Putin endorsed Dmitry Medvedev, a first deputy prime minister who has faithfully served Putin since the Russian leader's days in St. Petersburg city hall, in the March 2 presidential contest.With the Kremlin's money, media and political machinery behind him, Medvedev seems assured of victory.On Tuesday, Medvedev pressed Putin to accept the post of prime minister — although Putin, who always seems to be testing the political waters, has pointedly not yet accepted.The final piece of Russia's political jigsaw puzzle — acceptance of the offer — seems likely to fall into place in the next few days.
If Medvedev becomes president and Putin prime minister, Medvedev would hold the more powerful office — under the constitution. Putin has spent nearly eight years expanding the Russian president's already considerable statutory powers.But that could change. Following Dec. 2 elections, Putin's United Russia party controls 70 percent of the seats in parliament, more than enough to muster the two-thirds majority needed to alter the constitution.
Putin has said in the past he would consider accepting the prime minister's post, but would oppose increasing its powers at the expense of the president.Some analysts point out, however, that tinkering with the constitution might not be necessary.Andrei Kortunov of the Eurasia Foundation in Moscow told AP Television News that if Putin becomes prime minister, the center of gravity will readily shift away from the president's office to Putin.There has also been talk, among analysts and insiders, that Putin's successor would resign within a few months of the presidential election, enabling Putin to run again.Any independent new president might find it difficult to fill Putin's shoes.With approval ratings of over 80 percent, nobody in Russia comes close to matching his popularity.He presided over Russia's energy-dependent economy at a time when oil prices were doubling and tripling. His successor could face more moderate growth.Nor would it be easy to manage the Kremlin that Putin built. Putin has filled key positions with fellow veterans of the KGB or other Russian security services, whom analysts say rely on Putin to divide up power and settle disputes.Medvedev is a political outsider. He has spent most of his working life as Putin's aide, has never run for office and has no power base aside from Putin's patronage. His image is mostly that of a creative problem solver, but essentially a technocrat — good at figuring out how to achieve his boss' goals. In his televised speech proposing Putin as prime minister, Medvedev suggested that he does not think he could run Russia as effectively as his mentor has. Putin, Medvedev said, prevented Russia's economic collapse and averted civil war.
Having expressed my readiness to run for president of Russia, I appeal to him with a request to give his agreement in principal to head the Russian government after the election of the new president of our country, Medvedev said. President Bush did not want to comment directly on Putin assuming the prime minister post, saying he does not have firsthand knowledge of Putin's plans and cautioning: We just better let the elections play out and see what happens. But he seemed dismissive of the idea. Just let me say this: It is not something I would want to do, Bush said in an interview with ABC News. I want to serve my time as president of the country and move on and let somebody else take the helm and that is exactly what is going to happen here.Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a scholar who studies Russia's political leadership class, told The Associated Press the Kremlin's current political maneuvering bore similarities to one of Shakespeare's political dramas. Medvedev may have the leading role, she said, but the author is Putin and his Politburo, she said, referring to the ruling body of the Soviet Union's Communist party. She described the relationship between the 55-year-old Putin, a tough former intelligence officer, and the 42-year-old Medvedev, the scholarly son of university professors, as that of a father and son. Putin, she said, will show the way and take key decisions.When the late President Boris Yeltsin named Putin as his successor in 1999, some analysts point out, Putin was expected to remain loyal to Yeltsin. Instead, he pushed his former mentor to the margins. Boris Makarenko, deputy director of the Center for Political Technologies, an independent Moscow think tank, told the AP Putin may continue to rule at first but gradually cede power to Medvedev. But Kryshtanovskaya predicted Medvedev will have neither the inclination nor the opportunity to claim Putin's authority. As to real power, he won't have much, she said. He can't have his own view separate from the general line.Lilia Shevtsova of the Carnegie Moscow Center told the AP that she was not certain Putin will accept Medvedev's offer. To say 'done deal' when everything is moving and changes every minute — let's wait and see, she said.
For Putin to accept the premiership under Medvedev, she said, would be humiliating and destabilizing. What there would be is a paralysis of power, and the elite and society would not know who the real boss is, she said. In some of his first public comments since Putin backed him, Medvedev struck a firm tone, but did not stray far from his mentor's shadow. Echoing Putin's rhetoric, Medvedev declared Tuesday that Russia would no longer tolerate being patronized or ignored by the West. The world's attitudes toward Russia have been changed, he said. They don't lecture us like schoolchildren. They respect us and they reckon with us. Russia has regained its proper position in the world community.In the past, Medvedev has served as Russia's softer face, especially for foreign investors. He is often described as liberal because he has occasionally defended Russia's democratic institutions, which have been weakened under Putin. But some analysts say that he has no discernible political positions of his own. Chris Weafer, chief strategist at UralSib, a Russian investment bank, said in a statement Tuesday that the combination of President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin was a dream team for investors. He predicted the Kremlin's political moves should ensure a smooth transition of power. But, he added, recent events prove yet again the folly of trying to second-guess developments in Russian politics.Associated Press writers Jim Heintz, Mike Eckel, Mansur Mirovalev and Steve Gutterman in Moscow contributed to this report.
The 'four-phase' approach
By URI SAVIR Jerusalem post
In May 1996, permanent status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership officially began. I represented Israel and my Palestinian counterpart was Mahmoud Abbas. The discussion of permanent status issues lasted only two hours. Instead, we opted to commence our negotiations by talking about the desired outcome of Israel's and the future Palestinian state's relations. We intended to give this focus several months' time and to postpone resolution of the final status issues to the last stage. It seemed to me then, as it does now, that negotiations tend to be unnecessarily constrained by efforts to resolve the past, rather than channeling mutual energies toward the future. The lesson for our upcoming negotiations is that the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations must be tackled with the same vigor and vision as the resolution of permanent status issues.
On that basis, I propose a four-phase negotiation process:
Phase One: Normalization of relations -
From the outset, negotiators must share a long-term vision for future Israeli-Palestinian relations that entails close diplomatic, consular and cultural ties. The quality of such relations should be predicated on normalization and cooperation, exceeding Israel's present experience with Egypt and Jordan, and which sets the stage for potential normative relations with other Arab nations. To that end, a partnership should embody strong economic cooperation, joint ventures on industrial zones, a free trade area with the US and Europe, and a mutual approach to shared water and regional resources. A broad program of people-to-people activities financed by the international community should be cultivated to create a comprehensive culture of peaceful coexistence among all levels of society. That will ultimately facilitate more formal peacemaking methods. From youth programs to inter-city projects, professional cooperation to the broad involvement of both civic societies, a growing culture of peace is conducive to effective negotiations.
Phase Two: Security arrangements -
Israel will have far less difficulty agreeing to concessions if its leadership trusts that security and anti-terrorist measures will be satisfied, including the full implementation of the first phase of the Quartet's road map - dismantling the terrorist infrastructure beginning with the West Bank. Regarding the Gaza Strip, it is not inconceivable that progress in the political process will seriously weaken Hamas and its terrorist capacity, whose dismantlement is a precondition to the creation of a Palestinian state. Security clauses should include detailed arrangements that address the security concerns of both sides - they may also encompass a regional anti-terror agreement along the lines of the 1996 Sharm-e-Sheikh anti-terror declaration. In this context, comprehensive security measures and shared intelligence can be renewed in good faith.
Phase Three: Democracy - The Palestinian state and its institutions -
Of crucial significance to Israel is the emergence of a democratic Palestinian state with modern institutions and a transparent and accountable economy - a first Arab democracy. This would also facilitate cooperation between Palestinian ministers and their Israeli counterparts, particularly in the areas of finance, education, health, agriculture and water resources. In such negotiations the Quartet's representative, Tony Blair, could also be involved as an additional external neutral influence.
Phase Four: Borders, refugees & settlements -
Negotiations of the thornier permanent status issues should commence early on through secret back-channel discussions so that more creative and comprehensive solutions can be explored and fleshed out. These talks must filter up to the leadership level during the final phase of negotiations (approximately September 2008). I SUSPECT most of us can already predict the nature of any permanent status agreement: Permanent borders on the basis of 1967 armistice lines, with modifications that include 1:1 land swaps that enable Israel to create settlement blocks in the West Bank.
On the question of Jerusalem, Arab and Jewish neighborhoods would ultimately be governed by the respective Palestinian and Israeli entities. Such an arrangement would secure unprecedented international recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.
As for the holy sites, their sovereignty should be determined by religion - the Western Wall and synagogues to Israel; the mosques and churches to Palestine. Of course, the Temple Mount itself would have a special cooperative status in terms of excavations and/or construction. There is no reason why other more creative solutions cannot be found for this unique city; one such example could be a United Nations declaration of Jerusalem as the world capital for peace. Conceivably, the UN could transfer a substantial number of its institutions, such as UNESCO or the headquarters for peacekeeping forces to Jerusalem, as both a symbolic and practical measure. On the refugee issue, the Palestinians must bite the bullet. Not even the most moderate of Israelis (including myself) could agree to the influx of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into sovereign Israel. Just as Israelis will not ultimately have a right to return to Hebron, notwithstanding their close ancestral and historic ties, the Palestinians cannot expect a right to return to Safed at the conclusion of any negotiated peace deal. Accordingly, a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian refugee issue must for the most part involve the repatriation of Palestinians to their own homeland in a future Palestinian state.
In addition, certain 1948 Palestinian refugees may be financially compensated by an international community fund, to which Israel would contribute. Resettlement of refugees to other countries - including Israel - is also an option, but any such migration will necessarily be governed by domestic legislation that contains a right to veto the entry of certain Palestinians.Concurrent with these negotiations, a trilateral committee involving the US, Israel and the Palestinians must be established in order to monitor the implementation of the road map by both sides and the progress of the permanent status negotiations as envisaged by the recent Annapolis conference. Ultimately, the role of the international community is instrumental, particularly when it comes to affording sizable economic and financial aid to the Palestinian economy. As the peace process gathers momentum, one can picture an emboldened Abu Mazen and a weaker Hamas, which is in both the Israeli and American strategic interests. Permanent status is an imperative for 2008. Failure to meet that goal would favor extremism on both sides, while success is a genuine possibility if negotiations are entered into in good faith, and on the right footing. The writer is president of the Peres Center for Peace, and was Israel's chief negotiator for the Oslo Accords.
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.
Ice storm causes blackouts, 15 deaths By KEN MILLER, Associated Press Writer DEC 10,07
OKLAHOMA CITY - A wintry storm caked the center of the nation with a thick layer of ice Monday, blacking out more than 600,000 homes and businesses, and more icy weather was on the way. At least 15 deaths in Oklahoma and Missouri were blamed on the conditions, with 13 of them killed on slick highways. A state of emergency was declared for the entire state of Oklahoma, where the sound of branches snapping under the weight of the ice echoed through Oklahoma City.You can hear them falling everywhere, Lonnie Compton said Monday as he shoveled ice off his driveway.The National Weather Service posted ice and winter storm warnings Tuesday for parts of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. Missouri declared an emergency on Sunday and put the National Guard on alert.Oklahoma utilities said a half-million customers were blacked out as power lines snapped under the weight of ice and falling tree branches, the biggest power outage in state history, and utilities in Missouri said more than 100,000 homes and business had no power there.
If you do the math, probably one out of three Oklahomans has no electricity at this point, said Gil Broyles, a spokesman for Oklahoma Gas & Electric, the state's largest utility.Roughly 11,000 customers were blacked out in southern Illinois and more than 5,000 had no electric heat or lights in Kansas, where Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was expecting requests from several counties for emergency declarations.Ice was as much as an inch thick on tree limbs and power lines in parts of the region.Schools across Oklahoma were closed and some hospitals were relying on backup power generators. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers sent 50 generators and three truckloads of bottled water from Texas to distribute to blacked-out areas of Oklahoma.Tulsa International Airport had no power for about 10 hours and halted flight operations for the day, and most morning flights at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City were canceled because of icy runways. Greyhound bus passengers were stranded overnight at a shelter in a church in Tulsa, and were joined by some local residents who had no heat.Portions of Interstate 35 and Interstate 44 were shut down early Monday afternoon in Oklahoma City after ice-laden power lines collapsed and fell into the roadways.Oklahoma utility officials said it could be a week or more before power was fully restored.
This is a big one. We've got a massive situation here and it's probably going to be a week to 10 days before we get power on to everybody, said Ed Bettinger, a spokesman for Public Service Company. It looks like a war zone.The Oklahoma City suburb of Jones, a town of 2,500 people, had low water pressure because there was no electricity to run well pumps, and firefighters said an early morning fire destroyed most of the community's high school.The icy weather stretched into the Northeast, where many schools across upstate New York were closed or started late because of icy roads.On ice-covered Interstate 40 west of Okemah, Okla., four people died in one huge cluster of an accident that involved 11 vehicles, said Highway Patrol Trooper Betsey Randolph.
Eight other people also died on icy Oklahoma roads, and Missouri had one death on a slippery highway. In addition, a homeless person died of hypothermia in Oklahoma City, the state medical examiner's office said.Associated Press writers Jeff Latzke in Oklahoma City, Marcus Kabel in Springfield, Mo., John Milburn in Topeka, Kan., and Cheryl Wittenauer in St. Louis contributed to this report.
PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS
JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME
ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE FINAL JUDGEMENT).
WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Colo. church gunman had been kicked out By JUDITH KOHLER, Associated Press Writer DEC 10,07
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The gunman believed to have killed four people at a megachurch and a missionary training school had been thrown out of the school a few years ago and had been sending it hate mail, police said in court papers Monday. The gunman was identified as Matthew Murray, 24, who was home-schooled in what a friend said was a deeply religious Christian household. Murray's father is a neurologist and a leading multiple-sclerosis researcher.Five people — including Murray — were killed, and five others wounded Sunday in the two eruptions of violence 12 hours and 65 miles apart.The first attack took place at Youth With a Mission, a training center for missionaries in the Denver suburb of Arvada; the other occurred at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where Murray was shot to death by a security guard. The training center maintains an office at the 10,000-member church.
Through both investigations it has been determined that most likely the suspect in both shootings are one in the same, police said in court papers.Colorado Springs police said the common denominator in both locations was Youth With a Mission.It appears that the suspect had been kicked out of the program three years prior and during the past few weeks had sent different forms of hate mail to the program and-or its director, police said.In a statement, the training center said health problems kept Murray from finishing the program. It did not elaborate. Murray did not complete the lecture phase or a field assignment as part of a 12-week program, Youth With a Mission said.The program directors felt that issues with his health made it inappropriate for him to finish, it said.Police gave no immediate details on the hate mail. And the training center said that Murray left in 2002 — five years ago, not three — and that no one there can recall any visits or other communication from him since then.Earlier Monday, a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity said it appeared Murray hated Christians.Investigators have not said whether Murray singled out his victims. But the two people killed at the church — sisters Stephanie and Rachael Works, ages 18 and 16 — frequented the training center, their uncle Mark Schaepe of Lincoln, Neb., told The Gazette of Colorado Springs.Authorities searched the Murray house on a quiet street in Englewood on Monday for guns, ammunition and computers. No one was home when a reporter visited the split-level brick home early Monday. Murray's father, Ronald S. Murray, is chief executive of the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center in Englewood.
Matthew Murray lived there along with a brother, Christopher, 21, a student at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.A neighbor, Cody Askeland, 19, said the brothers were home-schooled, describing the whole family as very, very religious.Christopher studied for a semester at Colorado Christian University before transferring to Oral Roberts, said Ronald Rex, dean of admissions and marketing at Colorado Christian. He said Matthew Murray had been in contact with school officials this summer about attending the school but decided he wasn't interested because he thought the school was too expensive.Police said Murray's only previous brush with the law was a traffic ticket earlier this year.Senior Pastor Brady Boyd of New Life Church said the gunman had no connection to the church. We don't know this shooter, Boyd said. He showed up on our property yesterday with a gun with the intention of hurting people, and he did.The gunman opened fire at 12:30 a.m. at the Youth With a Mission center. Witnesses said the man asked to spend the night there and opened fire with a handgun when he was turned down. They described him as a young man, perhaps 20, in a dark jacket and cap. Later, at New Life Church, a gunman wearing a trench coat and carrying a high-powered rifle opened fire in the parking lot and later walked into the church as a service was letting out. Jeanne Assam, a church member who volunteers as a security guard, shot and killed Murray, who was found with a rifle and two handguns, police said. The pastor called her a real hero.
When the shots were fired, she rushed toward the scene and encountered the attacker there in a hallway. He never got more than 50 feet inside our building, he said. There could have been a great loss of life yesterday, and she probably saved over 100 lives.Boyd said the gunman had a lot of ammunition and estimated that 40 rounds had been fired inside the church, leaving what looked like a war scene.Jessie Gingrich, who had left New Life and was in the parking lot getting into her car, saw the gunman get a rifle from his trunk and open fire on a van with people inside. Gingrich said she cowered in her vehicle, fumbling with the key. I was just expecting for the next gunshot to be coming through my car. Miraculously — by the grace of God — it did not, she told ABC's Good Morning America.About 7,000 people were in and around the church the time of the shooting, Boyd said. Security had been beefed up after the shootings hours earlier in Arvada, he said. The church had a total of 15 to 20 volunteer security officers inside at the time of the attack, he said. Some members of the congregation reacted with compassion and forgiveness, in keeping with their faith. Ashley Gibbs was getting into a car with David Harris when they heard the gunshots. They stayed in the vehicle. It was obvious that he was in some sort of pain and going through a lot, Gibbs told Today.I just prayed God would bring him peace.
New Life, with a largely upper middle-class membership, was founded by the Rev. Ted Haggard, who was dismissed last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him. Haggard admitted committing unspecified sexual immorality.The two people killed at the missionary center were identified as Tiffany Johnson, 26, and Philip Crouse, 24.
Johnson, who grew up in Chisholm, Minn., loved working with children and wanted to see the world, said family friend Carla Macynski. Tiffany was a well-liked, easygoing 26-year-old. She was friendly, adventurous and a definite leader, Macynski said as she choked back tears. Johnson had traveled to Egypt, Libya and South Africa with the missionary group. Crouse, of Alaska, was a former skinhead who went through a dramatic spiritual conversion at 18. He had helped build a foster home at a Crow Indian reservation in Montana, said Ronny Morris, who works with a Denver chapter of the mission. Whenever somebody asks me to give a specific situation where a kid's life has been changed or transformed, I always think of Phil, because he had such a radical transformation of life, said pastor Zach Chandler in Anchorage, Alaska. Youth With a Mission was started in 1960 and now has 1,100 locations with 16,000 full-time staff, said Darv Smith, director of a Youth With a Mission center in Boulder. The Colorado shootings came days after a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a busy department store in Omaha, Neb., killing eight people and himself. Associated Press Religion Writer Eric Gorski and AP staff writers Colleen Slevin and George Merritt in Colorado and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington contributed to this report.
European Union adopts Economic Partnership Agreements regulation 11 December 2007
The European Union (EU) has voted in favour of a regulation that will help bring new trade opportunities to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
Improved access to European markets
At a meeting on 10 December, the European General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) adopted the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Regulation by qualified majority. This formalises the offer of 100% duty-free, quota-free market access to the EU, with improved rules of origin, for ACP countries that have signed World Trade Organization (WTO)-compatible agreements. The European Commission will continue negotiations with those ACP countries that have yet to sign.
To date, 17 countries have signed WTO-compatible agreements:
East African Community: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. East and Southern Africa: Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Mauritius, Malawi and Madagascar.Southern African Development Community: Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho. Pacific: Papua New Guinea and Fiji West Africa: Ivory Coast
Those ACP countries that sign agreements before the end of 2007 will also benefit from this improved access to the EU from 1st January 2008. The European Commission reported that there is a good possibility that Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Namibia and the Caribbean will sign agreements in the coming week. The UK, along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland, made a declaration setting out our continued concern for those countries that have not yet initialled an agreement (see the Declaration below). The Commission will report back to the GAERC in January 2008.
The GAERC declaration on EPAs
Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom welcome the vigorous efforts made by ACP countries and the European Commission to complete EPA negotiations by the close of 2007.We are pleased that to date 17 ACP partners have secured significantly improved market access and opened up strong prospects for regional integration through the EPA framework.We are also pleased that all Least Developed ACP countries will continue to receive duty free and quota free market access through their inclusion in the Everything But Arms initiative.We regret that a number of other developing country ACP partners who are still involved in negotiations on EPAs have not been included in the Regulation and therefore face the risk of higher tariffs from January 2008. We continue to urge the Commission to show flexibility in reaching agreements on goods market access by the end of 2007, and to avoid ACP countries being made worse off from the 1st January.
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.(TR 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).
President Discusses with EU Peace Envoy Developments in Palestinian Territories
RAMALLAH, December 11, 2007 (WAFA)-President Mahmoud Abbas received on Tuesday in the Presidential HQ the European envoy to peace process, Mr. Mark Ott.The President Briefed Mr, Ott on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and the exerted efforts to revive the peace process in light of Annapolis conference.The President also cautioned of the continuation of settlements, particularly after Israel has pledged before Annapolis conference to freeze settlements.For his part, Mr. Ott confirmed the EU support for the peace process and final negotiations as well the implementation of the Road Map, adding that the EU would monitor the commitments of the Palestinian- Israeli sides on the plan.
Palestinian Leader Requests Vatican Presence in Peace Talks
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 10, 2007
(Zenit.org).- Shawqi Jabriel Armali, director of the office of representation to the Holy See of the Palestine Liberation Organization, asked Benedict XVI for an active Vatican presence in Middle East peace talks.The Vatican press office confirmed that the Pope received the Palestinian diplomat in audience today, but did not offer any details of the meeting.According to the French-language news agency I. Media, Armali delivered a message on behalf of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which the leader requests an active presence on the part of the Holy See in the Middle East peace process.
According to the agency, the Palestinian diplomat recognized the important role of the Vatican in the question of Jerusalem's status.Armali was named representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization before the Holy See in November. After meeting with Benedict XVI, he met with the secretary for the relations with states, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
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)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: 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 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
EVIL INVENTIONS ARE PREDICTED IN THE BIBLE.
ROMANS 1:29-32
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Difficult start for EU Battlegroups
By Jim Dorschner 10 December 2007
The next 12 months will be a watershed year in the evolution of a European defence capability as the second wave of EU Battlegroups (EUBGs) go operational and further consideration is given to establishing airlift and helicopter forces. The first two BGs to assume a standby role in January 2007 were Franco-Belgian and German-Dutch-Finnish. In mid-year they were replaced by battlegroups from Hungary-Italy-Slovenia and Bulgaria-Cyprus-Greece-Romania. Under the EU Battlegroup Concept established in 2005, two battlegroups are now on standby to deploy within five to 10 days of approval from the EU Council, providing the ability to conduct two separate operations at once if necessary, self-sustainable for 30 days or up to 120 days with replenishment.
EUBGs are rapid-reaction crisis-response forces organised for specific missions such as conflict prevention, separation of parties by force, military stabilisation, citizen evacuation and humanitarian operations. While they are fully prepared for combat, EUBGs are not intended for high-intensity conflict. With a nominal strength of 1,500 troops built around an infantry battalion with supporting arms and services, numbers can exceed 3,000, depending on attachments. Each battlegroup has a lead nation that provides most of the resources, with partner nations providing sub-capabilities, though several BGs scheduled for deployment by 2011 will be fully constituted by a single country. Operational command and control (C2) of deployed BGs may be exercised by a designated headquarters in the lead nation or one in another country if more appropriate. Activation of the Nordic Battlegroup (NBG) in January 2008 is generating considerable interest as a reflection of lessons learned thus far. As a result, it is a more robust force with a wider range of capabilities, including a helicopter detachment.
The new EU Treaty and the prospects for future integration Friday 7 December 2007 - Various authors, European Policy Centre (EPC)
As European leaders prepare to sign the Treaty of Lisbon on 13 December, a new publication from the European Policy Centre (EPC) considers the outlook for the future of EU integration.The 6 December publication explores how the EU can be turned from an elite-driven project into a people’s one, offering detailed analysis of the key issues currently facing the EU. It identifies the revised institutional balance, enhanced cooperation, the creation of a European public sphere and the implications of the Lisbon treaty for business among the most prominent of these.
The EPC publication features contributions from a wide variety of figures including Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates and European Movement President Pat Cox. Sócrates describes the Lisbon Treaty as a tool for improving the democratic accountability and efficiency of the EU's decision-making process.Moreover, it gives new impetus to the Union's energy and climate change strategies and responds to citizens' demands for it to play a more decisive role in world affairs and the fight against organised crime and terrorism, the Portuguese prime minister adds. Pat Cox calls for a new model of participative democracy that shows citizens that the EU offers an authentic political vision for a modern society and not only a platform for markets, economics and technocracy.
Cox fears that the grand vision of EU integration has slowly been eroded by an intergovernmental approach and the increased assertiveness of national interests over […] the common European good.Peter Sutherland, formerly both WTO director general and an EU commissioner, argues that the new treaty falls far short of being a constitution, so holding referenda to ratify it is clearly neither democratically necessary nor desirable. He speculates that those in favour of popular votes have a destructive motivation, particularly in the UK. Analysing the Lisbon Treaty's implications for business, the EPC's Fabian Zuleeg believes the difficulty in reaching agreement on contentious issues among the EU 27 during the negotiation process indicates a future in which few ambitious projects are likely to be put on the table. Zuleeg argues that without a robust defence of the single market's achievements and the […] positive effects of globalisation, there is a risk that economic integration could lose ground. Other notable contributions come from MEP Richard Corbett and senior EPC figures.
Poll: Danes back EU reform treaty
Posted : Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:27:01 GMT
DPA - Copenhagen - A majority of Danish voters back the new European Union reform treaty, according to an opinion poll published Monday. While 42 per cent would back the new treaty if a referendum were held now, 17 per cent were against, and the remaining 41 per cent were undecided. The poll also suggested that 46 per cent of those surveyed wanted a referendum on the reform treaty while 36 per cent said parliament should vote on it. In October, 59 per cent said they wanted a referendum on the reform treaty. The results of the Catinet poll, commissioned by Danish news agency Ritzau, were released on the eve of an expected Danish government decision on a possible referendum on the treaty.
Last week, the Justice Ministry reviewed the final EU reform treaty text adopted in Lisbon and said the new treaty did not transfer sovereignty from Denmark, and therefore the government was not obliged to call a referendum. Denmark joined the EU in 1973, but obtained opt-outs after voters initially rejected the Maastricht Treaty in a 1992 referendum. The opt-outs include the economic and monetary union, security and defence policy, and justice and home affairs. After elections in November, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the government planned a referendum on one or all of the opt-outs without specifying a date. He later said he did not want to include the opt-outs in a possible referendum on the reform treaty.
WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Europe, Africa look to build new world order
9 Dec, 2007, 1148 hrs IST, AGENCIES
LISBON: A century after European states carved Africa into a series of colonies, Europe is looking to create a new world order -in alliance with Africa. Imagine if we showed that with 1.5 billion people and 80 countries - almost half the UN membership - we can make a real impact, both regionally and as global partners, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the summit of the European and African Unions in Lisbon Saturday. The two continents should create a genuine partnership of solidarity and mutual respect which defends the priorities of Africa and its specific interests in global issues, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak told the 26 European and 53 African leaders. The EU-AU summit - the first in seven years and only the second in history - has been hailed by both sides as a chance to launch a new relationship between the continents.
And one key aim of that relationship, according to the agreement jointly drawn up by representatives of the two organisations, is to develop common responses to global challenges in international fora - including the UN. The EU and AU together represent 80 countries. Eighty votes at the UN is a very big power bloc, so there's no doubt that more comprehensive cooperation could be mutually beneficial, John Kotsopoulos, an Africa expert at the Brussels-based European Policy Centre, told DPA. The two decades since the end of the Cold War have been marked by the emergence of powerful global players such as China, India, Brazil and Russia - states with huge populations, growing financial reserves and immensely powerful corporations. Africa is already the scene of their rivalry, as the new great powers compete for dwindling energy supplies and raw materials. Africa is becoming the new grand chessboard on which the world's great powers manoeuvre. China, the US, Australia, India and Malaysia are more and more pushing elbow to elbow to take control of mineral, oil and gas deposits in Africa, EU Aid and Development Commissioner Louis Michel warned ahead of the summit. And while some African leaders fear that their continent risks becoming the renewed battleground of the world's rising powers, their European counterparts worry that those same powers could sideline Europe on major international issues. In terms of its broader foreign policy, Europe does need more allies, and certainly Africa represents the best opportunity, Kotsopoulos said. Indeed, in many ways a united Africa would be the logical partner for a united Europe in global debates: Europe is Africa's largest trade partner and aid donor, as EU officials regularly point out.
And the two continents have something else in common: neither is home to any of the half-dozen mega-states, which look set to dominate the coming century, such as China, India, the US, Russia and Brazil. The largest state in Africa, Nigeria, with an estimated population of some 120 million, is dwarfed by states such as the US (301 million), let alone China and India, with over a billion each. And even the largest economy in Europe, Germany, looks likely to slip down the global rankings in the next decade as China and India continue to expand at white-hot pace. Given the gradual eclipse of European power, and the resurgence of great-power games in Africa, it is no wonder that the idea of a strategic alliance between the EU and AU has won its supporters on both continents. But one immense problem remains. Both the EU and the AU are clubs of sovereign states, fiercely jealous of their prerogatives and quick to resent what they see as interference from supra-national bureaucracies. The organisations are often deadlocked over key issues, as member states block joint decisions to protect their national interests. And that being the case, no matter how much the institutions in Brussels and Addis Ababa might wish to carve out a place in a new world order, their members look more likely to prefer doing deals with the great powers of the old one. It's far easier to deal with a China that can mobilise massive capital with few conditions, than with a bloc of 27 countries that's still a patchwork of members, Kotsopoulos pointed out. The Chinese don't talk for a long time, they just do it, and very fast, very fast, very fast, Senegalese President Maitre Abdoulaye Wade added.
Support Sought for Temple Mount Synagogue
by Hillel Fendel DEC 11,07
(IsraelNN.com) Haifa's long-time Chief Rabbi She'ar-Yashuv Cohen, who has taken part in many interfaith conferences and gatherings with Moslem religious leaders, says he's trying to gather support for a synagogue on the Temple Mount. Rabbi Cohen, son of the late renowned Torah scholar known as the Nazir, Rabbi David Cohen, chairs the Chief Rabbinate Council for the Establishment of a Synagogue on the Temple Mount. Speaking on a special Temple Mount radio program on Voice of Israel's Moreshet (Tradition)-channel this week, he said he is working in the United States to amass support for the project.Other rabbis have also called for the construction of a Jewish prayer site on the Temple Mount. Former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu is among them, though he has not campaigned for this cause. Other members on the Chief Rabbinate committee are Be'er Sheva's Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri and Tzfat's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu.
Jewish Temple Mount supporters greeted Rabbi Cohen's announcement with enthusiasm. The Movement for the Establishment of the Temple declared, The holiday of Chanukah, commemorating the liberation and purification of the Mount and the Temple, is the perfect time for the establishment of a prayer site for the Jewish People on the Mount. This will be a step towards full Jewish sovereignty over the holy site.Rabbi Cohen took advantage of the opportunity to call upon the observant Jewish public to visit the site of the Holy Temple. He said this must be done only after taking the prescribed Halakhic [Jewish legal] precautions, such as immersing in a mikveh beforehand and others.
Other Temple Mount News
On Monday, the famous golden Menorah (candelabrum) - suitable for use in the Holy Temple, and familiar to visitors to the Cardo section of the Old City of Jerusalem - was relocated to the landing of the wide staircase that leads down from the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall. Click here to see photos of the procession. The $3-million, one-half ton Menorah is protected inside the same type of glass structure that has housed it until now. The Menorah's construction was made possible through the generosity of Vadim Rabinovitch, a leader of the Jewish community of Ukraine. Some 1,500 people took part in the monthly Temple Mount Gates March on Sunday night, Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) Tevet. The event was dedicated to the memory of Ido Zoldan, who was murdered last month by Palestinian terrorists; his family took part in the march.Hundreds of Jews have ascended to the Mount in purity - i.e., according to Jewish Law - on the various days of Chanukah. Rabbis of the Movement for the Establishment of the Temple were on hand to provide guidance and explanations.
Vatican, Israel set for new talks on diplomatic accord
Jerusalem, Dec. 11, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Israeli and Vatican negotiators will meet on December 12 for the latest round of talks on a long-awaited juridical pact. But the odds of real diplomatic progress appear remote, the AsiaNews service reports. Vatican officials have shown mounting impatience at the absence of an accord settling the economic and legal rights of Church institutions in Israel. That pact was promised as part of the fundamental accord that was signed in 1993, provided for Vatican recognition of Israel and the establishment of diplomatic relations. But negotiations stalled in 1994, and did not resume until American diplomatic pressure brought Israel's representatives back to the bargaining table in 2004. Even since the resumption of formal talks, Vatican representatives have complained that their Israeli counterparts seemed uninterested in concluding an agreement. In November 2007, Archbishop Pietro Sambi-- formerly the apostolic nuncio in Jerusalem, now stationed in Washington-- caused a stir by saying that Israel has consistently failed to fulfill its diplomatic promises. Last week Ambassador Oded Ben Hur, the Israeli envoy to the Holy See, told reporters in Rome that an agreement was near completion, with 85% of the issues now resolved. But Vatican officials have expressed misgivings about the prospects for a speedy resolution.
The ranking officials at this week's talks will be Israel's deputy foreign minister, Majali Wahabi (who is a member of Israel's Druze minority) and his Vatican counterpart, Msgr. Pietro Parolin.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
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 have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) 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.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, 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.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
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.
Olmert says Iran still seeking nuclear bomb
Tue Dec 11, 2007 3:35pm EST
JERUSALEM, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that Iran was still pursuing a nuclear weapon and called on the international community to pressure the Islamic Republic to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.It was the first time Olmert commented publicly on a U.S. intelligence report published last week that said Iran's nuclear weapon programme had been on hold since 2003.The U.S. report has created exaggerated debate, Olmert said at a security conference. Nothing has changed. Iran was and still is dangerous, and we need even stronger international pressure to dissuade Iran from its nuclear direction.
Israel, which is thought to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, believes Iran could have a nuclear bomb by 2010 and says an Iranian nuclear weapon would threaten Israel's existence.Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says it is enriching uranium only for use in generating electricity.A country rich in oil and gas does not need to enrich uranium for civilian needs to create alternative energy, Olmert said.Olmert said Iran was seeking two components necessary to build a nuclear weapon by developing sophisticated ballistic weapons systems and enriching uranium. (Writing by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Stephen Weeks)
Medvedev: Putin should be prime minister By DOUGLAS BIRCH, Associated Press Writer Tue Dec 11, 2:35 PM ET
MOSCOW - The day after President Vladimir Putin threw his colossal political weight behind a loyal aide in the 2008 presidential race, the aide returned the favor Tuesday, urging Putin to accept the post of prime minister. After a series of improbable twists, Russia's political course — for years the source of speculation and uncertainty — suddenly seems to have been carved in the red granite on Lenin's Tomb.If he chooses, Putin appears ready to retain effective power for the next several years — and possibly far beyond that.On Monday, Putin endorsed Dmitry Medvedev, a first deputy prime minister who has faithfully served Putin since the Russian leader's days in St. Petersburg city hall, in the March 2 presidential contest.With the Kremlin's money, media and political machinery behind him, Medvedev seems assured of victory.On Tuesday, Medvedev pressed Putin to accept the post of prime minister — although Putin, who always seems to be testing the political waters, has pointedly not yet accepted.The final piece of Russia's political jigsaw puzzle — acceptance of the offer — seems likely to fall into place in the next few days.
If Medvedev becomes president and Putin prime minister, Medvedev would hold the more powerful office — under the constitution. Putin has spent nearly eight years expanding the Russian president's already considerable statutory powers.But that could change. Following Dec. 2 elections, Putin's United Russia party controls 70 percent of the seats in parliament, more than enough to muster the two-thirds majority needed to alter the constitution.
Putin has said in the past he would consider accepting the prime minister's post, but would oppose increasing its powers at the expense of the president.Some analysts point out, however, that tinkering with the constitution might not be necessary.Andrei Kortunov of the Eurasia Foundation in Moscow told AP Television News that if Putin becomes prime minister, the center of gravity will readily shift away from the president's office to Putin.There has also been talk, among analysts and insiders, that Putin's successor would resign within a few months of the presidential election, enabling Putin to run again.Any independent new president might find it difficult to fill Putin's shoes.With approval ratings of over 80 percent, nobody in Russia comes close to matching his popularity.He presided over Russia's energy-dependent economy at a time when oil prices were doubling and tripling. His successor could face more moderate growth.Nor would it be easy to manage the Kremlin that Putin built. Putin has filled key positions with fellow veterans of the KGB or other Russian security services, whom analysts say rely on Putin to divide up power and settle disputes.Medvedev is a political outsider. He has spent most of his working life as Putin's aide, has never run for office and has no power base aside from Putin's patronage. His image is mostly that of a creative problem solver, but essentially a technocrat — good at figuring out how to achieve his boss' goals. In his televised speech proposing Putin as prime minister, Medvedev suggested that he does not think he could run Russia as effectively as his mentor has. Putin, Medvedev said, prevented Russia's economic collapse and averted civil war.
Having expressed my readiness to run for president of Russia, I appeal to him with a request to give his agreement in principal to head the Russian government after the election of the new president of our country, Medvedev said. President Bush did not want to comment directly on Putin assuming the prime minister post, saying he does not have firsthand knowledge of Putin's plans and cautioning: We just better let the elections play out and see what happens. But he seemed dismissive of the idea. Just let me say this: It is not something I would want to do, Bush said in an interview with ABC News. I want to serve my time as president of the country and move on and let somebody else take the helm and that is exactly what is going to happen here.Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a scholar who studies Russia's political leadership class, told The Associated Press the Kremlin's current political maneuvering bore similarities to one of Shakespeare's political dramas. Medvedev may have the leading role, she said, but the author is Putin and his Politburo, she said, referring to the ruling body of the Soviet Union's Communist party. She described the relationship between the 55-year-old Putin, a tough former intelligence officer, and the 42-year-old Medvedev, the scholarly son of university professors, as that of a father and son. Putin, she said, will show the way and take key decisions.When the late President Boris Yeltsin named Putin as his successor in 1999, some analysts point out, Putin was expected to remain loyal to Yeltsin. Instead, he pushed his former mentor to the margins. Boris Makarenko, deputy director of the Center for Political Technologies, an independent Moscow think tank, told the AP Putin may continue to rule at first but gradually cede power to Medvedev. But Kryshtanovskaya predicted Medvedev will have neither the inclination nor the opportunity to claim Putin's authority. As to real power, he won't have much, she said. He can't have his own view separate from the general line.Lilia Shevtsova of the Carnegie Moscow Center told the AP that she was not certain Putin will accept Medvedev's offer. To say 'done deal' when everything is moving and changes every minute — let's wait and see, she said.
For Putin to accept the premiership under Medvedev, she said, would be humiliating and destabilizing. What there would be is a paralysis of power, and the elite and society would not know who the real boss is, she said. In some of his first public comments since Putin backed him, Medvedev struck a firm tone, but did not stray far from his mentor's shadow. Echoing Putin's rhetoric, Medvedev declared Tuesday that Russia would no longer tolerate being patronized or ignored by the West. The world's attitudes toward Russia have been changed, he said. They don't lecture us like schoolchildren. They respect us and they reckon with us. Russia has regained its proper position in the world community.In the past, Medvedev has served as Russia's softer face, especially for foreign investors. He is often described as liberal because he has occasionally defended Russia's democratic institutions, which have been weakened under Putin. But some analysts say that he has no discernible political positions of his own. Chris Weafer, chief strategist at UralSib, a Russian investment bank, said in a statement Tuesday that the combination of President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin was a dream team for investors. He predicted the Kremlin's political moves should ensure a smooth transition of power. But, he added, recent events prove yet again the folly of trying to second-guess developments in Russian politics.Associated Press writers Jim Heintz, Mike Eckel, Mansur Mirovalev and Steve Gutterman in Moscow contributed to this report.
The 'four-phase' approach
By URI SAVIR Jerusalem post
In May 1996, permanent status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership officially began. I represented Israel and my Palestinian counterpart was Mahmoud Abbas. The discussion of permanent status issues lasted only two hours. Instead, we opted to commence our negotiations by talking about the desired outcome of Israel's and the future Palestinian state's relations. We intended to give this focus several months' time and to postpone resolution of the final status issues to the last stage. It seemed to me then, as it does now, that negotiations tend to be unnecessarily constrained by efforts to resolve the past, rather than channeling mutual energies toward the future. The lesson for our upcoming negotiations is that the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations must be tackled with the same vigor and vision as the resolution of permanent status issues.
On that basis, I propose a four-phase negotiation process:
Phase One: Normalization of relations -
From the outset, negotiators must share a long-term vision for future Israeli-Palestinian relations that entails close diplomatic, consular and cultural ties. The quality of such relations should be predicated on normalization and cooperation, exceeding Israel's present experience with Egypt and Jordan, and which sets the stage for potential normative relations with other Arab nations. To that end, a partnership should embody strong economic cooperation, joint ventures on industrial zones, a free trade area with the US and Europe, and a mutual approach to shared water and regional resources. A broad program of people-to-people activities financed by the international community should be cultivated to create a comprehensive culture of peaceful coexistence among all levels of society. That will ultimately facilitate more formal peacemaking methods. From youth programs to inter-city projects, professional cooperation to the broad involvement of both civic societies, a growing culture of peace is conducive to effective negotiations.
Phase Two: Security arrangements -
Israel will have far less difficulty agreeing to concessions if its leadership trusts that security and anti-terrorist measures will be satisfied, including the full implementation of the first phase of the Quartet's road map - dismantling the terrorist infrastructure beginning with the West Bank. Regarding the Gaza Strip, it is not inconceivable that progress in the political process will seriously weaken Hamas and its terrorist capacity, whose dismantlement is a precondition to the creation of a Palestinian state. Security clauses should include detailed arrangements that address the security concerns of both sides - they may also encompass a regional anti-terror agreement along the lines of the 1996 Sharm-e-Sheikh anti-terror declaration. In this context, comprehensive security measures and shared intelligence can be renewed in good faith.
Phase Three: Democracy - The Palestinian state and its institutions -
Of crucial significance to Israel is the emergence of a democratic Palestinian state with modern institutions and a transparent and accountable economy - a first Arab democracy. This would also facilitate cooperation between Palestinian ministers and their Israeli counterparts, particularly in the areas of finance, education, health, agriculture and water resources. In such negotiations the Quartet's representative, Tony Blair, could also be involved as an additional external neutral influence.
Phase Four: Borders, refugees & settlements -
Negotiations of the thornier permanent status issues should commence early on through secret back-channel discussions so that more creative and comprehensive solutions can be explored and fleshed out. These talks must filter up to the leadership level during the final phase of negotiations (approximately September 2008). I SUSPECT most of us can already predict the nature of any permanent status agreement: Permanent borders on the basis of 1967 armistice lines, with modifications that include 1:1 land swaps that enable Israel to create settlement blocks in the West Bank.
On the question of Jerusalem, Arab and Jewish neighborhoods would ultimately be governed by the respective Palestinian and Israeli entities. Such an arrangement would secure unprecedented international recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.
As for the holy sites, their sovereignty should be determined by religion - the Western Wall and synagogues to Israel; the mosques and churches to Palestine. Of course, the Temple Mount itself would have a special cooperative status in terms of excavations and/or construction. There is no reason why other more creative solutions cannot be found for this unique city; one such example could be a United Nations declaration of Jerusalem as the world capital for peace. Conceivably, the UN could transfer a substantial number of its institutions, such as UNESCO or the headquarters for peacekeeping forces to Jerusalem, as both a symbolic and practical measure. On the refugee issue, the Palestinians must bite the bullet. Not even the most moderate of Israelis (including myself) could agree to the influx of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into sovereign Israel. Just as Israelis will not ultimately have a right to return to Hebron, notwithstanding their close ancestral and historic ties, the Palestinians cannot expect a right to return to Safed at the conclusion of any negotiated peace deal. Accordingly, a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian refugee issue must for the most part involve the repatriation of Palestinians to their own homeland in a future Palestinian state.
In addition, certain 1948 Palestinian refugees may be financially compensated by an international community fund, to which Israel would contribute. Resettlement of refugees to other countries - including Israel - is also an option, but any such migration will necessarily be governed by domestic legislation that contains a right to veto the entry of certain Palestinians.Concurrent with these negotiations, a trilateral committee involving the US, Israel and the Palestinians must be established in order to monitor the implementation of the road map by both sides and the progress of the permanent status negotiations as envisaged by the recent Annapolis conference. Ultimately, the role of the international community is instrumental, particularly when it comes to affording sizable economic and financial aid to the Palestinian economy. As the peace process gathers momentum, one can picture an emboldened Abu Mazen and a weaker Hamas, which is in both the Israeli and American strategic interests. Permanent status is an imperative for 2008. Failure to meet that goal would favor extremism on both sides, while success is a genuine possibility if negotiations are entered into in good faith, and on the right footing. The writer is president of the Peres Center for Peace, and was Israel's chief negotiator for the Oslo Accords.
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