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Welcome To Rapture In The Air
This is a Pre Trib Rapture forum and all are welcome who share their love for Our Beloved's return as He promised.There is no debating on this forum about the rapture or denominational issues.We are here for one another in friendship, love, and prayer as we watch together for Jesus's soon return. "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12 (NKJV)
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| Viewing Page 1 of 13 (Total Posts: 638) |
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Karen
Jun 11, 08 - 12:02 PM |
Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Let's start a new thread for News Articles. I thought since Karen does the majority of the news reporting, we would put her name on this sticky! Thanks Karen! |
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Valerie
Jun 11th, 2008 - 12:15 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
News From Israel |
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Karen
Jun 11th, 2008 - 6:26 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
FOXNEWS.COM HOME > POLITICS Bush Meets With Merkel, Says 'All Options on the Table' Regarding Iran Wednesday, June 11, 2008 MESEBERG, Germany — U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday that his first choice is to resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran by using diplomacy, but "all options are on the table." The president reinforced the possibility of a military strike against Iran, even as a last resort, during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Bush warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would be a danger to world peace, and he is rallying European allies to back sanctions. The American president is pushing Iran to halt its uranium enrichment work in a verifiable way. Iran insists it is enriching only for peaceful purposes. Bush said, "I told the chancellor my first choice, of course, is to solve this diplomatically." He quickly added, "all options are on the table." Merkel said if Iran does not agree to suspend its enrichment program, additional sanctions would be needed. "The offer has been put on the table to Iran, but ... if Iran does not meet its commitments, then further sanctions will simply have to follow," she said. "We again said we want to give room for diplomatic solutions, we want to give diplomacy a chance, but we also have to stay on that particular issue." She said the global community is unified, that U.N. sanctions have been effective, and that it's important that all of the existing sanctions are implemented. Bush on Tuesday won new European promises to tighten pressure on Tehran, possibly with new sanctions. The president had not mentioned the prospect of "all options" just a day earlier in Slovenia when discussing Iran, although he has before. "Our position is that we ought to enforce the sanctions in place and we ought to work with our allies to levy additional sanctions if they choose — if the Iranians choose to continue to ignore the demands of the free world," Bush said. Merkel said she favors having sanctions decided through the U.N. Security Council, but that does not preclude any discussion within the European Union about whether there are other punitive measures, perhaps in the banking sector. Addressing opponents of taking certain sanctions, Merkel said, "Let us think of the people in Iran. This is what is essential. I think these people deserve a better outlook. ... And we would hope that the leadership in Iran would finally see reason." The diplomatic pressure came as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday said Bush's era "has come to an end" and he has failed in his goals to attack Iran and stop its nuclear program. Ahmadinejad said pressures and sanctions won't succeed in forcing Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program. "If the enemy thinks they can break the Iranian nation with pressure, they are wrong," he said. Bush also was asked about the war in Iraq, and he said the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 was the right decision. "I don't regret it at all," Bush said, although he said he wished he hadn't used some language such as "dead or alive" when talking about Osama bin Laden or "bring them on" when talking about insurgents in Iraq. Bush also said he is not seeking permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. The two leaders also discussed climate change, Afghanistan, how the demand for biofuels is exerting upward pressure on food prices and trade. Merkel said she has not given up hopes of completing global trade negotiations being conducted under the auspices of the World Trade Organization. However, the so-called Doha Round of trade negotiations is at an impasse because of battles between wealthy countries and developing nations over such issues as farm subsidies. "We have every chance to come to a successful outcome," she said. "We will see to it. We will pool all our efforts in order to bring this about." _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 11th, 2008 - 6:33 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Iran, Turkey share common interests Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - ?2005 IranMania.com LONDON, June 11 (IranMania) - The Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says that the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey have common interests and concerns, PressTV reported. "Iran is ready to promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Turkey. The two countries can make use of their great political potential to establish peace and stability in the region," Mottaki said in a meeting with Turkey's new Ambassador to Tehran, Selim Karaosmanoglu, who submitted a copy of his credentials to the Iranian foreign minister. Mottaki added that an advanced and powerful Turkey would be beneficial to Iran and stressed the necessity of continuing constant exchanges between the two countries' officials at all levels. Karaosmanoglu, for his part, said that Turkey attaches special importance to Iran's position and added that Iran and Turkey are among the most stable countries in the region. He called for further expansion of cooperation between the two countries and stated that Turkey is keen on bolstering economic ties with Iran. _________________________ Bush says 'all options on the table' in dealing with Iran -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST Jun. 11, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US President George W. Bush said "all options are on the table" in trying to get Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions. Speaking at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, Bush said that "my first choice is to solve this diplomatically but all options are on the table." Merkel said the two talked about "the offers we are making to Iran but naturally also the fact that if Iran does not respond to them further sanctions must follow." Bush said before anything else "we'll give diplomacy a chance to work" with Iran. Me: I would NOT wait too long to decide. _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 11th, 2008 - 6:34 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Iranian opposition: Teheran targeting France to keep it on EU terror list Jun. 11, 2008 Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST Iran's government is seeking French support to keep a prominent exiled opposition group on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations, the group claimed Wednesday. The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran says Teheran is focusing its pressure on France after a British court ruling last month that invalidated British evidence forming the basis for the EU's 2002 decision to blacklist the group. Iran has denounced the British court decision. EU diplomats fear taking the group off the list would provoke a furious reaction from Teheran and derail talks on Iran's nuclear program, which the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana is hoping to relaunch with a visit to the Iranian capital this weekend. If the court ruling forces the British government to withdraw its original complaint, the EU will have to remove the People's Mujahedeen from the list, unless another European government makes a fresh demand for its inclusion, said Jean-Pierre Spitzer, the group's French lawyer. This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659706390&pagename _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 11th, 2008 - 6:36 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Hezbollah rejects UN control of Shebaa Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:34:00 Press TV - pro iran Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammad Raad has rejected an initiative that would put the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms under the control of the UN. In an interview with al-Manar TV, Raad said that Hezbollah would not reach its goal of liberating the occupied territories if it put the Shebaa Farms under the control of the United Nations. The initiative to place the territory under the control of the United Nations was reportedly put forward by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy visited Lebanon earlier this month to become the first Western head of state to meet with newly-elected President Michel Suleiman, who was elected into office May 25. Suleiman announced during a meeting on Monday with visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband that he would provide the UN with documents 'that will prove the Shebaa Farms belong to Lebanon'. Israel occupied Shebaa Farms in the 1967 war. Syria has insisted the territory belongs to Lebanon but Israel has so far declined to return the land under the pretext of continued ambiguity over its status. According to the plan proposed to the UN, the Shebaa Farms would be demarcated and returned to Lebanon in future stages of the initiative. In another development, Raad referred to the delay in forming a Lebanese government cabinet, saying that no 'serious problems' have occurred in the formation of a new cabinet and that the process simply needed to be managed 'logically'. "We have not received any responses about our suggestions" for cabinet ministers, Raad said. Hezbollah's bloc in the Lebanese government has requested that the opposition choose a Sunni minister and a Druze minister for cabinet positions, a move that would reduce Hezbollah's Shia representation in the government. Hezbollah, however, has also requested that it take control of the Communication Ministry in exchange. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has been in consultations with various parliamentary blocs for more than 10 days in a bid to form a new national unity government but internal disputes between members of the ruling bloc have so far prevented that from happening. _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:26 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
This is rather long, but oh my interesting. The UN needs to be moved out of US for one thing. And the N. Korea thing is very interesting especially since reading Joel Rosenbergs latest book. Report Shows U.N. Development Program Violated U.N. Law, Routinely Passed on Millions to North Korean Regime Wednesday, June 11, 2008 By George Russell NEWS ANALYSIS — After more than two years of accusations and probes into the operations of the United Nations Development Program in North Korea, a weighty report finally reveals how routinely, and systematically, the agency disregarded U.N. regulations on how it conducted itself in Kim Jong-Il’s brutal dictatorship, passing on millions of dollars to the regime in the process. The 353-page report, by a three-member “External Independent Investigative Review Panel” appointed by UNDP to investigate itself, was published with much fanfare last week after nine months of political maneuvering and research. . The report depicts an organization that for years apparently considered itself immune from its own rules of procedure as well as the laws and regulations of countries that were trying to keep weapons of mass destruction out of Kim’s hands. It also shows that UNDP apparently considered itself above the decisions of the United Nations Security Council itself when that organization tried — as it is still trying — to bar Kim from gaining the means to create more weapons of mass destruction. That is the same Security Council whose decisions, U.N. officials argue, have the weight of international law when applied to the United States and the rest of the world. Yet despite those rules, and in the midst of a growing international storm of concern over Kim’s behavior, UNDP’s North Korea office, as well as other UNDP offices, continued to hand over millions in hard currency to the Kim regime and to transfer sensitive equipment with potential for terrorist use or for use in creating weapons of mass destruction. “What this report shows is that UNDP has operated lawlessly for far too long,” said Mark Wallace, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who brought many of the original accusations against the U.N. anti-poverty agency to light in January 2007 after examining confidential UNDP internal audits of its North Korean operation. “U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has indicated that integrity is a high U.N. priority," Wallace said. "It is now up to UNDP to follow that direction.” The latest panel report initially was passed on to reporters on June 2 by UNDP boss Kemal Dervis at an unusual press conference where he hailed the report’s conclusions, saying that “we finally have some closure on the allegations made against UNDP.” The actual authors of the report were not available for questioning or comment, Dervis said, until they presented the document to a meeting of UNDP’s supervisory executive board in Geneva. The meeting begins June 16. But a close reading of the long and dense document, replete with mind-numbing footnotes, shows that Dervis is wrong. Among other things, the report confirms that UNDP hired North Korean government employees to fill sensitive core staff posts, in violation of its own regulations, and that the Kim regime picked the staffers. Previously this had been revealed by a report done by the United Nations Board of Auditors in May 2007 in the wake of Wallace’s concern. The 2007 report noted that the same violations had been reported in internal UNDP audits going back to 2001. The UNDP office in North Korea paid the salaries of these staff directly to the government in hard currency — another forbidden practice. The report dryly notes, in a footnote on page 96, “It was not clear how much of these amounts were paid to the National Staff, if any.” In an effort that may have been aimed at keeping at least some staffers from starving, UNDP gave them all hard-currency supplements in cash — another violation of its own rules. The regime employees filled such critical jobs as UNDP finance officer; program officer slots that helped to design and oversee UNDP projects in the country; technology officer, who maintained all of UNDP’s internal and external communications and servers; and even the assistant to the head of the UNDP office, who presumably was in a position to see much, if not all, of the boss’ paperwork. Those violations already were known, although only in the barest detail. But the latest report reveals a fact that makes matters much worse: The regime-appointed finance officer — the person who wrote UNDP’s checks for 10 years — also was responsible for reconciling UNDP’s bank statements with the checkbook. These two functions are supposed to be separated as protection against fraud. The importance of that separation is strongly underlined in UNDP’s basic guidelines called the “Internal Control Framework for UNDP Offices.” The potential for fraud by a North Korean government employee, however, is discussed in the report only in dry bureaucratic language. Despite that the review panel brought documents showing millions of UNDP financial transactions out of North Korea, the report shows — in a footnote buried on page 53 — that the panelists never saw any of some roughly $16.6 million worth of cancelled checks that were signed by UNDP. The reason: Kim’s bankers won’t release the originals or copies. Without the checks, it is impossible to see if the finance officer made them out to cash or if the names on them match UNDP payment records and bank statements. The North Korean regime also refused to let the panelists interview the finance officer. The potential fraud risks are huge. The report notes that in 78 percent of a transaction sample of UNDP payment records that they reviewed, the signature on payment receipts could not be verified. For all the rest there was no sign of a receipt at all. The report declares, with great understatement, that “it is difficult to determine the ultimate beneficiaries of payments made by UNDP-DPRK on behalf of itself.” The panel sharply hikes — by millions of dollars — the amount of hard currency that previous probes indicated UNDP had passed on to the nuclear-arming Kim regime from 1997 to 2007, as Kim was ramping up his nuclear weapons program and ultimately setting off a nuclear explosion. Hard currency transfers to Kim of any kind supposedly were forbidden, but the 2007 investigation already had shown that the rule was violated not only by UNDP but other U.N. agencies in the country. The latest report says that UNDP spent $23.8 million on behalf of itself and other U.N. entities in North Korea, almost all in hard currency that never was supposed to reach Kim. The panel estimates that 38 percent of this, or $9.12 million, went directly to the North Korean government. But that is not all. The report also notes for the first time that other UNDP offices and agencies outside the country chipped in anywhere from $9.5 million to $27.4 million more in hard currency to the Kim regime over the same period, on behalf of the North Korean office. Using the 38 percent yardstick that the panel applied to in-country spending, anywhere from $3.6 million to $10.4 million of those totals might have been directly passed on to the government. In addition, the report makes passing mention of an even bigger flood of cash: $381 million that flowed into North Korea from non-U.N. donors through an arrangement called the Agriculture Recovery and Environmental Protection, or AREP, Cooperation Framework. UNDP projects in North Korea formed part of that framework and, more importantly, helped to support the entire arrangement. But the report goes no further in tracing those funds. Unauthorized hard currency by no means was the only support UNDP was offering Kim. The report greatly raises the number of sensitive “dual use” items — good for civilian use and for terrorist purposes or helping to create weapons of mass destruction — that UNDP handed over to North Korea. These included computers, software, satellite-receiving equipment, spectrometers and other sensitive measuring devices: 95 items in all. The policy of unquestioned transfer of dual use items continued even as the Kim regime in 2006 conducted ballistic missile tests and exploded a low-yield nuclear device to the outrage and dismay of the rest of the world; moreover, UNDP acquired at least some of the items in misleading fashion. The report notes that when some items were purchased, “it was not explicitly stated … that the equipment would be utilized by DPRK nationals working under the auspices of UNDP projects in DPRK.” In at least one instance, the report says, an employee with a UNDP sister agency even supplied false information to a Dutch manufacturer nervous about end-users in North Korea, telling him that the equipment would be used by the UNDP office in Pyongyang when it really was intended for a faraway rural location.The report also shows that UNDP itself rarely asked its suppliers about any possible limits on the use of sensitive export goods and, even when it was explicitly informed, made little, if any, effort to keep records of dual use limitations on equipment. (The report does not say so, but with North Korean government employees operating as program officers, the lack of conscientious record keeping might not come as much of a surprise.) The report then dismisses any notion of holding anyone at UNDP accountable for these spectacular lapses by invoking a concept of blanket immunity. UNDP and its officials, the report notes, are immune from the enforcement of U.S. and other national export control laws imposed for anti-terrorist or national security reasons, under an international U.N. Convention on Privileges and Immunities. The document notes that despite that free pass, a U.N. legal opinion has held that the world organization can be bound by at least some export license limitations when it is retransferring those sensitive goods. But the people really exposed to penalties for most of the transfers are UNDP vendors who supplied the goods, because they lack U.N. immunity. The panel notes that in many cases, lack of knowledge of the true use of the equipment is not considered a legal defense by many nations, including the U.S. Having said that, the report tries to sweep under the rug the explosive topic of UNDP’s obligations to the U.N. itself when the U.N.’s chief executive body, the Security Council, calls — as it did twice in 2006 — for bans of sensitive technologies to Kim. Those bans are known as U.N. Resolution 1695, passed on April 15, 2006, after Kim sent test ballistic missiles in the direction of Japan; and Resolution 1718, passed on Oct. 14, 2006, five days after Kim’s low-yield nuclear blast.Resolution 1695 applied to equipment that might be used in Kim’s ballistic missile program. Resolution 1718, however, was much more sweeping and called for bans on any equipment that might be used in any kind of weapons of mass destruction, as well as travel bans for officials associated with the weapons program. The panel report tries to take as little note of these sanctions as possible. Resolution 1718, for example, is mentioned in a footnote on page 195 of the report. The footnote calls its applicability to UNDP programs “relatively minimal,” and adds, “a significant majority of the equipment bought in connection with the UNDP-DPRK program was purchased before the passage of this resolution such that [it] was inapplicable.” Since the report also notes that the records were badly kept or non-existent, this is a hard assertion to contradict. But it is a highly questionable assumption, at best. The report earlier notes that any UNDP-purchased equipment in North Korea belonged to UNDP until it was officially transferred to a host government. That happened to all the items of dual use equipment in North Korea at the same time — in March 2007. At that time, UNDP shut down its programs after the hue and cry over UNDP practices in North Korea caused the agency to amend some of its practices — changes that the regime refused to accept. UNDP officials have argued, and the report tacitly echoes their view, that the transfer of equipment when agency projects are closed down is normal practice. Hardly normal are Security Council calls for the world, presumably including the U.N. itself, to stop transfers of exactly the kinds of equipment UNDP gave to Kim. There is no sign, for example, that the agency gave any thought to finding another method of asserting its property rights until the sanctions were lifted or of asking other U.N. agencies in North Korea to try to keep tabs on the gear. UNDP “normal practice” apparently trumped world peace and security. The report passes over that complication, involving a rogue regime that had conducted illegal atomic blasts, and that the U.N. itself had declared an outlaw, without comment. With the same effect of sheltering UNDP from charges that it aided in endangering the peace and security of the world, the panel report declares that any charges that UNDP inadequately supervised the projects in North Korea under its care are untenable. It based that conclusion on voluminous paperwork provided by UNDP that proved, the panelists said, that site visits to the project took place frequently and were unimpeded. But the report fails to put those inspections in the context of the fact that four of UNDP’s program and liaison officers, who manage and help to create programs and perform liaison with institutions and vendors involved in the projects — also were North Korean government employees. (The report is equally silent on the role of the Kim regime employee who served as UNDP technology officer, who was in charge of all of the UNDP offices' internal and external communications and its computer servers. UNDP communications and computers are supposed to be sacrosanct in terms of host country snooping. Instead, in North Korea, the potential snoops were in charge of the equipment. The potential implications of that fact are completely unexplored.) Overall, one of the most striking aspects of the report is its lack of curiosity about whether individual members of the UNDP staff should be held accountable for egregious, longstanding and dangerous violations of UNDP rules and international law, not to mention common sense. This applied notably to the presence in UNDP’s North Korean safe for more than a decade of $3,500 in defaced U.S. counterfeit $100 bills — “Super-Note” fakes that the Kim regime famously passed around the world. Possession of counterfeit U.S. bills is a crime. Even given U.N. legal immunities, it might seem an important matter to bring to the attention of one of the organization's biggest donors. Yet no-one informed U.S. authorities and senior UNDP officials claimed no knowledge of the fake funds, even though the bogus money was listed on annual reports of the safe contents for years. The report’s assessment: “There is no evidence that anyone acted in bad faith or in a fraudulent or deceptive manner. Instead, the Panel finds that there was a clear lack of attentiveness at the [office] and Headquarters levels and that communications between the Country Office and UNDP headquarters were inadequate. “Inadequate communications” is the explanation often given in the report for failures that allowed rule-breaking to continue, even as Kim openly brandished his nuclear weapon. The report notes that in August 2006 — four months after the passage of U.N. sanctions Resolution 1695 — the UNDP office in North Korea asked headquarters for guidance on dual use equipment transmissions to North Korea. It never got any. The project, which was based in part on receiving satellite imagery, had equipment that the report says already had been purchased. Then, on Oct. 11, 2006 — two days after the Korean nuclear blast — a UNDP regional supervisor in Thailand answered the guidance request. He ordered UNDP not to purchase any equipment and “to close down the project immediately.” In the same message, according to the panel, the supervisor, Romulo Garcia, said he had received clearance from his bosses to close down the project in late 2005. As it happens, U.N. Resolution 1718, imposing more drastic sanctions on North Korea, went into effect three days after Garcia’s sudden desire to follow up on a two-month-old guidance request. The panel report’s conclusion? The 2005 decision to shut down the project “does not seem to have been communicated to the UNDP-DPRK office, as equipment purchases continued throughout 2006, including some dual use items.” That Garcia apparently did not double-check on whether this highly sensitive order was carried out until a nuclear device exploded and another U.N. sanctions resolution loomed is never discussed in the report. But the lack of discussion speaks volumes, both about UNDP bureaucratic efficiency and about the apparent level of UNDP concern and internal discussion of Kim’s dangerous nuclear plans. There is one prominent exception to the report’s attitude of sympathetic understanding toward UNDP lapses: the whistleblower who brought most of them to outside attention and inspired U.S. diplomats to call for multiple investigations, including the panel report. The report concludes that the whistleblower, a former UNDP-DPRK operations manager named Artjon Shkurtaj did, in fact, perform a service when he brought the situation in the UNDP’s North Korea office to light. But the report emphatically denied there was any retaliation against Shkurtaj when a promotion he already had been given was withdrawn and other short-term contracts he held expired. Such claims, the panel concluded, were “without merit,” as it also made attacks on Shkurtaj’s personal integrity. At the same time, the report offers evidence that the North Korean regime may have been pressuring UNDP to keep Shkurtaj out of the job and reveals the alarming fact that the regime apparently had veto power over UNDP’s ability to fund the position. For his part, Shkurtaj has declared that the authors of the report violated customary U.N. practice when they failed to show their conclusions to him prior to publication. He has appealed to the U.N. chief ethics officer, Robert Benson, to investigate. So it may well be that the ultimate message of the report is that passing on potentially dangerous equipment to a ruthless dictator who threatened his neighbors and defied the U.N. itself apparently was regrettable but otherwise a lapse in communication. Talking about such things outside UNDP apparently was something else. Rather than bringing “closure on the allegations against UNDP,” as the organization’s boss, Dervis, hopes, the North Korean investigative report ought to raise bigger and more urgent questions about UNDP operations around the world. If Kim Jong Il’s despotic government was able to twist UNDP’s rules and its adherence to international law with such ease, what is going on in UNDP offices in dictatorships such as Zimbabwe and Syria? Most urgently of all, as the U.N. wobbles toward further sanctions on the nuclear-ambitious Islamic regime in Iran, what is going on in UNDP offices in Tehran? George Russell is executive editor of FOX News. _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:29 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Washington, Jun 11 - Right at this moment, some 60 miles or less off the coast of Key West, Florida, China is drilling for oil and accessing resources to lower energy costs in that country. Meanwhile, 1,210 miles in the opposite direction from Key West, Democrats in Washington, DC continue to block the United States from conducting environmentally-safe oil and gas exploration in similar areas off U.S. coasts. That’s right; rather than making the most of our own vast American energy resources, the Democrats in charge of Congress would rather increase our costly dependence on foreign sources of energy – even though the Chinese are taking matters into their own hands…and in our own backyard. Do congressional Democrats really trust the Chinese that much more than Americans? In an op-ed published yesterday in the Modesto Bee, Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA) affirmed that the Democrats’ policy “amounts to a government handout of U.S. natural resources to foreign countries”: “China, thanks to a lease issued by Cuba, is drilling for oil just 50 miles off Florida's coast.” “America’s offshore drilling policy amounts to a government handout of U.S. natural resources to foreign countries in the name of environmental protection. If we were truly interested in protecting the environment, we would allow American companies – which have only spilled 0.0001 percent of the 7 billion barrels of oil pumped offshore in the last 25 years – to drill.” “Suffice to say that China doesn’t have the same record in protecting the environment.” Also noting China’s oil exploration off the coast of Florida, House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) writes in an op-ed published in today’s Springfield News-Leader that the United States may have more recovery energy than oil-rich Saudi Arabia – though those valuable resources remain locked-up under the Democratic Majority in Congress: “  he Department of Energy believes we may have more recoverable energy than Saudi Arabia. Even China recognizes that oil and natural gas is readily available off our shores; thanks to Fidel Castro, they’ve been given a permit to drill for oil 45 miles from the Florida Keys. U.S. energy producers can’t go there, and that’s because our Congress won’t let them.”By prohibiting the United States from taking part in the same type of energy exploration that the Chinese are conducting just miles off our shores, the Democratic Majority on Capitol Hill continues to prove itself complicit in an energy crisis that has saddled American families and small businesses with gas prices that have reached $4.05 per gallon today, according to AAA. That’s why Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) filed a discharge petition yesterday to force Democratic leaders to schedule a vote on the No More Excuses Energy Act (H.R. 3089), legislation authored by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) to increase U.S. energy production and invest in alternative sources of energy. Do congressional Democrats actually believe China has more ingenuity and more concern for the environment than the United States? If not, why are they looking the other way while China pursues energy independence in our own backyard while America’s resources remain under lock-and-key? READ MORE: http://www.gopleader.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=93592 |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:32 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Russia's Medvedev eyes new European order Jun 11 12:59 PM US/Eastern Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday made a new demand for a sweeping overhaul of European security, saying NATO alone could not handle the continent's post-Cold War challenges. In a keynote speech at a media forum, he vowed to make Russia more free and open, and said that despite basic differences with the United States he looked forward to constructive dialogue with the next US administration. "Is the Atlantic alliance sufficient to solve all of the problems of security in old Europe? In my opinion the answer is no," Medvedev told journalists at the Russian Media Congress in Moscow. "The solution would be to prepare an all-encompassing European agreement in which all the states of Europe took part.... All the other institutions are based on divisive principles," he said. The Kremlin has repeatedly complained that NATO is moving to dominate European security, usurping the power of the United Nations and leaving Moscow out in the cold by planning expansion to Russia's borders. In his first major foreign policy speech since succeeding Vladimir Putin, Medvedev last week called for a European conference to discuss a new treaty. But the call, made on a trip to Berlin, has received a muted response. Getting European allies on board to discuss a broad new treaty might be difficult, analysts said. The idea that NATO should disappear as a force in Europe "is not much of a basis for a conference," independent military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said earlier. The treaty proposal is little more than a reworking of Soviet-era proposals that had a "very weak impact on security in Europe," said Yevgeny Volk, head of the Moscow office of the US Heritage Foundation. To reach an agreement, Russia would have to overcome what Medvedev described as "radically different" US points of view on key security issues in Europe. In particular, Medvedev named US plans to extend a missile shield into the Czech Republic and Poland, the enlargement of NATO, and the Cold-War era Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. But the Kremlin chief said he had "guarded optimism" about ties with whoever comes to power in the United States in a November presidential election. "We will work with whatever US administration appears, if only because our country's responsibility in maintaining world order, peace and stability on the planet is colossal." "We are counting on a constructive and friendly dialogue with whatever administration comes to power," he said. In an apparent bid to distance himself from the authoritarian trends seen in Russia in recent years Medvedev also vowed to build a freer society. "Our immutable course will be the creation of a free and responsible society, the defence of human rights, freedom of the press and of speech and, of course, supremacy of the law," he said. In recent weeks Medvedev has struck down a restrictive media law and the country's top court has cancelled a probe into a media rights group, but analysts say this barely dents Putin's legacy of restricting free speech. Medvedev also vowed to "use all means available" to fight racism and xenophobia. Copyright AFP 2008, |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:35 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Iran rejects to yield on nuke ahead of Solana trip Thursday, June 12, 2008 - ?2005 IranMania.com LONDON, June 12 (IranMania) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad refused to back down over Iran's nuclear programme, days ahead of a trip to Tehran by the EU foreign policy chief in search of a compromise in the crisis, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. Iran will not trade its "dignity" in its nuclear programme, Ahmadinejad said, in an apparent refusal to consider the main demand of world powers over his country's nuclear programme. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will visit Tehran on Saturday and Sunday in an effort to persuade Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, his spokeswoman said on Wednesday. "They think they can trample on the Iranian nation's dignity with such things," the ISNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in a speech in the province of Chaharmahal Bakhtiari, referring to incentive offers by the West. "We will not trade our dignity with anything. If they want to give us something, then they should sell it and we will buy it." In Brussels, Solana told a news briefing: "We hope very much there will be a positive outcome" from the meeting in Iran. Asked what would constitute a "positive outcome," Solana replied: "I think the meeting will not be the end. We will continue and have other meetings in the foreseeable future. "It is very important that the nuclear issue is resolved in a manner that the international community will have objective guarantees of the nature of the nuclear programme," Solana added. Ahmadinejad's blunt comments, however, appear to be his latest affirmation Iran has no intention of halting sensitive uranium enrichment activities in its nuclear drive, which Western countries fear could be used to make an atomic bomb. "The enemies are worried to see that the Iranian nation has preserved its dignity and become a model for other countries. They want to force the Iranians to back down," Ahmadinejad continued. "But the Iranian nation will leave them waiting for Iran to back down and the enemies will never reach this goal." Iran vehemently rejects Western allegations that it is seeking nuclear weapons, saying it wants only electricity for a growing population whose fossil fuels will eventually run out. On Tuesday, Bush and European leaders warned Iran of new sanctions if it refuses to halt sensitive nuclear activities. In an earlier speech, Ahmadinejad openly mocked what he said was Bush's desire for military action against Tehran, saying the US president could not hurt "even one centimetre" of the country. "I tell Bush ... that your era has ended and, thank God, you will not be able to damage even one centimetre of the holy land of Iran," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the city of Shahr-e Kord. As well as advocating tough diplomatic action, the United States has never ruled out a military strike against Tehran in the face of its refusal to heed successive UN Security Council ultimatums to suspend uranium enrichment. Speaking in Germany on Wednesday after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bush said: "All options are on the table and my first choice is to solve this diplomatically. "We'll see what choice they make," he said. "We'll give diplomacy a chance to work." Several political officials in Berlin, including leading figures from Merkel's own conservative party, said Bush, who steps down next January, would not be missed. "The disaster after the war in Iraq caused serious damage to the image of the United States, and not just in Germany," the foreign policy spokesman for the Christian Union's parliamentary group, Eckart von Klaeden, said. Ahmadinejad said Bush wanted to attack Iran but had been scared off by objections from military commanders. "I have precise news that one of this man's (Bush's) wishes... is to strike us," the president said. "He argued with US military commanders to first use missiles and bombs. They told him it is not possible. Then he said 'let's make a sonic boom over an Iranian city'... but this also could not happen." Using typically earthy rhetoric, Ahmadinejad said that Bush was still "itching to pinch and punch the Iranian nation." |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:38 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Iran withdrawing assets from European banks Thursday, June 12, 2008 - ?2005 IranMania.com ( pr iran ) LONDON, June 12 (IranMania) - Iran is reportedly withdrawing its assets from European banks to minimize the adverse impact of illegal US-led sanctions over its civilian nuclear program, Iran Daily reported. ?The government is withdrawing assets from Europe,? the Persian daily ?Kayhan? said. It said, Mohsen Talaie, deputy foreign minister in charge of economic affairs, was the first Iranian official to confirm the withdrawal of Iranian assets from banks in Europe but it did not name them or give any figures. Talaie was quoted as saying Iran was converting some of its foreign exchange assets into gold and equities. Iran, the world?s fourth-largest crude producer, is making windfall profits from record global oil prices and said in April its foreign exchange reserves stood at more than $80 billion. ?Upon the decision of the government?s task force, a segment of Iran?s foreign exchange assets will be converted into real assets such as gold and stocks,? Talaie said. Iran?s foreign reserves have been climbing steadily. Some analysts say that, alongside rising oil revenues, Iran has been helped by its decision to shift away from the US dollar into other currencies as the greenback has weakened. Talaie added, ?Iran is increasingly dealing with smaller banks. From now on, Iran?s cooperation with small banks in the world will increase.? According to the freshly released US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the overall impact of economic and financial sanctions, and the extent to which these sanctions further US objectives, is unclear. On the other hand, foreign firms signing long-term contracts to invest in Iran?s energy sector and Iran?s continued nuclear program activities for generating electricity raise questions about the extent of the sanctions? impact. According to GAO, ?Iran?s overall trade with the world has grown since the US imposed sanctions.? Which is all to say that if there ever was any doubt about the feasibility of the White House?s Iran strategy, this report should clear all that right up. Last year, Britain?s House of Lords also released its own report that described as ?ineffective? western economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran. In a report titled ?The Effects of Economic Sanctions?, the House of Lords of Britain?s Parliament described the measures taken against Iran as ?losing strategies?. The report cited an unsuccessful history of US and British sanctions against other nations and suggested making practical solutions instead to end the dispute between Iran and the West. An expansion of diplomatic and trade relations with Iran, as well as providing Tehran with security assurances, were among the suggestions in the report. According to the Global Security Network, the failure of targeted UN sanctions should come as no surprise. The US has been on the sanctions treadmill for years. Between 2003 and 2007, the US Treasury Department brought litigation against 94 companies for violating the ban against trade and investment in Iran. The US State Department imposed sanctions 111 times against foreign entities engaged in trade activities with Iran. And both departments have used their power to freeze financial assets or access to US financial system. The results amounted to little more than a pin  . In 1994, Iran exported $37 billion in goods; by 2007, the figure doubled, to $70 billion. In roughly the same period, Iran?s imports also soared, from $22 billion in 1994 to $45 billion in 2006. _________________________ Top Reply Quote Notify Email Post Iran, Iraq reopen their main border crossing http://www.chinaview.cn 2008-06-13 04:30:41 Print TEHRAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Iraq have reopened their main border crossing to facilitate the exchange of people's visits and regional cooperation, Iran's English-language Press TV reported on Thursday. The reopening of the crossing at Khosravi of Iran's western province of Kermanshah took place after a closure of about two years, said the report. "The reopening of the crossing would contribute to raising the number of pilgrims to Iraq's holy Shia cities" and boost trade between the two neighboring countries, the province's Governor General Abdol-Majid Ghafouri Rozbahani was quoted as saying. Ra'ad Molla-Javad, the governor general of Iraq's Diyala Province, also hailed the reopening, saying that Iraq and Iran share a 1500-kilometer-long border that could facilitate regional cooperation in cultural, political and economic fields. The border terminal, said to be the largest of its kind in the Middle East region, was closed in 2006 by the Iraqi side due to certain security reasons. It has the capacity to deliver services to up to 10,000 passengers daily. Editor: Mu Xuequan |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:50 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Bush Administration Defending Russia Civil Nuclear Deal Thursday , June 12, 2008 WASHINGTON — From Fox News Lawmakers worry that a U.S.-Russian deal on civil nuclear power could undermine efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program. To a Bush administration arms control expert, it is a "solid agreement" that can help the United States tackle 21st century challenges such as growing energy demands, nuclear nonproliferation and possible nuclear terrorism. Undersecretary of State John Rood faced opposition from both Democrats and Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee who awaited his testimony Thursday. The administration views the agreement as a breakthrough in cooperation amid rising tensions between U.S. and Russia over missile defense, NATO expansion and Iran. The deal would give the U.S. access to state-of-the-art Russian nuclear technology and help Russia establish an international nuclear fuel storage facility. It is not clear whether congressional opponents have the votes to block the agreement. Rood, in testimony prepared for the hearing and obtained by The Associated Press, acknowledged the opposition. But, he said, it was "a good, solid agreement" that "contains all the necessary nonproliferation conditions and controls that Congress has written into law." He compared the agreement with those in effect involving China, Japan and the European Atomic Energy Community, which codifies cooperation with the 27 member states of the European Union. Such an agreement with Russia is important, according to Rood's testimony, "both to build a closer relationship as well as to improve our ability to address major challenges we face in the 21st century." Bush's notification to Congress on May 13 began a process to complete the deal. The agreement will take effect unless both the House and Senate pass resolutions blocking it within 90 working days. Among the opponents are the committee's chairman, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif. The committee's top Republican, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, and 13 GOP colleagues asked Bush to withdraw the deal. Opponents believe Russia is not doing enough to help prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and should not be rewarded. Some also are critical of Russia's human rights record. Lawmakers would have to pass the resolutions by two-thirds majorities to avoid a presidential veto. Lawmakers could pass legislation, however, that would hinder the administration or its successors from putting the deal in place, either by withholding money or imposing restrictions. Members of Congress also are exploring whether the administration made a clerical miscalculation that could kill the deal. A report by the Congressional Research Service that was requested by an aide to Ros-Lehtinen found that the administration may have informed Congress too late to meet the requirement for 90 days of consideration. The agreement would be a boost for efforts in the United States to step up nuclear energy development. It has slowed drastically since the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. The deal would help Russia in its efforts for a nuclear fuel storage facility. It cannot achieve that goal without signing the deal because the United States controls the vast majority of the world's nuclear fuel. Work on the agreement began after former Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bush promised in 2006 to increase nuclear cooperation. The Bush administration has criticized Russia for providing nuclear fuel for Iran's Bushehr power plant, which Iran says is part of a peaceful nuclear energy program. The U.S. also has struggled for Russian approval of penalties against Iran in the U.N. Security Council for Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment. Still, Russia has voted in favor of three rounds of penalties. Rood cited the Bushehr plant in his prepared testimony. "The administration examined this issue closely and determined that the steps Russia has put in place in its agreement with Iran mitigated our concerns." _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:53 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Bush in Rome; will press premier for Afghanistan help Updated 21m ago By Jeffrey Stinson, USA TODAY ROME — President Bush planned to ask his old friend Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for more military help in Afghanistan during talks here Thursday. The President, on a farewell tour of major European capitals, is trying to drum up more support for embattled Afghanistan and for a tougher stand against Iran's nuclear program development before leaving office in January.Italy has 2,350 troops in Afghanistan, according to NATO figures. But like Germany, Italy has largely kept its forces outside combat zones. The United States hopes that Berlusconi will agree in the talks to increase Italy's contribution, Judy Ansley, deputy national security adviser for regional affairs, told reporters. Berlusconi, a conservative, and Bush have had a good relationship that stretches to the president's early days in office. Berlusconi sent 3,000 troops to Iraq, although he later said he had urged Bush against the 2003 invasion. The president's talks with Berlusconi come as Mrs. Bush meets in Paris to reinforce Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's request for $50 billion in reconstruction aid over the next five years. Mrs. Bush pledged $10.2 billion in U.S. help for the strife-torn country at the conference of more than 80 nations and world organizations. Afghanistan is experiencing a violent resurgence from the Taliban and rebuilding efforts have slowed. Last year, the United Nations reported that more than 8,000 people were killed. That's more than in any year since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 to oust the Taliban extremists who ran the country and provided refuge to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The president also is likely to find a welcome response from Berlusconi for tougher action against Iran. Earlier this week, the European Union and the president agreed to impose tougher financial sanctions against Tehran if it didn't halt its efforts to enrich uranium that could be turned into a nuclear bomb. Iran maintains its program is to generate electricity. But the president and major European leaders are wary. On Wednesday, Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed to continue diplomatic efforts with Iran, but said other steps would be taken if they failed. Merkel said Iran could expect "further sanctions." Bush said he was leaving "all options" open, not ruling out a pre-emptive military strike to keep Iran from having an atomic bomb. Berlusconi, who was elected prime minister for his third time in April, rolled out the red carpet for the president in Rome. Although anti-American sentiment in Italy is not as strong as in Germany and France, Bush did see protesters here Thursday for the first time on his eight-day trip that began at the first of the week at a U.S.-European Union summit in Slovenia and carried him to Germany before Rome. A small group of protesters greeted his motorcade with chants in English of ?Bush Go Home? as he made his way to a morning business roundtable in central Rome. On Wednesday, about 2,000 leftists, and anti-war and anti-American protestors marched to a plaza between the U.S. Embassy and the palace where Italy's cabinet meets, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. Berlusconi's government has mobilized about 10,000 police officers for the visit to provide security and ease the Bush motorcade through Rome's often chaotic traffic. At the roundtable at the American Academy in Rome, Bush told Italian entrepreneurs and exchange students to go to the USA to get a "firsthand truth about America," free from propaganda and misinformation that they might see here. "We're a compassionate, open country that cares about people ... We love the entrepreneurial spirit," Bush said. On Friday, Bush and the first lady will meet with Pope Benedict XVI before leaving Rome for Paris. After two days there with meetings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Bush travels to London and Belfast, Northern Ireland, before returning to Washington on Monday. _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:55 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
U.S. evaluating Saudi oil meeting: White House Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:00am ROME (Reuters) - The United States is evaluating what will be accomplished at a summit Saudi Arabia has called to address soaring global oil prices before a decision will be made on who will attend, a White House official said on Thursday. "The president's first question is what are we going to try to accomplish," U.S. President George W. Bush's national security adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters. "Because if you're going to have a meeting like that, there's obviously going to be great expectations that something will come of it that will have an impact on oil prices to reduce them and stabilize markets," he said. Hadley declined to say whether Bush himself was open to attending the gathering on June 22 in Jeddah hosted by OPEC's most influential member, Saudi Arabia. "There are expectations that have been generated and it is important that those expectations not be unrealized because that in of itself will have an effect on oil prices and the markets," Hadley said. He said that Bush was discussing the upcoming meeting with European leaders he was visiting on a weeklong farewell tour. (Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by Jon Boyle) © Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 12th, 2008 - 5:58 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Bush forced to rethink plan to keep Iraq bases President offers concessions after furious reaction in Baghdad to American 'colonialism' By Leonard Doyle in Washington Thursday, 12 June 2008 AFP Faced with Iraqi anger over a US plan to enable Washington to keep military forces in the country indefinitely, George Bush is offering concessions to the government of Nouri al-Maliki in an effort to salvage an agreement, it emerged yesterday. The proposed terms of the impending deal, which were first revealed in The Independent, have had a predictably explosive political effect inside Iraq. Negotiations between Washington and Baghdad grew fraught, with Iraqi politicians denouncing US demands to maintain a permanent grip on the country through the establishment of permanent military bases. Officials complained that the plan which allows US troops to occupy permanent bases, conduct military operations, arrest Iraqis and enjoy immunity from Iraqi law, would turn Iraq into a colony of the US, and create the conditions for unending conflict both in Iraq and the Middle East.With Washington's Iraqi allies rising up in revolt against the plans, Mr Bush ordered a negotiating shift this weekend after speaking to Mr Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister. "Now the American position is much more positive and more flexible than before," a leading Iraqi negotiator in the talks was quoted as saying. Senior Iraqi officials want a major reduction of the US military footprint in Iraq as soon as the UN Security Council mandate approving their presence expires at the end of the year. Iraqi officials also want US forces confined to barracks unless the Iraqis ask for their assistance. Emboldened by recent successes by Iraqi security forces, many officials want the US troops to leave altogether. President Bush, who is on a farewell tour of Europe, wants a new agreement sealed by the end of next month so he can declare a military victory in Iraq and say his 2003 invasion has been vindicated before he leaves office. But any long-term settlement to maintain US forces in Iraq would cut the ground from under the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, who has promised to withdraw US troops if he is elected in November. The Bush administration says a new agreement is needed to ensure stability in Iraq, as without one or an extended UN mandate, there would be no legal basis for US forces to remain. The growing Iraqi anger with the proposal was front-page news in the US yesterday. Sami al-Askari, a senior Shia politician close to Mr Maliki told The Washington Post: "The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonisation of Iraq ... If we can't reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, 'Goodbye, US troops. We don't need you here any more.'" The Democrat-controlled Congress is also uneasy about President Bush's attempt to impose a colonial-style mandate on Iraq. Both Democrats and Republicans have questioned Mr Bush's assertion that he does not require congressional approval for the proposed agreement. The argument is focused on negotiations on a status of forces agreement defining the legal rights and responsibilities of US forces. As framed, it gives the US military free reign to operate in the country. There is also proposed "security framework" covering the relationship between the US and Iraq. Momentum is also growing within the Maliki administration for the US to leave altogether. Mr Maliki was in Iran this week where the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told him not to sign up to any long-term security deals with Washington. The agreement is being negotiated by David Satterfield, the US State Department's top adviser on Iraq, who still maintains it can be initialled by a July deadline which Mr Bush set last year last year. "It's doable," he told reporters in Baghdad. "We think it's an achievable goal." At a news conference, Mr Satterfield kept repeating that the US wants only to create a more independent Iraq. "We want to see Iraqi sovereignty strengthened, not weakened," he said. But Iraqis say that US demands for long-term military bases in the country even if the numbers are reduced, give the lie to that assertion. US negotiatiors are also determined to maintain policies that allow them to arrest Iraqis without the approval of Iraqi courts, maintaining immunity for US troops and contractors from Iraqi prosecution and carrying out military operations without the Iraqi government's knowledge or approval. Washington also wants to retain control over Iraqi airspace and the right to refuel planes in the air, which has raised concerns that President Bush wants to have the option of using Iraq as a base to attack Iran. _________________________ |
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Monty
Jun 12th, 2008 - 8:27 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Palestinian Authority holds court in Israel's capital Solidifying command ahead of expected state that includes Jerusalem -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: June 12, 2008 12:12 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein © 2008 WorldNetDaily Jerusalem JERUSALEM – The Palestinian Authority held the latest in a series of official meetings in Jerusalem to discuss dealing with expected Palestinian sovereignty over key sections of the city, WND has learned. Dmitri Ziliani, a spokesman for the Jerusalem section of PA President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, told WND this week's meeting was related to the activities and structure of Fatah's local command in eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem. "We were covering the best ways to improve our performance on the street and how we can be of service to the community," Ziliani said. Ziliani said the regular PA meetings in Jerusalem are, in part, held in anticipation of a future Palestinian state encompassing all of eastern Jerusalem. The Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – is located in the eastern section of the city. "Our political program as Fatah dictates there will be no Palestinian state if these areas – all of east Jerusalem – are not included," Ziliani told WND. (Story continues below) According to sources present at this week's PA meeting in Jerusalem, also discussed were plans to convene the Sixth Fatah General Congress sometime this year, possibly within the next two months. At the meeting, likely to take place in Jordan, hundreds of voting Fatah members are slated to discuss the future of their party and pass official resolutions outlining Fatah's major objectives. WND previously quoted senior PA sources stating Fatah plans to vote at the Sixth Congress on a resolution affirming the "armed struggle" and "resistance" against Israel as part of its official objective. The Congress was last held in 1989 in Tunisia, prior to any Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. At the time, the Congress, led by late Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, officially resolved to continue "to intensify and escalate armed action and all forms of armed struggle to liquidate the Zionist occupation from our occupied Palestinian land and guarantee our people's rights to freedom and independence." Israel had hoped under Abbas and amid intense negotiations that the Sixth Congress would moderate the party's objectives. This week's meeting in Jerusalem was the latest in a series of official PA gatherings in Israel's capital since last November's U.S.-backed Annapolis summit, which aimed to create a Palestinian state before the end of this year. While Israel has not officially approved the PA's presence in Jerusalem, Palestinian diplomatic sources claimed there was an unwritten agreement in which Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office pledged not to interrupt some PA activities in Jerusalem. According to Israeli law, the PA cannot officially meet in Jerusalem. The PA previously maintained a de facto headquarters in Jerusalem, called Orient House, but the building was closed down by Israel in 2001 following a series of suicide bombings in Jerusalem. Israel said it had information indicating the House was used to plan and fund terrorism. Thousands of documents and copies of bank certificates and checks captured by Israel from Orient House – including many documents obtained by WND – showed the offices were used to finance terrorism, including direct payments to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group. WND previously broke the story Palestinian officials last year urged the U.S. to support what they said was a key demand allowing the PA to open official institutions in Jerusalem and to reopen Orient House to serve as its Jerusalem headquarters. The U.S. brought the request to Olmert last November, but according to sources in Jerusalem, Israeli officials replied that for domestic political reasons Olmert was waiting to allow the PA to have any official presence in Jerusalem. Olmert repeatedly has denied Jerusalem is being negotiated during regular, U.S.-backed Israeli-Palestinian sessions. But PA President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders recently stated Jerusalem is being negotiated. "[Talks deal with] all the core issues without exception: Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders and security. We hope to achieve a settlement in 2008; there are many obstacles but we hope they will be removed. We are all pressing to reach a settlement by the target date," Abbas said in March. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has hinted several times Jerusalem is up for discussion. In December, Israeli Vice Premier Haim Ramon said the country "must" give up sections of Jerusalem for a future Palestinian state, even conceding the Palestinians can rename Jerusalem "to whatever they want." "We must come today and say, friends, the Jewish neighborhoods, including Har Homa, will remain under Israeli sovereignty, and the Arab neighborhoods will be the Palestinian capital, which they will call Jerusalem or whatever they want," said Ramon in an interview. Positions held by Ramon, a ranking member of Olmert's Kadima party, are largely considered to be reflective of Israeli government policy. Olmert himself last year questioned whether it was "really necessary" to retain Arab-majority eastern sections of Jerusalem. Israel recaptured eastern Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, during the 1967 Six Day War. The Palestinians have claimed eastern Jerusalem as a future capital; the area has large Arab neighborhoods, a significant Jewish population and sites holy to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. About 231,000 Arabs live in Jerusalem, mostly in eastern neighborhoods, and many reside in illegally constructed complexes. The city has an estimated total population of 724,000. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=66907 |
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Karen
Jun 13th, 2008 - 5:11 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
French Government decides to censor the Internet" How long before other countries follow suit? · French Government decides to censor the Internet Keep your Égalité and Fraternité but shove your Liberté! By Sylvie Barak: Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 7:48 PM THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT has apparently decided that it doesn’t much like being democratic, and that it would rather like to censor the Internet instead. Not content with simply limiting itself to blocking despicable child sex abuse, a move three major ISPs in the US also agreed to today, the French government feels it necessary to go a radical step further and decide for its citizens whether or not they can view content it considers inappropriately racist and or linked to terrorism. In fact, worse still is that any site is now game for a French blockade, as Sarkozy’s government is inviting people to send in huge long lists of sites which offend their delicate sensibilities. The French government, which will purportedly be able to receive complaints from Internet users in real time, will be able to add sites to a so called “black list”, which it will then force national ISPs to block. The move, announced by France’s Interior Minister, Michel Alliot-Marie, is France’s way of showing it is indeed taking a strong stand against cyber-criminality, but it seems that the line between ‘strong’ and ‘authoritarian’ is a little fuzzy on this one. Alliot-Marie, only caring to justify the block on child sex abuse sites, noted “Other democracies have done it. France could wait no longer". She added that all of France’s Internet Service Providers had agreed to comply with the new regulations which go into effect as of September. The minister vehemently denied that the French government was turning itself into "a Big Brother of the Internet" and promised that the "fundamental liberty that is Internet access" would continue to thrive. As long as people only see the sites the government allows them to see, of course. L’Inq AP |
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Karen
Jun 13th, 2008 - 5:14 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Chinese assistant FM due in Iran Friday, June 13, 2008 - ?2005 IranMania.com LONDON, June 13 (IranMania) - China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Jieyi is to visit Iran in the near future, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said, IRNA reported. He told reporters that Liu would accompany the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in his two-day visit to Tehran, scheduled to take place on Saturday. Solana will deliver a package proposed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- China, Russia, France, Britain and the US -- plus Germany (Group 5+1) to Iranian officials. A message by foreign ministers of the six countries would be also submitted to their Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki, the spokesman added. He expressed hope the sides would increase their diplomatic efforts to find a long-lasting solution to Iran's peaceful nuclear case. Qin urged all sides to show more flexibility over Iran's nuclear case and strive to resume negotiations on the issue. -------------------------------------------- Iran, Syria to promote relations Friday, June 13, 2008 - ?2005 IranMania.com LONDON, June 13 (IranMania) - Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that Iran and Syria would further improve their amicable mutual ties, IRNA reported. Mottaki, who is currently in Paris to attend the Afghan donors' conference, made the statement while addressing a press conference. Asked whether Syria-Israel talks would be tantamount to separation of Iran and Syria, he said, "Syria-Israel talks are being held with the aim of taking back Golan Heights. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that Golan Heights are inseparable part of Syria." He added, "As Shaba Farms belong to Lebanon and Palestine to Palestinians, Syria has the right to demand, without any precondition, this part of its territory, which has been occupied by the Zionist regime." On France's stand regarding Syria, Mottaki said Syria is an important country and Iran welcomes any change in Paris attitude toward Damascus. He noted that during the past 30 years, the US policy has been aimed at separating regional countries particularly Iran and Syria stressing, "This is a failed policy." Mottaki said Iran and regional Arab states enjoy common interests and share religious, cultural and geographical commonalties. Pointing to his recent meeting with his Saudi counterpart Saud al-Faisal, he said Tehran-Riyadh cooperation would lead to establishment of peace, stability and security in the region. Turkey's demand to join the European Union would not harm Iran, he said, adding, "Iran has positive and growing relations with its neighboring states, particularly Turkey. The two sides have great potentials to bolster economic cooperation." He said Iran and Turkey are currently implementing joint projects worth dlrs 10 billion in various fields of energy, oil and gas. _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 13th, 2008 - 5:15 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Jun 13, 2008 15:32 Solana heads to Iran, calls new offer generous By ASSOCIATED PRESS EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the package of incentives he would present to Iranian nuclear negotiators during his visit to Teheran was generous and comprehensive. Solana was speaking on behalf of the EU, China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and the United States before leaving for Teheran on Friday in a renewed bid to resolve an international standoff over Iran's nuclear program. He says the new incentives aim to build a constructive and cooperative relationship with Iran on nuclear issues. |
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Karen
Jun 13th, 2008 - 5:17 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Assad: Peace talks should pick up from where Rabin Left off Syrian president tells Indian newspaper Jerusalem, Damascus should not start peace talks over, but resume them from where Rabin left off. 'Syria had assurances Israel would cede Golan,' he says Ynet Syrian President Bashar Assad will visit India in several days, where he hopes to harness India's influence in favor of the Middle East peace process. In an interview with the Indian newspaper The Hindu, Assad said he believed India could help "restore some needed balance" to the peace process. Assad addressed the recently renewed indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria. When asked what Damascus could offer Jerusalem should Israel cede the Golan Heights, he replied: "Syrian land is occupied by Israel so they have to give it back…We don’t have something to give but we have something to achieve together, which is peace. "The other thing besides the land is discussing normal relations, water, security arrangements and all these details that are related to the concept of peace. This is something we achieve together, but Israel has the land and should give it back." As for the Israeli demand that Syria relinquish its relations with Hamas and Hizbullah, the Syrian president said that "the Israelis have been talking about negotiations without pre-conditions. They cannot ask for conditions and they have not done so. "Hamas is related to the Palestinian track and we are not responsible for that. Hizbullah is part of the Lebanese track and we are not in Lebanon today. We are only talking about the Syrian track." '80% of the issues concluded' Israel, he added has learned that "without peace Israel cannot be safe. I think this is true especially after the (Second) Lebanon War and because of the result of that war inside the Israeli society; this is the main incentive for the Israelis to move toward peace." Jimmy Carter, said the Hindu, stated recently that 80% of the issues between Israel and Syria have been resolved back in former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's administration. "We achieved a lot during Rabin's days," Assad agreed, "But everything stopped when he was assassinated… We have been asking to restart (the talks) from where they were stopped during Rabin. We talked about the security arrangements, which were the most difficult issue. Of course, we had Rabin's assurance that Israel would be giving back the Golan Heights back to the June 1967 line. "We were about to talk about other issues, like normal relations and having embassies, but did not discuss water," said Assad. When asked about Israel's attack on Syria's nuclear facility in Syria in September, Assad remained ambiguous: "The (real) question is why Israel announced (the attack) seven months after it happened. Why didn't it announce it at that time, in order to send a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency to see what is happening? "Let me put it this way: Israel said there was a nuclear facility that they bombed and that it had evidence. How could they not have had this evidence seven months ago? Why do they have it now? Because after seven months you can say that Syria built a facility, it was demolished and now it has have rebuilt it in a different way. If they had this alleged evidence at that time, their story would not have been proved genuine or credible." Assad refused to specify what kind of military facility was built on the premises, saying only it "was not a nuclear one." Israel bombed the site, he said, because "it had the wrong information." The satellite images of a North Korean-made plutonium-producing reactor, he said, were "100% fabricated." Assad was then asked about the role he sees India play in the international area in general and in the Middle East peace process: "The question is what role India can play in the world, especially regarding our issues, like the peace issue. How can we cooperate? India and China should play a role in reestablishing balance that we have missed for almost 20 years?" "India can play a direct role between the two sides, Syria and Israel, and the Palestinians and Israel," concluded Assad. "That will make the region more stable, and that will affect India itself in the long run and the world at large, especially Asia." |
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Karen
Jun 13th, 2008 - 5:19 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Report: Turkey, Syria eye nuclear energy cooperation Syrian oil minister says countries will announce establishment of joint energy company in coming days and 'in the future we could found joint nuclear power plants for electricity production' Reuters Turkey and Syria are considering setting up a joint energy company and could build joint nuclear power plants for electricity, Syria's oil minister was quoted as saying on Friday. Turkey's state-run Antolian agency quoted Oil Minister Sufian Alao as saying that the two countries will announce the establishment of a joint energy company in the coming days, which could explore for oil in Turkey, Syria and in third countries. "We could also enter into cooperation in the nuclear field. I spoke to (Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler) Mr. Guler on cooperation. In the future we could found joint nuclear power plants for electricity production," he was quoted as saying. Washington released intelligence in April which it said showed Syria secretly built an atomic reactor with North Korean help. Damascus, a US foe and ally of Iran, denies any covert nuclear activity and has said it would cooperate with a UN investigation into the allegations. Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States, is already under pressure from Washington because of its natural gas cooperation with Iran, whose secretive uranium enrichment program has been under scrutiny since 2003. The general director of Turkish state energy firm TPAO, Mehmet Uysal, was also quoted as saying the two countries had decided to set up a joint energy company and that a deal could be signed by the end of the year, but did not mention cooperation on nuclear energy. |
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Karen
Jun 13th, 2008 - 5:22 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
Irish voters reject EU treatyHenry McDonald in Dublin, James Sturcke and agencies guardian.co.uk, Friday June 13 2008 Article history Irish voters have rejected the Lisbon treaty, the country's justice minister conceded today, in a move which throws the entire project of reshaping the EU into turmoil. Monitors from the Fianna Fáil party at the main count in Dublin told the Guardian that so far the breakdown in votes showed a 52% to 48% majority for the no camp. "It looks like this will be a no vote," the justice minister, Dermot Ahern, said. "At the end of the day, for a myriad of reasons, the people have spoken. "We will have to wait and see what happens in the rest of the countries. Obviously if we are the only one to reject the treaty that will raise questions. We are in uncharted territories." Unofficial early polls suggested voters in most constituencies voted against the Lisbon treaty, the state broadcaster RTE reported. Official results are expected later today. The no vote was strong in many rural areas and in working-class urban areas, while middle-class areas appeared to be less supportive of the treaty than had been anticipated, RTE said. Reuters reported that in Dublin, the no camp was ahead in five constituencies and behind in one, while three were evenly split. Dublin accounts for about a quarter of the country's electorate. Joan Burton, an Irish Labour MP, said there had been a no majority in her Dublin West constituency. Speaking at the count, Burton said: "Although there was a lot of misinformation by the no camp in this campaign the message from this result is that whenever the EU draws up a treaty they should make it intelligible to ordinary people. "That was of the biggest problems of this campaign – thousands and thousands of people couldn't even understand what the treaty was about."Antonio Missiroli, director of studies at the European Policy Centre thinktank, said: "This triggers a political crisis in Europe that requires strong leadership in Ireland, in Brussels and elsewhere in Europe. If the no vote is confirmed later today, the EU is likely to face two options. Either give Ireland an opt out to the treaty or shelve it completely. Irish government sources said they were "disappointed" at tally predictions of a lower-than-expected yes vote in some constituencies, particularly in rural areas. The bitter divisions caused by the treaty were visible at the count during ugly scenes involving Ireland's finance minister, Brian Lenihan, and members of Coir, a radical anti-abortion campaign group. Coir opposed the treaty on the grounds that European law could supplant Irish legal bans on abortion – a scenario the Irish government consistently said was impossible.As the minister attempted to speak to a television news crew he was surrounded by Coir activists who screamed at him and sang "No, no, there's no no, there's no Lisbon" to the tune of 2Unlimited's No limits. When Burton attempted to intervene and point out that the minister had a right to speak she was spat at. Analysts earlier said the turnout of around 40% could tip the balance towards a no vote, bringing about the demise of the controversial and poorly understood pact. All 27 EU countries have to ratify the Lisbon treaty for it to be passed meaning voters in Ireland – the only country to hold a referendum on the issue – can veto the negotiations. Detractors suggest the treaty is an EU constitution in all but name. When polls closed last night, RTE reported that voter turnout had failed to exceed 45%. Richard Sinnott, a professor of politics at University College Dublin, said the yes camp required close to 50% turnout to feel confident of a win, given that at least one-fifth of Ireland's electorate was strongly anti-EU and most determined to vote. Turnout below 45% would prove "dangerous territory" for the pro-treaty camp, he said. The Irish gambling company Paddy Power raised hopes in the pro-treaty camp by paying out more than €180,000 (£143,000) in winning bets to people who wagered on a yes victory. The Lisbon treaty seeks to reshape EU institutions and powers in line with the bloc's rapid growth in recent years to 27 nations and 495 million people. It proposes many of the same reforms as the EU's previous master plan - a constitution that French and Dutch voters rejected in 2005. Only Ireland's 3 million registered voters pose a serious threat to ratification, because the other 26 members require approval through their national governments. So far, more than a dozen EU members have ratified it, including the parliaments of Estonia, Finland and Greece on Wednesday, but others have held back while awaiting the Irish referendum result. The Irish government, major opposition parties and business leaders all campaigned for a yes vote during a month-long campaign that emphasised Ireland's strong benefits from 35 years of EU membership. The prime minister, Brian Cowen, said he had led the campaign for Irish ratification "as best as I possibly could", and accused anti-treaty voters of spreading lies and distortions. "We've conducted a positive campaign, an honest campaign," Cowen said, while anti-treaty campaigners had promoted "misrepresentation and worries" over "issues that clearly weren't in the treaty at all". Earlier, the European commission president, José Manuel Barroso, said ratification by all states would allow the EU "to turn the institutional page and concentrate 100% on delivering on the expectations of Europe's peoples". Pressure groups from the far left and right claimed that the treaty would result in Ireland losing control of everything from its business tax rates to its ban on abortion. Cowen and most of the political establishment branded such claims as nonsense. Many voters said they did not understand the treaty's implications well enough, and were essentially voting on whether they felt happy with Ireland's place in Europe. "Ireland would still be the economic basket case of Europe without the EU. We should be doing everything we can to help EU institutions function better, because all the evidence shows they function in our interest," said a pro-treaty voter, accountant Padraig Walsh. But others complained that the EU's near-doubling in size since 2004 had brought unwelcome change to Ireland, particularly more than 200,000 jobseekers from Poland and the Baltic states who now snap up a majority of available jobs. "I feel like a foreigner in my own land. There's been too much change, too quick," said anti-treaty voter Eugene Leary, a laid-off construction worker who has turned to part-time taxi work to make ends meet. "You don't mean to be a bigot or a racist. But you would like to see your country keep control of its identity, and make sure your own people are being looked after first. That's just not happening." Many no voters said they were annoyed that the Lisbon treaty contains largely the same reform goals as the rejected constitution, and expressed solidarity with the voters of France and the Netherlands who dumped that document. _________________________ |
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Karen
Jun 13th, 2008 - 5:30 PM |
Re: Post News Articles Related To The End Times (#5)
The Coming Euroinvasion By Moisés Naím May/June 2008 ForeignPolicy.com First they came for the iPods. Then the Europeans snatched up condos in Manhattan. Now they’re coming for the companies. I am not worried about rich Arabs; it’s the French who worry me.” This was the response from a businessman in Clovis, California, reacting to my comment that the U.S. government was concerned about the influence of foreign-owned sovereign wealth funds. “Why are you worried about the French?” I asked. “They just bought the largest company here,” he replied. “Life will now change for all of us—that company has been an important part of this community for years.” He was referring to Pelco, a Clovis-based manufacturer of video security systems that was recently acquired by Schneider Electric, a French company. There is nothing special about Pelco’s sale; foreign companies buy American ones all the time and vice versa. This transaction was far smaller than the United Arab Emirates’ $7.5 billion investment in Citigroup or China’s $3 billion investment in the Blackstone Group, a major financial company. Except that this transaction is part of a trend that, though still largely unnoticed, will soon rear its head: The United States is poised to receive a massive—perhaps unprecedented—inflow of large- and medium-size European investors. Everything from corporate behemoths to family-owned companies are about to come to America on a corporate buying spree. Call it the Euroinvasion. Not only will many U.S. companies now have European owners, but the American marketplace will witness an infusion of new foreign competitors that will manufacture their products in the United States. They will use their new American base both to export to the world—including back to their own European market—and to serve the U.S. market from inside its borders. Such a trans-Atlantic shift will have an enormous impact on Europe’s levels of employment and exports. Inevitably, the move will also ignite a political firestorm on both sides of the Atlantic. European politicians will denounce the companies for “exporting jobs” to America, while U.S. politicians, already rattled by the threat of foreign competition, will be infuriated by what they will brand as “the foreign takeover of America.” CNN anchor Lou Dobbs will be foaming at the mouth. Why is this happening now? The plummeting U.S. dollar has made the move across the Atlantic affordable for many European companies. And this may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to relocate: American companies have rarely been so cheap. Five years ago, a German or Spanish company that coveted a U.S. competitor worth $500 million needed roughly 430 million euros to purchase it. Today, it would take just |