APRIL 8th PREDICTION

[rollinTHUNDER]

Last Updated: Friday, 16 March 2007, 22:19 GMT

The puzzle of Solana's power

BBC Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond travelled with the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana on his recent trip around the Middle East. Here he examines Mr Solana's role and how EU foreign policy fits into the jigsaw of international diplomacy.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is a cajoler and persuader

On the final day of his whistle-stop tour of the Middle East, Javier Solana sat down with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallim.

Camera crews were being brought into the small meeting room in batches of five or six at a time, and it was taking a little while to get them all in and out.

Rather than discuss the finer points of Syria-Lebanese relations with the microphones switched on, Mr Solana and the foreign minister sparred a little.

"I see you all the time on the television," said Mr Mouallim.

There's always an EU diplomat somewhere remembering a [uN] resolution

Solana's Mid-East tour

"I don't look for them. They look for me," protested Mr Solana. "They're hoping I'm going to say something important."

"Just your presence is an important event," said Mr Mouallim.

Both men had the fixed grins of professional diplomats. But scattered like tiny diamonds across the exchange were telling truths and untruths about Mr Solana's role.

Important tools

For the Syrians, Mr Solana's presence really was an important event. It was a sign that their long international isolation was coming to an end.

His visit was to be milked for publicity purposes. In a country where the government controls every TV station, it is no coincidence the 15 crews turn up to film an international visitor.

For Syria, Mr Solana's visit was an important event

The untruth is that Mr Solana does not look for the TV cameras. He does.

Not because he is vain - though there is probably a little bit of that. It is mainly because cameras and microphones are among his most important tools.

There is no EU army. Mr Solana cannot - should the desire ever take him - order up an air strike or send a fleet to hover off the coast of a country.

He carries no fat commercial contracts to use as persuasion, nor does he have the power to impose embargoes.

Even the EU's sizeable aid and development budgets are disbursed by other departments.

He is instead a cajoler and a persuader. He is a symbol of that still nebulous thing, European foreign policy.

Hard and soft power

EU foreign policy is not the sum of the policies of the member states that make up the union. It is different.

Freed from the restraints and demands of national self interest, it starts from a different base - at its best, the desire to spread democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

For a state, the starting point is the national interest. For an organisation like the EU, it is principles

EU diplomat

That is not to say that it is not full of messy compromises.

Common positions thrashed out by 27 foreign ministers and their civil servants are never going to be examples of moral clarity.

The EU ducks and weaves with diplomatic language along with the best of them.

But the starting point is different.

"For a state," says one EU diplomat, "the starting point is the national interest. For an organisation like the EU, it is principles - the rule of law, UN resolutions, human rights.

"These are very important for the EU, especially in the Middle East."

EU foreign policy is built up year by year, layer upon layer, precedent upon precedent. Not for the European Union sudden declarations about an "axis of evil".

"There's always," says one official, "an EU diplomat somewhere remembering a [uN] resolution."

That EU diplomat is often Mr Solana. He is right when he says that the camera crews are hoping he will say something important. How often they are disappointed.

His style is the antithesis of that of US secretaries of state, with their dramatic rhetorical flourishes.

Theirs is "hard" power, his is "soft".

The same official admits that Europe is Venus to the US's Mars; Europeans, he says, are not interested in fighting wars anymore.

The avoidance of another catastrophic war was one of the reasons the EU was created.

How much EU foreign policy actually achieves is for others to decide.

But the palaces of presidents and kings are open to Mr Solana.

For a man who walks quietly but carries no big stick, his counsel is widely sought and his shadow surprisingly long.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6460925.stm

[rollinTHUNDER]

Last Updated: Friday, 16 March 2007, 22:19 GMT

The puzzle of Solana's power

BBC Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond travelled with the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana on his recent trip around the Middle East. Here he examines Mr Solana's role and how EU foreign policy fits into the jigsaw of international diplomacy.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is a cajoler and persuader

On the final day of his whistle-stop tour of the Middle East, Javier Solana sat down with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallim.

Camera crews were being brought into the small meeting room in batches of five or six at a time, and it was taking a little while to get them all in and out.

Rather than discuss the finer points of Syria-Lebanese relations with the microphones switched on, Mr Solana and the foreign minister sparred a little.

"I see you all the time on the television," said Mr Mouallim.

There's always an EU diplomat somewhere remembering a [uN] resolution

Solana's Mid-East tour

"I don't look for them. They look for me," protested Mr Solana. "They're hoping I'm going to say something important."

"Just your presence is an important event," said Mr Mouallim.

Both men had the fixed grins of professional diplomats. But scattered like tiny diamonds across the exchange were telling truths and untruths about Mr Solana's role.

Important tools

For the Syrians, Mr Solana's presence really was an important event. It was a sign that their long international isolation was coming to an end.

His visit was to be milked for publicity purposes. In a country where the government controls every TV station, it is no coincidence the 15 crews turn up to film an international visitor.

For Syria, Mr Solana's visit was an important event

The untruth is that Mr Solana does not look for the TV cameras. He does.

Not because he is vain - though there is probably a little bit of that. It is mainly because cameras and microphones are among his most important tools.

There is no EU army. Mr Solana cannot - should the desire ever take him - order up an air strike or send a fleet to hover off the coast of a country.

He carries no fat commercial contracts to use as persuasion, nor does he have the power to impose embargoes.

Even the EU's sizeable aid and development budgets are disbursed by other departments.

He is instead a cajoler and a persuader. He is a symbol of that still nebulous thing, European foreign policy.

Hard and soft power

EU foreign policy is not the sum of the policies of the member states that make up the union. It is different.

Freed from the restraints and demands of national self interest, it starts from a different base - at its best, the desire to spread democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

For a state, the starting point is the national interest. For an organisation like the EU, it is principles

EU diplomat

That is not to say that it is not full of messy compromises.

Common positions thrashed out by 27 foreign ministers and their civil servants are never going to be examples of moral clarity.

The EU ducks and weaves with diplomatic language along with the best of them.

But the starting point is different.

"For a state," says one EU diplomat, "the starting point is the national interest. For an organisation like the EU, it is principles - the rule of law, UN resolutions, human rights.

"These are very important for the EU, especially in the Middle East."

EU foreign policy is built up year by year, layer upon layer, precedent upon precedent. Not for the European Union sudden declarations about an "axis of evil".

"There's always," says one official, "an EU diplomat somewhere remembering a [uN] resolution."

That EU diplomat is often Mr Solana. He is right when he says that the camera crews are hoping he will say something important. How often they are disappointed.

His style is the antithesis of that of US secretaries of state, with their dramatic rhetorical flourishes.

Theirs is "hard" power, his is "soft".

The same official admits that Europe is Venus to the US's Mars; Europeans, he says, are not interested in fighting wars anymore.

The avoidance of another catastrophic war was one of the reasons the EU was created.

How much EU foreign policy actually achieves is for others to decide.

But the palaces of presidents and kings are open to Mr Solana.

For a man who walks quietly but carries no big stick, his counsel is widely sought and his shadow surprisingly long.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6460925.stm

[rollinTHUNDER]

EU weakens own identity by ignoring Christianity, warns Pope

26.03.2007 - 09:29 CET | By Lucia Kubosova

EUOBSERVER / ROME - Pope Benedict XVI has criticised EU leaders for ignoring Christianity in their reflections over the union's 50th birthday and warned about demographic trends that put Europe's future at risk.

Speaking to European bishops gathered in Rome and Vatican over the weekend (22-24 March) to mark the 50th anniversary of the signature of the EU's founding treaties, the head of the Catholic Church suggested Europe was doubting its identity by committing a "form of apostasy of itself".

"If on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome the governments of the Union want to get closer to their citizens, how can they exclude an element as essential to the identity of Europe as Christianity, in which the vast majority of its people continue to identify?" he asked.

"It is no surprise that today's Europe, while it purports to be a community of values, seems to increasingly contest the existence of absolute and universal values," he said, adding that a union that fails to respect "the true dignity of the human being, forgetting that each person is created in the image of God, ends up doing good for no one."

The speech came just as EU leaders were gathering in Berlin to celebrate the bloc's birthday, with German chancellor Angela Merkel signing a declaration on their behalf which makes no specific reference to religious values in a united Europe.

However, a meeting of the centre-right heads of states and governments in Berlin - including the German chancellor - preceding the full EU gathering adopted a separate declaration mentioning "Judeo-Christian roots" as well as the key contribution of Christian Democrats in Europe's integration.

Pope Benedict also spoke about the looming demographic crisis in Europe, saying its low birth rates could put the bloc "down a road which could lead it to take its leave from history," he said.

"You could almost think that the European continent is in fact losing faith in its own future," he argued, adding that part of these trends is due to a preference of "dangerous individualism" among Europeans.

According to the European Commission, the size of Europe's working population is likely to fall by 48 million between now and 2050 with serious implications for economic growth and public finances, particularly in countries like Italy and Poland.

http://euobserver.com/9/23775

[rollinTHUNDER]

Solana: Stage being set for 'comprehensive peace'

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Developments in the Middle East are pointing toward a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Arab world for the first time in decades, the European Union's foreign policy chief said Saturday.

"The Arab League for the first time in many years has assumed the responsibility to be more active in the peace process," Javier Solana said.

"If you put that together with the reaction of (Israeli) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the two things ... are beginning to construct the dynamic that could lead to the settlement of a crisis that has been with us for many years."

Solana, who attended last week's Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, praised the hosts for assuming a leadership role in reviving a 2002 Arab peace initiative.

"The moment in which we are living is a moment of hope that we may be able to move the process of a comprehensive peace forward," Solana told reporters at the end of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull

[rollinTHUNDER]

German backing for US anti-missile shield

13.04.2007 - 09:26 CET | By Mark Beunderman

Europe as whole could profit from US plans to place anti-missile bases in Poland and the Czech republic, while in the long run the EU is heading towards a common army, Germany's defence minister has said.

Warsaw and Prague on Thursday (12 April) received political backing from the German EU presidency for their controversial plans to host a US defence system aimed at intercepting possible ballistic missiles fired from states such as Iran.

Germany's defence minister Franz Josef Jung told members of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee that the scheme could play an important "protecting role" for Europe as a whole, according to press reports.

"The threats have changed. We are facing threats related to international terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, proliferation and crisis and conflict situations. We have to react to that," he said expressing support for the defence system.

Washington's missile defence scheme had earlier come under fire from states like Luxembourg and Austria, who said the anti-missile bases in Central Europe could provoke new tensions with Russia.

Moscow sees the US scheme as designed to undermine the deterrence threat posed by its own nuclear missiles.

Mr Jung however said he is "confident" that an agreement over the issue could be reached with the Kremlin, despite a bellicose Russian air force chief last month saying that Moscow was ready to destroy the installations in Poland and the Czech Republic.

The German politician pleaded for a broad political discussion over the scheme at NATO level, adding that Moscow should be consulted in the framework of the NATO-Russia council.

Warsaw and Prague have come under criticism for dealing with Washington directly over the scheme, instead of through NATO structures.

Mr Jung said however that the missile shield should benefit Europe as a whole. "At the moment, North and Central Europe are protected [by the shield], not southern Europe. In my view that is a mistake."

The statements by Mr Jung - a conservative - contrast with sentiments among Germany's social democrats (SPD) who are the junior partner in the ruling grand coalition government.

German foreign minister and SPD member Frank-Walter Steinmeier said earlier "Because the sites for the stationing are getting nearer to Russia, one should have talked about it with Russia beforehand."

Meanwhile the German defence minister also told MEPs that "in the long run we will strive for a European army which shall also support the European security and defence policy," in remarks echoing earlier comments by German chancellor Angela Merkel.

Ms Merkel last month told newspaper Bild that "we need to get closer to a common army for Europe," a view also held by Polish president Lech Kaczynski.

http://euobserver.com/9/23864

[rollinTHUNDER]

EU to target satellite observation in space race

18.04.2007 - 09:20 CET | By Honor Mahony

Europe's plans to become a space power will see it install a fully-functioning global observation system consisting of 30 satellites by 2014.

This system, known as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), will supply the EU with independent environment, climate change and security information reducing the bloc's dependence on outside sources for information.

Once up and running, GMES will be able to detect information such as illegal clearing in rain forests or the exact number of people in need of aid in a refugee camp.

Speaking at an EU conference on the satellite system in Munich on Tuesday (17 April), EU industry commissioner Guenter Verheugen said he expected the whole system to cost around

[roselady]

The Anti Christ?

Well, that should be an easy one to identify. First, look at the person, do they repent?? Do they love God with all their heart mind and soul? When they speak do they speak from their own athority or from scripture and does the bible back up what they say? If so then you probably dont have the right person in mind. I say this, when I testify about myself, dont look to me for perfection, look to HIM! The work He did in me is my testamony, not anything I did, will do, or power from myself. Its about total surrender to the Lord! Let him guide you in this matter!

This thread was originally started on May 20, 2002

Since the move to the new website has lost the first page to all threads, I am re-doing this one from the start. This will be a long process since I have been tracking the revival of the ancient Roman Empire for about a year now. I will now attempt to start it again from the beginning, by retrieving all of the links from the original thread, but some don't have links because I pasted them before I learned how to post up links to websites, sorry. Some of my commentaries will be lost forever however. Let the journey begin :

****************************

On April 8th, 2002, I shared my opinion as to what a particular verse in the Bible meant. To the best of my knowledge, No one has ever hit upon what this verse means. This verse provides a tiny thumbnail sketch that describes something the coming Anti-christ will do. Is it possible that some in the body of Christ will know who the AC is before his 42 month reign on this earth, that opens the beginning of the tribulation period?? That is one tough question, but I would like to share something that I believe the Lord revealed to me, that could very possibly identify who the AC is. After I said this, I forgot about it, because no one seemed to want to expand on it. Actually I would like to credit my friend Josiah for finding this. I have no idea how he could have remembered something I said over a month earlier, but he did, and it should be credited to him as a great catch. He also provided the links that shed the light on this subject. I will now attempt to cut and paste these things from another forum, to this one. I hope it works. Stand by please.

[rollinTHUNDER]

The Anti Christ?

Well, that should be an easy one to identify. First, look at the person, do they repent?? Do they love God with all their heart mind and soul? When they speak do they speak from their own athority or from scripture and does the bible back up what they say? If so then you probably dont have the right person in mind. I say this, when I testify about myself, dont look to me for perfection, look to HIM! The work He did in me is my testamony, not anything I did, will do, or power from myself. Its about total surrender to the Lord! Let him guide you in this matter!

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are getting at here.

You lost me right from the start.

[MorningGlory]

The Anti Christ?

Well, that should be an easy one to identify. First, look at the person, do they repent?? Do they love God with all their heart mind and soul? When they speak do they speak from their own athority or from scripture and does the bible back up what they say? If so then you probably dont have the right person in mind. I say this, when I testify about myself, dont look to me for perfection, look to HIM! The work He did in me is my testamony, not anything I did, will do, or power from myself. Its about total surrender to the Lord! Let him guide you in this matter!

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are getting at here.

You lost me right from the start.

Huh? Me too!

[rollinTHUNDER]

Solana urges US to talk to Tehran

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has urged the US to engage in direct talks with Iran over Tehran