APRIL 8th PREDICTION

[rollinTHUNDER]

What Did He Mean?

According to the International Herald Tribune's Judy Dempsey, in a recent interview, the EU's Javier Solana brought religion up again. Solana said:

Look, I want to be pragmatic ... It is not talking about whether God exists or not ... I am looking at how to deal with the [bush] administration in a constructive and multilateral framework (Read about it here)>>>> http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file...ews/solana.html

Solana made this strange statement about God while preparing for his meeting with President George W. Bush in Brussels this Tuesday. The interesting thing about this is, this isn't the first time Solana has brought up religion while referring to the current leadership in Washington. If you recall, in January 2003, Solana told the Financial Times that the reason the US and the EU was drifting apart is because America was too religious. Now, we're hearing it again.

Another revealing remark is what Solana had to say about the king of Jordan and the president of Egypt. He said they were both "in panic" over Iraq. He said:

They wonder what kind of Iraq will emerge. Will it be a government of theologians or engineers?

Once again, Solana makes a reference to religion. Will a religious government emerge in Iraq, or a scientific government? Being a physicist, you know which type of government Solana would prefer. It's becoming apparent to me that Solana may not think too highly of religion.

And, why the pessimism over Iraq and the Atlantic Alliance? It appears Solana is expressing doubt and concern where others are expressing hope. Why? Is it that same old problem? Is it too much religion? Does he see a too religious America standing in the way of solving the world's problems?

I need more time to think on this. One thing I know, Solana isn't a follower. He's carving his own place on the world stage and this interview is somehow designed to further that goal. He needs the US and now the US needs him. So, he's not going to rubber stamp Bush's Middle East foreign policy. But, at the same time, he's not about to bite the hand of the man who can give him what he wants either -- whether that man is religious or not.

I guess we're just going to have to wait and see what comes out of this meeting in Brussels. And, we're just going to have to wait and see what Solana meant by bringing up God again.

Like I said yesterday, it's sure getting interesting.

Stay tuned!

02-21-05

http://fulfilledprophecy.com/what_did_he_mean.html

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Bush trip sees disagreement over NATO role

23.02.2005 - 08:25 CET | By Honor Mahony

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - US President George W. Bush has resisted calls from some quarters in Europe for a forum other than NATO to discuss transatlantic relations.

Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday evening (22 February) as the EU-specific part of his trip drew to a close, Mr Bush said, referring to the EU and NATO, "I think they're both important, they're both a part of an important dialogue with Europe".

Following a NATO meeting earlier in the day; Mr Bush said the Alliance is the "cornerstone of the transatlantic relationship".

"In order for NATO to be vital it's got to be relevant, and if it stays stuck in the past it's slowly but surely going to fade into oblivion'', said the president.

His remarks were a rebuff to French President Jacques Chirac who on Tuesday backed a call by Germany suggesting that NATO was no longer the "primary venue" for transatlantic relations.

"Europe and the United States are real partners. So we need to dialogue and listen to each other more", said Mr Chirac.

"We must also, as the German chancellor has underlined, continue to take account of the changes that have occurred on the European continent," Mr Chirac said, referring to the EU steps towards integration.

For his part, Mr Schr

[rollinTHUNDER]

EU pits developing countries against US

23.02.2005 - 10:52 CET | By Meghan Sapp

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - In a wide-ranging partnership agreement with the ACP (Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific) countries, known as the Cotonou Agreement, Brussels is pushing for a clause on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

It is also pushing for support for the International Criminal Court - something the EU supports but which the US has refused to sign up to.

After almost one year's negotiations, the five-year review of the Cotonou Agreement is due to be completed today (23 February). However, ACP countries fear that the EU's demands will jeopardise their trade and development relations with Washington.

Signed in 2000 and valid until 2020, the agreement is the main legal document that binds the EU to its ACP partners covering trade and good governance. Its underlying objective is to fight poverty.

But adding the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) clause to the document as an "essential element," the violation of which could lead to the suspension of aid from the European Union, goes against that underlying objective, argue both ACP countries and NGOs.

In November 2003, the EU agreed that all external agreements made with the 25-nation bloc must include a clause against the manufacturing and stockpiling of WMDs.

"Weapons of mass destruction were not an issue or an imminent threat when Cotonou was first signed", said a senior diplomat from one of the ACP countries speaking to the EUobserver.

"The ACP agrees to its inclusion in the review but not as an essential element", the diplomat said.

"Elements of the (Cotonou Agreement) proposal are driven by Europe

[rollinTHUNDER]

EU 3 and Mr. Invisible

When in Europe, just who do you see? That's the problem facing President George W. Bush on his visit to Europe. And, from the looks of it, the answer to that question is "everybody." You meet with everybody.

From a Bible prophecy perspective, our answer may come a little more into focus. President Bush met with the EU "big three" -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (Read about it here)>>>> http://www.itv.com/news/1939512.html

(And here)>>>> http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2...tent_418233.htm

(And here)>>>> http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireSt...d=524867&page=1

And, he met with our Mr. Invisible, the EU's Javier Solana. But, as you've probably noticed, this meeting with Solana didn't get much media attention.

How may these meetings be connected to Bible prophecy? The three leaders that President Bush met with -- the EU "big three" mentioned above -- were also on the scene as members of the 10-nation Western European Union military alliance when Solana suddenly appeared among them back in 1999. In other words, if Solana is fulfilling the prophecies about the little horn of Daniel (Daniel 7:8), these three leaders could very possibly be the three of the first horns that are destined to be pulled.

Furthermore, if Solana is fulfilling the prophecies about the little horn, he would be leading a revival of the old Roman Empire. Interestingly, this meeting between Bush, Solana and the other members of the EU troika, marks the first official visit of a US President to the EU as a political entity.

Am I suggesting that I think Javier Solana may be the little horn of Daniel's prophecy? I really don't know. What I do know is there are apparent fulfillements of prophecy that are associated with Solana's rise to political power in the EU. I also know, if things continue on their present course, as of January 1, 2007, Solana will no longer be required to have the other members of the EU troika present when he meets with a US President. At that time, he will be in his new position as EU Foreign Minister. In other words, Solana will no longer be Mr. Invisible.

I wonder were the "big three" will be then?

02-23-05

http://fulfilledprophecy.com/eu3_and_mrinvisible.html

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NATO Wants to Work With Israel Military

Thu Feb 24, 9:01 AM ET

Middle East - AP

By PETER ENAV, Associated Press Writer

TEL AVIV, Israel - NATO (news - web sites) wants to increase its military cooperation with Israel, especially in the areas of sharing intelligence and fighting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the alliance's secretary general said Thursday.

But in an interview published in Israel's Haaretz daily on Thursday, Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was quoted as saying that NATO's recent focus on the Mediterranean Dialogue, a forum of Israel and six Arab countries, is not "designed as a first step to a future membership."

In recent months, Israel has expressed an interest in joining the 26-member alliance, but Arab countries would not look favorably upon such a partnership without an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

NATO's talks with Israel and other Mideast countries are carefully balanced, "given the sensitivities in the region," de Hoop Scheffer told Haaretz.

Israel currently participates in several NATO forums and in recent months participated for the first time in joint military exercises. The cooperation also includes intelligence-sharing and consultancy on security issues.

De Hoop Scheffer told Haaretz his arrival in Israel late Wednesday and meetings Thursday with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom are intended to enhance "the political and practical dimensions" of NATO's dialogue with Mideast countries.

Israel is interested in "moving from a relation of dialogue to a relation of partnership," Shalom said after meeting de Hoop Scheffer in Tel Aviv.

"Israel has given NATO a proposal for an operative program, a varied program in the diplomatic and military areas," Shalom said.

NATO is "looking favorably" at an Israeli proposal to upgrade relations, de Hoop Scheffer said.

In a commentary in The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, Ron Prosor, the Foreign Ministry's director-general, said Israel's inclusion in NATO "is not on the table at the moment."

De Hoop Scheffer repeated an earlier statement that NATO would consider sending peacekeeping troops to guarantee a treaty if Israel and the Palestinians were to request their presence after reaching a peace agreement. Such a troop presence would require a U.N. mandate and agreement by both parties, he added.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor..._ea/israel_nato

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Developing countries reach compromise with EU

25.02.2005 - 09:54 CET | By Meghan Sapp

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - 77 developing African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries have declared victory in their negotiations with the EU over the five-year review of their trade partnership agreement.

"The ACP feels that we met the EU half way," a senior ACP diplomat told EUobserver.

The negotiations with EU development commissioner Louis Michel lasted until late Wednesday night (23 February).

Brussels had been pushing the ACP countries to agree to ratify the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of the negotiations but some of the members were concerned that doing so would threaten trade relations with the US, who has refused to ratify the ICC.

The diplomat said that the EU agreed to a weaker wording of the document than originally proposed, with ACP countries "seeking to take steps" to ratify the ICC rather than "agree to take steps."

Brussels had also sought to add a clause tying the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to eligibility for EU aid, but the end result was a technical manoeuvre that allowed for a separate political process if an ACP country failed to meet the WMD obligation.

Mention of stockpiling and manufacturing of WMD was not including in the final draft, another senior diplomat added.

Also a new financial protocol was negotiated. The agreement was to base the budget of the next European Development Fund (EDF) on the current level, increased for inflation, for growth and the effect of the enlargement of 10 new Member States.

The Cotonou agreement links the EU and 77 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. It was signed on 23 June 2000 at Cotonou in B

[rollinTHUNDER]

European Union, US stand side by side in Iraq, Iran, Mideast: Solana

By AFP

Published: 2/22/2005

WARSAW, Feb 22 (AFP) - The European Union will work closely with the United States in Iraq, Iran and the Middle East, the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in an editorial published in Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza on Tuesday.

"We have chosen to accept the invitation to forge a partnership (with the United States) and prove that a strong and united Europe is the best partner for the United States, which thinks along the same lines," said Solana.

"We Europeans must be more involved in Iraq through the European Union... With the United States, we want to back the next steps in the Iraqi political process: the drafting of a constitution and the creation of effective democratic institutions," he said.

"A joint effort by the EU and US is also indispensable to deal with two other priority issues, first of which is Iran," said Solana.

"We agree that it would be unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons capability," he said.

"The second priority is peace in the Middle East. Both the EU and the US have chosen to take advantage of the present political openness in relations between Israel and the Palestinians."

"Naturally, the trans-Atlantic agenda goes much further than that, too. It includes Afghanistan, China, Russia, global warming, reforming the UN, revising the nuclear non-proliferation pact, the Doha round," Solana said.

"When the EU and the United States head in the same direction, we are capable of producing magnificent results," he concluded.

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=37627

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Abbas to attend int'l conference in London

www.chinaview.cn 2005-02-27 22:47:24

RAMALLAH, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will leave the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday for London viaJordan to attend a two-day international conference on the Middle East due to open Tuesday, Palestinian sources said.

The London conference comes against the backdrop of a suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv on Friday night that left four Israelisdead and some 50 wounded, the first such attack in the past four months, dampening hope to revive the stalled roadmap peace plan which calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana as well as representatives of 25 nations are scheduled to take part in the conference.

The meeting, sponsored by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, will discuss how to help push Palestinian reforms, economic and security rebuilding.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-02/...ent_2626604.htm

[rollinTHUNDER]

Warning About Solana

MP Elmar Brok has issued a clear warning. Brok says, if the EU's new Constitution enters into force as it is, and if Javier Solana becomes the EU's new, super Foreign Minister, Solana's powers could become uncontrollable. Brok warned:

An independent 'super administration' of that kind would take on an uncontrollable life of its own, unduly raise the status of foreign minister, even in relation to the Commission president Read about it here.

If you've read my book, or have been following the news here at FulfilledProphecy, you are already aware of the democratic deficit in the EU's new military machinery. And, when the EU's new Foreign Minister comes on the scene in 2007, that democratic deficit will only get worse. So, if we're already aware of this dangerous situation, why did it take a report by an MP named Elmar Brok to make others aware of it? Well, I don't think making people aware was Brok's only motive. You see, Brok has been trying to bring the EU's military wing under the oversight of the EU Parliament ever since the military wing was first established back in July of 2000. If you recall, the EU heads created it by implementing the 10-nation Western European Union's (WEU) Assembly Recommendation 666.

This brings us to the power struggle now going on in the EU. The battle is being waged between the Assembly of the WEU -- the same that adopted Recommendation 666 -- and the EU Parliament. It seems, both bodies want to be the one that provides the democratic oversight over the EU's new military wing.

In the mean time, the EU heads who are providing the military don't really want to be bothered by the oversight of either democratic body. In fact, there are those who believe, if the EU Parliament continues to push the issue, it will only play into the hands of the EU "big three" -- France, Germany and the UK -- who would just as soon sidetrack all democratic oversight anyway Read about it here.

Nevertheless, with his new report, it appears that Brok is still pushing the issue.

So, what will the "big three" do about Brok?

And, what will Solana do about the "big three?"

Interesting, isn't it?

02-28-05

http://fulfilledprophecy.com/warning_about_solana.html

[rollinTHUNDER]

Israel, Palestinians Told to Keep Road Map Pledges

Tue Mar 1, 2005 08:28 AM ET

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

LONDON (Reuters) - Israelis and Palestinians must both meet their obligations under a U.S.-backed peace "road map" to ensure creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, world leaders meeting in London said Tuesday.

A final draft statement, obtained by Reuters, offered Palestinians support for security forces trying to stop attacks on Israelis, for parliamentary polls and for efforts to ensure order when Israel pulls settlers from the occupied Gaza Strip.

In return the Palestinians vowed to pursue security reforms, hold elections on schedule in July and fight corruption.

The aim of the conference, hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is to support the Palestinians under new President Mahmoud Abbas to carry out steps that will bolster peacemaking with Israel and build confidence in the Jewish state.

Israel stayed away, anxious to avoid international pressure to resume early negotiations on a final peace settlement.

"The participants ... recognized that the implementation of the commitments made by the Palestinian Authority would constitute a major step in implementing its road map commitments," the statement said.

"At the same time, participants urged and expect action by Israel in relation to its own road map commitments."

"PALESTINE"

It said the path to peace required direct negotiations leading to "a safe and secure Israel and a sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous Palestine, living side by side in peace and security."

Rice said she was sending her pointman on Palestinian security reform, Lieutenant-General William Ward, to the region.

A Palestinian official welcomed Ward's role as a coordinator of security contacts with the Israelis. "We need him to be a witness to the actions of both sides," Mejdi al-Khaldi, an aide to Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa, told Reuters.

Abbas told the meeting that reforms must be backed by peace negotiations with Israel, saying security efforts could collapse unless supported by a "serious political track."

"This conference addresses our needs to find a suitable atmosphere to open political paths to put an end to violence and counter-violence," he told the meeting attended by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and foreign ministers of Arab and European countries.

Abbas called for renewed efforts to implement the nearly two-year-old road map, stalled by violence and upstaged by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to withdraw from Gaza later this year.

Palestinians want governments to press Israel to ensure that any Gaza pullout is part of the road map, not a one-off move to perpetuate Israeli control of West Bank settlements.

Gaza is home to 1.3 million Palestinians and the West Bank to 2.3 million. Nearly 240,000 Jews live in settlements in the territories, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.

ISRAELI CONDITIONS

Israel says it is committed to the road map, under which it is supposed to freeze settlement building and start removing rogue settler outposts, but says peace talks must wait until Abbas has reined in militants and the Gaza pullout is complete.

A key commitment of the Palestinians under the road map is to dismantle militant groups and prevent attacks on Israelis like Friday's suicide bombing that killed five people at a Tel Aviv night club and underlined the fragility of a cease-fire declared by Israel and the Palestinians three weeks ago.

"Advancing reform is urgent work that cannot be deferred," Rice said. "It will come to nothing if terrorist groups, like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, continue to attack Israelis and to deny the Palestinian people the better life they deserve."

Rice said Israel must also play its part.

"Israel must take no actions that prejudice a final settlement, and must help ensure that a new Palestinian state is truly viable. A state of scattered territories will not work."

Representatives of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund were also attending and members of the Middle East quartet -- Russia, the European Union, the United Nations and the United States -- met on the sidelines of the conference.

British officials expect some countries to pledge cash to plug short-term gaps, setting the stage for a donor conference by the end of June. The EU Commission and World Bank will also announce a follow-up role in economic and governance areas.

The meeting will also set up a U.S.-led coordinating group to provide training and finance for security forces. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Madeline Chambers)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;j...11&pageNumber=1