APRIL 8th PREDICTION

[rollinTHUNDER]

Israel open to EU policing role on Gaza border

Mon Sep 19, 2005 3:14 PM ET

By Mark Heinrich

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has agreed in principle to a European Union role in policing Gaza's volatile border crossing with Egypt, Israeli officials said on Monday, a turnabout after years of opposition to an EU security mission.

The deal would go beyond EU monitoring already discussed. Israel has long been reluctant to allow outside involvement in its conflict with the Palestinians, perceiving Europe, and indeed the world except its U.S. ally, as pro-Palestinian.

Securing the border took on more urgency when controls collapsed after Israel's pullout last week after 38 years of occupation. Tens of thousands of Palestinians swarmed into Egypt -- most to visit relatives or shop, but some to smuggle arms.

An EU presence would help resolve a dispute over Israel's demand to retain some control over crossings via the Rafah terminal, rejected by Palestinians as tantamount to continued occupation. Rafah has been shut because of the stand-off.

Senior Israeli officials said a deal in principle had been reached with the EU for its personnel to work with Palestinian security forces and Egyptian police who sealed the frontier on Sunday to end days of chaos.

"This would be an EU security role, to prevent terrorists or their weaponry entering Gaza as part of the EU's role in the global war on terror," one Israeli official said.

Israeli officials said the pact had to be fleshed out and it remained unclear whether it would entail a full-scale European border guard mission.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters his side had agreed in principle to an EU presence on the Gaza-Egypt border "but the modalities and the definition of their role will have to be discussed and agreed".

A spokesman for the Foreign Office in Britain, which holds the EU rotating presidency, said it was up to the Palestinians, Israelis and Egyptians to reach agreement.

"When they come up with some sort of plan, we are prepared to consider any proposal," he said.

EU OVERSIGHT ROLE

On September 12, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said the EU had offered to help oversee Gaza's crossings with Egypt as a third party to enable people and goods to pass without being subject to Israeli control.

By agreement with Israel, Egypt is deploying 750 special police along a Gaza border buffer zone vacated by Israeli troops there to prevent arms-smuggling.

Israel, citing security reasons, has kept control over Gaza's offshore Mediterranean waters and air space.

EU officials have said Israel is also considering an EU offer to supervise customs at the Gaza port and airport to encourage the Jewish state to relinquish external controls.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said imported goods could pass through an Israeli-run terminal to preserve Gaza's economically vital customs union with Israel and the West Bank.

Abbas said in Gaza City on Monday that the Rafah terminal would be reopened "only with an international agreement because we want to do the right thing at the right time, to behave as a state in a responsible way".

Israel is concerned about smuggling to groups such as Hamas, which claimed the pullout as a victory for an uprising since 2000 and is ultimately sworn to destroying the Jewish state.

Before it withdrew, Israel closed the Rafah crossing for a period of six months pending renovations and a solution that would satisfy its security demands.

The London-based Independent newspaper said a heightened EU role could range from provision of equipment, such as X-ray scanners for cargo, to an expanded police or border guard force.

Palestinians hope to create a state in Gaza and the West Bank, where Israel continues to expand Jewish settlements much larger than those it uprooted from Gaza last month.

(additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle....T-BORDER-EU.xml

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Comeback Chancellor?

If you've been reading my commentaries, you know why I've been watching this German election so closely. In my last commentary I said:

It may be possible the EU's so-called "big three," the UK's Tony Blair, France's Jacques Chirac and Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, could become the three horns that Bible prophecy says are destined to be pulled (Read full commentary here)>>>> http://fulfilledprophecy.com/astonsihing_comeback.html

Later in my commentary I explained why I thought this. I said:

Since the EU became 25 nations in 2004, the EU's big three -- the UK's Blair, France's Chirac and Germany's Schroeder -- have formed a directorate in order to protect their interests and control the EU's foreign and security policy. Yet, as I said before, since 1999, the EU's foreign and security policy was to be under the controlled of Solana, not the EU's big three. And, all three of these big three leaders were already on the scene in 1999 when Solana first appeared. They were, and still are, also members of the 10-nation alliance.

Schroder's challenger, Angela Merkel, expected to easily win with plenty of votes left over for the creation of a new government with her sitting as Germany's first woman Chancellor. When the votes were counted, Merkel was handed what could be described as an unloaded gun. And, to make matters worse, her rival in the election, Schroder, may be holding all the bullets (Read about it here)>>>> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13...1787883,00.html

So, will Schroder come back from political death? Will he rise again to rule over Germany? I don't know. But, there is one thing that I do know. If Schroder does find a way to stay in power, I'm going to keep my eyes glued to the so-called "EU big three" -- big time!

Stay tuned!

09-19-05

http://fulfilledprophecy.com/comeback_chancellor.html

[rollinTHUNDER]

Writing on the Wall?

There's that number again. This time the number 666 appears on the wall at a press conference following a meeting of the so-called "Quartet" in New York (Read about it here)>>>> http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicado...d=101222&src=0#

This September the United Nation's General Assembly is having its 60th session. That's the reason for the big 60 on the UN logo. However, when three logos are placed side by side, as was done at this press conference, that number clearly appears.

Perhaps it's warning to Israel. If you recall, the Apostle Paul once said, "Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom" (1 Corinthians 1:22 New American Standard Bible). Here we may have another sign.

Why do I say this? Because, at this meeting of the Quartet, the goal is the creation of a Palestinian state along side Israel in order to reach agreements on the West Bank and Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. In other words, the meeting was held in order to bring a time of peace to Israel. And, according to the Bible, it could well be the false peace of prophecy (Daniel 9:27, Revelation13:18).

That's why the appearance of that number should be considered. If you recall, the number appeared when the EU's new Office of High Representative was created back in December of 1998 with a Mediterranean mandate. The number appeared again in June of 2000 when the decision was made to make the 10-nation Western European Union the EU's military wing and give the High Representative emergency powers. Now, once again, the number appears at a meeting where the High Representative is present and discussing peace for Israel.

Friends, is the writing on the wall?

09-22-05

http://fulfilledprophecy.com/writing_on_wall.html

[rollinTHUNDER]

EU appeals to Israel, PA not to squander chance for peace

By Reuters

The European Union's foreign policy chief appealed to Israel and the Palestinians on Monday not to squander the chance to revive peace moves offered by Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Javier Solana said a surge of violence, in which Israel fired missiles into Gaza on Monday in response to Palestinian rocket fire, showed the road ahead would not be easy.

"The stakes are high. The leadership on both sides is under serious pressure. Both sides need Gaza disengagement to work, with important elections looming next year, and so do we," Solana told a conference in Paris.

"For the Palestinians this is a chance to win over the skeptics, in Israel and elsewhere, that they can actually run their own affairs in a responsible manner," he told the Institute for Security Studies of the European Union.

"For Israel, the logical priority is to ensure that Gaza will not become hostile territory from which terrorists launch attacks on neighbouring communities and the rest of Israel.

"Events in the last few days and hours have reminded us that this will not be easy."

The worst increase in violence since Israel completed its pullout from Gaza on September 12 after 38 years of occupation has put pressure on a shaky ceasefire.

Solana, the EU's high representative for common foreign and security policy, said the 25-nation bloc was prepared to step up its involvement in the region.

He reiterated that the EU was ready to help the Palestinians reform their police and security forces with training, equipment and financial support.

British treasurer Brown seeks to boost Palestinian infrastructure

British Treasurer Gordon Brown said on Monday he would visit the Middle East next month to look at ways to rebuild Palestinian infrastructure.

Tackling poverty and unemployment in Palestinian areas would help bring stability to the region, Brown said in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.

Brown, widely seen as the most likely successor to Prime Minister Tony Blair, said he had held talks with the European Investment Bank and the World Bank to identify possible investment in infrastructure projects.

"I have talked to the Israeli finance ministry and I hope we can make a contribution that will recognise that a strong and fair economy can lower the amount of violence and underpin development," said Brown.

"In the Palestinian Authority area unemployment is 30 percent and maybe more. The area needs to grow by 10 percent a year for many years if we are going to tackle unemployment and poverty."

Gaza's unemployment and poverty rates exceed 50 percent with many of the 1.4 million Palestinians living on e2 or less a day.

The poor state of the economy presents a challenge to the Palestinian Authority after Israel's pullout of troops and settlers was completed earlier this month.

Brown has already outlined proposals for the European Commission and European Investment Bank to offer guarantee loans to investors putting money into start-up firms in the region.

The Palestinian Authority's National Economy Minister, Mazen Sinnukrot, has said he hopes to attract e1.5-e2 billion in private investment annually for the first three years after Israel's pullout from Gaza.

As part of economic reforms, the Palestinian Authority plans from 2006 to privatise all government-owned enterprises such as Gaza airport, the national cement and oil companies and a planned Mediterranean port, and to invite foreign bids.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/629287.html

[rollinTHUNDER]

EU Wants Shared Control of Internet

By AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer

Fri Sep 30, 2:57 PM ET

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union insisted Friday that governments and the private sector must share the responsibility of overseeing the Internet, setting the stage for a showdown with the United States on the future of Internet governance.

A senior U.S. official reiterated Thursday that the country wants to remain the Internet's ultimate authority, rejecting calls in a United Nations meeting in Geneva for a U.N. body to take over.

EU spokesman Martin Selmayr said a new cooperation model was important "because the Internet is a global resource."

"The EU ... is very firm on this position," he added.

The Geneva talks were the last preparatory meeting before November's World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia.

A stalemate over who should serve as the principal traffic cops for Internet routing and addressing could derail the summit, which aims to ensure a fair sharing of the Internet for the benefit of the whole world.

At issue is who would have ultimate authority over the Internet's master directories, which tell Web browsers and e-mail programs how to direct traffic.

That role has historically gone to the United States, which created the Internet as a Pentagon project and funded much of its early development. The U.S. Commerce Department has delegated much of that responsibility to a U.S.-based private organization with international board members, but Commerce ultimately retains veto power.

Some countries have been frustrated that the United States and European countries that got on the Internet first gobbled up most of the available addresses required for computers to connect, leaving developing nations with a limited supply to share.

They also want greater assurance that as they come to rely on the Internet more for governmental and other services, their plans won't get derailed by some future U.S. policy.

Policy decisions could at a stroke make all Web sites ending in a specific suffix essentially unreachable. Other decisions could affect the availability of domain names in non-English characters or ones dedicated to special interests such as pornography.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050930/ap_on_...HNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[rollinTHUNDER]

Solana warns of 'huge risk' if EU refuses Turkey entry

Sat Oct 1, 9:41 AM ET

BRUSSELS (AFP) - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has warned of "a huge risk of leaving Turkey without an anchor in the world", should the bloc not make progress on membership for the mainly Muslim state in Monday's scheduled negotiations.

ZIP code where you park at night.

Do you currently have auto insurance? Yes No

Have you had a U.S driver's license for more than 3 years? Yes No

Has any driver in your household had 2 or more accidents or moving violations in the last 3 years? Yes No

"Let's look 25 years ahead and imagine that we have said no to Turkey, that it has been a disaster for the Middle East and there are huge oil and energy crises," Solana said in an interview published Saturday in daily newspaper Le Soir.

"Perhaps we will regret not having said yes to incorporating Turkey into our way of thinking, to our philosophy and our values...

"There is a huge risk of leaving Turkey without an anchor in the world. It is better for EU citizens to have Turkey on our side than ... I don't know where," he warned, adding that the EU must "respect its commitments" to the candidate state.

Turkey first applied to join the bloc in the 1960s and was accepted as a candidate country in 1999.

Formal entry talks are due to start in Luxembourg on Monday, but member state Austria has prevented the agreement of a negotiating framework by opposing full member status in favour of a "privileged partnership", an option flatly rejected by Ankara.

EU foreign ministers are to open talks in Luxembourg late on Sunday to try to come to a last-minute agreement on negotiation terms.

"The situation is not easy ... but I don't doubt that we will find a solution," Solana predicted.

Entry talks have been further complicated by Ankara's ongoing refusal to recognise Cyprus, now an EU member state, and to accept that massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire amounted to "genocide."

An opinion poll published Saturday in Turkish daily Milliyet showed a 10 percent drop in public support for EU entry, now running at 57.4 percent, and confidence in the bloc running at 17.5 percent.

While the candidacies of Turkey and Croatia are not officially linked, Austria's conservative Chancellor Wolfgang Scheussel last week pressed Croatia's case over that of Turkey.

Accession negotiations with Croatia were deferred in March due to a lack of cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the UN war crimes court.

However Solana warned that conflating the two applications was "not a good idea".

"If Turkey is ready, we must begin (talks). And if Croatia is ready, there too. But we can't have a quid pro quo with the fate of these countries' populations," he said.

The EU working group on Croatia, which includes Solana, is due to convene on Monday morning with chief UN warcrimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051001/wl_af...HNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[rollinTHUNDER]

Jordan's King Abdullah urges EU role to restore truce in the region

By DPA

Amman - King Abdullah II met Sunday with European Union ambassadors to Jordan and especially urged EU countries to help Israel and the Palestinians to restore the truce that was shattered during the last week, according to an official statement.

"The monarch urged the world community, particularly the European Union countries and the Middle East Quartet, to step in to help Israel and the Palestinians to take measures to restore calmness and build up mutual confidence so as the peace process achieves its goals," the statement from the Royal court said.

"It is important for both the Israeli and Palestinian sides to come to know that the future will be better than the current situation," the statement quoted Abdullah as telling the European envoys.

King Abdullah called it "imperative" for the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip to be followed by "similar withdrawals from the West Bank, in compliance with the provisions of the road map".

He underscored the importance of the world's community's assistance to Iraq to enable Jordan's neighbor to "restore its security and stability".

"The King stressed the need for all Iraqi groupings to take part in the ongoing political process that has the aim of arriving at a free, independent and democratic Iraq," the statement said.

King Abdullah "expressed support for the Barcelona process, expressing hope that the forthcoming Barcelona summit will give a boost to the Euro-Med partnership", the palace added.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/631964.html

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Iran upset with EU High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy Javier Solana

Oct. 7, 2005

Iran will not invite EU High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy Javier Solana to the next round of talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom regarding Iran's nuclear activities, an anonymous Iranian official told IRNA on Oct. 6. The official added that Iran is dissatisfied with Solana's negative attitude toward the Iranian nuclear program.

http://www.indiadaily.com/breaking_news/47790.asp

[rollinTHUNDER]

American Internet dominance challenged by EU

12.10.2005 - 17:02 CET | By Lisbeth Kirk

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - An EU proposal to wrest governing control over the Internet from the US is gathering support around the globe.

A few weeks before an important UN summit, the EU is claiming backing from everybody in the world apart from the US for a proposal to internationalise control of the World Wide Web.

Adopted by EU telecommunication ministers in July, the plan aims at finding a new model for international cooperation without setting up new institutions or getting involved in the day-to-day operations.

The Internet was invented by Americans and is still managed by the California-based, not-for-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) on behalf of the entire world.

Icann is governed by an internationally diverse Board of Directors overseeing the policy development process. But the organisation still operates under contract to the US department of commerce, which will run out by the end of 2006.

Internet users in the entire world must request the Icann organisation to be able to insert new top level domains, such as the .eu domain which is shortly to be opened for registration. The allocation system of Internet Protocol addresses (IP numbers) is also handled by Icann.

And disputes with Icann must follow Californian laws.

The EU is instead calling for "the establishment of an arbitration and dispute resolution mechanism based on international law in case of disputes".

All againgst one

The EU proposal was supported by all other countries apart from the US, at a preparatory conference in Geneva in last month, according to commission IT spokesman Martin Selmayr.

It is not that Icann is not doing a good job but even it has called for internationalisation, he added.

Countries such as Brazil are threatening to set up their own regional internet, if no globalisation of the World Wide Web is introduced.

"It would be disastrous. Something we at all price should avoid. It might mean the end of the world wide web, as we know it", said Mr Selmayr referring to a regional internet.

But the Americans are not likely to give in without a fight.

Members of the US House of Representatives said last week that the US should resist international pressure to give up authority over key Internet functions.

"Given the Internet

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Ready?

Many, myself included, are wondering where we stand in prophecy. Schroeder will be gone soon. And, if things go as planned, he'll be gone without getting plucked. More on that later.

As for now, the EU's so-called "big three" -- the UK's Tony Blair, France's Jacques Chirac and Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, are still controlling the EU agenda. At the coming summit, the EU's seven-year budget will be discussed. This leads us to the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). The ENP is an important part of the new budget. The EU heads want it to work and are willing to spend for peace and prosperity in their neighborhood.

Back to Schroeder not getting plucked. I think it still could happen. It's hard for me not to think the EU's "big three" could end up being the 3 horns of prophecy. But, they don't have to be. Let's take another look at that prophecy in Daniel.

After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts (Daniel 7:7-8 New American Standard Bible).

Now let's look again at the events. First, a 10-nation military alliance appeared in 1995, when Greece became the 10th full member nation of the Western European Union (WEU).

Then, in 1999, Javier Solana became the first High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union. At the same time, he became Secretary General of the Council of Ministers. A short time later, he also became Secretary General of the WEU alliance. This was the part that really caught my attention -- Solana's sudden appearance among a 10-nation alliance.

I know. It's strange to think these events could be the fulfillment of that prophecy from Daniel. But, as I've been reporting, we even have three nations from out of the 10 which have formed an alliance of their own. They have done this in order to take control of the EU's foreign and security policy away from Solana. Naturally, Solana doesn't much like this. After all, he was hired to lead the EU's foreign and security policy. In other words, the "big three" are in Solana's way.

To make matters worse, since taking the EU presidency the UK's Tony Blair has put the skids to many of Solana's pet projects. He is also attempting to forever change the way the Council functions. Blair wants to open up it's behind closed door way of doing business (Read about it here)>>>>

In other words, there is a power struggle going on and Solana appears to be at the center.

As I mentioned before, Schroeder will be around for a short while longer. So will Blair and Chirac. Friends, the stage may be set right now for the final events of prophecy. Then, again, they may not. We'll just have to wait and see. I don't think we'll have to wait long though. When, and if, the final events happen, they could happen really quick.

Ready?

10-16-05

http://fulfilledprophecy.com/ready.html