APRIL 8th PREDICTION

[tsth]

I'm with Lorie on this one. I don't see this thread as one meant for contention, or even debate. It's a thread that is very helpful in keeping me informed on what is taking place in the EU. I personally along with others I'm sure, appreciate this information, as we are not privy to it in national media. I feel that we need to be aware of what is taking place overseas.

If you don't, that's fine, you don't have to. Nobody's forcing you to keep up with the EU. But please, don't impose your desire to turn this into a debate, on us. That is not what this thread is about, and never has been.

I will continue to read the posts made by RT, because I am interested in this information................not arguments.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Guest LqI`un]

Originally posted by Debbie

[rollinTHUNDER]

Blair calls for first national identification card since World War II

By Ed Johnson

The Associated Press

LONDON

[rollinTHUNDER]

Solana issues warning over French EU vote

Sat May 21, 2005 11:20 AM BST

BERLIN (Reuters) - French rejection of the EU constitution would leave the expanded EU bloc incapable of action, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana was quoted on Saturday as saying.

"The French will vote on the European constitution next Sunday -- a date that is decisive for the future of the European Union," Solana said in a commentary in Bild am Sonntag newspaper released on Saturday. "Whether the expanded community of 25 states remains capable of operating depends on this treaty."

"I hope that the French citizens understand how important this constitution is for Europe and for France," Solana said in the article for Sunday's newspaper.

The constitution, intended to streamline decision-making in the expanded EU, faces a major hurdle with the referendum on May 29 in France, where opinion polls show the "No" camp has extended its lead.

Left-wing opponents of the constitution there say they want a Europe more focused on social concerns, arguing the EU has a bias toward liberal market economics and has failed to prevent a loss of jobs to low-wage nations.

The Netherlands also holds a public vote on June 1. Polls show a majority of Dutch want to reject the charter amid a row over the terms under which the euro was introduced and discontent over Turkey's EU entry bid.

Solana recognised that many in Europe were having doubts about European integration, although stressed people outside the bloc viewed it as an admirable model.

"The exact reasons for the unease with the European Union are hard to pin down. It is a barely comprehensible feeling of uncertainty. Our world has become more complex and this demands a lot from politicians and citizens in equal measure," he said.

Solana said national solutions were not the answer to current challenges and that the eastward expansion of the European Union was a logical step.

"Hungary and Poland belong to Europe as much as Germany and France. Bulgaria and Romania have made great strides with reforms and will be accepted in 2007. Only the constitution can put this expansion on a sure footing," he said.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml...ss/uk/worldNews

[rollinTHUNDER]

Iran issues stern warning to Europeans ahead of nuclear talks

Sun May 22, 7:29 AM ET

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran warned Britain, France and Germany against pushing for the Islamic republic to be referred to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme, saying such a step would spark "a crisis over which the Europeans would have no control".

Speaking ahead of high-level crisis talks due to be held in Brussels and Geneva this week, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi also warned it would take "unilateral decisions" if it faced diplomatic punishment.

"It is not legally possible to refer our case to the UN Security Council. May counties believe there is no legal basis for it. So if one country pressures others to do it, they will be the losers, and the Islamic republic of Iran would not lose," he told reporters.

"We have taken the necessary measures and we are not afraid of being referred to the UN Security Council," he added.

Asefi said that if the Europeans went ahead with pushing the dossier to New York, "it means that an issue that could have been solved with negotiations has become a crisis over which the Europeans have no control."

"It is then that the Islamic Republic of Iran will feel no obligation or no commitment, and it will act upon unilateral decisions," he warned , without elaborating.

Iran agreed in November with Britain, France and Germany to suspend its uranium conversion and enrichment activities, which Washington believes conceals its nuclear armament intentions.

However the Islamic republic is seeking to resume uranium conversion, a move that would violate its deal with the EU-3 and leave it facing the threat of UN Security Council action.

Iran has agreed to hold off from resuming uranium conversion -- a precursor to the ultra-sensitive enrichment process which has prompted fears of a secret weapons program -- pending this week's talks.

Emergency talks between Iranian nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani and the three European foreign ministers -- Jack Straw of Britain, Michel Barnier of France and Joschka Fischer of Germany -- are due to take place on Wednesday, the day after an "experts" level meeting in Brussels.

"What we are expecting depends on what the Europeans are offering. We don't have anything to say, we will just be listening," Asefi said, adding that the Geneva talks will be held inside the Iranian embassy.

Iran insists its bid to master the full nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium enrichment, is merely aimed at generating electricity and is a right for any country that has signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Iran has proposed commencing a phased resumption of fuel cycle work, but that has been rejected. The Europeans want Iran to dismantle the programme altogether -- in other words the same kind of deal that Britain and the United States reached with Libya.

"It is unacceptable for us that they tell us that there should not be enrichment and a fuel cycle. But if they say something that incudes our rights, we are ready to work with them," Asefi said.

"It depends on what the Europeans will have to say. The Geneva session will show if we are going to reach an agreement with the Europeans or not."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050522/wl_af...leareuun/nc:732

[rollinTHUNDER]

Iran says EU nuclear talks next week crucial

Sun May 22, 3:49 AM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Talks this week between Iran and the European Union will show once and for all whether the two sides can reach agreement on Tehran's nuclear activities, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

"The Geneva meeting will show whether we can reach a result with the Europeans," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference.

"Iran will no longer accept the policy of wasting time and finding excuses," he said.

Iran has raised the stakes ahead of the meeting in Geneva on Wednesday by threatening to resume processing uranium into a gas which could be used to make nuclear reactor fuel or bomb-grade material.

Iran says its nuclear ambitions are restricted to generating electricity and not nuclear bombs.

The European Union has said it would back U.S. calls for Iran's case to be referred to the U.N. Security Council for stiffer actions to be taken against Tehran if nuclear work which was suspended in November resumes.

Iran says its decision to resume activities at the uranium fuel conversion plant in the central city of Isfahan cannot be reversed.

But Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani, who will lead the Iranian delegation in the Geneva talks with the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and France, told Reuters last week Iran may delay resuming work at Isfahan for a few weeks.

"Restarting Isfahan's facility is an irreversible decision and we will do it anyway," Asefi said. "If we can do it based on an agreement it will be better.

"We cannot predict the outcome of this meeting, let's see what the Europeans are going to say," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050522/wl_nm/nuclear_iran_dc

[rollinTHUNDER]

Picture Says It All!

http://fulfilledprophecy.com/pic_says_it_all.html

Yesterday I wondered why the EUobserver used a picture of the Arch of Titus for a story about the the possibility of the French rejecting the EU's Constitution of Rome. Thanks to a reader, the confusion in my mind was clarified. The picture wasn't of the Arch of Titus in Rome. It was of a copy made in Paris by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Arch d'Triomphe.

Evidently, Napoleon was impressed with the Arch of Titus in Rome. So, when he wanted a monument to commemorate his own military victory in Egypt, he decided to make a copy. Naturally, his Arch d'Triomphe had to be bigger.

Actually, whether it be the monument in Rome or the monument in Paris, it doesn't change the possible implication of the picture for us believers. Both monuments depict the same event -- the destruction of God's nation and temple in 70AD by the Roman general Titus. In other words, both monuments depict a victory of the seven-headed dragon of Revelation 12 over the woman. In this case, it was the dragon's sixth head, the Roman Empire. The woman, of course, is God's remaining remnant of believers in Israel.

This brings us to where we are now. You see, as I write the, the seventh head of the dragon -- the revived Roman Empire under 10 kings -- is appearing. And, once again, the dragon is posing itself to devour the woman and the child conceived by the woman. Friends, that's us. You see, both the existence of the State of Israel and the Christian nations who brought it about, are the arch enemies of Satan.

If the Antichrist is in the wings, as we all suspect, then he would be very angry at those who stand in the way of his revived Roman Empire. As I write, the French people are preparing for their election. The word is, they will probably reject the Constitution of Rome (Read about it here)>>>> http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19125

The Dutch people will probably do the same thing (Read about it here)>>>> http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19120

And, if that isn't enough, the head's of the EU can't even agree on the EU's next seven-year budget (Read about it here)>>>> http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19123

Friends, the next few years are going to be real interesting. You see, we Bible believers already know where all this political intrigue in Europe and the Middle East is going (Daniel 9:27). What we don't know are the exact details in-between.

In the meantime, we've got a job to do. Jesus told us, what we hear whispered in our ear, we are to proclaim from the housetops (Matthew 10:27).

Friends, let's get doing.

05-23-2005

[rollinTHUNDER]

EU offers airlift for Darfur operation

23.05.2005 - 18:21 CET | By Honor Mahony

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU defence ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (23 May) offered to provide air transport assistance to the African Union (AU) for the troubled region of Darfur in Sudan - all the while stressing that the bloc would not be stepping on NATO's toes.

"All of the ministers took the view that the EU must respond positively", said Luxembourg defence minister Luc Frieden, speaking of the African Union's call for help earlier this month.

"The European Union has had a long presence in Africa and good ties with the AU, it's on that basis that we are building this mission in Darfur", said Mr Frieden.

However, he stressed that the EU was aware that it should not get into "competition" with NATO, which is already drawing up plans for military assistance to the African Union force and which has an overlapping membership with the EU.

But there appeared to be confusion about what had been finally agreed. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said that the 25-nation bloc could provide airlift capabilities.

He said that as soon as the African troops are ready, the EU would provide assistance to airlift soldiers.

"As soon as the troops are ready, we'll be ready to transport them to theatre", said Mr Solana.

France has offered to provide air transport for up to 1,200 soldiers.

But the British defence secretary, John Reid, who repeatedly stressed the importance of working with NATO, implied that a final decision had not yet been taken.

The EU was also at pains to stress that this is an operation that is to be run by the African Union.

"The soldiers which are there are African Union soldiers", said Mr Solana while Mr Frieden said "the most important aspect of the operation will not be to provide military personnel".

Complete list

The ministers agreed that they would complete a list of what they would provide to the African Union within the next 48 hours, but some countries appeared to be reluctant with the British defence secretary pointing out how many other committments his country already had - particularly in Iraq.

The defence ministers discussion on Monday follows an appeal by the AU's head, Alpha Oumar Konare, to both the EU and NATO earlier this month for help to end the civil war in Sudan which has claimed around 300,000 lives through violence, hunger and disease.

The Darfur conflict broke out in February 2003 after rebels took up arms against the government. Khartoum was then accused of retaliating by arming local Arab militia, who murdered and raped ordinary civilians.

Both Mr Solana and Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the head of NATO, will on Thursday attend a conference in Addis Ababa to co-ordinate offers of help in the Darfur region.

http://euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19130

[rollinTHUNDER]

Further steps taken on EU battle groups

23.05.2005 - 17:41 CET | By Honor Mahony

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU defence ministers meeting on Monday in Brussels took some more steps towards the creation of the bloc's own rapid reaction 'battle groups' by deciding to speed up the bloc's notoriously slow decision-making process.

The ministers adopted proposals by the EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, which suggest that ministers should take a decision to deploy forces to a region within five days and that the forces should then be at the trouble spot within ten days.

"We decided to adopt a proposal which will help us to bring down the time within which decisions are taken to enable the EU to react rapidly to crises to avoid worse coming to pass", said Luxembourg defence minister Luc Frieden.

The decision to set up the battle groups was taken late last year and envisages groups of around 1,500 soldiers being deployable to the world's hotspots within ten days of a unanimous decision by member states.

"I think today we should now be in a position to take a political decision with a five day period", said Mr Frieden but added that member states now have to test whether quick decision-making at the EU level would also be compatible at the national level.

"In our own countries, we are going to modify the rules in force ... to ensure that national procedures at government and parliamentary level can also be gone through within the same time period as that which has been set for the EU", said Mr Frieden, whose country currently holds the EU presidency.

More battlegroups formalised

Meanwhile Germany signed itself up to two more battle groups with France and Spain as well as with Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania and Latvia with the first to be ready in the second half of 2008 and the second during the first half of 2010.

A Nordic group - with Estonia, Finland, Sweden and non-EU members Iceland and Norway - was also formally given the go ahead on Monday and is expected to be up and running in 2008.

Each group will be associated with a force headquarters and will be headed by a

[rollinTHUNDER]

EU call to re-run treaty referendums

By John Thornhill in Paris, George Parker in Brussels and Betrand Benoit in Berlin

Published: May 25 2005 20:22 | Last updated: May 25 2005 20:22

France and the Netherlands should re-run their referendums to obtain the "right answer" if their voters reject Europe's constitutional treaty in imminent national ballots, Jean-Claude Juncker, the holder of the EU presidency, said on Wednesday.

The Luxembourg prime minister said all 25 EU member countries should continue their attempts to ratify the treaty whatever the outcome of the French and Dutch votes.

His comments reflect a mood of deepening pessimism among Europe's leaders about the outcome of the referendums.

"The countries which have said No will have to ask themselves the question again. And if we don't manage to find the right answer, the treaty will not enter into force," he said in an interview with the Belgian Le Soir newspaper.

The French and the Dutch governments have for the moment ruled out the prospect of a second referendum and hope they can win their votes on Sunday and Tuesday respectively.

Jacques Chirac, France's president, will tonight launch a last-ditch televised appeal to voters to back the treaty, which lays out new rules for the expanded EU and deepens integration.

Fran