McCain Meets with NAACP
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/410517.aspx
CBNNews.com - Earlier this week, Senator Barack Obama addressed the nation's oldest Civil Rights organization. Now, Senator John McCain is getting his chance.
The likely Republican presidential nominee addressed the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
McCain told the NAACP that he wants to expand education opportunities for children in failing schools.
That's a hot-button issue among the African-American community.
The Arizona senator said now is the time to support vouchers and merit pay for teachers.
"All of that went over well with the teachers union, but where does it leave families and their children who are stuck in failing schools?" he asked. "No entrenched bureaucracy or union should deny parents that choice and children that opportunity."
He also reiterated the need to break from conventional thinking on education policy.
"After decades of hearing the same big promises from the public education establishment, and seeing the same poor results, it is surely time to shake off old ways and to demand new reforms," he said. "That isn't just my opinion. It is the conviction of parents in poor neighborhoods across this nation who want better lives for their children."
Both the merit pay and voucher proposals have met stiff opposition from teachers unions.
Dems to Lieberman: GOP Convention ‘Last Straw’
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/lieberman_gop_convention/2008/07/16/113484.html
Several Democratic insiders are now saying Sen. Joe Lieberman, D- Conn., will be kicked out of the party's caucus and lose his Senate chairmanship next year if he addresses the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., as planned.
Lieberman, the four-term senator from Connecticut who was elected as an independent in 2006 after losing the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 because of his support for the Iraq war, is supporting Republican nominee John McCain for president.
According to The New York Times, Lieberman's Democratic colleagues are upset over his openly campaigning and traveling with the senator from Arizona during this election season and are fuming over his refusal to tone down his rhetoric against Obama. Some in his party are advising him that speaking to the GOP convention in September will be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Lieberman reportedly excused himself from the weekly lunch of the Senate Democrats Tuesday when his Democratic colleagues began discussing, then criticizing, McCain’s energy policies.
"I just didn't feel it was appropriate for me to be there," Lieberman explained to a Times reporter afterward.
"It was the right thing to do," Ill. Sen. Richard Durbin, the Democratic whip, said after a colleague approached him to complain about Lieberman. "This is a delicate situation."
Lieberman has reportedly not ruled out switching parties, but has not to this point thought that he should, which is increasingly becoming an intolerable embarrassment to Democrats.
"I don't have any line that I have in my mind," Lieberman says about reaching the point of no return with the Democratic Party for speaking out on behalf of McCain. "If it happened, I'd know it when I saw it."
Despite assurances that Lieberman will remain a Democrat from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Lieberman’s colleagues aren’t so sure after he ramped up his criticism of the party’s nominee, Sen. Barack Obama.
Referring to Obama’s views on Iran as “naïve,” Lieberman in an interview with CNN said, "The fact that the spokesperson for Hamas would say they would welcome the election of Senator Obama really does raise the question, ‘Why?’"
Lieberman later said on Fox News: "Senator Obama has really moved. Since he clinched the nomination a month ago, he has altered and nuanced more big positions more quickly than I can remember any other presidential nominee."
Fellow Democrats are especially angered by the prospect of Lieberman being chosen by McCain as a potential running mate, which Lieberman denies will happen.
"I'm not really interested, and I don't expect to be asked," he said about the VP spot or accepting a position as a cabinet member involving national security in a McCain administration.
For the record, Lieberman says he won’t be attending the Democratic convention in late August and will miss it. He would, however, speak at the Republican convention just “to say why I'm supporting John McCain. I would not go to speak to attack Barack Obama.”
But for much of the Democratic leadership, the symbolism of Lieberman speaking out against their candidate at the opposing party’s convention will be just too much to bear. Lieberman, however, unwaveringly takes it all in stride by saying, "I feel badly about this turn of events."
Candidates Trade Barbs on Terror War
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/410339.aspx
CBNNews.com - The two presidential candidates traded barbs over their plans for the Global War on Terror Tuesday.
"Senator Obama will tell you we can't win in Afghanistan without losing Iraq," said Republican John McCain. "In fact, he has it exactly backwards. It is precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to succeed in Afghanistan."
McCain said that the commanders in Afghanistan want at least three more combat brigades. He added that thanks to the surge, those forces are becoming available.
Meanwhile, Democrat Barack Obama said that U.S. interests have been hurt, not helped by the surge.
"The Taliban has been on the offensive, even launching a brazen attack on one of our bases," Obama said. "Al Qaeda has a growing sanctuary in Pakistan. That is a consequence of our current strategy."
The Illinois senator concedes that the surge has reduced violence in Iraq. In fact, his campaign scrubbed his criticism of the troop buildup from its Web site.
One Obama spokesperson said the change was made to reflect "current conditions".
Jack Tapper and ABC News Got the Facts Wrong on 'Barack Obama: The Abortion President Campaign
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07401.shtml
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- Tapper's blog, Political Punch, falsely reported that the Christian Defense Coalition had invoked the image of slavery as part of their campaign educating the public on the radical pro- abortion agenda of Senator Obama.
In his July 8 blog entitled, "Conservative Christian Group Invokes Slavery in Opposing Obama", Tapper refers to "the CDC's literature" which uses images of slavery.
The only problem is the Christian Defense Coalition has never produced any literature invoking images of slavery or linked Senator Obama, abortion and slavery.
The Coalition has asked Mr. Tapper to change his story to accurately reflect these facts.
Group hopes that Mr. Tapper simply got his facts wrong in a rush to get the story out and is not somehow trying to inject "race baiting" into the Coalition's efforts or his reporting.
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states, "It is so important in this day of fast moving deadlines and quick breaking stories, that reporters get their facts right. Sadly, Jack Tapper did not accomplish this in his ABC News blog, Political Punch. Mr. Tapper falsely reported that the Christian Defense Coalition produced literature that 'invokes slavery in opposing Obama.'
"Nothing could be further from the truth. The Christian Defense Coalition has never written, produced or printed any material linking Senator Obama, slavery and abortion.
"At our news conference, we stated if Senator Obama were elected he would be the most pro-abortion president in American history. To back up that position, we pointed out that he wants Americans to pay for abortions through his health care plan.
"The Christian Defense Coalition hopes ABC News and Jack Tapper will do the moral thing and make the changes we have suggested and get their story right. It would be tragic if someone knowingly let false statements remain without correcting them or injected race to prove a political point."
Fox: Jackson Used N-Word in Off-Air Remarks
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/jackson_n_word/2008/07/16/113522.html
Fox News says the Rev. Jesse Jackson used the N-word during a break in a TV interview where he criticized presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The longtime civil rights leader already came under fire this month for crude off-air comments he made against Obama in what he thought was a private conversation during a taping of a "Fox & Friends" news show.
Now a Fox spokesman says Jackson used the N-word to refer to black people during that taping as he said Obama was talking down to them. Those comments were not aired.
Jackson _ who is traveling in Spain _ apologized in a statement Wednesday for "hurtful words" but didn't offer specifics.
The N-word comment was first reported by blog TVNewser. Fox declined to release the transcript.
2008 Election T-shirts Inspire Prayers for America
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07399.shtml
BERRYVILLE, Arkansas, (christiansunite.com) -- Vic Kennett, CEO/President of Kerusso, the premier producer of Christian-themed apparel in the U.S., has announced the start of the Pray-Vote-Pray campaign, seeking to raise awareness of the privilege of asking God for wisdom, our duty to vote, and our biblical admonition to pray for our leaders.
The 2008 US Presidential election race is building toward one of the most dramatic elections in recent history. The next President will have the opportunity to set direction on such critical issues as conflict in Iraq and the Middle East, Supreme Court justice nominations, the economy and so many other national topics.
Christians are being encouraged by church leaders nationwide to PRAY for the country, VOTE their conscience, and then PRAY for those in authority over them. Pray-Vote-Pray t-shirts reinforce this timely message and are available at Christian and general market retailers nationwide, just in time for the national political party conventions and the ramp-up to the general election in November.
"As Christians we have the privilege, responsibility, and a command from the Lord to PRAY," says Kerusso CEO/President Vic Kennett. "Remember to pray for wisdom in your voting decisions. Prayer doesn't end at the polling booth; it's just the beginning."
"We want to document these prayers, and we invite people to visit our brand-new website," Kennett continues, "where they can post or e-mail their prayers for our country. When we hit 10,000 posted prayers we will deliver these to the Presidential candidates and drive home the point that there are praying voters who are concerned about the future of our country."
"'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil,' a philosopher once wrote, 'is for good men to do nothing'," Kennett concludes. "This is a good reminder for today's Christian to do good, and vote for righteousness, so that this nation can continue to be a great nation."
Find out more about the Pray-Vote-Pray campaign, and see Kerusso's brand-new website at www.Kerusso.com.
CEO/President Vic Kennett founded Kerusso, the premier producer of Christian apparel, in 1987. Vic not only has a global vision, but puts work to his faith in his hometown of Berryville, Arkansas, where Kerusso employs more than 120 people and is a major contributor to the local economy.
Restoring the Right to Say It's Wrong
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/409550.aspx
CBNNews.com - The philosophy called "political correctness" thoroughly permeates our modern culture.
And critics warn that the politically correct left-wing is constantly attacking traditional values.
It's reached the point where some people of faith feel too intimidated to speak up for what they believe.
These days, speaking out loudly against things like homosexual marriage or abortion on moral grounds can bring a flood of criticism from the media and secular elites.
South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint and Clemson University Professor J. David Woodard are authors of the new book, Why We Whisper: Restoring Our Right to Say It's Wrong.
In it they show how government imposed secularism and government promotion of behaviors like abortion and homosexuality, have been the primary cause of the erosion of values in America.
It also addressed the intimidation that often causes moral conservatives to whisper.
Bernanke Addresses House on Economy
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/410283.aspx
CBNNews.com - WASHINGTON - Washington is again focused on the economy for a second day in an effort to avoid a recession and guard against rising prices
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was back on Capitol Hill Wednesday. This time he appeared before the House Financial Services Committee, but offered the same frank assessment he gave Tuesday to a Senate committee.
"The economy continues to face numerous difficulties, including ongoing strains in financial markets, declining house prices, a softening labor market, and rising prices of oil food and some other commodities," Bernanke said.
Bernanke said the Fed faces "significant challenges" as it tries to resuscitate the economy - and that's seen playing out across the board, from fear on Wall Street to Americans on Main Street paying more for food and fuel.
"Families are facing hardships. this is clearly a rough time," Bernanke said. "It is clear growth has been slow and the labor market is weak. So conditions are tough on average families."
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac
Concerns about the economy and the financial system intensified after last week's collapse of IndyMac Bank - where nervous depositors have been lining up trying to get their money.
Worries also abound regarding the government's rescue of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together own or guarantee nearly half of the nation's mortgage debt.
Bernanke told the House committee that the mortgage lenders are in "no danger of failing."
Bernanke said the "best solution" is to keep Fannie and Freddie "in their current form" instead of the government taking over the operations of the two financial institutions.
Democrats: A Second Stimulus Package?
With deep American doubts about the economy, Democrats are now considering a second economic stimulus package to bring relief to consumers.
"We will be working on another stimulus package and we hope that we will once again be able to work in a strong bipartisan way," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
The initial rebates had a positive impact, but Democrats say not enough to offset rising costs.
"I think conditions clearly call for a second stimulus," said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the Financial Services panel.
The Bush administration says it's too early to start on another package while the first one has yet to fully work its way through the economy.
Bernanke echoed President Bush's statements when he said it was a "bit premature" to go that route just yet, but he didn't rule the idea out. Bernanke said that he believes that the most important action lawmakers could take is to shore up the faltering housing market.
Economic Forecast for Remainder of 08'
When asked about his forecast for the economy for the rest of the year, Bernake said that it's difficult to map out a course when uncertainty abounds.
He predicted that for the remainder of the year, the economy will grow "appreciably below its trend rate." This is mostly due to continued weakness in housing markets, high energy prices and tight credit conditions.
At the same time, Bernanke had a warning for Congress. He said inflation has remained high and "seems likely to move temporarily higher in the near term."
Anti-AIDS Program Funding to be Tripled
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/410758.aspx
CBNNews.com - WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Wednesday to triple spending for a much-acclaimed program that has treated and protected millions in Africa and elsewhere from the scourges of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
The 80-16 vote committed the United States to spending up to $48 billion over the next five years for the most ambitious foreign public health program ever launched by the United States.
The legislation would replace and expand the current $15 billion act that President Bush championed in a State of the Union address and Congress passed in 2003. That act expires at the end of September.
In a statement, Bush said that when the program was launched in 2003, about 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa were receiving anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS. Today, the program supports lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment for more than 1.7 million people around the world, he said. It also has supported treatment and prevention programs that have helped HIV-positive women give birth to nearly 200,000 infants who are HIV-free.
"Traveling in Africa earlier this year, Laura and I had our most recent opportunity to witness the effectiveness of this program," he said. "We were honored to see the doctors, nurses and caregivers of all faiths working to save the lives of their fellow citizens. And we met the patients, including many children, who understand and appreciate America's generosity."
The Democratic-led Senate, rarely in agreement with the White House, gave Bush credit for initiating the program. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a chief negotiator in crafting the bill, said the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, is "the single most significant thing the president has done."
The global AIDS program will save tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives, Biden said, "and the president deserves our recognition for that."
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, and co-negotiator with Biden, said the program "has helped to prevent instability and societal collapse in a number of at-risk countries." He added that it has "facilitated deep partnerships with a new generation of African leaders, and it has improved attitudes toward the United States in Africa and other regions."
Biden said he had been coordinating with House leaders and was confident they could come up with a final version "within a matter of days."
The bill passed by the House in April approved $50 billion, including $5 billion for malaria, $4 billion for tuberculosis and $41 billion for AIDS. Of the AIDS money, a proportion - $2 billion next year - would go to the international Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Actual spending levels still have to be approved in annual appropriations bills.
Earlier Wednesday, the Senate, acceding to arguments that Congress must also address humanitarian issues closer to home, agreed to set aside $2 billion of the $50 billion for American Indian water, health and law enforcement projects.
"We don't have to go off of our shore to find third world conditions," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., sponsor of the amendment with Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and others. Biden said House negotiators had indicated they would accept the change.
The Senate vote came after months of negotiations with Senate conservatives wanting assurances that the new AIDS bill would continue to include programs promoting abstinence and fidelity and would not discriminate against religious groups in allotting funding.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., saying he wanted to prevent money from being diverted to irrelevant development programs, secured language that more than half the money would go to treating AIDS victims.
He said he was still concerned about how to pay for the $50 billion program. But Coburn, a medical doctor, said he believed that "this is our most successful foreign policy initiative in my lifetime. This is the most effective thing we have done to build America's prestige, esteem and respect."
Senate changes will have to be worked out with the House. Those include a measure added to the Senate bill by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., that would reverse a policy that has made it difficult for HIV-positive foreigners to visit or seek residency in the United States.
"For 20 years the United States has barred HIV-positive travelers from entering the country even for one day," said Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality. "Today the Senate said loud and clear that AIDS exceptionalism must come to an end."
The Senate was able to reject several proposed amendments offered by Republicans to cut the spending level in the bill. Supporters of tripling current spending said that 33 million are infected by HIV/AIDS around the world and that 13,000 people die every day from AIDS, TB and malaria.
"The amount per year, about $10 billion, is less than 1 percent of this year's federal budget, and this is a small price to pay for a program that will save millions of lives and foster good will around the world," said Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance.
Gay Ad Campaign Under Fire
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/410483.aspx
CBNNews.com - An advertising campaign to bring homosexual tourists to the United States is drawing criticism.
The poster says 'South Carolina is So Gay' and was plastered across London during a recent gay pride week.
The slogan was developed by an international advertising firm hired by the state to promote tourism.
But state leaders were outraged when they heard about the ad and demanded all the posters be removed.
There are still similar ads for other U.S. cities including Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Washington D.C.
US study asks, 'Who are the unchurched?'
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/us.study.asks.who.are.the.unchurched/20578.htm
With churches largely mapping out their local mission around what they identify to be an "unchurched" population, a research firm set out to paint a clearer picture of who unchurched Americans really are.
“There’s a whole industry seeking to help clergy reach the unchurched, with seminars, books, videos, training centers, and consultants,” Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, noted. “However, many people don’t really have a basic notion even of just what it means to be ‘unchurched’. There’s often an assumption that people either do attend worship services, or they don’t.
"But what we find in this study is that up to one out of every five Americans is attending worship services at least occasionally during the year, even though they are not regularly involved. That has huge implications for local congregations who are trying to attract new people," Sellers added.
Traditionally, people who attend worship service at least once a month and on a regular basis have been considered "churched" whilst those who do not attend frequently enough have often been labelled "unchurched", according to the Phoenix-based research firm.
A new study, released Monday by Ellison Research, broke down the American population into a more detailed picture of religious service attendance.
Results showed that only 63 per cent of "churched" Americans actually attend worship services once a week or more; 12 per cent of the "churched" attend three times a month; 16 per cent attend twice a month; and 9 per cent go to service once a month.
Among "unchurched" Americans, not all stay away from worship services, the research firm reports. Findings revealed that 18 per cent of the "unchurched" say they visit services occasionally, just not regularly. In addition, 22 per cent of the "unchurched" attend on special occasions such as Christmas and Easter.
Sixty per cent of the "unchurched" do not attend worship services at all, the Ellison study found.
The study showed what attendance at religious services actually looks like: 11 per cent attend more than once a week; 22 per cent attend once a week; 14 per cent two to three times a month; 5 per cent attend once a month; 9 per cent attend occasionally, but not on a regular basis; and 10 per cent attend only on religious holidays.
Overall, 29 per cent of Americans never attend worship services.
The study further linked worship attendance to several factors, including family history of attendance and parental religious involvement.
Those least likely to attend service regularly are Americans who are not born again and whose parents did not attend service.
With both parents attending religious services at least occasionally, there is a 62 per cent chance that their children are now regularly attending services as an adult.
Also, if an adult attended worship services regularly at some point before the age of 18, there is a 55 per cent chance that person is currently attending once a month or more. The odds decrease to 21 per cent for a person who never attended prior to age 18.
With millions of Americans likely to attend services, the Ellison Research head wonders if churches are paying attention to the newcomers.
"We estimate that up to 43 million adults who do not regularly attend worship services will visit a church or place of worship at some point during the year, to say nothing of children and teens who visit with their family or on their own," Sellers said. "Are those congregations and clergy members ready for them?”
The study was conducted on a sample of 1,007 adults.
World Court Demands U.S. Halt Executions of Mexicans in Texas
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,383702,00.html
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The U.N.'s highest court ordered U.S. authorities on Wednesday to do everything possible to halt the executions of five Mexicans in Texas until their cases are reviewed.
The Bush administration has unsuccessfully tried to get Texas courts to review the cases and said it expected the World Court's order to have little impact.
The World Court told U.S. authorities in 2004 to review the cases of 51 Mexicans sentenced to death by state courts after finding they had been denied the right to seek help from consular officials.
The World Court has no enforcement powers but President Bush issued a directive to the Texas courts to abide by the 2004 ruling. The state courts refused to review the cases and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in March that the president cannot compel the state courts to comply.
Mexico turned again to the U.N. court in The Hague last month, arguing that the United States was defying the 2004 World Court order and asking the judges to issue an emergency injunction to stop the killings of five men whose executions were imminent.
Chief State Department advocate John B. Bellinger III argued that the World Court, the U.N.'s judicial arm for resolving disputes among nations, lacked jurisdiction because the Bush administration agreed with Mexico and there was no dispute.
"It almost never happens that the federal government enters an appearance in state court proceedings," he said, calling the Bush administration's intervention "highly unusual."
Mexico's chief advocate, Juan Manuel Gomez-Robledo, told the court the U.S. was nonetheless "in breach of its international obligations." He said international law applies not only to nations, but to their component states and asked the court to clarify its earlier ruling and in the meantime intercede with the U.S. authorities to halt the schedule of executions.
The U.N. judges ruled 7-5 Wednesday that it would consider Mexico's case and also try to stop the executions.
The World Court acknowledged that the U.S. federal government "has been taking many diverse and insistent measures" to persuade Texas not to carry out the execution of any of the 51 Mexicans covered by the original 2004 ruling.
Bellinger said that the World Court has limited powers over U.S. states or federal authorities in Washington.
"It does not have technical legal effect in the United States that would ... have a direct impact either on the United States or on Texas itself," he said.
Federal authorities were still discussing the case "constructively" with Texas, Bellinger said, and "Texas does take this all very seriously."
Mexico's ambassador to the Netherlands, Jorge Lomonaco Tonda, said he was satisfied with the result.
"We have full confidence that the ruling will be applied," he added.
The first of the Mexicans, Jose Medellin, is scheduled to be killed by lethal injection on Aug. 5 for taking part in the gang rape and murder of two teenage girls 15 years ago.
Irish will have to re-vote on EU treaty
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080715/tpl-uk-eu-treaty-sarkozy-43a8d4f.html
PARIS (Reuters) - Ireland will have to hold a second referendum on the European Union's reform treaty after Irish voters rejected it last month, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday.
"The Irish will have to vote again," he told deputies from his UMP party at a meeting in his office, several lawmakers who attended said.
The Irish 'No' vote plunged the EU into a fresh crisis of confidence because the treaty, designed to overhaul the 27-nation bloc's institutions, cannot come into force until it has been ratified by all member states.
Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency, is due to travel to Ireland on July 21 to discuss the reasons for the Irish 'No' vote and seek a solution to it, which he hopes to put forward by the end of the year.
Sarkozy's office said on Tuesday he would not go to Dublin with a ready-made plan to present to Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen, despite a report that planning was well underway.
"The president is coming to listen to the Irish, to listen to what Brian Cowen tells him. He is not coming to make proposals," one adviser to Sarkozy said.
"It is not up to us to make proposals," he added. "It is up to the Irish to tell us what the problem is and what they need to resolve it."
Irish voters rejected the treaty for a variety of reasons, ranging from fears that the new EU order would lead to legalised abortion and higher taxes, to the fact that many of them found the highly technical text incomprehensible.
French newspaper Le Monde said one of the favoured options being examined in the search for a solution was reversing the planned streamlining of the EU executive, the Commission, to keep the current system of one commissioner per country.
"The reform of the European Commission should be sacrificed on the altar of the Irish 'No' vote to the treaty of Lisbon," the newspaper said, using the treaty's official name.
An official in Sarkozy's office said that idea was "in the air rather than on the table".
Le Monde said offering Ireland guarantees on abortion, Ireland's neutrality, and taxation was also being envisaged.
Spain Ratifies EU Reform Treaty With Senate Vote
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=164619
Spain on Tuesday completed its ratification of the European Union's Lisbon reform treaty when the Senate voted overwhelmingly to adopt the document, rejected last month by Irish voters.
The Senate's 232-to-6 vote formalised previous approval in the lower Chamber of Deputies and made Spain the 23rd out of 27 member countries to back the document designed to overhaul the bloc's institutions.
"I believe that today's approval of the treaty is a clear confirmation of the determination to move forward with the ratification process," European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso said in a statement.
Irish voters plunged the 27-nation EU into a new crisis of confidence when they rejected the treaty in a referendum, although French President Nicolas Sarkozy said earlier on Tuesday that Ireland would have to hold a second vote.
Spain joined the EU in 1986, which helped cement its transition to democracy following the 1975 death of dictator Francisco Franco. EU funding also prompted swift economic development in Spain.
Berlusconi, Barroso agree on reform
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/news/news-detailed.asp?newsid=10286
Rome, July 15 - Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso agreed here Tuesday that the Irish No vote to the Lisbon Treaty will not block European reform.
A statement from the premier's office said that the two leaders saw ''eye to eye'' on the measures to take to boost EU integration.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Barroso, Berlusconi vowed that the Italian parliment would swiftly approve the Treaty, which is designed to make a larger Union more efficient and give it a higher international profile.
Berlusconi argued that controversial plans to take the finger prints of Italy's Roma population, including children, would ''only favour their integration''.
He said it would help put Roma on a par with EU citizens as well as getting their children into schools - a ''firm commitment'' by the Italian government.
Barroso told the press conference that there was ''huge cooperation'' between the EC and Italian authorities on the gypsy census, which has been criticised by international rights groups as well as the European Parliament.
He voiced the hope that there would be a ''positive solution'' to the case, in which Italy has been accused of discriminating against Roma.
Barroso said he was confident Rome and Brussels would agree on measures that combine security with human rights, in line with EU norms.
A UNICEF delegation will be in Italy from July 23 to 25 to meet the mayors of Milan, Bologna, Rome and Naples and examine the situation of gypsies in those cities, the Italian government announced Tuesday.
Earlier, Barroso said he did not expect any more countries to reject the EU's reform treaty after the Irish referendum vote.
Addressing the Italian parliament, Barroso said Poland and the Czech Republic would not block the ratification of the treaty.
''There has only been one No to the ratification of the treaty and I do not expect any more,'' Barroso said.
Irish voters rejected the Lisbon treaty in a referendum last month, casting doubts over its fate.
''During the next few months, it will be crucial to work in a close partnership with the Irish government to move ahead,'' Barroso said.
Full text of Sarkozy's speech at Paris summit
http://www.gulf-news.com/Region/Middle_East/10228718.html
The full text of the inaugural speech of French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Paris summit of the Union for the Mediterranean held at the Grand Palais in Paris:
Ladies and Gentlemen Heads of States and Government of Europe and Mediterranean,
Mr Secretary General of the UN,
Mr President of the European Commission,
Mr President of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council,
Mr President of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly,
Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
It is an immense honour for France to host, here in Paris, the representatives of all the people who share the Mediterranean and for whom it is the source of all faith, all reason and all culture.
These people who have so often been divided, have so often fought, have so often torn each other apart, not because they were too different, but because underneath it all they were too similar, and who today have joined together because they know they share the same dream of civilisation and they want that dream to finally come true.
The Mediterranean has created a certain notion of happiness, wisdom and self-esteem. It has also created tragedy and its own way of feeling and expressing joy, suffering and human passion. It has pushed, sometimes to the extreme, the zest for life and fascination with death.
Today, everyone wants the forces of life to triumph. Everyone knows it will be hard. Everyone has memories of injustice, pain and broken dreams that will not fade away. Yet without forgetting any of the past, we owe it to the future generations, and primarily our children, to look to the future together.
Everyone is well aware that if this future is to be great, if this future is to be bright, if this future is to be a future of peace, a future of justice, a future of progress, everyone will have to make an effort as the European did to put an end to he deadly spiral of war and violence that, century upon century, sporadically brought barbarity to the heart of civilisation.
If we are all gathered here, it is because we all believe that the European dream and the Mediterranean dream are inextricably linked, that they will come true together or they will be broken together.
If we are gathered here, it is because we cannot base our relations merely on tolerance, because we have to go further and open ourselves up to one another in understanding and respect.
If we are gathered here, it is because we no longer want to be merely neighbours, we want to be partners.
In 1995, Europe took the initiative of launching the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue in Barcelona, which raised so many hopes among all those who love the Mediterranean and that it will one day cease to be the theatre of so many dangers and so many tragedies and will become a melting pot of civilisation again.
For the last thirteen years, the people of Europe and the Mediterranean have learnt to talk to one another and together think about the future. What Barcelona has accomplished must be sustained.
Yet the time has come for the awareness of our common destiny to prompt us to find the way to take action together, to together resume control of our common future, together write our common history. Huge challenges lie ahead, and they can only be taken up together.
The time has also come for the solidarity dictated by geography, history and culture to drive the peoples of Europe and the Mediterranean to share the responsibilities, decide unanimously, and recognise equal rights and duties for all.
We will only manage to build a better future by sharing power, in true solidarity, with respect for one another. This is the basis of the political choice, the moral choice, the fundamental historical choice of the Union for the Mediterranean: Parity, Equality and Shared Decision-Making Power.
The success or failure of everything we undertake together will depend first and foremost on the ability of each and every one of us to truly share. This means building increasingly close solidarity based on concrete projects.
Learning to get to know one another, understand each other, and respect each other by working together on projects that will satisfy everyone's vital interests. And in this way prepare the ground for prosperity, stability and peace.
This new approach to the relations between the peoples of Europe and the Mediterranean will be symbolized by this joint presidency at the head of the Union for the Mediterranean, which will join a Northern country with a Southern country.
And it is in this spirit that, with Egypt, France intends to assume on behalf of you al this responsibility that you have done it the honour of entrusting in it.
Not bloc against bloc, not North against South, not Europe on one side and everyone else on the other, not face to face, not even side by side, but united, together expressing everyone's common interest, together embodying this solidarity on which we wish to build our common future.
It is in the Mediterranean that the first fraternal civilisation was born, built on the idea of diversity. It is for all the peoples of the Mediterranean to again impart this lesson to all humankind by reviving this diversity that in the past enabled all the peoples and all the faiths of Cordoba, Tangiers and Constantine, Tunis, Alexandria, Beirut and so many other cities to live in pace, with mutual respect and in the knowledge that beneath their differences lay the same sense of humanity, the same love for life and the same need for justice that united them all.
It is in the Mediterranean that the religions of the Book were born. It is around the Mediterranean and nowhere else that they must be reconciled.
Together, we can build a major alliance between Africa, the Middle East and Europe out of the Mediterranean. We can make it the cleanest sea in the world, but also the world's largest co-development laboratory.
And by giving everyone access to water, food, energy and healthcare, by sharing knowledge, knowhow and education with everyone, by building shared universities, shared laboratories, by together creating the conditions for all young people to move freely between shores, by pooling our resources to safeguard people's security as best we can, we will show al of humankind what the beautiful word civilisation can still mean.
And we will teach our children how peoples who have lashed so often, but who still recall Antigone's cry - "I have come to share love, not to share hate"- and who remember that all their prayers speak of love, can once again understand and love one another.
Progress on Israel needed for Syria/EU pact-France
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080715-0842-eu-france-syria.html
BRUSSELS – It is still too early for the European Union to sign a stalled partnership pact with Syria and more progress is needed in dialogue between Damascus and Israel, the French foreign minister said on Tuesday.
'My personal opinion is perhaps it's a bit too early, we are going to have to wait and see how the dialogue between Israel and Syria develops,' Bernard Kouchner, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told a European Parliament committee.
'But we should be prepared to move forward. Not yet, we should be on standby, and ready to respond to the opening up, the democratic opening up of Syria, but I think that we will need to bide our time,' he said.
Kouchner was speaking after a visit by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Paris at the weekend marking his emergence from isolation by the West three years after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, which many believe was orchestrated from Damascus.
Assad was in the French capital for the launch of a new 'Union for the Mediterranean' with more than 40 other leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert – the first time leaders of the two states had been in the same room.
Syria and Israel began indirect peace talks earlier this year with Turkish mediation, and EU diplomats have highlighted the role of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a shift in EU thinking on Syria.
The French leader scored a success on Saturday when he hosted talks between Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, who agreed to normalise relations between Damascus and Beirut for the first time since independence in 1943.
Assad played down prospects of any early breakthrough with Israel on Saturday, saying he did not expect direct talks for six months until U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office.
At the summit, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he did not rule out signing the pact with Syria by the end of the year, but this would depend on developments.
The pact was put on hold in the turbulence after Hariri's death. At present, Syria is alone in the region without such an EU agreement.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the summit that the EU wanted to see deeds from Syria.
Bodies of Israeli Soldiers Returned in Swap
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/410233.aspx
CBNNews.com - ROSH HANIKRA, Israel - It's not the first time Israel has released Arab prisoners serving time for acts of terror in exchange for the bodies of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers killed by their captors.
But no matter how many times it happens, the nation mourns with the soldiers' families.
In 2003, Israel received the bodies of three soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah terrorists in a cross-border attack in October 2000.
Haim Avraham, who waited more than three years for word on his son, Benny, understands the emotional agony of waiting and hoping, only to bury his child's remains -- putting closure after three years of not knowing.
Avraham also understands the mentality of the Islamic terror world.
"They have a deep-rooted hatred. That's where this comes from," he said. "It's the same story with the Ron Arad report -- all a bunch of lies," he said.
On Saturday, Hezbollah delivered an 80-page report, part of the prisoner exchange deal, on Israeli navigator Ron Arad, who was shot down over Lebanon in 1986 and never heard from again.
"[Hezbollah spiritual leader Sheikh Hassan] Nasrallah uses the media to do these things," Avraham said.
"He looks for the opportune moment to give hope or play with people's emotions, even though it's been said from many sources that [the soldiers] were no longer alive," he said.
Lebanon Declares a National Holiday
While Israel mourns, Lebanon declared a state holiday to celebrate the "liberation of prisoners from the jails of the Israeli enemy and the return of the remains of the martyrs [Lebanese and Palestinian terrorists buried in Israel].
And in Palestinian Authority (PA) headquarters in Ramallah, senior Fatah official Ziad Abu al-Enain, director of the PA's Ministry for Prisoner Affairs, congratulated Hezbollah.
"The Palestinians congratulate Hezbollah and its leader and send their best wishes to all the Lebanese people and to all the Palestinians upon the completion of the deal and the release of heroes, headed by the prisoners' leader, Samir Kuntar," al-Enain said, adding that they too would hold celebrations of solidarity.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip passed out candy to one another in the streets.
Abu Mujahed, spokesman for the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), told YNet news that "the images of the Israeli soldiers' coffins proves that kidnapping soldiers will continue to be the most efficient, favored and ideal way to release Palestinian prisoners, particularly those defined by the enemy as having 'blood on their hands.'"
Samir Kuntar, the Jihadist Hero
Among the five Lebanese prisoners released from Israeli jails is Samir Kuntar, serving four consecutive life sentences for murdering Israeli policeman Eliyahu Sharar, Danny Haran and his four-year old daughter, Einat, on April 22, 1979.
While Nasrallah takes center stage in Lebanon's celebrations, recently elected President Michel Suleiman, who formed a unity government with Hezbollah, said he shares the joy of the Lebanese people in Kuntar's release.
For his part, Kuntar promised Hezbollah's spiritual leader that he will resume the jihad ["holy" war] against Israel.
"I give you my promise and oath that my only place will be in the fighting front soaked with the sweat of your giving and with the blood of the shahids [martyrs], the dearest people, and that I will continue your way until we reach full victory," Kuntar wrote in a letter reprinted in the Palestinian Authority's official newspaper, al-Hayat al-Jadida.
Kuntar's vows to Hezbollah's spiritual leader are the norm for Arab terrorists released in prisoner exchanges.
Still, the terrorists' Israeli victims find it difficult to understand their thinking.
"It is hard for anyone with normal sensibilities to comprehend how someone can feel joy and hatred while smashing the head of a four-year-old child," wrote the widow of Danny Haran, now remarried and the mother of two children, in The Washington Times.
"What kind of pathology can cause a society to celebrate such evil?" she asked.
And what kind of society makes role models and heros of such people?
New Hizballah tactic: Missile ambushes for Israel aircraft and ships
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5440
Hizballah has marked the conclusion of the prisoner exchange with Israel by launching new tactics consisting of anti-air missile ambushes against Israeli Air Force flights over Lebanon and anti-ship missiles against Israel naval craft cruising off its shores.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that Hizballah has taken charge of the missile campaign while handing the Lebanese national army the task of attacking Israeli outposts at the Shaaba Farms enclave and the Mt. Dov slopes of the Hermon range.
It was clear Wednesday, July 16, that Hizballah was now calling the shots in Beirut when the president and government were forced to honor the spectacular heroes’ welcome the Shiite group organized for the five imprisoned terrorists released by Israel.
President Michel Sleiman, former chief of staff, obediently repeated his demand of the day before for Israel to evacuate its troops from the two outposts. If diplomatic efforts failed to remove them, he said, then the Lebanese army must go into action.
Our military sources add that anti-air missiles and radar equipment have been installed on the Mt. Sannine peak in central Lebanon in the last few days, as DEBKAfile first revealed (in a report picked up by the world media).
From that strategic height, Hizballah is preparing to shoot down encroaching Israel flights after taking instruction from Iranian intelligence and air defense officers in tactics on how to lay missile ambushes for aerial targets.
With the help of Iranian and Syrian military experts, Hizballah has ranged the length of the Lebanese coast a dense line of 1,000 Iranian C-802 anti-ship missiles, which have a range of 120 km. Skimming 6-7 meters above the water’s surface, these missiles have certain cruise features and are extremely hard to target.
The coastal missile deployment has been boosted by new radar stations and light reconnaissance planes and helicopters for tracking the naval craft cruising opposite the Lebanese coast. The thousands of Hizballah militiamen manning the system were trained in Iran and Syria.
Pentagon confirms Iranian ballistic missile able to reach E. and S. Europe
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5439
Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency told reporters July 16 he believes Iran now has a missile with a range of 1,250 miles (2,011 km), but did not say whether the weapon had been test-fired. DEBKAfile reports Israel is well within this range. After last week’s test fire of Iran’s Shehab-3 long-range ballistic missile, some Western and Israeli sources sought to play down the threat it posed by claiming the test was faked. The Pentagon statement refutes this claim and Moscow’s argument against the US anti-missile shield deployment in eastern Europe that Iran has no missiles capable of reaching that continent. Last week, the US and the Czech Republic signed an agreement for placing missile-tracking radar on Czech soil.
High US official to attend nuclear talks with Iran, capping secret US-Tehran diplomacy
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5438
The announcement that US Under Secretary of State William Burns will join the meeting the European Union’s Javier Solana holds with Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva this week makes official the secret diplomatic track afoot between Washington and Tehran, which was first disclosed by DEBKA-Net-Weekly on June 27.
Our US sources confirm that this step distances the Bush administration still further from Israel’s policy position, which calls for the curtailment of Iran’s drive for a nuclear bomb by all means, including military action. It leaves Jerusalem alone in the arena against Iran on the nuclear and other security issues, such as Hizballah, Syria and the radicalized Lebanese government.
The Washington announcement came a day after Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama reiterated he was willing to engage Iran’s leaders in direct talks.
In its June 27 issue, DEBKA-Net-Weekly 354 reported (Secret US-Iran Talks: Bush Pulls Iran Diplomacy Carpet from under Obama) that President George W. Bush had hijacked Obama’s opening to Iran to fashion a diplomatic legacy for his successor and help John McCain get elected.
This secret dialogue had yielded deals on pricing oil up to a $150 ceiling and a helping hand from Tehran in Iraq.
Revolutionary Guards intelligence officers serving under cover in Iraq were instructed to hold back radical Shiite militias from attacking US forces and to share intelligence with the American military.
This did not stop Hizballah cells in Iraq from going for American targets. One of their operatives, trained in Iran as an explosives expert was captured in Iraq, according to a disclosure on Tuesday, July 15.
The understandings US and Iranian diplomats achieved in their undisclosed talks over several weeks were far-ranging. Our Middle East sources reveal they included Lebanese political stability under a new national government in which Iran’s surrogate, Hizballah won veto power and Syria’s violent proxy a ministerial seat; and Syrian ruler Bashar Assad’s restoration to center position on the Middle East stage with honors heaped on him by French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
This new White House orientation has thrust Israel to the outer edge of its Middle East policy in favor of placing its most extreme enemies at the center. Prime minister Olmert, foreign minister Tzipi Livni and defense minister Ehud Barak find their foreign policies bankrupted.
The indirect peace talks Olmert initiated with Syria through Turkey are now revealed as a smoke screen which he laid down unwittingly to cover Washington’s pursuit of a secret rapprochement with Tehran and Damascus.
A further sign that the secret US-Iran dialogue was about to surface came from a surprisingly mild statement by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Monday that his government is willing to hold direct contacts with US officials on the understanding that Iran retains the right to enrich uranium.
Last week, William Burns told the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee that he was optimistic about the prospects of nuclear negotiations with Iran. He played down the fact that Tehran had not given an inch on the enrichment issue or halted its advance towards nuclear weaponization.
The official US statement Wednesday said Burns "will be there [at the big power talks in Switzerland] to listen, not negotiate."
DEBKAfile’s sources add: The real negotiations are still going forward in the realm of secret diplomacy.
Young U.S. Soldiers In Iraq Long for Action in Afghan War
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,384381,00.html
BAGHDAD — Spc. Grover Gebhart has spent nine months at a small post on a Sunni-Shiite fault line in western Baghdad. But the 21-year-old soldier on his first tour in Iraq feels he's missing the real war — in Afghanistan, where his brother is fighting the Taliban.
With violence in Iraq at its lowest level in four years and the war in Afghanistan at a peak, the soldiers serving at patrol station Maverick say Gebhart's view is increasingly common, especially among younger soldiers looking to prove themselves in battle.
"I've heard it a lot since I got here," said 2nd Lt. Karl Kuechenmeister, a 2007 West Point graduate who arrived in Iraq about a week ago.
Soldiers who have experienced combat stress note that it is usually young soldiers on their first tour who most want to get on the battlefield. They say it is hard to communicate the horrors of war to those who haven't actually experienced it.
"These kids are just being young," said Sgt. Christopher Janis, who is only 23 but is on his third tour in Iraq. "They say they want to get into battle until they do, and then they won't want it anymore."
That soldiers are looking elsewhere for a battle is a testament to how much Iraq has changed from a year ago, when violence was at its height. Now it's the lowest in four years, thanks to the U.S. troop surge, the turn by former Sunni insurgents against al-Qaida in Iraq, and Iraqi government crackdowns on Shiite militias.
At least 29 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq last month, and there were 19 deaths in May — the lowest monthly toll for American troops since the war began in March 2003. By comparison, in Afghanistan, 28 Americans died in June and 17 in May, but there are four times as many U.S. troops in Iraq.
American military deaths in Iraq are also down sharply this month, in a trend that could take center stage during Sen. Barack Obama's planned visit to Baghdad and the debate over whether America's main battle is shifting back to Afghanistan.
At least eight soldier deaths had been reported for July by the military as of Wednesday — four in combat, two not connected to fighting and the recovery of remains of two soldiers missing since last year.
The daily average of 0.50 deaths so far is significantly below any month in the war. The lowest for a full month was 0.61 deaths in May, and the next lowest was 0.71 in February 2004.
The relative calm is apparent in Baghdad's Ghazaliyah neighborhood, patrolled by troops stationed at Maverick from the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division.
Instead of facing gunfire and roadside bombs, the soldiers' armored Humvees are chased by waving children as they weave through streets crowded with pedestrians out to shop or just to stroll.
Some of Maverick's troops saw combat a few months ago when they helped the Iraqi army take over the Ghazaliyah office of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in a battle complete with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades.
But their days in Ghazaliyah have mostly been filled with routine patrols. The soldiers' job is to serve as a critical presence that helps keep violence down in the mixed Sunni and Shiite neighborhood.
"Ninety-five percent of the time it is perfectly quiet in Ghazaliyah now," said 1st Lt. Shane Smith, who leads one of the three platoons at Maverick.
Quiet can mean boredom, as Gebhart and a colleague turn in another four-hour shift in one of Maverick's guard towers, looking over a landscape of two-story concrete buildings and green fields dotted with a few cows and goats.
To while away the time, the young soldier from Omaha, Neb., talks of his brother, who is fighting the Taliban in the mountains outside Kandahar city in southern Afghanistan.
"He spends 20 days at a time camped out in the mountains, and the Taliban come engage them in serious firefights," said Gebhart. "At least it sounds exciting."
That excitement comes with a price, the officers here point out.
Militants in Afghanistan killed nine American soldiers Sunday, the worst attack on U.S. forces in the country in three years. More U.S. and NATO troops have been killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq over each of the last two months.
The soldiers at Maverick have faced tragedy during their tour, losing one comrade to a sniper in April and another to a roadside bomb in June.
But those deaths have only heightened the frustration of younger soldiers who joined the Army with the classic notion of fighting an enemy.
"These kids who joined the Army since the Iraq war started in 2003 are more fearless than when I joined during the Cold War," said 1st Sgt. John Greis, the senior enlisted soldier at Maverick. "They knew they were going to war."
But with violence down in Iraq, they have little opportunity to prove themselves as warriors to fellow soldiers, some of whom are only a few years older but have already battled al-Qaida in places like Fallujah and Mosul on previous Iraq tours.
Saying they want to go where the combat is — in Afghanistan — is one way for young soldiers to prove their toughness, colleagues say.
Some may get their wish. There is broad consensus in Washington that some U.S. forces can now leave Iraq and that more are needed in Afghanistan.
Both of the main presidential candidates — Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain — called this week for more troops to be sent to Afghanistan to battle the Taliban and al-Qaida fighters operating along the border with Pakistan.
After recently returning from Afghanistan, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more troops are needed for the Afghan conflict. On Wednesday, he said he expected to be able to recommend American troop reductions in Iraq later this year if security continues to improve.
Not all soldiers in Iraq are pining for service in Afghanistan.
Greis, a 21-year veteran, isn't eager to seek out battle. "There is nothing cool about seeing your buddy on the ground during his last dying seconds of life," he said.
He rolled up his sleeve and pointed to a Latin phrase tattooed on his right shoulder: "Dulce Bellum Inexpertis" — "War is sweet for the inexperienced."
Saudi king opens interfaith conference in Spain with call for unity and reconciliation
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/16/europe/EU-Spain-Interfaith-Conference.php
MADRID, Spain: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia exhorted followers of the world's leading faiths to turn away from extremism and embrace a spirit of reconciliation, saying at the start of an interfaith conference Wednesday that history's great conflicts were not caused by religion itself but by its misinterpretation.
"My brothers, we must tell the world that differences don't need to lead to disputes," Abdullah said, speaking through a Spanish interpreter. "The tragedies we have experienced throughout history were not the fault of religion but because of the extremism that has been adopted by some followers of all the religions, and of all political systems."
Abdullah's comments came at the start of a Saudi-sponsored gathering that aims to bring Muslims, Christians and Jews closer together at a time when the world often puts the three faiths at odds.
Spanish King Juan Carlos also addressed the gathering at a ceremonial palace on the outskirts of Madrid, saying he hoped the conference would be successful.
"We have always been interested in strengthening peace, dialogue and cooperation on the international stage," he said.
The Saudis have billed the gathering — which also includes Buddhist and Hindu participants, as well as practitioners of several Eastern religions — as a strictly religious affair. There's to be no mention of hot-button issues such as the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iranian nuclear ambitions or rising oil prices.
Other than the inaugural session, the conference was off limits to journalists, and even getting official confirmation of the event schedule proved difficult. Saudi embassy officials referred questions to a Spanish public relations company helping to organize the meeting, while the public relations company directed reporters to the embassy.
Detractors say the Saudis are the last people who should be hosting a meeting on religious tolerance.
Wahhabism — the strain of Sunni Islam that is practiced in Saudi Arabia — is considered one of the religion's most conservative. Observers say the conference is being held in Spain partly because it would be politically unpalatable for Abdullah to allow Jewish and Christian leaders on Saudi soil.
Back in the kingdom, two TV stations carried the conference opening live, and stories about it were on the front page of several daily newspapers. The stories mentioned that there were participants of different backgrounds, countries and beliefs, but did not specifically mention that rabbis or priests were invited.
Still, Abdullah has made reaching out to other faiths a hallmark of his rule since taking over the oil-rich kingdom following the death of his half brother in 2005. He met with Pope Benedict XVI late last year, the first meeting ever between a pope and a reigning Saudi king.
And in June, Abdullah held a religious conference in Mecca in which participants pledged improved relations between Islam's two main branches, Sunni and Shia. At that meeting, Abdullah also rejected extremism, saying that Muslims must present Islam's "good message" to the world.
The three-day Madrid conference boasts a number of Jewish religious figures, including David Rosen, a prominent Irish-Israeli rabbi whose presence is being hailed as a sign the Saudis are serious about reaching out.
Rosen, however, is not listed as an Israeli in conference literature, prompting officials in the Jewish state to question the extent of the Saudis' commitment.
Rosen, who is head of inter-religious relations at the American Jewish Committee, said the naysayers are missing the point.
"What is historic about this is that it is organized by the king of Saudi Arabia," he told the Associated Press. "To hear the king of Saudi Arabia talk about tolerance, moderation and cooperation between the religions to address contemporary challenges is quite something."
When asked what he hoped to get out of the three-day gathering, Rosen added:
"The significance of this event is the fact that it is happening. I didn't have any great expectations with regards to the intellectual content."
Some other Jewish officials invited to the conference are more controversial, including Rabbi David Weiss, whose group, Neturei Karta, objects to the creation of Israel on the grounds that it violates Jewish religious law.
At a 2006 gathering in Tehran hosted by hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Weiss made headlines by saying the number of Jews said to have been killed in the Holocaust was inflated.
Weiss was at one point scheduled to address this week's conference, but organizers said plans have changed. It was not immediately clear if Weiss would be attending the conference at all.
Also attending the opening ceremony were former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and American civil rights leader and ex-presidential candidate the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
The Saudis have billed the gathering — which also includes Buddhist and Hindu participants, as well as practitioners of several Eastern religions — as a strictly religious affair. There's to be no mention of hot-button issues such as the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iranian nuclear ambitions or rising oil prices.
Other than the inaugural session, the conference was off limits to journalists, and even getting official confirmation of the event schedule proved difficult. Saudi embassy officials referred questions to a Spanish public relations company helping to organize the meeting, while the public relations company directed reporters to the embassy.
Detractors say the Saudis are the last people who should be hosting a meeting on religious tolerance.
Wahhabism — the strain of Sunni Islam that is practiced in Saudi Arabia — is considered one of the religion's most conservative. Observers say the conference is being held in Spain partly because it would be politically unpalatable for Abdullah to allow Jewish and Christian leaders on Saudi soil.
Back in the kingdom, two TV stations carried the conference opening live, and stories about it were on the front page of several daily newspapers. The stories mentioned that there were participants of different backgrounds, countries and beliefs, but did not specifically mention that rabbis or priests were invited.
Still, Abdullah has made reaching out to other faiths a hallmark of his rule since taking over the oil-rich kingdom following the death of his half brother in 2005. He met with Pope Benedict XVI late last year, the first meeting ever between a pope and a reigning Saudi king.
And in June, Abdullah held a religious conference in Mecca in which participants pledged improved relations between Islam's two main branches, Sunni and Shia. At that meeting, Abdullah also rejected extremism, saying that Muslims must present Islam's "good message" to the world.
The three-day Madrid conference boasts a number of Jewish religious figures, including David Rosen, a prominent Irish-Israeli rabbi whose presence is being hailed as a sign the Saudis are serious about reaching out.
Rosen, however, is not listed as an Israeli in conference literature, prompting officials in the Jewish state to question the extent of the Saudis' commitment.
Rosen, who is head of inter-religious relations at the American Jewish Committee, said the naysayers are missing the point.
"What is historic about this is that it is organized by the king of Saudi Arabia," he told the Associated Press. "To hear the king of Saudi Arabia talk about tolerance, moderation and cooperation between the religions to address contemporary challenges is quite something."
When asked what he hoped to get out of the three-day gathering, Rosen added:
"The significance of this event is the fact that it is happening. I didn't have any great expectations with regards to the intellectual content."
Some other Jewish officials invited to the conference are more controversial, including Rabbi David Weiss, whose group, Neturei Karta, objects to the creation of Israel on the grounds that it violates Jewish religious law.
At a 2006 gathering in Tehran hosted by hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Weiss made headlines by saying the number of Jews said to have been killed in the Holocaust was inflated.
Weiss was at one point scheduled to address this week's conference, but organizers said plans have changed. It was not immediately clear if Weiss would be attending the conference at all.
Also attending the opening ceremony were former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and American civil rights leader and ex-presidential candidate the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Priest Killed by Hindu Militants in Nepal
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07402.shtml
(christiansunite.com) - A Roman Catholic priest from India, Father Johnson Prakash Moyalan (60), was killed in eastern Nepal by armed militants on July 1. At approximately 1:00 a.m., the men broke into a building belonging to the Don Bosco mission in the town of Sirsiya.
They locked up the assistant priest and shot Moyalan in the stomach and chest. Reports also indicated that a bomb was detonated on the premises. The attackers left pamphlets on the scene identifying themselves as members of the Nepal Defense Army, a terrorist group that wants Hinduism restored as the state religion. The murder is the first known martyrdom of a Christian priest in the country.
Pray that those who mourn Father Moyalan will find strength, comfort and peace in Christ. Pray that God will continue to raise up cross-bearing disciples in Nepal willing to remain faithful to Him at all cost (1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16).
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Nepal, go to www.persecution.net/country/nepal.htm.
Pastor Zhang Zhongxin Sentenced to Two Years Re-education Through Labor by Shandong Officials
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07400.shtml
SHANDONG, China, (christiansunite.com) -- China Aid Association was informed that on July 4, 2008 in Jining City in Shandong reeducation-through-labor management committee issued a written decision sentencing Zhang Zhongxin to two years re-education through labour. Zhang will start the re-education through labor program July 4, 2008 and is scheduled to be released June 5, 2010. The statement also declared that Zhang may appeal within 60 days. Pastor Zhang has applied for legal aid, and is hoping to hire defense lawyers. Zhang's wife Wang Gui-Yun will coordinate the hiring of legal defense for her husband.
Pastor Zhang Zhongxin's home address is:
Qingkou Village, Jintun Town,
Jiaxiang County, Shandong Province.
Authorities accused him of cult participation in "the whole scope of the Church", organized "Sunday School" training courses, preaching the Gospel to the northwest, Tibet and other places for missionaries, and pioneers sermons. Since 2005, he established the "Rainbow Missions Fellowship in Jining of Shandong" and "Timothy Bible training school", training ministers and presented graduation certificates.
After Pastor Zhang received the written decision, he appealed the Court hearing the same day. He was notified by authorities at 11:00AM on August 14, 2008 that he will have an appeal hearing in Jiaxiang County Detention Center. The following officials will reappear in court during Pastor Zhang's hearing: Kong Liang, Jining City Public Security Bureau, the rule of law, civilian police; Li Zhijian, deputy director of Section officer. China Aid Association urges all brothers and sisters in the Lord, to pray for pastor Zhang.
Meanwhile we call on Chinese authorities to immediately stop the persecution of Christians.
To voice your concern over these issues please contact:
Chinese Embassy in Washington DC
2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20007
Tel: (202) 338-6688, (202) 588-9760
Fax: (202) 588-9760
Zimbabwe Christian churches reject Mugabe victory
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/zimbabwe.christian.churches.reject.mugabe.victory/20548.htm
Zimbabwe's Christian community on Tuesday rejected President Robert Mugabe's re-election last month as marred by violence and intimidation and said it would support a government of national unity.
In a statement obtained by Reuters, the heads of all the churches in the predominantly Christian country said the contest between Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was marred by the worst violence since independence in 1980.
Tsvangirai pulled out of a run-off ballot last month, citing a campaign of intimidation and killings by Mugabe supporters that Western governments said made his re-election illegitimate.
US President George W Bush said on Tuesday he was disappointed Russia and China had vetoed broader sanctions against Mugabe and other Zimbabwean officials, but said the United States might impose tougher penalties of its own.
In their statement, the Zimbabwean churches said they were "ready and committed to partner with all efforts that will result in a transitional authority and subsequently a government of national unity, to bring peace stability and reconciliation within the nation".
The Heads of Christian Denominations said torture, murder, abductions, displacement and psychological trauma had fatally undermined the election.
"Our conclusion is that the will of the people of Zimbabwe was not given authentic expression during these elections," they said, adding that the violence was continuing.
Mugabe, aged 84 and in power since the end of British rule, blames the opposition for the bloodshed.
FRAMEWORK FOR TALKS
Tsvangirai has demanded the government halt attacks on his supporters as one of several pre-conditions to negotiating with Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF.
Preliminary talks between Tsvangirai's MDC, a smaller faction of the party and ZANU-PF appear to have stalled despite the efforts of South African mediators to get all three to agree to a framework for more substantial negotiations.
An opposition source said on Tuesday the talks would resume on Wednesday.
Tsvangirai won the most votes in the first round but fell short of the absolute majority needed to avoid a second ballot.
He wants an African Union envoy to be appointed to help mediate talks, something South African Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad rejected on Tuesday.
South Africa and other AU members are pressing Mugabe and Tsvangirai to accept a power-sharing deal similar to the one that ended post-election violence in Kenya earlier this year.
African leaders see a unity government as the way to avert a spread of violence and total economic collapse in Zimbabwe, which has the world's highest inflation rate, estimated at more than 2 million per cent, and chronic food and fuel shortages.
The National Civil Society Assembly, which represents 30 civil groups in Zimbabwe, said on Tuesday it would support a transitional government only if it was headed by someone who was not a member of ZANU-PF or the MDC.
It also wants the mandate of a transitional government to be confined to drafting a new constitution, reforming state institutions and preparing for fresh elections after 18 months.
Missionaries in Kenya Attacked
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/409644.aspx
CBNNews.com - An elderly missionary couple is recovering in the hospital in Nairobi, Kenya following a brutal attack last week.
Eloise Bergen, 66, was taking a bath in the couple's home when a gang of intruders raped and choked her.
They broke her jaw, tied her up, piled furniture on top of her and left her for dead.
The violent gang of men also broke the arms and legs of her 70-year-old husband, John, and fractured his skull.
The couple was beaten mercilessly and slashed with machetes.
Remarkably, Eloise was able to crawl out from under the furniture and cut through her bonds with scissors.
She ran outside and found her husband lying in the bushes.
Eloise was able to get her husband into their vehicle and drive them to a safe place.
The couple had to be evacuated by helicopter to Nairobi to receive medical treatment.
The Bergens' sending ministry is Canadian-based Hope for the Nations.
In an interview with CBN News, the president of the organization, Ralph Bromley, said the couple had only been in Kenya since the post-election violence in March.
Bromley said the Bergens have a "real heart" for the Kenyans and have been working with widows and children.
Kenyan police have arrested seven people, including two security guards the couple had hired to protect them.
"It wasn't a case of Kenyan nationals targeting white people to hurt them," Bromley said.
The Bergens are reportedly anxious to forgive their attackers. Eloise told the National Post, "It's in both of our hearts to go to the prison and tell them about our forgiveness."
As for the rest of the Hope for the Nations staff in Kitale, they are reportedly traumatized and shaken by the attack on their co-workers.
"They are jittery; having a difficult time sleeping at night," Bromley said.
"It will just take a while for them to get over this."
Calling the attack "an isolated incident," the ministry has decided it will not be pulling any other staff out of the area.
Hope for the Nations has received a lot of support from Christians worldwide.
E-mails, phone calls and letters have been pouring in offering support and prayers for the Bergens.
John is from British Columbia and his wife, Eloise is from Georgia.
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