Is God for Illegal Immigration?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353984,00.html
Yesterday, May Day, we witnessed some of the largest demonstrations of immigrants on American soil. The masses of mostly brown skinned activists and their followers were protesting what they consider unjust immigration policy and practice in the United States of America. Strewn conspicuously throughout the congregants, one couldn't help but notice church banners, crosses and other religious symbols. It would seem we are witnessing faith-based immigration reform activism. Does this mean God is on the side of the protesters?
Seeing these demonstrations on television, my thoughts darted back and forth between the immigration arguments of social conservatives, with their focus on the respect for law and national security (both of which are good objectives), and their liberal counterparts, with their focus on the protection of human rights (also a very good thing).
I believe the immigration reform logjam we now encounter is due in great part to the false premise that the good immigration objectives of the conservative movement are incompatible with the good objective, in this case, of liberal activists. When religious leaders or institutions give priority to the defense of human rights (as they should), this false premise becomes even more compelling. After all, have you ever seen a priest or a pastor protesting illegal border crossing? There is a reason for this, but it's not what most would think.
No, God is not in favor of illegal behavior and dangerous borders. But given a church's spiritual and humanitarian role, it is right and understandable that it speaks out with special force against the miserable conditions of the immigrants whom companies and governments are utilizing for economic gain. This moral voice, however, mustn't be one-sided. Just as every immigrant has a right to be treated with dignity, every government has the right and obligation to regulate immigration to sustainable levels, for the good of its own citizens and its immigrants. Religious leaders should be saying this too, don't you think? Why aren't they? Some are.
This one-sidedness is particularly evident in partisan politics. Democrats have done a better job making themselves into the good guys in public opinion by rightly criticizing the administration for a hypocritical system of random and sporadic crackdowns on illegal workers. But Republicans rightly complain that, in fact, the Democrats aren't really the moral puritans they profess to be because they refuse to control the borders and penalize employers.
The truth of the matter, one that both parties should be able to agree upon in principle, is that the dark side of immigration activism is the pursuit of some good objectives to the exclusion or vilification of others. Wouldn't it be nice to hear a Democratic pundit (or priest or pastor) on cable television or talk radio speak about the importance of the respect for law, not as a concession to the opponent, but rather as a conviction of their own? And wouldn't it be refreshing to hear from a Republican pundit that no love for law or security is ever a valid excuse for treating people like animals, or slaves?
Republican and Democratic administrations and legislative majorities have been guilty of hypocrisy and complacency. Our politicians on both sides of the aisle have feigned interest in rectifying our present immigration crisis, while cuddling up to the beneficiaries of cheap labor made possible by porous borders and paralyzed structures.
Social conservatives and liberals alike would be wise to re-examine their approach to our present crisis of illegal immigration. God is on the side of human rights and also on the side of legality and security. It is our problem if we choose one over the other and pretend that we are righteous.
God bless, Father Jonathan
Jobless Rate Falls as Dollar Rises
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/368801.aspx
WASHINGTON -- The economy showed off unexpected signs of resilience Friday as job losses slowed, the dollar gained a bit of muscle for a change and there were even indications that food prices may be easing. The unemployment rate dipped, though that may not last.
The latest barometers flashed encouraging signs that the economic slowdown may not be as pronounced as some had feared. Still, there's much caution - about housing, credit and other problems.
"Economic or financial conditions could take an unexpected stumble at any time," warned Stephen Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital.
Employers eliminated 20,000 jobs in April - not nearly as many as the 81,000 in March, and the fewest monthly losses so far this year, the Labor Department reported. The unemployment rate dropped to 5 percent, from 5.1 percent.
Stresses were still evident. It was the fourth straight month that employers cut jobs - bringing total losses to 260,000.
Many analysts were bracing for much more carnage. Yet, the new figures "can't be taken as a signal that the economy is out of the recession woods," said Nigel Gault, of Global Insight.
On Wall Street, investors initially responded enthusiastically to the employment news, with the Dow Jones industrial average rising more than 100 points, but the market gave back part of that gain and closed up 48.20 points. Investors were keeping their euphoria in check, especially since stocks had already shot nearly 190 points higher on Thursday.
Still, the tone in the market was clearly more upbeat. Thursday's advance came on a growing sense that the economy isn't as wounded from the credit crisis as many people have feared.
Investors were also reassured by the dollar's show of strength this week. The greenback's latest gains have come on expectations that the Federal Reserve is likely to hold interest rates steady - a trend that makes U.S. assets more attractive to overseas buyers. The U.S. currency rose this week to a five-week high against the euro.
In turn, the dollar's advance has had an impact in the commodities market. Food prices - such as for wheat and soybeans - eased. And while oil did rise Friday, that was because of supply concerns rather than moves in the dollar.
"Things are a little brighter," Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics, said of all the developments. "The economy is seen as doing a little bit better" and that's contributing to the stronger dollar and calmer food prices, he said.
Another report out Friday showed orders to U.S. factories rose a bigger-than-expected 1.4 percent in March after two straight months of declines. Higher prices, though, accounted for part of the gain.
Businesses are handing out pink slips as they cope with an economy that is teetering on the edge of a recession, or possibly in one already. A severe housing slump, harder-to-get credit and financial turmoil have forced people and businesses to be more cautious in their spending. And that has hurt the economy.
To help relieve credit problems, the Federal Reserve announced Friday it would boost the availability of short-term loans to commercial banks to $150 billion in May from the $100 billion supplied in April. The goal is to supply a source of cash to squeezed banks so that they'll keep lending.
On the employment front, construction companies, manufacturers, retailers, mortgage brokers and temporary help firms were among those shedding jobs in April. Those losses eclipsed gains elsewhere, including education, health, hotels and motels, bars and restaurants, and the government.
All told, there were 7.6 million people unemployed as of April, up from 6.8 million a year earlier.
Voters are keenly worried about the country's economic problems and so are politicians - in Congress, in the White House and on the campaign trail.
President Bush expressed hope Friday that the economic-stimulus rebates beginning to reach taxpayers this week will help lift activity. "This economy is going to come on. I'm confident it will," Bush said.
Workers with jobs saw scant wage gains.
Average hourly earnings for jobholders rose to $17.88 in April, a tiny 0.1 percent rise from the previous month. Over the past 12 months, wages have grown by 3.4 percent. If the job market weakens in the months ahead, wage growth probably will slow, too, making people even less inclined to spend. That would spell further trouble for the economy.
The new jobs figures come from two different statistical surveys, which can provide - as in Friday's case - a somewhat conflicting picture.
The seasonally adjusted overall civilian unemployment rate - 5 percent in April - is based on a survey of 60,000 households. It showed that 362,000 people said they found employment last month, outpacing the number of new people who couldn't find work. Economists tend to put more stock, however, in the much broader business survey of 400,000 work sites that was used to calculate the job loss figure.
To help bolster the economy, the Fed lowered interest rates on Wednesday, but signaled that its rate-cutting campaign could be drawing to a close.
Fed officials and the Bush administration are hoping that the Fed's aggressive rate cuts since September plus the government's $168 billion stimulus package will lift the country out of its slump in the second half of the year.
Even if that happens, economists predict the unemployment rate will climb higher, hitting 6 percent early next year.
Employers often are reluctant to beef up hiring until they feel certain that a recovery has staying power.
The economy advanced at a snail's pace of just 0.6 percent in the first three months of this year as people and businesses clamped down on their spending. That marked the second quarter in a row of such feeble growth.
"I think we are in a recession," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. Even thought the employment news was "encouraging. it is much too premature to signal that the economic coast is clear."
Heritage Foundation: High Gas Prices: Fuel for Thought
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353999,00.html
When it comes to soaring gasoline prices, we need a federal government that does less.
Less contributing to the problem, that is. As lawmakers and presidential candidates offer a number of proposals to lower pump prices, they should keep in mind that past laws and regulations have made matters worse. Washington ought to eliminate these mistakes rather than repeat them.
We need fewer restrictions on domestic oil drilling. America remains the only oil-producing nation on earth that has placed off-limits a substantial amount of its energy potential. This includes a few thousand acres of Alaska’s 20 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that are believed to contain 10 billion barrels of oil — an amount equivalent to 15 years of imports from Saudi Arabia. More oil is in other restricted areas throughout Alaska, and even more in the 85 percent of America’s territorial waters that are off limits — nearly everywhere but the western half of the Gulf of Mexico.
The only reason not to drill is the environmental concerns. But improvements in technology have greatly reduced the above-ground footprint and the risk of offshore spills. Any new drilling would be subject to the world’s strictest standards.
Unfortunately, many in Congress still oppose more domestic oil. Amazingly, some actually want to add to the list of off-limits areas even as pump prices head toward $4 per gallon.
We also need less regulatory red tape affecting refineries and gasoline supplies. Though the jump in oil prices is far and away the biggest culprit in the recent price rise, tight refinery capacity doesn’t help. It would be worthwhile to streamline the regulations that make it all but impossible to build a new refinery and more difficult and time-consuming to expand an existing one.
Simplifying or eliminating the federal requirements that dictate the recipe (actually a dozen different recipes) for fuel also would help. These requirements get more stringent in the late spring and summer and are one reason prices likely are to rise even more in the months ahead.
Worst of all the federal requirements is the one requiring that corn-based ethanol be mixed into the gasoline supply. Not only does ethanol use raise the cost of driving, but diverting corn from food to fuel has raised food prices, as well.
Again, only a few in Congress are looking seriously at ways to cut this red tape. Indeed, we have efforts under way to make it worse, such as America’s Climate Security Act, by Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and John Warner, R-Va., a bill that would pile additional regulatory costs on gasoline in the name of fighting global warming.
We also need fewer repeats of the energy policy blunders of the 1970s and early 1980s. Among other mistakes from that period, the government increased the taxes levied on domestic oil producers, as if that would somehow help. The result, according to the Congressional Research Service, was “reduced domestic oil production from between 3 and 6 percent, and increased oil imports from between 8 and 16 percent.” The government also instituted price controls, which only served to create the notorious gas shortages of that era. Yes, price controls meant consumers could get cheaper gas — but only after waiting in long gas lines and only if stations didn’t run out first.
No rational policymaker should want to repeat the mistakes of those days, yet several members of Congress are trying to do just that. There are new proposals to increase the effective tax rates on U.S. oil companies. There are also price-gouging measures, which act the same way as price controls do. Both try to make high prices illegal. Both discourage badly needed supply increases and, thus, end up doing more harm than good.
It’s not just coincidence that despite the massive 2005 energy bill and another big one in 2007, the price at the pump continues upward. Both measures did little to create oil and gasoline supplies or untangle the red tape afflicting existing supplies.
Congress needs to start undoing the damage it has done. If it enacts more of the same instead, get ready for $4 or even $5 gas.
U.S. Measles Cases Highest in Six Years
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/368338.aspx
The outbreak of measles in several states have health officials concerned. At least 70 cases have been reported so far this year, the highest total in six years.
It's the largest number of cases since 2001 when 116 cases were reported, according to CDC records.
Officials expect this year's tally to keep climbing past that mark, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
The Centers for Disease control and Prevention reports that most of the cases are due to outbreaks overseas. They are found mainly in children who have not been vaccinated for religious or other reasons or were too young.
Cases have declined steadily in the U.S. since the early 1960s when children received innoculations for the disease.
So far this year, the CDC has confirmed reports of 64 cases in nine states. There were no deaths, but 14 people were hospitalized, said CDC spokesman Curtis Allen.
A Virus
Measles is caused by a virus that typically grows in cells that line the back of the throat and line the lungs. The infection is spread through contact with a sneezing, coughing, infected person.
Some mild symptoms include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. But in some cases the illness can be more severe with about 1 in 5 measles sufferers experiencing diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis and even seizures and death.
Health officials say parents must get their children immunized.
"It's not acceptable to have any child improperly or incompletely vaccinated because that increases their risk of disease and also increases the risk of outbreaks in the community," said the CDC's Elizabeth Luman.
Health Officials: Vaccinate Your Children
Out of 64 cases reported to the CDC as of last week, 63 were unvaccinated or it wasn't known if they were vaccinated. At least 54 of the cases came from outbreaks in Switzerland, Israel or other countries, Allen said.
Children under a year old represented 13 of the cases in the U.S. Doctors recommend that children do not get their first measles shot until they're at least one-year-old. The reason is their immune systems are not mature enough to react to the vaccine.
Such children can easily pick up infections from those around them, said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of Vanderbilt University's department of preventive medicine.
"We have a responsibility not only to ourselves but to everyone around us" to get recommended vaccinations, he said.
The largest concentration has been in New York City, with 22 cases. Arizona has had 15, California, 12, and Michigan and Wisconsin have each had four. Hawaii, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia and upstate New York also reported cases.
Fifty years ago was the worst measles outbreak in recorded history. More than 763,000 cases were reported, including more than 550 deaths.
Transcript: President Bush's Radio Address
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354069,00.html
The following is a transcript of President Bush's weekly radio address:
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, the Commerce Department reported that GDP grew at an annual rate of six-tenths of a percent in the first quarter. This rate of growth is not nearly as high as we would like. And after a record 52 months of uninterrupted job growth, April was the fourth month in a row in which our economy lost jobs, although the unemployment rate dropped to five percent.
My Administration has been clear and candid on the state of the economy. We saw the economic slowdown coming, we were up front about these concerns with the American people, and we've been taking decisive action.
In February, I signed an economic growth package to put more than $150 billion back into the hands of millions of American families, workers, and businesses. This week, the main piece of that package began being implemented, as nearly 7.7 million Americans received their tax rebates electronically. Next week, the Treasury Department will begin mailing checks to millions more across the country. And by this summer, it expects to have sent rebates to more than 130 million American households. These rebates will deliver up to $600 per person, $1,200 per couple, and $300 per child.
This package will help American families increase their purchasing power and help offset the high prices that we're seeing at the gas pump and the grocery store. It will also provide tax incentives for American businesses to invest in their companies, which will help create jobs. Most economic experts predict that the stimulus will have a positive effect on the economy in this quarter and even a greater impact in the next. And Americans should have confidence in the long-term outlook for our economy.
While getting more money back in the hands of Americans is a good start, there are several additional steps that Congress needs to take to ease the burdens of an uncertain economy. Americans are concerned about energy prices. To increase our domestic energy supply, Congress needs to allow environmentally safe energy exploration in northern Alaska, expand America's refining capacity, and clear away obstacles to the use of clean, safe nuclear power.
Americans are concerned about rising food prices. Yet, despite this growing pressure on Americans' pocketbooks, Congress is considering a massive farm bill. Instead, they should pass a fiscally responsible bill.
Americans are concerned about making their mortgage payments and keeping their homes. Yet Congress has failed to pass legislation I have repeatedly requested to modernize the Federal Housing Administration that will help more families stay in their homes, reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure they focus on their housing mission, and allow state housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to refinance sub-prime loans.
Americans are concerned about their tax bills. With all the other pressures on their finances, American families should not have to worry about the Federal government taking a bigger bite out of their paychecks. So Congress should eliminate this uncertainty and make the tax relief we passed permanent.
America is now facing a tough economic period, but our long-term outlook remains strong. This week we saw evidence that our economy is continuing to grow in the face of challenges. This should come as no surprise. No temporary setbacks can hold back the most powerful force in our economy — the ingenuity of the American people. Because of your hard work and dedication, I am confident that we will weather this rough period and emerge stronger than ever.
Thank you for listening.
O’Reilly-Clinton Interview Shows Dem Flaw
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354014,00.html
Bill O'Reilly asked Hillary Clinton the key question about the war in Iraq: What happens if we pull out and the Iranians move in? She talked around the issue, but never gave a convincing answer to O'Reilly's question. She said she would replace force with diplomacy. But, as Frederick the Great said, “Diplomacy without force is like music without instruments.” If our troops are long gone from Iraq, the Iranians will snub our diplomacy and laugh at our entireties. They will add Iraq to their other trophies in the region: Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.
Hillary's inability to answer O'Reilly's question reveals a larger flaw in the Democratic arguments as the election approaches. Obama will be the Democratic nominee (take that to the bank). How will the Iraq War play in the race? On the surface, it would appear to be a disaster for the Republicans. With American deaths now over the 4,000 mark and the seriously wounded at around 15,000, we are sick and tired of this war. It has destroyed George W. Bush and could well do the same to John McCain.
But maybe not. McCain's position is simple: win in Iraq. The experience and the success of the past year indicate that it may be quite possible to do so. But, whatever you may think of it, his is a simple solution.
What do the Democrats propose? Obama and Hillary both want to pull out as soon as technically feasible. OK. But what happens if Iran moves into the vacuum and takes over Iraq? And what if Al Qaeda takes advantage of the American absence and sets up a permanent base and sanctuary in Iraq, beyond our reach — a situation akin to the Taliban in Afghanistan where they could develop the capacity to hit us on 9-11 in their privileged, protected home territory? And what if hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who used to work with us start to be killed as happened when we pulled out of Vietnam? And what if the Iraqi oil falls into Iranian hands, sending the price even higher? And what if … The list goes on.
Obama really has no answer for these questions. Once he pulls out of Iraq, it will be politically impossible to go back in. Iran and Al Qaeda both realize this just as North Vietnam knew it when they negotiated an end to American troop presence in the South. In the context of an election debate, Obama is going to look weak and confused and without a clue as he tries to address these “what ifs.” Americans will sense the uncertain hand on the helm and will begin to second guess their decisions and move toward McCain.
If, by some chance, Hillary is the nominee, then the same problem will land in her lap and she showed in trying to parry O'Reilly's thrust, that she won't be any better at answering the doubts than Obama would be.
The truth is that the Democrats are cashing in on a mindless impatience with Iraq and an unwillingness to think through the consequences of pulling out. They are capitalizing on an emotional “no” in reaction to the war. But when the alternatives are carefully explained and examined, as they will be in a presidential debate, they are not going to embrace the answers Obama or Hillary will have to the “what ifs.” They will see the Democratic position as extremist and unworkable and will come to see the Democratic candidate who is pushing them as unprepared and unrealistic. If the candidate is Obama, their concerns will resonate with their perception that he is inexperienced and doesn't know his way around foreign policy. This will raise more and more doubts about his ability to lead us in a time of crisis.
This unholy mess in Iraq, which has almost destroyed the Republican party and has destroyed the Bush presidency, may yet rebound and work against the Democrats in the election this year.
Pious Illinois Man Wants to Legally Change Name to Motto on U.S. Currency
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354077,00.html
ZION, Ill. — Steve Kreuscher wants a judge to allow him to legally change his name. He wants to be known as "In God We Trust."
Kreuscher says the new name would symbolize the help God gave him through tough times.
The 57-year-old man also told the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald he's worried that atheists may succeed in removing the phrase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency.
He recalls that the phrase "God Reigns" was removed from the Zion city seal in 1992 after courts deemed it unconstitutional. Zion was founded as a theocracy — by a sect that believed the Earth was flat.
The school bus driver and amateur artist in the northern Chicago suburb says he has filed a petition to change his name in Lake County Circuit Court.
Spooky Flying Character Has UFO Watchers in Mexico Buzzing
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354051,00.html
Sensational sightings of a flying human above the skies of Mexico could be genuine, says a paranormal expert.
The mysterious woman-like figure was caught on camera as it hovered above mountains in Nuevo Leon city.
UFO watchers said the figure appeared to be wearing a cape, leading to claims that it was a witch or wizard when it was first seen in 2006.
Now Mexico’s leading UFO expert Anna Luisa Cid says the sightings were true after carrying out her own investigations.
“I think that the possibility is there,” Cid said. “An imaginary object is not recorded on film, nor does it produce over 40 witnesses.”
Nuevo Leon UFO club managed to film the spooky flying character.
And policeman Leonardo Samaniego also claimed a floating person had dropped out of the sky.
“In conclusion, from my professional point of view, both cases are real,” Cid told the Ghosttheory.com Web site.
After viewing the UFO club’s video, Samaniego’s said, “I do not believe the entity to be a witch, but I do know that it is something that we cannot explain.”
Christian Research launches church mystery visitor service
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christian.research.launches.church.mystery.visitor.service/18514.htm
Churches can now see how they look through the eyes of a newcomer with ChurchCheck, a new mystery visitor service being launched by Christian Research.
The service, offered in partnership with research company Retail Maxim, is designed to help churches improve their visitor experience. It puts the biblical principle of welcoming strangers to the test and gives prompt and useable feedback to church leaders.
Mystery churchgoers will assess everything from the state of the exterior noticeboard to the length of the sermon as they put church services under the microscope.
They will rate the atmosphere, singing and even the after-service chat before ending up with a percentage score for the church that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of its welcome.
Retail Maxim, a national mystery shopping company, has more than 10,000 trained mystery shoppers around the country. They will visit churches of any denomination and in any region. Generally from a non-churchgoing background, they blend in as a visitor to the congregation and carefully assess the welcome and surroundings.
Each ChurchCheck visit costs just £60 plus VAT – enabling churches to potentially carry out several ChurchCheck assessments each year to monitor their development or measure the success of different types of service.
As ChurchCheck becomes established, it will also be able to provide benchmarking services, enabling churches to learn from best practice. And with the welcome extended to a newcomer recognised as a significant factor in church growth, ChurchCheck is set to have a big impact.
Benita Hewitt, Director of Christian Research, said, "Matthew 25.35 says, 'When I was a stranger, you welcomed me.' But are churches around the country doing that?
"The welcome someone receives at church is so important – and ChurchCheck puts it to the test. It gives a simple and accurate account of a church’s interaction with newcomers, and the results provide very precise “actionable” information to help churches improve.
"It also helps us identify things that churches are doing extremely well. All over the country, churches are warmly welcoming visitors and running inclusive and uplifting services – and we need to share that good practice."
A trial ChurchCheck which ran in Telford in November 2007 revealed that churches scored highly. Twenty out of 42 churches assessed receiving an overall rating of 90 per cent or more.
Over half the mystery visitors said they felt "comfortable, involved and genuinely welcome" and church leaders responded positively to the feedback.
ChurchCheck is being launched at the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park, Esher, on 13 May. Churches can sign up to the service at www.christian-research.org.uk.
The Charlemagne Prize and Bible Prophecy
http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/commentary/what-holly-thinks-the-charlemagne-prize-and-bible/
Thursday, German chancellor Angela Merkel received the Charlemagne Prize, an award given each year to the European who does the most to unite Europe. The award is named after Charlemagne – an eighth century ruler who led Europe’s first attempt at reviving the fallen Roman Empire.
Merkel was selected for her work chairing the European Union’s rotating presidency during the successful adoption of the Lisbon Treaty in December.
The Charlemagne Prize failed to capture the notice of most Christians, but it shouldn’t have. Why? It represents the current fulfillment of an ancient Bible prophecy.
The award is another demonstration that the European Union – geographically and sociopolitically – sees itself as a revival of the Roman Empire. EU leaders make frequent Roman allusions in their institutions, art and documents. In a speech in 2005, EU high representative Javier Solana said that 1957 – when the Treaty of Rome was signed — marked the date when the “Europeans rekindled the sacred fire” that was extinguished when the Roman Empire was conquered in 410.
What’s fascinating about this is that, millennia ago, the Bible prophesied that the final world kingdom would be a revival of the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:40-43).
Yet, since prophecy isn’t taught in most churches and seminaries today, most Christians won’t see it.
Quartet Statement (S151/08)
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/declarations/100232.pdf
Representatives of the Quartet -- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, High Representative for European Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel -- met today in London to discuss the situation in the Middle East. They were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair.
The Quartet expressed its strong support for ongoing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and encouraged the parties to make every effort to realize the shared goal of an agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008. Commending the parties for their continuous and intensive negotiations, the Quartet emphasized the urgent need for progress and called on the international community to remain constructively engaged in support of negotiations with the goal of the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and an end to the conflict.
The Quartet emphasized the importance of visible progress on the ground to build confidence and create an atmosphere supportive of negotiations. The Quartet welcomed concrete steps by both sides in the wake of the trilateral meeting between Secretary of State Rice, Prime Minister Fayyad and Defense Minister Barak, and stressed the urgent need for rapid and continued implementation of these and previous commitments to improve conditions on the ground. While taking note of some positive steps, including the removal of some roadblocks and an outpost by Israel, and improved security performance by the Palestinian Authority, the Quartet noted that much more remained to be done to improve the situation on the ground in order to change the conditions of life in the West Bank and to keep the political process on track.
In this context, the Quartet expressed its support for Quartet Representative Tony Blair, and underscored the urgent need for progress and close donor coordination. It also expressed its strong backing for the planned Bethlehem Conference on Private Sector Investment in May as well as the parties' agreement to improve security and economic conditions in Jenin, which can offer a model for important progress on the ground.
Noting the particular importance of justice sector reform, the Quartet looked forward to the meeting that will take place in Berlin in June to promote and coordinate donor assistance in this area.
The Quartet called upon both sides to fulfill their obligations under the Roadmap. It also called on both sides to refrain from any steps that undermine confidence or could prejudice the outcome of negotiations. In this context, the Quartet expressed its deep concern at continuing settlement activity and called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001. It called on the Palestinian Authority to fulfill its commitments to fight terrorism and to accelerate steps to rebuild and refocus its security apparatus. It urged Israel and the PA to increase cooperation in that respect and to facilitate the delivery of security assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
The Quartet condemned continuing rocket attacks from Gaza on southern Israel, including against Sderot and Ashkelon, as well as the terrorist attacks at a seminary in Jerusalem on March 6. The Quartet also expressed deep concern at Palestinian civilian casualties, including the recent death of a mother and four of her children in Gaza. It called for an end to all violence and terror and urged all parties to take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of affected civilians in accordance with international law.
Noting its deep concern over humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the Quartet called for continued emergency and humanitarian assistance and the provision of essential services to Gaza without obstruction The Quartet expressed its continuing concern over the closure of major Gaza crossing points given the impact on the Palestinian economy and daily life. The Quartet condemned the terrorist attack on Nahal Oz fuel terminal on April 9, and noted that such attacks on the Gaza crossings interfere with the supply of essential services and undermine the interests of the Palestinian people. Principals strongly
encouraged Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt to work together to formulate a new approach on Gaza that would provide security to all Gazans, end all acts of terror, provide for the controlled and sustained opening of the Gaza crossings for humanitarian reasons and commercial flows, support the legitimate Palestinian Authority government, and work towards conditions that would permit implementation of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access.
Looking forward to a productive meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, the Quartet encouraged all parties to do their part to support Palestinian institutional capacity building and economic development. The Quartet called for all donors to follow through on pledges made at the December 2007 Paris Donors' Conference. Underlining the crucial role of Arab states in support of the peace process, and the importance of the Arab League peace initiative, the Quartet encouraged the Arab states to fulfill both their political and financial roles in support of the Annapolis process.
The Quartet also discussed the proposal for an international meeting in Moscow to lend continued support to the parties in their negotiations and efforts on the ground.
The Quartet authorized its envoys to continue to work to facilitate the achievement of all of these goals.
The Quartet reaffirmed its commitment to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on UNSCRs 242, 338, 1397 and 1515.
'PM will probably have to step down'
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1209626992019&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's situation is serious and problematic, and it is doubtful that he will be able to continue to serve as prime minister, a senior law enforcement official was quoted by Channel 1 as saying on Friday, after Olmert was questioned under caution by police over what are believed to be new allegations against him.
The probe began at 10 a.m. and ended around 11:30 a.m.
Olmert was questioned under caution, indicating that police believed their interrogation could result in an indictment.
A court-placed gag-order still prevents the public from knowing the reasons for Friday's probe. However, it was believed that the questioning dealt with new suspicions against him.
Olmert's office said the questions dealt with donations raised by an American citizen between 1999 and 2002, before Olmert became prime minister. The money was meant to fund elections for the mayorship of Jerusalem and primaries in Olmert's former political party, Likud.
Media outlets speculated Friday morning that Olmert's expedited interrogation may be due to police fearing Olmert and his secretary of 30 years, Shula Zaken, coordinated their testimony.
Zaken had been questioned in the same case on Tuesday.
Prior to Thursday's surprise summons, Olmert had been scheduled to be interrogated only in several months.
The interrogation, a special procedure about which Olmert was notified only 48 hours in advance, was approved by Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz.
A statement by the prime minister's office said that "the prime minister answered all of the investigators' questions on the subject, and will continue to cooperate with all legal authorities to the extent he is required to do so."
It added that Olmert "is convinced that with the discovery of the truth in the police investigation, the suspicions against him will dissipate."
Several MKs sharply reacted to the news of the prospect of yet another investigation against Olmert.
On Saturday, Labor MK and former cabinet minister Ophir Paz-Pines urged Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz to promptly publicize the apparently new allegations against Olmert.
Speaking to Israel Radio, Paz-Pines said that if the allegations are indeed so severe that they lead to an indictment, Olmert cannot possibly continue to serve as prime minister "even for one more day."
"Mazuz needs to immediately tell the public what is going on. If there is proof, concrete allegations, and if the accusations are of bribery and taking money, there isn't a more severe offense for a pubic servant, especially for a prime minister," he added.
Nevertheless, the former cabinet minister urged the political establishment not to make any hasty decisions until the allegations are made public.
On Friday, Labor MK Shelly Yacimovich told Israel Radio that the prime minister should suspend himself immediately.
"Olmert is stuck up to his neck in investigations. We cannot have a prime minister who is serially investigated by police. He is plainly corrupt even without [the public] waiting for a conviction."
"In the entire world there was never yet a precedent of a prime minister against whom so many investigations were held," Yacimovich said.
Meretz MK Zehava Gal-On echoed Yacimovich, also saying that Olmert should suspend himself.
She said it was apparent that Olmert did not know how to take personal responsibility and that Mazuz should "show him the way" and advise him to suspend himself.
Likud lawmaker Gideon Sa'ar called on the Labor party to quit the Olmert-led government of "serial suspects".
"Olmert is the most-investigated prime minister in the history of Israel, and he is surrounded by people whose are related to the greatest number of criminal affairs in the history of Israel," he said.
MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima) came to Olmert's defense.
"From past experiences, we know that all the investigations started with a lot of noise and ended with nothing," he said. "The political system should not get hysterical and take brash political actions that will unsettle the government."
Meanwhile, police opened an investigation against newspaper Yediot Aharonot for breaking the gag order and publishing details of the scandal.
Who Put "Deep Throat" up as Olmert’s Nemesis?
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1348
What brought the unnamed accuser from America to the door of the Israeli police at this time? According to an Israeli paper, he laid before police investigators strong evidence of a new and grave corruption charge against prime minister Ehud Olmert, the fifth case opened against him thus far – all predating his two-year term as prime minister.
The attorney general Menahem Mazuz found the material substantial enough to order the police to question the prime minister under caution within 48 hours, raising one of the many questions on which a court gag order has condemned the public to ignorance.
Israeli politicians are in a dither but treading on eggs until they too find out what it is all about, why now and whether Olmert can weather the new scandal.
Until Saturday, May 3, the government rested on a slender majority of 67 out of 120 Knesset members, of which Olmert’s Kadima holds 27. Some members of his senior coalition partner, Labor, began demanding his suspension. But Labor’s leader, defense minister Ehud Barak, sent his wishes to the prime minister to come clean out of the probe and denied holding consultations with his advisers about the party’s next step. Olmert cannot afford to let Labor’s 19 members quit.
A junior coalition partner, the Pensioners party, responded to the looming scandal by three of its seven lawmakers splitting off and crossing the floor to the opposition. They have thrown in their lot with the ex-Russian Arkady Gaydamak, giving him a foothold in the Knesset and a boost to his political ambitions without having to fight an election.
The Olmert government was stripped down to a fragile majority of 64.
In the view of DEBKAfile’s political sources, Olmert’s anonymous accuser was put up to opening his can of worms by a party seeking to cloud Israel’s forthcoming 60th anniversary celebrations to which a glittering gallery of invited foreign guests, led by US president George W. Bush, is invited.
That party, whether domestic or foreign, wants to get rid of Ehud Olmert.
The step may connect with the battle Israel has fought to debunk the National Intelligence Estimate in which 16 US agencies concluded that Iran gave up nuclear weapons development in 2003.
The NIE’s purpose was to hold President Bush back from exercising America’s military option against Iran before he leaves the White House. Israel’s strenuous battle to devalue the estimate put that option back on the table in March. Olmert may have trodden on the toes of powerful American interests.
The anonymous informer against the prime minister turned up a few days after disclosures about Syria’s shattered North Korean reactor, which were clearly coordinated by the White House and the Israeli government.
Add to this the impatience in parts of the US administration with Olmert’s foot-dragging on his promised breakthrough in peace talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas by the end of 2008. Saturday night, May 3, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice started her 15th visit in two years to Jerusalem and Ramallah with little hope of progress.
Impatience on another score was demonstrated by transport minister Shaul Mofaz, former chief of staff and defense minister. After leading Israel’s strategic talks with US officials in Washington, he issued two dire warnings.
One was that Iran may attain command of uranium technology before the end of the year – which means the ability to produce nuclear bombs by next March or April.
This warning carries a critical time frame for an American or Israel military attack: June, July or August, 2008. The window of action is then narrowed by the fall and approaching winter. After that it will be too late
In another speech, Mofaz warned that the Olmert-Livni talks with Palestinian leaders will inevitably force Israel to strip itself of its most vital strategic national assets.
The connection between the two warnings is obvious. Iranian leaders make no secret of their plans to eradicate the Jewish state or their sponsorship of Hamas and Hizballah, which openly acclaim their dedication to the same goal.
Mofaz’s warnings recalled the almost forgotten rhetoric of past Israeli prime ministers.
Israeli history has ruled that none lasted long when they came close to giving up vital security assets. Shimon Peres survived for a year in 1996 after his move to continue the concessions made under the Oslo Framework Accords; Ehud Barak was toppled in 2000 as head of government and defense minister when he shrank from fighting the Palestinian uprising and sought an accommodation with Yasser Arafat instead.
Olmert is said to be on the point of giving up parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians and, according to a message carried by Turkish go-betweens to the Syrian ruler, offering to hand over the Golan as well.
The American whistleblower may have been sent - not just as Olmert’s private nemesis but to cut short his “peace talks” before he and foreign minister Tzipi Livni give too much away, and also as a wake-up call for action against Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Hizballah.
Mideast Quartet presses Arab states, Israel
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080502/wl_afp/britainmideastiranusdiplomacy
LONDON (AFP) - Key world powers called Friday on Arab states to fulfil their promises of aid for the Palestinians and voiced deep concern over the humanitarian impact of a nine-month-old Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
In a joint statement issued after the Middle East Quartet held talks in London, the powers also urged Israel to stop building or extending settlements in the West Bank.
The Mideast Quartet -- the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union -- called on Arab donor states to follow through on commitments to the Palestinians made at a conference in Paris in December.
"The Quartet encouraged the Arab states to fulfil both their political and financial roles in support of the Annapolis process," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, citing an agreed statement.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told journalists after Friday's talks: "I think there have been pledges that have been fulfilled but clearly when you make a pledge you ought to fulfil it.
"That is the point that I will be making to all states."
In Paris, the international community pledged more than seven billion dollars (4.5 billion euros) in aid, including 1.5 billion dollars in budgetary support, mostly to be spent on Palestinian civil servants' salaries.
According to US officials, of the 717 million dollars contributed so far, 215 million dollars have come from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Algeria, and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Friday that Kuwait had agreed to make an immediate payment of 80 million dollars.
Fayyad, speaking after a separate meeting in London on aid for the Palestinians, said the Israeli blockade was the biggest obstacle to economic reconstruction in Gaza.
"Life there is extremely miserable," he told journalists. "There is no substitute to re-opening the crossings."
The Quartet urged Israel to ease the blockade to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
"The Quartet called for continued emergency and humanitarian assistance and the provision of essential services to Gaza without obstruction," Ban added.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair, now the Quartet's envoy, said the situation in Gaza was "terrible."
But he said before the blockade could be lifted, it was essential that rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled territory into Israel ceased.
Aid agencies are warning of an "impending humanitarian crisis" in Gaza.
Oxfam welcomed the Quartet's recognition of the severity of the crisis, but said action was now needed.
"Words are not enough. They must be followed up with decisive, immediate action by Israel and the international community to reverse the effects of the... blockade of Gaza, which has diminished its 1.5 million people to a drip-feed existence," the group said.
The Quartet also called on Israel to "freeze all settlement activity including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001."
Rice was to go on from London to Jerusalem and the West Bank, to try to kickstart stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and prepare the ground for a visit to the region by President George W. Bush later this month.
Blair also voiced optimism that an agreement on a Middle East peace deal was possible "faster than people think."
Israel imposed the blockade after Islamist group Hamas seized power in Gaza in June. Israel this week rejected an Egyptian proposal to ease the restrictions.
Separately, on Iran, a six-power grouping comprising the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany agreed to make a new offer to Tehran to resolve the nuclear standoff between the West and the Islamic republic.
"I am glad to say that we have got agreement on an offer that will be made to the government of Iran," said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband after talks with his counterparts.
Miliband said the contents of the offer would only be disclosed to Iran.
The West fears Iran wants to use its nuclear programme to make atomic weapons but Tehran insists the drive is peaceful and solely aimed at providing energy for a growing population.
French PM: Attacking Iran Not an Option Now
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/france_iran_attack/2008/05/02/93030.html
WASHINGTON - French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Friday that Iran faces global isolation unless it engages with the West on its nuclear program, but attacking Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons was not an option.
"We have to do everything we could to avoid finding ourselves faced with the only solution of bombing Iran," he told a news conference through an interpreter. "The only option is to pressure the Iranian government through diplomatic means, economic means, and financial means."
Exclusive: Saudi Crown Prince Sultan is dying
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5238
DEBKA-Net-Weekly 347 2 first disclosed May 2 that Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, America’s staunchest ally in the royal house, Minister of Defense and head of the Sudairi branch of princes, is dying of cancer at his villa in Geneva, Switzerland.
His brother, interior minister Prince Nayef, is standing by in Riyadh expecting to succeed him. And he will not have too long to wait before he reaches the throne. King Abdullah, at 85, is praised by Western analysts for the wise reforms he has introduced but some of the younger princes say he is no longer up to coping with the stresses and strains of his royal duties and most days he takes several hours off to rest.
Prince Nayef, the would-be king, who is roughly 75 years of age – a mere spring chicken on the Saudi royal geriatric scale – has managed to push his way to the front of the race for the throne despite his unpopularity. A scion of the Sudairi branch of the royal family, he is disliked for his bad temper, cantankerousness, hidebound opinions and close ties with the most extremist clerical circles.
Aged 83, Sultan contracted cancer many years ago. In late March, he moved to his palace in Rabat, Morocco, where Saturday, April 26, his condition took a turn for the worse. A special royal aircraft flew the Crown Prince to Geneva, Switzerland and handed him into the care of his regular Swiss doctors. There was nothing they could do at that point except place him in an induced coma to spare him pain.
U.S. Strike in Baghdad Takes Out Militant Command Center
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354079,00.html
BAGHDAD — The U.S. military fired guided missiles into the heart of Baghdad's teeming Sadr City slum on Saturday, leveling a building 55 yards away from a hospital and wounding nearly two dozen people.
AP Television News footage showed several ambulances destroyed and on fire, thick black smoke rising from them as firefighters worked to put out the flames.
The strike, made from a ground launcher, took out a militant "command-control center," the U.S. military said. The center was located in the heart of the eight-square-mile neighborhood that is home to about 2.5 million people. Iraqi officials said at least 23 people were wounded, though none of them were patients in the hospital.
The U.S. military blamed the militants for using Iraqi civilians as human shields.
"This is a circumstance where these criminal groups are operating directly out of civilian neighborhoods," military spokeswoman Spc. Megan Burmeister told The Associated Press in an e-mail.
She said it presents a "complex and very difficult" challenge for U.S. forces to strike the militants when they are "putting themselves next to municipal buildings."
Dr. Ali Bustan al-Fartusee, director general of Baghdad's health directorate, told the AP that 23 civilians were wounded in the strike.
He said no patients in the hospital were hurt, but that some of the wounded included civilians outside on their way to visit patients in the hospital. He also said 17 ambulances were damaged or destroyed.
AP Television News footage showed about 100 people milling about in the rubble of the destroyed building. A deep crater was seen just yards from the hospital, which is surrounded by 15-foot-tall concrete blast walls. It appeared that one section of the blast wall was leveled.
Windows were blown out of cars in the hospital's parking lot, but there did not appear to be any damage to the hospital itself.
Shiite extremists are known to have operated in a building next to the hospital, local reporters said.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have waged street battles with Shiite militias since late March in Sadr City, the power base of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia.
The fighting is part of a 5-week-old crackdown by the Iraqi government and U.S. forces on Shiite militia factions. The clashes have brought deep rifts among Iraq's Shiite majority and have pulled U.S. troops into difficult urban combat.
Militia members have been blamed for firing hundreds of rockets or mortars from Sadr City into the Green Zone, the U.S.-protected area housing the American embassy and much of the Iraqi government. In the past month, more than a dozen people — including two American civilians and soldiers — have been killed inside the zone during the attacks.
In response to the shelling, American and Iraqi troops in recent weeks have moved into Sadr City, hoping to push the militants far enough from the Green Zone so their rockets and mortars would be out of range.
Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, shows no indication of easing the pressure on militia groups, including the powerful Mahdi Army led by al-Sadr. Al-Maliki has been seeking to increase leverage on Iran, which is accused of training and arming some Shiite militia groups. Iran denies the claims.
A five-member Iraqi delegation returned from Tehran Saturday from a meeting aimed at halting suspected Iranian aid to militiamen.
Ranking deputy Khalid al-Atiyah said the Iranian government had expressed its readiness to assist the Iraqi government" against the extremists and "in its security measures." He did not elaborate.
During clashes over the past two days in Sadr City, at least 100 people have been killed, Iraqi health officials said.
Also Saturday, the Turkish military claimed air strikes it carried out earlier this week in northern Iraq killed more than 150 Kurdish rebels. The military said it successfully hit all its targets in a three-hour air operation on Mount Qandil early Friday.
The leadership of the Kurdish rebel group is believed to be hiding in the Qandil region — about 60 miles from the Turkish border.
In northern Iraq, Ahmed Danaf, the head of external relations for Kurdish group, claimed in a phone call that the raid killed six members of the Free Life Party, the anti-Iran Kurdish group PEJAK.
The U.S. military also said Saturday that a U.S. soldier died of wounds suffered in a roadside bomb that struck the soldier's vehicle during a combat patrol in eastern Baghdad the day before.
Georgian Defense Ministry spokesman Giga Tatishvili said two servicemen from the ex-Soviet republic were killed and one wounded south of Baghdad on Friday when a parked car bomb exploded. The deaths were the first combat fatalities the nation's military has suffered in Iraq, where it has had a presence since August 2003.
Ruling finding ASDF dispatch to Iraq unconstitutional
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90CTRKG1&show_article=1
NAGOYA -- A Nagoya High Court ruling that found Japan's dispatch of the Air Self-Defense Force to Iraq unconstitutional was finalized at midnight Thursday as plaintiffs did not appeal.
The finalization of the April 17 ruling means the government will continue to dispatch the ASDF despite the judicial judgment that the ASDF's airlift mission to Baghdad violates the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution.
While ruling that the ASDF dispatch to Iraq was unconstitutional, the court dismissed an appeal by some 1,100 citizens against a lower court decision that the dispatch infringed on their right to live peacefully, making the state the winner of the lawsuit.
The state could not appeal as it won the suit. The plaintiffs did not appeal because they believe they have effectively won the suit given the court's finding that the dispatch was unconstitutional.
The high court said in the ruling that the ASDF's mission to airlift armed troops from multinational forces to Baghdad, a war zone, is an act integral to the use of force by other countries.
It was the first time a court has found the dispatch unconstitutional.
The ASDF has continued airlifting activities to and from Iraq even after the Ground Self-Defense Force ended its mission in July 2006.
Report: U.S. May Send 7,000 More Service Members to Afghanistan
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354060,00.html
Some 7,000 U.S. troops soon may have to pack their bags for Afghanistan if the Pentagon goes through with plans to make up for a shortfall in military personnel from NATO, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
If the proposal moves forward, Bush administration officials say, the service members would be sent to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan to about 40,000, requiring a modest troop reduction in Iraq, the newspaper says.
The Times reported the plan is in response to NATO’s reluctance or inability to contribute a sufficient number of troops despite allies’ vows of their commitment to help.
At a NATO summit in April in Romania, President Bush said the United States aims to increase troop levels to combat a resurging Taliban threat.
EU warns Russia against boosting troops in Georgian breakaway regions
http://euobserver.com/9/26066
In a sharp escalation of tensions in the South Caucasus, Russia has claimed that Georgia is set to invade its breakaway region of Abkhazia and is increasing the number of Russian troops there and in South Ossetia in response. The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has warned Russia against such a move.
"Even if the increase in peacekeepers is within limits, if we want to diminish the perception of tensions, I don't think it is a wise measure to increase now," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Tuesday (29 April), adding that the union continues to defend the territorial integrity of Georgia.
The statement came only hours after Russia had accused Georgia, a part of the Soviet Union between 1922 and 1991, of attempting to invade Abkhazia, something that Tbillisi denies.
"If Georgia puts in place the threat it has made on a number of occasions about the use of force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, we would be forced to take retaliatory measures to protect the lives of our citizens," Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told press, after talking to his European counterparts in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
The Russian foreign ministry has accused Georgia of sending 1,500 of its own troops and police in the upper Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia, which is still under Tblisi's control.
"A bridgehead is being prepared for the start of military operations against Abkhazia," reads a ministry statement.
Georgia has denied any plans or troop build-up, and regarded the Russian move and accusations as provocative.
Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze said: "From now on, we consider every [Russian] soldier or any unit of military equipment coming in [to Abkhazia and South Ossetia] as illegal, potential aggressors and potential generators of destabilisation."
"We consider this to be an utterly irresponsible step. We think this step will utterly destabilise this region," he added.
Meanwhile, according to AFP, Georgian interior minster Shota Utiashvili said: ""This is not acceptable to us ... [Russia] cannot increase the number any further."
"It is the Russians who are taking provocative actions, not Georgia," he added. "Deploying additional troops is certainly a very provocative move."
"There has been no increase in forces from the Georgian side, nothing at all. The Russian statement is simply not true," he continued.
Maxim Gunjia, the vice foreign minister of the de facto Abkhaz republic, said Georgia was indeed "preparing something", according to the UK's Guardian newspaper. "We expect an attack from Georgia at any time."
An individual close to the Georgian government told the EUobserver that Georgia was not planning anything "unless Russia attacks first."
"Georgia cannot afford to go to war," he said, adding that he expected NATO's North Atlantic Council to meet later today and ask Moscow to reverse its decision.
Georgia will also be looking to the international community to replace the Russian peacekeepers in the region, he said.
The Caucasian republic is to appeal to the United Nations or NATO to send an international force as it no longer views the Russian military presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia as neutral, although it will accept continued Russian involvement in any force, so long as there are other countries involved as well.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia have been outside Georgian central government control for more than a decade after breaking away in bloody conflicts in the early 1990s. The two regions keep close ties with Moscow, which has granted Russian passports to many of their citizens.
The fragile peace is currently controlled by Russian peacekeepers - there are some 2,000 troops in Abkhazia and an additional 1,000 in South Ossetia. But Tbilisi has accused the Russian army of supplying arms and logistical support to rebels in an attempt to make problems for Gerogia's planned NATO entry.
In the last month, relations between Tblisi and Moscow have rapidly deteriorated following Russia's move to extend its links with the two breakaway republics. Last week Georgia accused Russia of shooting down a Georgian drone aeroplane over Abkhazia and on Tuesday, Tblisi announced it would block Russia's entry to the WTO.
EU-Russia talks stalled
Meanwhile, the EU has failed to offer a green light to partnership talks with Moscow due to Lithuania's objections - prolonging an already 18-month-old deadlock.
EU-Russia talks on the so-called Partnership and Cooperation Agreement are expected to be launched at a June EU-Russia summit in Siberia, but only if the bloc agrees a negotiating mandate outlining what the European Commission's manoeuvring space will be during the talks.
Lithuania has tabled several demands linked to Russian energy supplies, judicial cooperation and to frozen conflicts in Georgia and other ex-Soviet Republics such as Moldova.
"More efforts are needed to reach the agreement," Lithuanian foreign minister Petras Vaitiekunas was cited as saying by Reuters, but refused to give any timetable.
"It is not a question of time, but a question of the quality of the mandate, the quality of our partnership [with Russia]," he said.
A new round of EU talks on the mandate is scheduled for next week, with Slovenian foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel expressing confidence that the agreement "will be ready in a couple of weeks".
Medvedev Takes over, Russians Uncertain
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/368887.aspx
MOSCOW -- It might be a tale out of a 19th century Russian storybook: A clerkish young lawyer apprenticed to a powerful man rises, through Byzantine political intrigue, to become ruler of Russia.
But Dmitry Medvedev is not guaranteed a fairy tale ending.
The 42-year-old attorney, who has long served as an adviser, fixer and friend to Vladimir Putin, will be inaugurated as Russia's president Wednesday. The ceremony will mark the start of three days of pomp and circumstance that will include Putin being named prime minister Thursday and the annual Victory Day parade Friday in Red Square.
Medvedev, the scholarly son of university professors, who has a taste for designer clothes and heavy metal music, becomes the leader of the world's largest nation in geography, one of the richest in natural resources - and one of the most turbulent in terms of history.
Kremlin Engineers Election
In December, Putin picked Medvedev, then deputy prime minister, as his successor, even though he had never held elective office and has no political base of his own. The Kremlin dutifully engineered Medvedev's election in March.
Ever the loyal protege, Medvedev has pledged to "supplement and develop" Putin's programs. But Russia's new president has shown some signs of trying to move out of his mentor's shadow.
The 42-year-old - the youngest Russian leader in nearly a century - has repeatedly promised to strengthen the rule of law, tame Russia's ferocious bureaucrats and reduce the role of the state in the economy. Most strikingly, he has rejected the notion popular among Kremlin officials that Russia requires a "managed" democracy because of its unique history and culture.
All of these positions could be seen as implicit criticisms of Putin, who has presided over a growing bureaucracy, expanded the role of state enterprises and shackled the country's political opposition.
Top Gov't Officials Won't Welcome Change
To change Russia's course, Medvedev would have to battle the entrenched interests of bureaucrats and top government officials, many of them veterans of the Soviet-era KGB and other security agencies. Some have reportedly grown enormously wealthy during Putin's tenure, and will not welcome change.
It is impossible to predict whether the Medvedev era be remembered as one of unexpected triumphs, tragic misadventures or unkept promises.
"I think one thing is dead clear," said Yevgenia Albats, a prominent commentator and radio show host. The double-headed state, she predicted, will inevitably lead to power struggles. "We have entered a period of profound instability in the country."
Medvedev assumes the presidency at a time of rising expectations domestically and escalating tensions with NATO and the West.
A New Middle Class under Putin
Average wages rose eightfold during Putin's eight years as president, from roughly $80 a month to $640, and GDP sixfold. A new middle class is buying foreign cars and taking exotic vacations on the Red Sea.
But Russia's wealth rests on a narrow foundation: oil, gas, metal and timber. On Medvedev's watch Russia's core industries could suffer if, as some forecast, the global economic slowdown deepens dramatically.
Putin's Kremlin has increasingly challenged the West, reviving such symbols of the Soviet past as strategic bomber patrols. On Friday, for the first time since the Soviet era, a major military parade through Red Square will include tanks and nuclear missile launchers.
Now, it will be up to Medvedev's regime to tackle the nuts and bolts job of rebuilding Russia's bloated and outdated military forces.
Medvedev Receives Only a Portion of Putin's Power
But Medvedev will inherit only a portion of his predecessor's power.
Putin already has expanded the premier's staff and responsibilities. And he heads United Russia, the dominant party, giving him direct control of parliament and regional political leadership.
The division of Russia's executive creates problems. It not only raises the possibility of power struggles between loyalists of the president and prime minister - it also makes it trickier for Medvedev to do what Putin did: claim credit for successes while blaming prime ministers for failures.
Medvedev has for most of his career worked hard to implement Putin's goals. Even as chairman of Gazprom, Russia's state-controlled natural gas and energy giant, he essentially was seen as someone who didn't give orders but carried them out.
But Medvedev has rejected suggestions he will be Prime Minister Putin's junior.
Prime Minister Putin's Junior
"It is the president who sets out the main directions of domestic and foreign policy," he told Britain's Financial Times in March. "He's the commander in chief, he makes key decisions on forming the executive. He's the guarantor of rights and freedoms of Russian citizens."
The lawyer - so long a servant to the ambitions of Putin - now seems to have ambitions of his own.
He wants to be president, and not just a figurehead, said Dmitry Trenin of the Moscow Carnegie Center. "Whether he can become a full-fledged president is not clear to the rest of us."
There are parts of the job he clearly loves - news conferences, photos ops and dinners with global leaders.
As for Putin, there are some signs he may have grown disenchanted with the routine and is looking for an exit.
The stern former KGB man appears most enthusiastic on the ski slopes or when hobnobbing with jet-setters such as Prince Albert II of Monaco and movie stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Critics say he has enriched himself personally from Russia's energy wealth and may now be one of Europe's richest men - a claim he has denied and which has never been supported with evidence.
He is seldom seen in public with his wife, inspiring rumors of relationships - including a recent report, which he denied and laughed off, that he had left his wife for a younger woman.
A clear signal that Putin is preparing a political exit would instantly raise Medvedev's stature.
Simply assuming the title of president Wednesday also should bolster him. His approval ratings have soared since it became clear he would be president, and Russians seem wary of a two-headed leadership.
Russia has a long history of one-man rule, and a recent poll by the authoritative Levada Center found that a plurality of Russians - 47 percent - favored a continued strong presidency.
Can't Count on Title
But Medvedev can't count on the title alone.
He must build a political base - perhaps among the tycoons, professionals and the emerging middle class who favor greater freedom, protections for small business from predatory bureaucrats and less friction with the West.
Even if Medvedev manages to claim all of the president's powers under the constitution, he could remain the cautious lawyer, seek incremental reforms at the margins and avoid confrontation with powerful potential foes.
If so, Russia may be entering a period when the presidency is largely ceremonial, celebrated with czarist pomp on television - but ignored by most Russians.
"It's hard to say whether we are going to have a new president, or a puppet president," Albats said.
Nanjing, China, becomes Bible printing capital of the world
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/nanjing.china.becomes.bible.printing.capital.of.the.world/18520.htm
Thirty years ago the Bible was banned there, but now China has one of the biggest Bible factories in the world.
A new, expanded printing facility is soon to make China’s ancient capital, Nanjing, the Bible centre of the world.
The Amity Printing Company – a joint venture with the Bible Societies – will be producing 23 Bibles every minute to keep up with growing demand for the Bible in China.
The new press will greatly increase the number of Bibles Amity can produce each year. In 2007 it printed six million Bibles. When the new press opens on 19 May that will leap to a potential 12 million – most of which will be distributed throughout China.
It’s a major step in the history of the printing centre. The People’s Liberation Army printed some of the first Bibles in China after the Cultural Revolution, including three million that were printed on presses of the Red Army. Amity Press – now one of the world’s largest Bible printers – began production in 1987. Last December its 50 millionth Bible was produced.
About 55,000 churches distribute the Bibles that come off Amity’s production lines. The new press was needed to help keep up with demand in a country where, until 30 years ago, Christianity was banned and Bibles were confiscated.
"We got to the point where the volume of work was so great we hadn’t got enough room to store the books in stages of binding and all the paper," said Peter Dean, the Bible Societies’ consultant in Nanjing. "It was everywhere."
According to Peter, there is "a really increasing interest in Christianity" in a country where an estimated seven per cent of the one billion population are believers.
"There are differing views on how many Christians there are," he admitted. "But everyone agrees there is a great interest and a lot of growth in the Christian Church.
"What excites me is our aim is to serve the Church in China. All of this new production capability is available 'first call' for the mainland Chinese Church. If they want to print 12 million Bibles a year, they’ve got it."
Since its inception in the 80s, Amity Press has printed 54 million Bibles – 43 million of which have gone to the churches in China. Some are free and all are made affordable. A pocket edition of the Bible costs about 68p and Chinese Christians can receive the full-size Bible at a subsidised cost of £1.16.
Bible Society plays a key role. "We feel really supported by faithful people who’ve raised funds to buy paper here," Peter explained. "If you want to help place a Bible in China, then giving money to buy paper is the best thing to do."
This is making it possible for the Church to distribute Bibles into rural areas and to provide them for people on low incomes. Amity Press prints in eight Chinese minority languages – as well as Braille Bible. With the move to a bigger press, it will be able to expand its range of books and Bibles.
"Young people need more than just the traditional printed Bible," said Rev Deng Fu Cun, a senior leader in the China Christian Council/Three Self Patriotic Movement, publishers of the Bibles. "So we’re planning to produce the Bible in various digital formats."
They aim to produce the Bible as downloadable audio books – so young people can listen to it on their MP3 players. "And we’re also focusing on the quality and variety of Bibles available. We need both large and small Bibles, Braille Bibles and luxury Bibles that can be given as gifts," he added.
Now with their new 48,000 sq m home, the Amity team can confidently take on large projects like producing Bibles for the Olympics in Beijing. Thanks to their new press, such initiatives won’t be a marathon task.
China Orders Alert On Virus That Has Killed 22 Children
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354045,00.html
BEIJING — China's Health Ministry issued a nationwide alert Saturday in a bid to control a virus that has caused the deaths of 22 children in one city and shows signs of spreading.
Health bureaus around the country must step up monitoring for hand, foot and mouth disease following a "relatively large" outbreak in the central city of Fuyang, the Health Ministry said in a notice on its Web site. The ministry warned that cases were more numerous this year than in recent years and that the peak for transmission would likely come in June and July.
The warning has been prompted by a jump in cases in the Fuyang outbreak of Enterovirus 71, or EV-71, a type of hand, foot and mouth disease.
Up to Thursday night, 3,321 cases of the virus were reported. Besides the 22 deaths, 978 people remain hospitalized, 58 of them in serious or critical condition, the ministry said in a separate statement.
Meanwhile, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that preliminary tests showed an 18-month-old boy who died Friday in southeastern Guangdong province was infected with EV-71, and a second suspected death is under investigation. Cases of hand, foot and mouth outbreaks, but not necessarily EV-71, have been reported in at least two other provinces.
"Health bureaus at all levels must recognize the importance and urgency of preventing the spread of infectious diseases and must put priority on preventing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases," the ministry said in its nationwide order.
Hand, foot and mouth disease are viruses that cause fever, mouth sores and rashes with blisters. Spread by contact with the mucus discharges or stools of infected people, the viruses mainly strike children 10 years and younger, and in some cases can cause fatal brain swelling.
The outbreak is another concern for the communist government as it gears up to welcome hundreds of thousands of foreigners for this summer's Beijing Olympics and deals with unrest in Tibetan areas of western China. It's also an uncomfortable reminder of the SARS pneumonia outbreak in 2003, which Beijing tried to cover up but then adopted drastic measures to control.
State media reported earlier this week that the government's response in Fuyang, a fast-growing city surrounded by farmland in Anhui province, had been slow, allowing rumors to spread about the outbreak.
The China Youth Daily reported earlier this week that some reports had suggested the virus was a "children's SARS," while others claimed it was a "type of bird flu that could infect people."
Since the SARS crisis, the government has increased spending on the detection and monitoring of communicable diseases.
In several announcements Friday and Saturday, the Health Ministry increased the monitoring network, ordering regular reports on outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth diseases. It also sent expert teams to Anhui province to lead treatment and prevention.
Dalai Lama, China Talks to begin Sunday
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/368820.aspx
BEIJING -- Chinese media railed against the Dalai Lama and his supporters Saturday and pledged to crush any campaign seeking independence for Tibet, ahead of a meeting between Beijing and envoys of the exiled spiritual leader.
The meeting in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen would be the first between the two sides since violent anti-government protests erupted in Tibet in March.
Prime Minister Samdhong Rimpoche of the India-based Tibetan government-in-exile said envoys are scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong on Saturday and travel to the neighboring city of Shenzhen for meetings to begin Sunday.
The representatives, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, would convey "deep concerns" over China's handling of the situation in Tibet and would put forward suggestions to bring peace to the region," the Tibetan government-in-exile said Friday.
China has faced mounting international calls to negotiate with the Dalai Lama, and some experts believe Beijing agreed to meet to ease pressure ahead of the Olympics, which begin in August.
The Tibet talks were not mentioned Saturday in China's entirely state-run media, but two articles continued to accuse the Dalai Lama and his supporters of organizing riots with an aim of breaking the far western Himalayan region of Tibet away from Chinese rule.
"The hope of realizing Tibetan independence by the Dalai clique has become more and more dim. When their hopes shattered, the Dalai clique launched bloody violence, this was their last act of madness," the Tibet Daily said.
The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet amid a failed uprising in 1959, says he is seeking meaningful autonomy for Tibet rather than independence from Chinese rule. He has decried "cultural genocide" in his homeland, which has a unique Buddhist tradition distinct from the rest of China.
The Dalai Lama is deeply revered by Tibetans. Men in that position have traditionally been regarded as both the spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists.
A front-page story in the overseas edition of People's Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece, denied the Tibetan issue was related to religion, saying "the religious issue is a card played by the Dalai clique for gaining the sympathy from some people."
Thubten Samphal, spokesman for the Tibetan government-in-exile, said the Dalai Lama's envoys will meet with the head of China's United Front Work Department during their three-day visit.
The department is designed to deal with influential people in groups outside of China's Communist Party and sway them into joining the party's side. It is directly under the Communist Party's central committee and often deals with issues related to Tibet and Taiwan.
The United Front Work Department hosted earlier talks between the two sides. China and representatives of the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile held six rounds of inconclusive talks that foundered in 2006.
The department, directly under the Communist Party's central committee and responsible for overseeing work to "contain separatist forces," hosted envoys attending earlier talks. China and representatives of the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile held six rounds of inconclusive talks that foundered in 2006.
Since the last talks, the department has gained a new boss, Du Qinglin, a former minister of agriculture who more recently ran Sichuan province, where there is a large Tibetan population.
The department has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment Saturday. No other Chinese officials were available for comment on Saturday, a national holiday in China.
The talks were being held on an informal level only "because we cannot do business as usual when the situation in Tibet is so grave," Thubten Samphal said Friday.
"The crisis in Tibet should end before formal discussions should be held," he said.
China says 22 people died in violence in Tibet's capital of Lhasa, while overseas Tibet supporters say many times that number have been killed in protests and the security crackdown across Tibetan regions of western China.
Abu Sayyaf top rebel hurt in Philippine clash
http://www.topix.net/world/philippines/2008/05/abu-sayyaf-top-rebel-hurt-in-philippine-clash
JOLO, Philippines: A leader of the militant Abu Sayyaf group was wounded and his son was among several killed in a major Philippine military offensive in troubled southern Jolo island, an official said yesterday.
Military reports on the ground said Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon was shot in the hand when troops attacked early Wednesday, but he managed to flee into a mountainous area.
His son, Tabari, also an Abu Sayyaf guerrilla, was “fatally wounded in the head and abdomen,” regional military spokesman Major Eugene Batara said.
The offensive led to the capture of a sprawling Abu Sayyaf camp in a remote Jolo town, where they were said to be training and assembling bombs with members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the Al Qaeda’s southeast Asian arm.
Hapilon is the last of two surviving leaders of the Abu Sayyaf who engineered daring kidnapping raids and bombing attacks early in the decade. The US government has offered a $5mn reward for his capture. The other elusive Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Pula has a $100,000 bounty on his head.
Britain to send experts to help peace talks in Philippines
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=355123
Britain will send experts to the Philippines to advise government and Muslim rebel negotiators on key issues like disarmament in a bid to move forward stalled peace talks, British officials said Saturday.
The British experts previously handled peace negotiations in Northern Ireland, said British Ambassador Peter Beckingham and visiting British Foreign Office Minister for South-East Asia and the Pacific, Meg Munn.
Beckingham said both the Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have agreed that such an assistance would be helpful in moving the negotiations 'along the right direction'.
'They said they'd welcome someone who could talk about what happened in Northern Ireland because there are similarities,' Beckingham said. 'One of the key areas in Northern Ireland was the de- commission of weapons and (their) handover.'
Peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF have been suspended since September 2006 over disagreements on how to set up a proposed Islamic homeland in Mindanao and other related issues.
Beckingham said there are 'three or four people from Northern Ireland and in Britain who would certainly have the background and the experience' to help the Philippines and the MILF in the peace negotiations.
He said an agreement forged between Britain and the Philippines Saturday would pave the way for the involvement of British experts in the peace process in the troubled southern region of Mindanao.
The agreement was signed after Munn discussed the assistance with top Philippine officials Friday.
Munn said the assistance does not mean that Britain was getting impatient over the slow progress of peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF.
'If you look at the process in Northern Ireland, it actually took a very long time to negotiate a peace deal,' she said.
She added that the British experts will have experience and competence to help in the peace negotiations.
'They know what's important in moving peace forward,' she said. 'They've got a peaceful situation in Northern Ireland now and they're prepared to share their experience.'
The signing of the US-brokered Good Friday Agreement in 1998 marked the unofficial end to the conflict in Northern Ireland, where a low intensity civil war took the lives of more than 3,000 people.
The agreement enshrined the principle of consent that Northern Ireland would remain part of Britain unless and until the citizens of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland both vote for a united Ireland.
It also called on Protestants to share political power with the minority Catholics, and contained provisions on disarmament, policing reform, human rights, prisoners and demilitarisation by British armed forces.
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