Saturday, January 31, 2009

2009 DAVOS ECONOMIC VIDEOS

DAVOS 2009
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/live-from-davos-2009/

CNBC AT DAVOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/28667981

MARIA BARTOROMO-NO WAY BACK.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/28559084/
CNBC NO WAY BACK VIDEOS PARTS 1-5
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1018354394&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1018352475&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1018354364&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1018342197&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1018342174&play=1

TONY BLAIR AT DAVOS ON CNBC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1017529079&play=1

All Big US Banks Must Go to Fix Crisis: Economist
http://www.cnbc.com/id/28928650

HEARD IN DAVOS 2009
http://www.cnbc.com/id/16563307/

ALL CNBC DAVOS VIDEOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/28796942/

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM VIDEOS
http://ca.youtube.com/profile?user=WorldEconomicForum&view=videos

EU CLIMATE CHANGE STORIES
http://www.euractiv.com/en/climate-change/davos-experts-call-multilateral-linking-economy-climate/article-179008

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Pre-Davos Press Conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5J3QplauQE&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

WELCOM: Connecting Leaders to Global Issues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaxE62SHugQ&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

The Politics of Water
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpGo0q_luTw&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

more davos stories
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/news/davos/index.html

Conversation with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGdJ1-qFcLM&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

BARASSO WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/business/2009/01/30/davos.quest.intv.barroso.cnn

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Advice to the US President on Competitiveness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Df-Dd93XE&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

The New Economic Era
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SrIQfmJ4A8&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - World Economic Brainstorming
Maria Batoromo at davos 2009 - video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQXePYFpbTg&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Rebooting the Global Economy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE8pPRnsFBc&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

The Global Economic Outlook
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPPPFMSMS-U&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Shaping the Post-Crisis World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO6JFI7EV-4&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Press Conference - The G20 and the Pathway Forward
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpcHELoUhng&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Scenarios for the Future of the Global Financial Systems
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA3J2DujyXw&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - The Global Compact and the Corporate Citizen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b88Y62ipu4&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - The Values Behind Market Capitalism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDLfCvZtnK0&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - The New US Agenda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWQ5j4t2QUE&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Angela Merkel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl6q_B1bFDI&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - A Conversation with Willliam J. Clinton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlU23K3ZBNo&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Open Forum - Is There a Solution for the Middle East?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGg-uzpqLnY&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - The Middle East: Owning Its Challenges
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_GksrYoH4U&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Gaza: The Case for Middle East Peace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR4zRbPy2kY&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - The Economic(WORLD)Governance(GOVERNMENT)of Europe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyH4gCCTrdk&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Update 2009: Europe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jg0R48ywRg&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Why We Need a New System of Global Cooperation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8xFbOQKbM8&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Neelie Kroes European Commissioner for Competition Policy
Avoiding the protectionist trap Address at conference Nouveau Monde, Nouveau Capitalisme: Round table on Globalisation and social justice Paris, 8th January 2009

Address at conference Nouveau Monde, Nouveau Capitalisme: Round table on Globalisation and social justice Paris, 8th January 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends,
There is no alternative to globalisation. The current global crisis will not be solved through local regulation or through a protectionist re-nationalisation of global markets. Social justice will be achieved not only by promoting welfare equality. It will also be achieved by providing equality of opportunities, in particular through free and competitive markets. The current global crisis is an eye opener and it forces us to go back to basics, so to say. As harsh as it may be, the crisis should not cloud the fact that globalisation has contributed to pulling millions out of poverty. Yes - the market economy comes with bubbles and recessions, but the long term trend has been towards prosperity. Nobody can deny that competitive and open markets have been a main force behind the wealth and prosperity that the world has obtained so far. And few dispute that markets must play a key role if we are to maintain and extend that prosperity.The crisis has also illustrated clearly that government interventions are unavoidable and that global inter-dependency requires a new type of global governance.

First, we need governments to set the rules of the game, to regulate markets so that they do not degenerate to crony or casino capitalism and to ensure that the incentives of participants are right, so that we don’t pollute our planet or destroy our social fabric.

Second, we need governments to complement the markets. To deliver the services that are not provided automatically by the market, but which we believe our citizens deserve.

How big a role the State should play is a long and old debate. You will find plenty of devotees on both sides. One thing is certain. Blind faith is of little use, whether it is in laissez-faire or planned economies. The real question is how we frame and -if necessary- correct markets to work for the public interest. We surely need governments to intervene and provide better regulation, but it needs to be done in a way that preserves the dynamism and innovation that comes from free competition.
One of the areas at heart of this debate in the European context is our state aid rules. The recent weeks demonstrated the importance of these rules and the danger of subsidy races for the common interest. Without state aid control, governments would simply be subject to the biggest corporate blackmail in history; sound companies would be penalised and reforms put off. As a result our economic engine would run slower, not faster.It may also be tempting to panic and resort to protectionism. To de-globalise, if you will. May be not in its most naked and apparent form, but disguised and dressed up as a concern for something else.

Many people already compare the current situation to the great depression of the 1930s. Back then the crisis came hand in hand with trade barriers such as the Smoot-Hawley tariff act in 1930 and antitrust exemptions such as the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) in the US. That set off a cascade of protectionism and a steep decline in world trade. We all share a responsibility to avoid falling into that same trap this time! Let me be as clear as I can: if the survival of a company depends on whether it is well connected to politicians in a wealthy state willing to hand out taxpayers' money or to raise protective barriers, we are not getting more social justice, we are getting less.The concern for social justice should not lead us to deprive citizens of the freedom and benefits that come from flexible markets where efforts are measured in a competitive market and rewarded accordingly. But it should lead us to carefully design our social institutions so that everybody can truly participate in the economy on equal terms.

The response to the crisis or the concern for social justice should not lead us to scale down markets through protectionism, but rather to scale up the regulatory response so that it fits better to a world where we are all in the same boat.
We have lived through that experience in Europe already, albeit at a smaller scale. We moved closer together and created a Single Market. That was complemented by closer cooperation and coordination on many fronts. The European Union is in a way an ongoing laboratory for how best to allocate responsibilities at different levels.

The European response to the crisis could be replicated at a global level:
1.The fiscal stimulus to boost demand remains the responsibility of the EU Member States, but has been co-ordinated in a way that helps make them more effective. Fiscal policy has positive externalities and work better if they are synchronised.
2.The support schemes to the financial sector remained in the hands of Member States, but our state aid rules allowed the Commission to provide a framework that ensured consistency throughout the Union. If left unchecked, state aid to banks in one country would have had negative effects on banks in neighbouring countries.
Some initiatives need even more centralised structure. Our common currency, the euro, has been a strong stability factor. The European scheme for tradable CO2 emissions is a government-created market which we would be delighted to globalise to fight climate change. We need global responses. On the competition policy front the trend is in the right direction. A closer network of competition systems is slowly emerging after decades of work. Global rules on state aid would also be helpful.
Let me end by wishing that this crisis will be used as a catharsis and not as a curse. No, globalisation will not be stopped. Yes, we can build global governance structures, and not only for competition policy.Social justice does not need to be the victim of globalisation but can go hand in hand with regulated markets offering equal opportunities. The European Union is a small-scale example of this.
Thank you!

Adam Leach - Prime Minister Putin’s strong statements about the importance of non-isolationism, non-protectionism, and complementarity between economies were very important, says Adam Leach, the International Business Leaders Forum CEO.
http://www.russiatoday.com/guests/video/2059
OTHER RUSSIA BUSINESS SITES
http://www.iblf.org/regions/Russia.jsp

OTHER PUTIN SPEECHES
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=listByAuthor&authorFirst=Vladimir&authorName=Putin

Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - Opening Plenary with Vladimir Putin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy-el0jO1mo&eurl=http://israndjer.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

The World is Facing the First Truly Global Economic Crisis
by Vladimir Putin Global Research, January 29, 2009 World Economic Forum


Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum Davos, Switzerland January 28, 2009

Good afternoon, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to thank the forum’s organisers for this opportunity to share my thoughts on global economic developments and to share our plans and proposals.The world is now facing the first truly global economic crisis, which is continuing to develop at an unprecedented pace.The current situation is often compared to the Great Depression of the late 1920s and the early 1930s. True, there are some similarities. However, there are also some basic differences. The crisis has affected everyone at this time of globalisation. Regardless of their political or economic system, all nations have found themselves in the same boat.There is a certain concept, called the perfect storm, which denotes a situation when Nature’s forces converge in one point of the ocean and increase their destructive potential many times over. It appears that the present-day crisis resembles such a perfect storm.Responsible and knowledgeable people must prepare for it. Nevertheless, it always flares up unexpectedly.The current situation is no exception either. Although the crisis was simply hanging in the air, the majority strove to get their share of the pie, be it one dollar or a billion, and did not want to notice the rising wave.

In the last few months, virtually every speech on this subject started with criticism of the United States. But I will do nothing of the kind.I just want to remind you that, just a year ago, American delegates speaking from this rostrum emphasised the US economy’s fundamental stability and its cloudless prospects. Today, investment banks, the pride of Wall Street, have virtually ceased to exist. In just 12 months, they have posted losses exceeding the profits they made in the last 25 years. This example alone reflects the real situation better than any criticism.The time for enlightenment has come. We must calmly, and without gloating, assess the root causes of this situation and try to peek into the future.In our opinion, the crisis was brought about by a combination of several factors.The existing financial system has failed. Substandard regulation has contributed to the crisis, failing to duly heed tremendous risks. Add to this colossal disproportions that have accumulated over the last few years. This primarily concerns disproportions between the scale of financial operations and the fundamental value of assets, as well as those between the increased burden on international loans and the sources of their collateral.The entire economic growth system, where one regional centre prints money without respite and consumes material wealth, while another regional centre manufactures inexpensive goods and saves money printed by other governments, has suffered a major setback.

I would like to add that this system has left entire regions, including Europe, on the outskirts of global economic processes and has prevented them from adopting key economic and financial decisions. Moreover, generated prosperity was distributed extremely unevenly among various population strata. This applies to differences between social strata in certain countries, including highly developed ones. And it equally applies to gaps between countries and regions. A considerable share of the world’s population still cannot afford comfortable housing, education and quality health care. Even a global recovery posted in the last few years has failed to radically change this situation. And, finally, this crisis was brought about by excessive expectations. Corporate appetites with regard to constantly growing demand swelled unjustifiably. The race between stock market indices and capitalisation began to overshadow rising labour productivity and real-life corporate effectiveness.

Unfortunately, excessive expectations were not only typical of the business community. They set the pace for rapidly growing personal consumption standards, primarily in the industrial world. We must openly admit that such growth was not backed by a real potential. This amounted to unearned wealth, a loan that will have to be repaid by future generations.This pyramid of expectations would have collapsed sooner or later. In fact, this is happening right before our eyes.

Esteemed colleagues,

One is sorely tempted to make simple and popular decisions in times of crisis. However, we could face far greater complications if we merely treat the symptoms of the disease.Naturally, all national governments and business leaders must take resolute actions. Nevertheless, it is important to avoid making decisions, even in such force majeure circumstances, that we will regret in the future.This is why I would first like to mention specific measures which should be avoided and which will not be implemented by Russia. We must not revert to isolationism and unrestrained economic egotism. The leaders of the world’s largest economies agreed during the November 2008 G20 summit not to create barriers hindering global trade and capital flows. Russia shares these principles. Although additional protectionism will prove inevitable during the crisis, all of us must display a sense of proportion. Excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence is another possible mistake. True, the state’s increased role in times of crisis is a natural reaction to market setbacks. Instead of streamlining market mechanisms, some are tempted to expand state economic intervention to the greatest possible extent. The concentration of surplus assets in the hands of the state is a negative aspect of anti-crisis measures in virtually every nation. In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated. Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months. There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state. And one more point: anti-crisis measures should not escalate into financial populism and a refusal to implement responsible macroeconomic policies. The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Unfortunately, we have so far failed to comprehend the true scale of the ongoing crisis. But one thing is obvious: the extent of the recession and its scale will largely depend on specific high-precision measures, due to be charted by governments and business communities and on our coordinated and professional efforts. In our opinion, we must first atone for the past and open our cards, so to speak. This means we must assess the real situation and write off all hopeless debts and “bad” assets. True, this will be an extremely painful and unpleasant process. Far from everyone can accept such measures, fearing for their capitalisation, bonuses or reputation. However, we would conserve and prolong the crisis, unless we clean up our balance sheets. I believe financial authorities must work out the required mechanism for writing off debts that corresponds to today’s needs. Second. Apart from cleaning up our balance sheets, it is high time we got rid of virtual money, exaggerated reports and dubious ratings. We must not harbour any illusions while assessing the state of the global economy and the real corporate standing, even if such assessments are made by major auditors and analysts.In effect, our proposal implies that the audit, accounting and ratings system reform must be based on a reversion to the fundamental asset value concept. In other words, assessments of each individual business must be based on its ability to generate added value, rather than on subjective concepts. In our opinion, the economy of the future must become an economy of real values. How to achieve this is not so clear-cut. Let us think about it together.Third. Excessive dependence on a single reserve currency is dangerous for the global economy. Consequently, it would be sensible to encourage the objective process of creating several strong reserve currencies in the future. It is high time we launched a detailed discussion of methods to facilitate a smooth and irreversible switchover to the new model.Fourth. Most nations convert their international reserves into foreign currencies and must therefore be convinced that they are reliable. Those issuing reserve and accounting currencies are objectively interested in their use by other states. This highlights mutual interests and interdependence. Consequently, it is important that reserve currency issuers must implement more open monetary policies. Moreover, these nations must pledge to abide by internationally recognised rules of macroeconomic and financial discipline. In our opinion, this demand is not excessive. At the same time, the global financial system is not the only element in need of reforms. We are facing a much broader range of problems. This means that a system based on cooperation between several major centres must replace the obsolete unipolar world concept. We must strengthen the system of global regulators based on international law and a system of multilateral agreements in order to prevent chaos and unpredictability in such a multipolar world. Consequently, it is very important that we reassess the role of leading international organisations and institutions.I am convinced that we can build a more equitable and efficient global economic system. But it is impossible to create a detailed plan at this event today.It is clear, however, that every nation must have guaranteed access to vital resources, new technology and development sources. What we need is guarantees that could minimise risks of recurring crises. Naturally, we must continue to discuss all these issues, including at the G20 meeting in London, which will take place in April.Our decisions should match the present-day situation and heed the requirements of a new post-crisis world.

The global economy could face trite energy-resource shortages and the threat of thwarted future growth while overcoming the crisis. Three years ago, at a summit of the Group of Eight, we raised the issue of global energy security. We called for the shared responsibility of suppliers, consumers and transit countries. I think it is time to launch truly effective mechanisms ensuring such responsibility.The only way to ensure truly global energy security is to form interdependence, including a swap of assets, without any discrimination or dual standards. It is such interdependence that generates real mutual responsibility.Unfortunately, the existing Energy Charter has failed to become a working instrument able to regulate emerging problems.I propose we start laying down a new international legal framework for energy security. Implementation of our initiative could play a political role comparable to the treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community. That is to say, consumers and producers would finally be bound into a real single energy partnership based on clear-cut legal foundations.Every one of us realises that sharp and unpredictable fluctuations of energy prices are a colossal destabilising factor in the global economy. Today’s landslide fall of prices will lead to a growth in the consumption of resources.On the one hand, investments in energy saving and alternative sources of energy will be curtailed. On the other, less money will be invested in oil production, which will result in its inevitable downturn. Which, in the final analysis, will escalate into another fit of uncontrolled price growth and a new crisis.It is necessary to return to a balanced price based on an equilibrium between supply and demand, to strip pricing of a speculative element generated by many derivative financial instruments.To guarantee the transit of energy resources remains a challenge. There are two ways of tackling it, and both must be used. The first is to go over to generally recognised market principles of fixing tariffs on transit services. They can be recorded in international legal documents. The second is to develop and diversify the routes of energy transportation. We have been working long and hard along these lines. In the past few years alone, we have implemented such projects as the Yamal-Europe and Blue Stream gas pipelines. Experience has proved their urgency and relevance. I am convinced that such projects as South Stream and North Stream are equally needed for Europe’s energy security. Their total estimated capacity is something like 85 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Gazprom, together with its partners – Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi – will soon launch capacities for liquefying and transporting natural gas produced in the Sakhalin area. And that is also Russia’s contribution to global energy security. We are developing the infrastructure of our oil pipelines. The first section of the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS) has already been completed. BPS-1 supplies up to 75 million tonnes of oil a year. It does this direct to consumers – via our ports on the Baltic Sea. Transit risks are completely eliminated in this way. Work is currently under way to design and build BPS-2 (its throughput capacity is 50 million tonnes of oil a year. We intend to build transport infrastructure in all directions. The first stage of the pipeline system Eastern Siberia – Pacific Ocean is in the final stage. Its terminal point will be a new oil port in Kozmina Bay and an oil refinery in the Vladivostok area. In the future a gas pipeline will be laid parallel to the oil pipeline, towards the Pacific and China. Addressing you here today, I cannot but mention the effects of the global crisis on the Russian economy. We have also been seriously affected.

However, unlike many other countries, we have accumulated large reserves. They expand our possibilities for confidently passing through the period of global instability.The crisis has made the problems we had more evident. They concern the excessive emphasis on raw materials in exports and the economy in general and a weak financial market. The need to develop a number of fundamental market institutions, above all of a competitive environment, has become more acute.We were aware of these problems and sought to address them gradually. The crisis is only making us move more actively towards the declared priorities, without changing the strategy itself, which is to effect a qualitative renewal of Russia in the next 10 to 12 years.Our anti-crisis policy is aimed at supporting domestic demand, providing social guarantees for the population, and creating new jobs. Like many countries, we have reduced production taxes, leaving money in the economy. We have optimised state spending.But, I repeat, along with measures of prompt response, we are also working to create a platform for post-crisis development.We are convinced that those who will create attractive conditions for global investment already now and will be able to preserve and strengthen sources of strategically meaningful resources will become leaders of the restoration of the global economy.This is why among our priorities we have the creation of a favourable business environment and development of competition; the establishment of a stable loan system resting on sufficient internal resources; and implementation of transport and other infrastructure projects.Russia is already one of the major exporters of a number of food commodities. And our contribution to ensuring global food security will only increase.We are also going to actively develop the innovation sectors of the economy. Above all, those in which Russia has a competitive edge – space, nuclear energy, aviation. In these areas, we are already actively establishing cooperative ties with other countries. A promising area for joint efforts could be the sphere of energy saving.We see higher energy efficiency as one of the key factors for energy security and future development.We will continue reforms in our energy industry. Adoption of a new system of internal pricing based on economically justified tariffs.

This is important, including for encouraging energy saving. We will continue our policy of openness to foreign investments.I believe that the 21st century economy is an economy of people not of factories. The intellectual factor has become increasingly important in the economy. That is why we are planning to focus on providing additional opportunities for people to realise their potential.We are already a highly educated nation. But we need for Russian citizens to obtain the highest quality and most up-to-date education, and such professional skills that will be widely in demand in today’s world. Therefore, we will be pro-active in promoting educational programmes in leading specialities.We will expand student exchange programmes, arrange training for our students at the leading foreign colleges and universities and with the most advanced companies. We will also create such conditions that the best researchers and professors – regardless of their citizenship – will want to come and work in Russia.History has given Russia a unique chance. Events urgently require that we reorganise our economy and update our social sphere. We do not intend to pass up this chance. Our country must emerge from the crisis renewed, stronger and more competitive.Separately, I would like to comment on problems that go beyond the purely economic agenda, but nevertheless are very topical in present-day conditions. Unfortunately, we are increasingly hearing the argument that the build-up of military spending could solve today’s social and economic problems. The logic is simple enough. Additional military allocations create new jobs. At a glance, this sounds like a good way of fighting the crisis and unemployment. This policy might even be quite effective in the short term. But in the longer run, militarisation won’t solve the problem but will rather quell it temporarily. What it will do is squeeze huge financial and other resources from the economy instead of finding better and wiser uses for them.

My conviction is that reasonable restraint in military spending, especially coupled with efforts to enhance global stability and security, will certainly bring significant economic dividends. I hope that this viewpoint will eventually dominate globally. On our part, we are geared to intensive work on discussing further disarmament.I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the economic crisis could aggravate the current negative trends in global politics. The world has lately come to face an unheard-of surge of violence and other aggressive actions, such as Georgia’s adventurous sortie in the Caucasus, recent terrorist attacks in India, and escalation of violence in Gaza Strip. Although not apparently linked directly, these developments still have common features.First of all, I am referring to the existing international organisations’ inability to provide any constructive solutions to regional conflicts, or any effective proposals for interethnic and interstate settlement. Multilateral political mechanisms have proved as ineffective as global financial and economic regulators. Frankly speaking, we all know that provoking military and political instability, regional and other conflicts is a helpful means of distracting the public from growing social and economic problems. Such attempts cannot be ruled out, unfortunately.To prevent this scenario, we need to improve the system of international relations, making it more effective, safe and stable. There are a lot of important issues on the global agenda in which most countries have shared interests. These include anti-crisis policies, joint efforts to reform international financial institutions, to improve regulatory mechanisms, ensure energy security and mitigate the global food crisis, which is an extremely pressing issue today.Russia is willing to contribute to dealing with international priority issues. We expect all our partners in Europe, Asia and America, including the new US administration, to show interest in further constructive cooperation in dealing with all these issues and more. We wish the new team success.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The international community is facing a host of extremely complicated problems, which might seem overpowering at times. But, a journey of thousand miles begins with a single step, as the proverb goes. We must seek foothold relying on the moral values that have ensured the progress of our civilisation. Integrity and hard work, responsibility and self-confidence will eventually lead us to success. We should not despair. This crisis can and must be fought, also by pooling our intellectual, moral and material resources.This kind of consolidation of effort is impossible without mutual trust, not only between business operators, but primarily between nations.
Therefore, finding this mutual trust is a key goal we should concentrate on now.
Trust and solidarity are key to overcoming the current problems and avoiding more shocks, to reaching prosperity and welfare in this new century.Thank you.

ABBAS REJECTS NEW P.L.O

I HAD AN INTERESTING DREAM TODAY,I SAW A WORLD MAP WITH ISRAEL SHINING BRIGHTLY ON IT,I WONDER IF GAZA IS GOING TO GET IT AGAIN OR GOD WILL BE SHINING HIS SPOT LIGHT FROM ISRAEL,WE WILL SEE WHAT IS TO HAPPEN IN ISRAEL.

Abbas rejects Hamas leader's call for new PLO by Hossam Ezzedine JAN 31,09

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is leading a chorus of opposition to calls by rival Hamas supremo Khaled Meshaal for a new leadership to replace the Palestine Liberation Organisation.The Damascus-based Meshaal this week said that the PLO -- which has long been internationally recognised as the sole representative of the Palestinian people -- had become obsolete.Meshaal's remarks threw the spotlight again on the protracted and sometimes vicious Hamas-Fatah feud which has prevailed since the Islamists seized the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after deadly street battles with Abbas loyalists.The PLO, which was founded in 1964, includes Abbas's secular Fatah party and several other Palestinian factions but not the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)The Palestine Liberation Organisation in its current form does not represent anymore a point of reference for the Palestinians, Meshaal said on Wednesday in the Qatari capital Doha.It has become a centre of division for the Palestinian household.Meshaal said Hamas and other radical factions opposed to the policies of the Western-backed Abbas would set up a new, national authority representing all Palestinians groups.

Abbas, who is also president of the Palestinian Authority and heads the negotiations with Israel, accused Meshaal of wanting to destroy the PLO.Meshaal's statements regarding the establishment of a new authority to replace the Palestine Liberation Organisation is an exercise in time-wasting, Abbas said on Friday.While he talks about establishing an organisation, he really wants to destroy what has been the voice (of the Palestinian people) for 44 years.The PLO is recognised by Arabs, Muslims, and... 120 countries, Abbas said.If he wants to destroy this edifice he will not succeed, because no one from among our people or any other will side with him.The PLO also released a defiant statement on Friday, saying it would not be toppled.The Palestinian people... will resist and bring down this conspiracy along with anyone who plans it or pursues it under any justification, it said.The Palestinians have been divided since Hamas took over Gaza, with Abbas's rule confined to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.Tensions have boiled over in the wake of Israel's massive 22-day air and ground offensive on Gaza, which it said was aimed at halting rocket attacks from the blockaded territory.Attempts by Egypt to hold reconciliation talks between the two Palestinian rivals collapsed in November after Hamas accused Fatah of arresting its members in the West Bank.Abbas is due in Cairo on Sunday to discuss efforts to shore up the January 18 ceasefires that ended the Gaza war, and Hamas officials are also due in the Egyptian capital. Meshaal's call has also been dismissed by other Palestinian figures, including former Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad and Khaled al-Batsh, a member of the militant Islamic Jihad group, which is not part of the PLO. Personally I do not accept more divisions... we must find a language of unity, Hamad, a relative moderate, told Al-Jazeera television on Saturday. The problem is not the PLO. The problem is one of security institutions, the Palestinian political system and other aspects of our daily lives, he said, warning that the divisions could deal a fatal blow to efforts to set up an independent Palestinian state. Batsh said he was not in favour of an alternative Palestinian umbrella organisation, calling instead for reform of the PLO.

Gaza rocket hits Israel ahead of truce talks by Joseph Krauss Joseph Krauss – 56 mins ago JAN 31,09

JERUSALEM (AFP) – A rocket fired by Gaza militants exploded near the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Saturday, the third since ceasefires ended Israel's devastating three-week war on the territory.The Israeli army said no casualties or damage were reported from the rocket strike, which came ahead of talks in Cairo on Sunday on efforts to shore up the fragile truce.It was the third rocket attack since ceasefires on January 18 brought an end to Israel's three-week onslaught against Hamas-ruled Gaza which left more than 1,330 Palestinians dead. Thirteen Israelis were killed in the same period.It came as US President Barack Obama's new Middle East envoy George Mitchell continued his mission in the region.Mitchell has been touring the region for talks on consolidating the ceasefire, and on Saturday held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II on the status of the lifeless Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who met Mitchell this week, is due in Cairo on Sunday for talks on efforts to bolster the fragile truce, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said on Saturday.Officials from Hamas, the Islamist movement which ousted pro-Abbas forces from Gaza in June 2007, are also due in the Egyptian capital on Sunday.Mitchell said in Jerusalem on Friday that the United States was committed to actively and aggressively seeking lasting peace in the Middle East, but warned there would be further setbacks.He kicked off his maiden regional tour in Egypt and has held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas.The former US senator, who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland in 1998, has been charged with vigorously resuscitating Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which were relaunched in November 2007 but have made little progress.In his talks with Mitchell, the Jordanian king insisted on the importance of relaunching peace negotiations on the basis of two states, Palestinian and Israeli, stressing that we must not start a different process, a palace official said.We need to act quickly -- without wasting time -- on negotiations based on two states and not be diverted by new proposals, he was quoted as saying.Abbas is due on Monday to start a tour of several European countries but has cancelled a visit to the Czech Republic because of the truce talks.

Egypt installing cameras, sensors at Gaza border JAN 31,09

ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) – Egypt has begun installing cameras and motion sensors along its border with the Gaza Strip to try to combat smuggling to the Hamas-run territory, security sources said on Saturday.The sources said Egyptian authorities had begun installing the equipment two days ago with joint U.S., French and German expertise, and added that they hoped the sensors and cameras would help detect any tunnel construction in the border area.Cables that are part of a tunnel detection device are being installed along the Gaza-Egypt border, a security source said, adding the cables were being installed from south of Rafah to the Mediterranean coast.The source said some cameras and sensors had already been installed, and the cameras would be connected by the cables.For the 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip, the tunnels have become a main source of goods, including fuel, since Israel tightened its embargo after Hamas seized control of Gaza from the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.Israel bombed the tunnels during its recent 22-day Gaza offensive, and its military fears Hamas could use them to re-arm. But many tunnels have sophisticated systems and seem to have survived weeks of Israeli bombardment.Roughly 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the Gaza offensive before both sides declared an end to the fighting on January 18. Israel says its offensive was aimed at halting Hamas rocket attacks on its southern communities.Egypt, which has kept its Rafah border crossing with the territory largely closed, has agreed to help stop the tunnel smuggling with international technical assistance.But no firm plan is yet in place as Israel and Hamas argue through Egyptian mediators about installing a longer term ceasefire that would meet Israel's demands for shutting off the arms supply and Hamas's demands for an easing of the blockade.(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Cyprus to search suspected Hamas arms ship again Sat Jan 31, 8:40 am ET

NICOSIA, Cyprus – The saga of a ship suspected of carrying arms from Iran to Gaza grew more complicated Saturday as Cypriot authorities searched the ship, then backed away from previous assertions that it was violating U.N. resolutions.Authorities will now conduct a second search, the Cypriot foreign minister said.Suspicions that the Cypriot-flagged container ship Monchegorsk was ferrying arms from Iran to the militant Palestinian organization Hamas had been raised by the United States. The U.S. military stopped the vessel in the Red Sea last week but could not legally detain it or seize its cargo.The ship continued on to Port Said, Egypt, then headed for Cyprus, where it arrived Thursday. It remains anchored off the island nation's southern port of Limassol under tight marine police security.Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou said Saturday that a first inspection of the Monchegorsk was complete. He said authorities were still trying to determine whether the ship's cargo contravened United Nations resolutions.On Friday, Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias had said without qualification that the ship had violated U.N. resolutions.The foreign minister refused Saturday to divulge any details about the ship's cargo.This is a very serious matter concerning the Cyprus Republic's responsibilities as a member of the United Nations and the European Union, but also its relations with the international community, Kyprianou told state radio.He urged patience for a few days, saying disclosure of information would hinder the government's handling of the issue.Israel launched a 22-day offensive late last month on Hamas-controlled Gaza, trying to end rocket fire on Israeli civilians and halt arms smuggling to Hamas.

Iran hails Turkish PM for Gaza walkout Sat Jan 31, 8:26 am ET

TEHRAN (AFP) – Iranian leaders hailed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday for his spat with Israel over its deadly offensive on Gaza.The Zionist regime's behaviour is an insult to humanity... I thank Mr Erdogan for his act, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, describing Erdogan's storming off the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos as a very valuable act.The Turkish premier walked out of the forum on Thursday saying Israel had committed barbarian acts during its war on Gaza war, which killed more than 1,300 Palestinians, a third of them children.

Iran is a staunch supporter of the Islamist Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip and does not recognise Israel.Islamist students staged a demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in Tehran, chanting Erdogan, Erdogan, We support you, and Death to Israel! Death to America!, the Fars news agency reported.Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was quoted as saying that Erdogan's action exploded like a bomb around the world.Ahmad Janati, a hardline cleric who heads the powerful Guardians Council in Iran, sent a message to Erdogan hailing him for his courageous stand... against the Israeli criminals.The epic position you took will make Hamas and their supporters happy, he added.We hope Turkey will take a bold step and cut its political ties with Israel and kick out the ambassador of the Zionist regime, prominent MP Kazem Jalai told the Mehr news agency.Ahmadinejad has drawn international condemnation by repeatedly predicting the Jewish state is doomed to disappear and branding the Holocaust a myth.

US envoy in Jordan in bid to bolster Gaza truce Sat Jan 31, 6:05 am ET

AMMAN (AFP) – US Middle East envoy George Mitchell arrived in Jordan on Saturday for talks with King Abdullah II on consolidating the ceasefire that ended the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.Jordan's king is expected to tell Mitchell that the United States must be really engaged in the peace process based on a two-state solution, Israeli and Palestinian, a senior palace official told AFP.US President Barack Obama's new envoy said in Jerusalem on Friday that the United States is committed to actively and aggressively seeking lasting peace in the Middle East but warned there would be further setbacks.He kicked off his maiden regional tour in Egypt and has held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. He is still due to visit Saudi Arabia ahead of travelling to Europe.The 75-year-old former US senator, who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland in 1998, has been charged by new Obama with vigorously resuscitating the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Hamas needs to be part of peace process: Blair Fri Jan 30, 6:49 pm ET

LONDON (Reuters) – Hamas should be part of the Middle East peace process, Tony Blair, envoy to the region of the international quartet of powers, said in comments published on Friday.I do think it is important that we find a way of bringing Hamas into this process, but it can only be done if Hamas are prepared to do it on the right terms, Blair said in an interview with the Times newspaper, published on its website.If you do this in the wrong way it can destabilize the very people in Palestine who have been working all through for the moderate cause.With a shaky ceasefire in place after the war in Gaza, efforts are under way to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.The West supports the Fatah administration in the West Bank and says it will not talk to Hamas unless it renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist.Former British Prime Minister Blair is the Middle East envoy for the quartet of Middle East peace negotiators -- the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union.
(Reporting by Matt Falloon; editing by Andrew Roche)

Cyprus searches suspected Hamas-arms ship By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 30, 2:14 pm ET

NICOSIA, Cyprus – Cypriot authorities on Friday searched a cargo ship suspected by the United States of carrying Iranian arms to Hamas militants in Gaza.Officials refused to divulge any details about the ship or its cargo.The Cypriot-flagged container ship Monchegorsk is anchored off the island's southern port of Limassol, where it arrived Thursday after a stop in Port Said, Egypt. The U.S. military stopped the vessel in the Red Sea last week, but allowed it to continue because the U.S. could not legally stop its journey or seize its cargo.Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias said the ship had violated U.N. resolutions. But he gave no details, saying only that the ship was being searched.We're handling this responsibly, I can't at this time make any remarks that ... may create more problems, Christofias said.He added: We are investigating what it's carrying and I've told you that we must handle these things very responsibly and very seriously and without a lot of clamor in the media.Israel launched a 22-day offensive late last month on Hamas-controlled Gaza to try to end rocket fire on Israeli civilians and halt arms smuggling that has enabled Hamas to threaten southern Israel.Cyprus' Parliament Speaker Marios Garoyian described issues raised by ship as very sensitive.
Our aim is to resolve the matter in the best possible way without harming the interests of the Republic of Cyprus ... The less that is said the better.

Israel to give Spain information on Gaza raid probe Fri Jan 30, 1:40 pm ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel on Friday said it would provide "relevant material" for a Spanish crimes against humanity probe over a 2002 Israeli bombing in Gaza, after vowing to quash the investigation.The Israeli justice ministry will provide the Spanish government with the relevant material, the foreign ministry said in a statement.Israel's embassy in Madrid on Friday sent judge Fernando Andreu of the National Audience documents which are still unofficial, in Hebrew and English, over the bombing in which a Hamas leader and 14 civilians were killed, a Spanish judicial source said.The judge will decide whether to go ahead with the inquiry or shelve it once the documents have been translated into Spanish, the source told AFP.Andreu agreed on Thursday to pursue a crimes against humanity complaint against seven senior Israeli military figures over the 2002 bombing, sparking strong objections from Israel.He was acting in line with Spain's assumption of the principle of universal jurisdiction in alleged cases of crimes against humanity, genocide, and terrorism.Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni reiterated Israel's criticism of the probe, according to the foreign ministry statement.

The justice systems in different countries, including Spain, are being cynically used by politically motivated bodies that have nothing to do with with values or the rule of law and only want to criticise Israel, she said.The ministry said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told Livni the Spanish government decided to amend the law as soon as possible in order to prevent further such lawsuits.The complaint refers to an Israeli air attack on July 22, 2002, on Gaza City which killed a suspected leader of the Islamist movement Hamas, Salah Shehadeh, along with 14 civilians, mainly infants and children.Some 150 Palestinians were also wounded, according to the allegations.In his ruling, Andreu said the attack in a densely-populated area showed signs of constituting a crime against humanity, a judicial source said.Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday rejected the complaint as delirious and said in a statement that he would do everything possible to get the investigation dismissed.

Obama supports Israeli genocide: Castro Fri Jan 30, 12:48 pm ET

HAVANA (AFP) – Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro unleashed his first condemnation Thursday of US President Barack Obama, accusing him of following previous US administrations by supporting Israel's genocide of the Palestinians.Castro attacked Obama for allegedly continuing the policies of his predecessor George W. Bush in giving unwavering support to Israel, and hence sharing the genocide against the Palestinians.The former Cuban president highlighted statements made by the Obama administration that reiterated its strong support for the Jewish state, which recently fought a 22-day war against the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip.In a foreign policy mission statement on its website, the US administration said its incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America's strongest ally in the Middle East.According to the statement, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden support this closeness, stating that the United States would never distance itself from Israel.Castro, who gave up power to his brother Raul in July 2006 for health reasons, said the United States had enabled Israel to become an important nuclear power, and kept on strengthening the military forces with which Israel threatens extreme violence against the population of all Muslim countries.In the article, published online on the website cubadebate.cu, the former Cuban president also criticized Obama for suggesting Havana would have to make concessions before Washington considers returning the territory of the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

The territory was leased to the United States indefinitely in 1903 after the US occupation of Cuba during the 1898 Spanish-American war. Havana has previously, but unsuccessfully challenged the lease.Obama is demanding a change in communist Cuba's political regime, Castro wrote, adding that this was a price Cuba has fought against paying for the last half century.Maintaining the controversial military base -- which continues to house war on terror suspects -- on Cuban soil is against the will of our people, violating the most fundamental principles of international law, said Castro.His comments were in sharp contrast to the warm words the 82-year-old Cuban revolutionary leader reportedly voiced last week for the newly-inaugurated Obama.He told me that (Obama) not only had a very good background as a political leader, but also that he was a man he saw as being absolutely sincere, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner said after meeting with Castro.Cuba's government condemned Israel at the beginning of its 22-day assault on Gaza earlier this month, which left more than 1,300 dead and caused widespread destruction in the tiny Palestinian enclave.
Israel was committing a genocidal act against the Palestinian civilian population, a government statement charged in the newspaper Juventud Rebelde.

US puts up $20 million for Gaza relief By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 30, 10:32 am ET
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration on Friday made an emergency contribution of more than $20 million for urgent relief efforts in the Gaza Strip, a day after the United Nations launched a flash appeal for $613 million to help Palestinians recover from Israel's three-week military operation there.The State Department said President Barack Obama had authorized the use of $20.3 million from the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for humanitarian assistance to the 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza.The money will go to U.N. agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which are distributing emergency food assistance, providing medical care and temporary shelter, creating temporary employment and restoring access to electricity and potable water, the department said in a statement.The Israeli offensive killed nearly 1,300 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, Palestinian officials say. The assault was launched to halt years of Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel.

Hamas persecuting Fatah members in Gaza by Mehdi Lebouachera Mehdi Lebouachera – Fri Jan 30, 9:01 am ET

GAZA CITY (AFP) – The Hamas rulers of Gaza are persecuting members of the archrival Fatah movement in a bid to quash any opposition to their grip on the Palestinian territory, human rights groups and victims claim.Dozens of Fatah members as well as people accused of being collaborators were attacked by Hamas during and after the three-week Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian human rights groups.The Islamists also put known members of the Fatah party of secular Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas under house arrest, according several testimonies.

Taher al Nunu, a spokesman for the Hamas government denied Fatah members were being persecuted, dismissing the claims as lies spread by Ramallah, where Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are based.There have been dozens of cases of persecution across the territory during and after the war. There have been grave violations of human rights and investigations must be launched, said Samir Mussa, a lawyer with the Ad-Dameer Association for Human Rights.The group says it has evidence that 10 prisoners were executed after they were accused of collaborating with Israel because Israeli forces bombarded the prison in which they were held.One of the prisoners, Saleh Hajuj, was executed outside Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital, in full view of doctors and patients. He had been taken to the hospital after being wounded in the bombing.The security HQ, the prisons, the courts have been destroyed. So the government settles its scores in the streets, Mussa told AFP.Hamas is determined to consolidate its power as it fears a Fatah comeback in Gaza, he said.The Islamist movement violently seized power in the Gaza Strip in June 2007, ousting forces loyal to Abbas.Hamas is afraid the same thing will be done to them as happened in June (2007), a Fatah member said, asking not to be named.Witnesses say armed and masked Hamas men show up at night at the homes of people the Islamists deem suspect, shoot them in the legs or drag them away to be interrogated.Osama Attalah, a 50-year-old Fatah member was found in the Shifa hospital morgue on Thursday. Masked men came to our house on Wednesday night. One of them showed us his interior security ID. He told us not to be afraid and that they were picking up Osama for routine questioning, a relative said.We don't know why they killed him.Attalah, a school teacher and a father of five, was shot in the back, according to family members.

The Najjar family had a similar visit on January 4. Hicham Najjar, a 51-year-old Fatah supporter, was shot dead and 10 members of his family, including a seven-year-old girl and a 70-year-old woman, were wounded.They made us lie down on the ground. When the women of the family came down to see what was going on, they opened fire blindly, said Hicham's son Ammar.A young man, speaking from his hospital bed, said he had received several anonymous telephone calls during the war telling him not to leave his home. The day of the ceasefire, masked men came to my home and shot me in the leg, he said, declining to give his identity for fear of being attacked again. I used to be with Fatah, but I left the party five years ago. I think they made a mistake.

Israel's Netanyahu rejects evacuation of settlers Fri Jan 30, 5:23 am ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Hawkish former premier Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to evacuate Jewish settlements in the West Bank if he is named prime minister after February 10 elections, Haaretz daily reported on Friday.Netanyahu, the frontrunner for the parliamentary elections, insisted he would not be tied by any pledge made by outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to withdraw settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory.I will not keep Olmert's commitments to withdraw and I won't evacuate settlements. Those understandings are invalid and unimportant, the newspaper quoted Netanyahu as saying.Olmert told visiting US peace envoy George Mitchell earlier this week that Israel had offered in negotiations with the Palestinians to remove 60,000 settlers from the West Bank, according to Yediot Aharonot newspaper.He also wants Israel to annex large Jewish settlement blocs in exchange for the transfer to a future Palestinian state of territory in southern Israel, the daily said.Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, whose centrist Kadima party trails Netanyahu's right-wing Likud in opinion polls, distanced herself from Olmert's statements, telling a meeting in Tel Aviv on Thursday they did not represent her views.A total of 285,000 settlers live in the West Bank and another 200,000 in annexed east Jerusalem, both of which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.Palestinians and the international community consider settlements a major hurdle to the peace process.

After confrontation, back to business at Davos By BRADLEY S. KLAPPER and COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press Writers – Fri Jan 30, 4:28 am ET

DAVOS, Switzerland – Efforts to fight global warming, help Africa and revive the faltering world economy were front and center at the World Economic Forum Friday, a day after Middle East tensions flared publicly at the elite gathering.An outburst by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had shocked the business and political elites Thursday night. Erdogan walked off the stage after trading accusations with Israeli President Shimon Peres.But on Friday, worries about global warming will get attention as forum participants look at the consequences of rising seas, expanding deserts and disappearing forests. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are also set to make appearances.Nobel Peace prize winner Al Gore will join U.N. climate change chief Yvo de Boer and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to look at prospects for a global climate pact by the end of this year. Later former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan leads talks on how to make any such deal fairer to poor countries.Annan also meets several African heads of state to discuss how to ensure the crisis-challenged rich world keeps its promises on aid to Africa.Early Friday, Erdogan was warmly greeted on arriving back home as some 5,000 supporters waving Turkish and Palestinian flags flooded Istanbul's airport when his plane touched down.Turkish TV showed some of the supporters outside of the airport gate holding banners that applauded his stance in Davos. CNN television said extra buses were being added so more people could turn out to welcome him.

Erdogan's angry exit Thursday night capped an hour-long debate at the forum. Erdogan tried to rebut Peres as the discussion was ending, asking the moderator, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, to let him speak again.You kill people, Erdogan told the Israeli leader, speaking in Turkish through a translator. I remember the children who died on beaches. I remember two former prime ministers who said they felt very happy when they were able to enter Palestine on tanks.Afterward, Erdogan stressed he left not because of a dispute with Peres but because he was not given time to respond to the Israeli leader's remarks. Erdogan also complained that Peres had 25 minutes while he was only given 12 minutes.A Peres confidant, who asked not to be identified, emphasized that the two men have good ties and that the president understood that Erdogan's hasty exit was directed at the moderator, not at him.

Earlier Thursday, Israeli election front-runner Benjamin Netanyahu told another session in Davos that keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran's hands was more important than the economy because the financial meltdown is reversible.Iran maintains that it is seeking nuclear power for peaceful purposes and not for a weapons program.An Iranian official in Davos appeared to extend a hand to the Obama administration as discussion broadened to include Iran, oil and what might be expected from the new leaders in Washington.Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran would take a cooperative approach with the U.S. as long as it saw changes that go beyond words.We do believe that if the new administration of the United States, as Mr. Obama says, is going to change its policies not in saying but practice, they will find in the region a cooperative approach and reaction, Mottaki said.http://www.weforum.org

Friday, January 30, 2009

DIVIDING JERUSALEM IS A NO NO WW3

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

ZECHARIAH 12:1-5 King James Bible
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

ZECHARIAH 14:1-9 King James Bible
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

RESULTS OF JERUSALEM DIVIDED - WW3 AND BIGTIME DESTRUCTION

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.


PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).

MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Livni Slams Olmert Peace Plan, Won't Divide Jerusalem
by Hana Levi Julian JAN 31,2009


(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni adamantly denied allegations Friday that she had sold Jerusalem in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and said she vehemently opposed such a deal.The Kadima party chairwoman was accused by her top rival in the upcoming elections for the prime minister's seat, Likud party chairman MK Binyamin Netanyahu, of conspiring with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to offer the PA sweeping concessions that included dividing Jerusalem and internationalizing its holy sites.Livni's spokesman firmly denied the allegations Friday afternoon, telling Israel National News, The Minister believes that Israeli sovereignty -- religiously, nationally, culturally and strategically -- must be maintained over a united Jerusalem, including and foremost the religious sites.The Israeli position negotiated by Livni, he said, was that Jerusalem will be kept united.Minister Livni was not in the room with Prime Minister Olmert and Chairman Abbas when they had their conversation about this agreement. This is something that someone on the other side did, added her spokesman Gil Messing. It was not the work of Minister Livni. She is against it in all terms that are possible to elaborate and she said so yesterday in the Cabinet.It is equally clear, he warned, that even in a deal that Livni would support, Jews in Judea and Samaria would end up losing their homes. How many, he could not say. I don't know the numbers. As many [sic] Jews will remain in their houses where they are right now, however, there will be a division of the land. It is untrue and unfair to say otherwise.However, whether the plan would ultimately come to fruition will depend on the PA, he added. It will be an agreement that will represent all of Israel's security needs, and is subject to any change of situation on the ground, including the fight against terrorism, he said, most importantly the complete dismantling of terrorist infrastructure in the Palestinian Authority areas.

Olmert Peace Plan: Divide Jerusalem, Give Up Holy Sites
According to the Hebrew-language daily Yediot Acharonot, Olmert agreed to give up Jerusalem's holy sites under an international authority in a plan similar to that of the Holy Basin concept advanced during the administration of former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Also under the plan, the Jewish State would transfer Arab neighborhoods in the eastern section of the capital to the PA.Interestingly, the move was predicted by Netanyahu Wednesday morning in a keynote address by at the Jerusalem Conference at about the same time that Olmert was meeting in the capital with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell. The plan also calls for at least 60,000 Jewish residents to be expelled from their homes in Judea and Samaria, and Israel would withdraw from most of its territory in the region, with the exception of several large populated blocs. The operation would dwarf the 2005 Disengagement from Gaza, a move which has brought one million Israelis under rocket fire from Gaza, besides leaving thousands jobless and in transitional housing to this day.The new Arab state that would be formed within Israel's current borders would also be provided with geographic contiguity through a series of tunnels and a new highway that would be built to connect Gaza with Judea and Samaria. However, the prime minister refused to allow the immigration of millions of Arabs and their descendants who fled their homes in the State at the behest of Israel's invading enemies during the 1948 War of Independence, a demand the PA has called the right of return.24-hour Media Silence: Private Diplomatic Conversation.A curious cloak of silence by local and international media stifled news of the agreement for almost 24 hours after the initial report was published in the Thursday morning front-page article in Yediot Acharonot.The paper reported that Olmert had closed on the deal with Mitchell during their meeting Wednesday and provided details about the plan.However, by nightfall it was impossible to find a trace of the report, which had inexplicably disappeared from the media radar. An internet search revealed not one reference to the day's discussion, with the exception of a lone AFP article in a Philippine newspaper.

Olmert spokesman Mark Regev brushed off late-evening attempts by Israel National News to obtain information about the agreement. You can ask me anything you want about it, he said, but I don't want to confirm or deny anything. It was a private diplomatic conversation, he said.

Netanyahu: Vows Not to Uproot Jews
Netanyahu lost no time in going on the offensive Friday morning, telling listeners in an interview on IDF Army Radio that he would not uproot any Jews from their homes if he is elected prime minister in the upcoming polls.The Knesset Opposition leader also said he would not be bound by any deals concluded by the prime minister, and accused Livni of making dangerous concessions in her role as head negotiator with the Palestinian Authority.She said she was a partner to all the decisions made by the Kadima government, he said. Now we see what she decided and what she conceded.
Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, Avraham Zuroff and Yehudah Kay contributed to this report.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

LEBANESE MILITANT BYE ISRAEL

Lebanese militant calls for destruction of Israel Thu Jan 29, 2:33 pm ET

TEHRAN (AFP) – Lebanese militant and convicted murderer Samir Kantar, who was released by Israel in a prisoner swap last year, called for the destruction of Israel during a visit to Tehran on Thursday.We have to resist against American occupation because Americans are the supporters of the tyrants and in the region we have to resist the Zionist regime and destroy it, Kantar said in a speech before being honoured by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.Kantar was released in July 2008 as part of a prisoner swap between Lebanon and Israel after three decades of imprisonment in Israel.Described as a monster in Israel where he was convicted of killing three people, including a policeman and a four-year-old girl in a notorious attack nearly three decades ago, Kantar is considered a hero by some in Lebanon.He said he appreciated the role played by Tehran in supporting the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance to Israel.Today we meet in Iran and we are on the threshold of the 30th anniversary of a great revolution led by the great imam Khomeini, he said referring to the overthrow of Iran's monarchy in 1979.He said he still wanted to confront Israel.I stayed in prison for 30 years and I am still waiting for the date to confront the occupying enemy, he said.

Every drop of blood and every bit of pain we went through is the price we paid for victory. This was the situation in Iran, in Lebanon in 2000 and in 2006. Gaza is waiting for a similar future.Ahmadinejad gave Kantar was given a statue of two prisoners trying to break through the bars of a jail cell, as the two men kissed each other in greeting.Iran's hardline president himself has drawn global outrage for calling for Israel to be wiped off the map and describing the Holocaust as a myth.

Nasrallah vows to avenge commander's killing Thu Jan 29, 1:41 pm ET

BEIRUT (AFP) – Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Thursday to avenge the killing of top commander Imad Mughniyeh who died in a Damascus car bombing last year which the Shiite militant group blamed on Israel.The Israelis live in fear of our revenge, Nasrallah said in a rare news conference via video link. The decision to respond to the killing is still on. We decide the time and place.Nasrallah said it was clear Israel was behind Mughniyeh's killing in a car bomb blast last February.A probe by Syria indicates that (Israel's spy agency) Mossad was behind the assassination, he said.In his wide-ranging news conference that touched on a number of subjects, Nasrallah said DNA tests on the remains of four fighters handed over by Israel in a 2008 prisoner swap failed to prove their identity.We sent DNA samples of the remains to a laboratory in France... a few days ago the results came out and they were not helpful, Nasrallah said.We cannot say that any of the four remains belong to (Palestinian) Dalal al-Moghrabi, (Lebanese) Yehya Skaf or the other two martyrs... so we consider these remains to belong to unknown martyrs.Moghrabi was killed in a battle with Israeli forces after her group, including Skaf, blew up a bus they had hijacked on the road between Tel Aviv and Haifa in 1978, killing 36 people.

We do no consider that we have the remains of any of the martyrs who died in Dalal's operation, said Nasrallah.Israel last year transferred to Lebanon the remains of 199 Palestinian and Hezbollah fighters, saying they included Moghrabi and Skaf.Under the prisoner exchange, Israel freed five Lebanese prisoners, including Samir Kantar, who was sentenced to five life terms for a 1979 triple murder.Hezbollah in return handed over the remains of two Israeli soldiers seized in 2006.

Hezbollah: Obama same as Bush on Israel By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 29, 12:16 pm ET

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanon's Hezbollah leader said Thursday there is no difference between Barack Obama and George W. Bush when it comes to Israel, and that the new U.S. administration has so far shown full support for the Jewish state — Hezbollah's archenemy.The remarks were the first comments by the reclusive Sheik Hassan Nasrallah since the Jan. 20 inauguration of the new U.S. president. Although a militant group, Hezbollah is today also a political force and a partner in the Lebanese government with veto power over all decisions.The conduct of the new administration when it comes to Israel is ... one of absolute support, Nasrallah said, speaking via videolink from his hiding place. I have not sensed until now that there is any difference between the two (U.S.) administrations.He also denounced Israel's 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip, claiming Israel failed to achieve its target of routing out militant Palestinian Hamas from the coastal strip. Hezbollah is a Hamas ally, and both are supported by Iran and Syria.Nasrallah went into hiding at the onset of the July 2006 Israel-Hezbollah and has rarely been seen since in public, fearing assassination.

Israeli warplane bombs Gaza-Egypt border: army Thu Jan 29, 1:22 am ET

GAZA CITY, (AFP) – An Israeli warplane bombed Thursday an area of the Gaza Strip border known to contain smuggling tunnels to Egypt after Palestinian militants fired a missile, the Israeli military said.An aerial attack took place against a site used to manufacture weapons in an area of the city of Rafah following the firing of a rocket into southern Israel in the evening, an Israeli army spokesman told AFP.

Witnesses said the attack took place in eastern Rafah, an area known to contain smuggling tunnels, and that no one was injured.Earlier the Israeli military said the missile was fired from the Gaza Strip towards the town of Ofakim, which fell in an unpopulated area.The rocket attack was claimed by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of moderate Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah faction.Later the Israeli military said that early Thursday a second missile was fired into southern Israel, but caused no damage or injuries.It was the second launch of a missile since the end of the Gaza war, which Israel launched following repeated rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.On Wednesday, the ruling Islamist movement Hamas said it had fired several mortar rounds at Israeli troops making an incursion into the Gaza Strip.The first major violation of the truce which ended Israel's 22-day onslaught against Hamas in the Gaza Strip took place on Tuesday, when Palestinian militants killed an Israeli soldier in a bomb blast near the border.Israel retaliated with gunfire that left one man dead, an air strike that wounded three and bombing raids on border smuggling tunnels.

Egypt attacks Iran and allies in Arab world Wed Jan 28, 3:05 pm ET

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt aired its grievances against Iran, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, saying they worked together in the fighting over Gaza to provoke conflict in the Middle East.(They tried) to turn the region to confrontation in the interest of Iran, which is trying to use its cards to escape Western pressure ... on the nuclear file, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in an interview with Orbit satellite channel broadcast Wednesday.

Aboul Gheit also said that Egypt undermined Qatar's attempts to arrange a formal Arab summit on Gaza earlier this month, arguing that it would have damaged joint Arab action.Egypt made the summit fail... This summit, if it had taken place as an Arab summit with a proper quorum, would have damaged joint Arab action. We can see what others do not see, he said.The interview was broadcast Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning and the state news agency MENA carried excerpts.The comments are the first acknowledgement by Egypt that it actively sought to prevent the Doha summit on January 16, which was the subject of a bitter tug-of-war between rival Arab states.It also indicated that a reconciliation meeting in Kuwait last week between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on one hand, and Qatar and Syria on the other, had only a short-term effect.Qatar failed to win enough support to hold a formal Arab League summit on Gaza but it went ahead anyway with an informal consultative meeting of Arab leaders.The wrangling reflected deep divisions between Arab governments. On one side Saudi Arabia and Egypt, wary of the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, favored discussing Gaza at a separate economic summit in Kuwait a few days later.Diplomats say Egypt resents the Qatari challenge to its traditional role as leading Arab mediator and dislikes the influence of the satellite television channel Al Jazeera, which is based in Doha and owned by the Qatari government.Some people imagined that a satellite channel could bring down the Egyptian state, without realizing that Egypt is much stronger than that, Aboul Gheit said.Egypt is very big and has extensive influence despite attempts to influence this stance and role, whether in the Al Jazeera channel or other channels, he added.The Egyptian minister also criticized Hamas for what he called its coup against the forces of the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip in 2007.(Writing by Jonathan Wright; Editing by Samia Nakhoul)

France summons Israeli ambassador over Gaza incident Wed Jan 28, 1:51 pm ET

PARIS (AFP) – France on Wednesday summoned Israel's ambassador after Israeli troops fired warning shots as European diplomats were blocked at a Gaza border crossing.

Israeli troops halted a diplomatic convoy carrying France's consul general at the Erez crossing on Tuesday and held it for six hours as it left the Gaza Strip and returned to Jerusalem, the foreign ministry said.The convoy, which included other European diplomats, was subject to two warning shots from Israeli soldiers, ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier told reporters.The foreign ministry summoned Israeli Ambassador Daniel Shek and it was clearly stated that we protest this unacceptable incident, said the spokesman.France also raised concerns over access to humanitarian aid in Gaza after a shipment of water treatment supplies was blocked at a border crossing, he added.In Jerusalem, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yossi Levy said all border crossings were closed for several hours on Tuesday after an Israeli army patrol was targeted in a bomb attack that left one soldier dead.This measure was not specifically aimed against the French consul general, said Levy.Other than French consul general Alain Remy, the convoy was also carrying diplomats from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Germany and Sweden, according to a diplomatic source.The diplomats were on a mission to assess the situation on the ground and take stock of French-funded aid projects in Gaza.It was the first time since November 2006 that an Israeli ambassador was called into the French foreign ministry. In that incident, France complained about Israeli overflights over French troops based in south Lebanon.Israel's war in Gaza, launched on December 27 in response to Hamas rocket and mortar fire, killed more than 1,300 people, more than half of them civilians, and wounded more than 5,400, according to Gaza medics.Both sides have declared ceasefires but tensions remain, and international diplomats are attempting to broker a lasting end to Hamas attacks in Israel and an end to Israel's blockade of the impoverished territory.

Jordan king calls for joint Arab-EU-US action for peace Wed Jan 28, 11:23 am ET

AMMAN (AFP) – Jordan's King Abdullah II called on Wednesday for Arab states, Brussels and Washington to join forces in Middle East peace efforts, in talks with visiting EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.He stressed the need to launch joint Arab, European and US action to hold serious negotiations leading to a settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of two states, the palace said in a statement.We should unite the efforts of the international community ... as stipulated in the Arab peace plan, avoiding the launch of a new peace initiative, the king said.He was referring to international support for a two-state solution and an Arab initiative offering normal ties with the Jewish state in exchange for its withdrawal from occupied land.The international community must assume its responsibilities by quickly resolving the roots of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, King Abdullah told Solana.The European Union envoy said the priority was to reach a long-term ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.What we want to achieve is to have a ceasefire which produces calm for a period of time which is long and is respected by everybody. I hope that we can move in that direction, he said.The situation is still very fragile and therefore to make a ceasefire solid is very important for the people who suffer and very important for the distribution of humanitarian aid.Solana held talks earlier on Wednesday with Israeli Social Affairs Minister Izaac Herzog on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than 1,300 Palestinians died in a 22-day war launched on December 27.

Mullen: Iranian arms probably were bound for Gaza By ANNE GEARAN, AP Military Writer Anne Gearan, Ap Military Writer – Tue Jan 27, 8:14 pm ET

WASHINGTON – The nation's top military officer said Tuesday the United States did all it could to intercept a suspected arms shipment to Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but its hands were tied.Separately, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other U.S. officials said it is too soon to tell whether the prospect of new U.S. engagement with Iran will bear fruit.Mullen confirmed that a Cypriot-flagged ship intercepted in the Red Sea last week was carrying Iranian arms and that U.S. authorities suspect that the shipment was ultimately bound for the Gaza Strip, where Hamas and Israel are observing a shaky truce after three weeks of fighting.The United States did as much as we could do legally, Mullen said, adding that he would like more authority to act in such cases. We were not authorized to seize the weapons or do anything like that.The Navy searched the ship with permission of the captain and found small munitions, military officials said.

The vessel was allowed to continue its voyage after the search, and Mullen said the ship was expected in port in Syria this week.Israel launched a 22-day offensive late last month on Hamas-controlled Gaza to try to permanently halt years of militant rocket fire on growing numbers of Israelis and to halt the smuggling of arms that turned Hamas into a threat to much of southern Israel.Mullen said he long has favored approaches to Iran that would be a strategic benefit to the United States. Stability in Afghanistan is in both nations' interest, he said.To the degree that we are able to dialogue with them, find some mutual interests, there is potential there for moving ahead together.He offered a heavy dose of caution.Iran is unhelpful in many, many ways in many, many areas, and so I wouldn't be overly optimistic at this point, Mullen told reporters at the Foreign Press Center.Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Iran had a clear opportunity to engage more productively on its nuclear program and other issues in light of President Barack Obama's intention to change the direction of U.S. foreign policy.Clinton said Obama's first days in office have made it clear that a more open Iranian approach to the international community could benefit Iran. She said this was reflected in statements Obama made in an interview Monday with an Arab TV network.There is a clear opportunity for the Iranians, as the president expressed in his interview, to demonstrate some willingness to engage meaningfully with the international community, she said. Whether or not that hand becomes less clenched is really up to them.

Obama told the Al-Arabiya news channel that he wanted to communicate to Muslims that "the Americans are not your enemy. He condemned Iran's threats to destroy Israel and its pursuit of nuclear weapons, but said it is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress.Clinton, who criticized Obama for his willingness to speak without conditions with leaders of rogue nations like Iran during their contest for the Democratic presidential nomination, told reporters that the administration is undertaking a wide-ranging and comprehensive survey of U.S. policy options toward Iran. She did not elaborate.Clinton's comments came one day after Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Obama administration will engage in direct diplomacy with Iran.Not since before the 1979 Iranian revolution are U.S. officials believed to have conducted wide-ranging direct diplomacy with Iranian officials. Rice said Iran must meet U.N. Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment before any talks on its nuclear program. (This version CORRECTS to say U.S. officials instead of Condoleezza Rice.))

Outreach to Muslims starts new path in Mideast By ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jan 27, 3:55 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Even before crafting its own Middle East strategy, the Obama administration is making clear that its approach will differ — in tone and style, if not also in substance — from its predecessor's.In choosing an Arab network for his first televised interview to declare, Americans are not your enemy, President Barack Obama signaled a break with the past. The substance of the shift may have to wait, but the symbolism is immediate and likely to be reinforced with an early presidential visit to a Muslim nation.The administration sees a great deal at stake, and not just the future prospect for Arab-Israeli peace. There also is the broader struggle against Islamic extremism — what the George W. Bush administration called a global war on terrorism — and the prospect for stability and democracy in Iraq.

The stakes stretch to Afghanistan, the Central Asian launching pad for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and where tens of thousands more U.S. troops are likely to be fighting in the months ahead. At least as important is the related problem of Pakistan, the nuclear-armed Muslim nation whose largely ungoverned areas along the border with Afghanistan are a haven for al-Qaida and other terrorists.The list of related issues runs longer: Syria, Lebanon, Iran.Obama came into office convinced, based in part on intelligence briefings he received during the presidential transition, that reaching out to the far-flung Arab and Muslim worlds was not only important but urgent, according to Denis McDonough, Obama's deputy assistant for strategic communications.Obama wants to repair America's image in the eyes of the billion-strong adherents to Islam, McDonough said.We're a country under threat, McDonough said. The challenge is to reach the billion while also making clear that you're not going to tolerate the hate.Almost daily, Obama has pushed the buttons of Muslim diplomacy. From his inaugural address, in which he assured Muslim dictators, we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist, to his early phone calls to friendly Arab leaders, to his dispatching of special envoy George J. Mitchell to the Middle East on a listening tour, the new commander in chief has marked a new beginning on this front.He also declared his intent to close the prison for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a move designed to bury one of the most widely recognized sources of ill will generated in the Muslim world since 9/11.

But will this fresh approach — mostly words at this stage, rather than action — produce new results? A different tone certainly can be helpful, said Andrew Bacevich, professor of international relations and history at Boston University. But I would expect opinion in the Arab world will be much more likely to be influenced by what we do rather than by what we say.So I would imagine that in order for us to determine whether we are opening a new and better chapter in our relations with the Muslim world we need to see what the Obama policy with regard to the peace process will look like, and, likewise, what policy choices Obama makes on Afghanistan and Pakistan.Every major element of policy in the greater Middle East is under review by the Obama administration. The new president made it clear even before he took office that he would take a more active diplomatic approach, at least with regard to Iran and to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But he has yet to lay out clear paths.In the Al-Arabiya TV interview Monday, Obama said he instructed Mitchell to begin with the basics.What I told him is start by listening because all too often the United States starts by dictating, Obama said.Some of the early attention on the Middle East and broader Muslim world can be attributed to the fact that the Bush administration handed Obama a crisis in the Gaza Strip. A fragile cease-fire is now in place, but Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, remains defiant and unwilling to recognize Israel's right to exist. The Obama administration is holding Hamas at arm's length.Mitchell arrived in Egypt on Tuesday to begin an intensive round of talks across the Middle East — a process that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said would tee up some Obama decisions in the weeks ahead. We have a lot of confidence in (Mitchell's) knowledge of the area and his political ear, so you not only hear what people say but what the meaning behind the words might be, Clinton told reporters at the State Department. So we're going to wait and let him report back to us about the way forward.AP White House Correspondent Jennifer Loven contributed to this report.