Europe Is Doing the Work
Reuters reported on June 28:
“French President Nicolas Sarkozy rejected on Friday criticism of Europe’s role in the Libyan war effort by outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and insisted Washington’s allies were ‘doing the work… It was particularly inappropriate for Mr. Gates to say that [i.e., that Europe is not doing enough in Libya] and, what is more, completely false, given what is going on in Libya,’ Sarkozy told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels. ‘There are certainly other moments in history when he could have said that, but not when Europeans have courageously taken the Libyan issue in hand and when France and Britain, with their allies, for the most part, are doing the work.’”
The relationship between Europe and the USA is bound to deteriorate. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.”
The Hague Issues Warrant Against Gadhafi
Deutsche Welle reported on June 27:
“Libyan rebels, human rights groups and numerous governments around the world warmly welcomed the decision by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Monday to issue [arrest] warrants for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, his son, Saif al-Islam, and the regime’s director of intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi, Gadhafi’s brother-in-law. The three men have been charged with crimes against humanity, committed against opponents of the regime since mid-February of this year…
“NATO, which is coordinating and conducting the air campaign against the Libyan leader, said the indictments showed that time was running out for Gadhafi… Monday’s announcement marks the first time that the ICC has ever issued arrest warrants during an ongoing conflict.”
The Associated Press wrote on June 27:
“The warrants turn Gadhafi, his son Seif al-Islam Gadhafi and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi into internationally wanted suspects, potentially complicating any efforts to mediate an end to more than four months of intense fighting in the North African nation… Gadhafi’s regime remained defiant. Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim… insisted Gadhafi will remain in Libya.
“While issuing international arrest warrants is a significant step toward bringing Gadhafi to The Hague to face justice, the court has no police force and a patchy record on detaining suspects. The court’s best chance of detaining Gadhafi appears to be if rebels supported by NATO airstrikes win the battle for control of Libya, manage to arrest the longtime leader and agree to extradite him to stand trial.
“In the court’s only other case against a head of state, judges have twice issued international arrest warrants for Sudanese leader Omar al Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, but he remains free nearly a year after the second warrant was issued and has flown several times to friendly nations without being arrested.”
Die Welt wrote on June 28:
“One does not need to mince words or beat around the bush: Moammar Gadhafi is a bloodthirsty torturer. He is a murderer who sometimes pitches his tent in Sodom, at other times in Gomorrah. Even worse, he transforms every place that he governs into Sodom and Gomorrah. Every day that he remains in power is one day too many. Nevertheless, the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant against him is foolish. … It will rule out any possibility of Gadhafi choosing to go into exile, because most states will be obliged to arrest him and deport him to the Netherlands.”
Even though the Western world may jubilate over The Hague’s entirely symbolic and thoroughly political move to issue arrest warrants (normally it takes The Hague years of prior investigations before they would be willing to even entertain that thought), the Associated Press stated correctly that this ill-advised action will “complicate any efforts to mediate an end to the war,” and Die Welt added accurately that this course of conduct prevents the possibility of Gadhafi ending the war and going into exile. The Libyan war becomes also more and more questionable in light of the following statements by Deutsche Welle, dated June 29:
“This week marked the three-month anniversary since the start of NATO’s military operations in Libya, but there was little sign of a breakthrough… Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini told reporters last week that NATO’s reputation was on the line… On Monday, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Gadhafi, accusing him of crimes against humanity. Ian Lesser of the German Marshall Fund in Washington said that the court’s decision could prolong NATO’s involvement… Adding to NATO’s woes, key allies Britain and France are warning about the cost of the air strikes, running at around 1 million euros ($143 million) per day. Others, like Canada, are considering pulling out in the autumn.”
Germany’s Duplicity
Der Spiegel wrote on June 29:
“Germany’s abstention from the Security Council vote authorizing the use of force against Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi earned it criticism from its international partners. But now the German government, despite its fundamental unwillingness to get involved in the conflict, wants to help its NATO allies attack Gadhafi’s troops…
“NATO submitted a request to all members asking for technology and components for bombs and other military equipment at the start of last week. Berlin has already responded positively to the request… Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière approved the request from the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA). He gave authorization for the German military, the Bundeswehr, to provide bomb components and complete missiles for the Allied bombing campaign against Gadhafi
“… the government is assuming that the Bundeswehr will receive a detailed request within the next few days. Then the military will check whether it can help its allies and how quickly the weaponry can be delivered. It is not clear which weapons would be included in a concrete request… In Berlin on Monday, requests for an official statement on the Defense Ministry’s controversial decision went unfulfilled. The Foreign Ministry likewise opted not to comment…”
In an accompanying article, Der Spiegel Online reported about the furor and condemnation with which the opposition and even members from the coalition party reacted to the report that the German Defense Ministry had responded positively to NATO’s request. However, such German duplicity is not new. When the German government, under former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, publically condemned the Iraq war, Germany’s Intelligence clandestinely assisted the Bush Administration in their war efforts.
Rumors of US Plans for Libya, Syria Cause Concern
Deutsche Welle wrote on June 27:
“When the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1973 on March 17 of this year, it authorized the use of force by UN member states, granting them the right to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in Libya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory.
“In the three months that have followed, the rules of Resolution 1973 appear to have been bent to allow the NATO-led mission to not only protect civilians in Libya but actively pursue the forces of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, target his strongholds and effectively force him out of power. This ‘mission creep’ has caused fractures and divisions within the international coalition that originally agreed to take on the UN’s Libyan operations.
“The Arab League, whose involvement helped sell the mission to the Arab world, is becoming increasingly nervous about what it sees as NATO’s new goal of regime change. Meanwhile, those members of the Security Council that abstained from the Resolution 1973 vote are concerned by developments they fear may lead toward a land invasion of Libya and the contravening of the UN resolution. Russia in particular has been angered by the deployment of military advisors and Special Forces operatives from the US, France and Britain to support the efforts of the Libyan opposition.
“Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters earlier this month after France and Britain had deployed attack helicopters to Libya for the first time that the prospect of land operations in Libya was against Moscow’s wishes… a number of unsubstantiated reports based on anonymous military sources began flooding the Internet claiming that US forces were already being readied for a full-scale ground invasion of Libya… [in] October.
“Whether it is part of a future invasion plan or not, the existence of a recently re-deployed US Navy strike group in the Mediterranean cannot be disputed… The group, led by the Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, along with the guided missile destroyers Truxtun and Mitscher, the missile cruisers Gettysburg and Anzio and eight squadrons of aircraft, has been sent to strengthen the US Sixth Fleet which is based in Naples, Italy. Most of the NATO missions in Libya to date have originated from bases in that country. If an invasion was being planned, the amount of naval firepower now available in the region would give more than adequate support for any land forces being deployed on Libyan soil.
“This is not the only US Navy strike group on the move. The USS Bataan, which alone can land more than 2,000 marines, equipped with helicopters and vertical takeoff planes, artillery and tanks, along with two other amphibious assault ships, anchored in Italy in mid-May. Reports suggest that the Bataan and its flotilla then left for an undisclosed location off the Syrian coast, prompting further rumors of a potential US intervention in Syria… However, while there is no documented evidence that suggests the US is planning to intervene in Syria, the presence of US warships in the vicinity – for whatever reason – … cannot be denied.”
In light of America’s domestic troubles and its feverish fascination with its Presidential elections in 2012, it may appear unlikely that the USA will get involved in another invasion of foreign countries, unless the Obama Administration may feel that such a move might increase its chances of winning the next election. In any event, the very idea that such an invasion might be possible raises grave concerns among America’s allies and foes alike. It also brings back into focus that even NATO’s current activities, especially as they pertain to Libya, seem to be in blatant violation of international law and the UN resolution authorizing limited military activities pertaining to Libya. Even though the warring Western parties don’t seem to be impressed by the restrictive demands of the law, it does not speak well about their unwillingness to abide by it and their alleged “noble cause” for fighting in Libya in the first place.
Iran’s Nuclear Plant to Start in August
The Associated Press reported on June 27:
“Moscow and Tehran signed a US$1 billion contract to build the 1,000-megawatt Bushehr plant in 1995, but delays… left the plant unfinished for years. Russian Deputy Foreign Ministry Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Monday that the plant is ‘completed’ and will start up in early August. The United States and some of its allies believe the plant is part of an Iranian attempt to develop nuclear weapons.”
The Guardian wrote on June 29:
“A senior Saudi Arabian diplomat and member of the ruling royal family has raised the spectre of nuclear conflict in the Middle East if Iran comes close to developing a nuclear weapon. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, warned senior Nato military officials that the existence of such a device ‘would compel Saudi Arabia to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences.’
“He did not state explicitly what these policies would be, but a senior official in Riyadh who is close to the prince said yesterday his message was clear. ‘We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don’t. It’s as simple as that,’ the official said. ‘If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, that will be unacceptable to us and we will have to follow suit’…
“Turki holds no official post in Saudi Arabia but is seen as an ambassador at large for the kingdom and a potential future foreign minister. Diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks and published by the Guardian last year revealed that King Abdullah, who has ruled Saudi Arabia since 2005, had privately warned Washington in 2008 that if Iran developed nuclear weapons ‘everyone in the region would do the same, including Saudi Arabia’…
“Turki also accused Iran of interfering in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and in the Gulf state of Bahrain…”
We have warned for quite some time that Iran pursues its nuclear activities with the intent to build a nuclear weapon and to use it in a war against Israel. Iran is getting closer and closer to its goal, and an explosion of the entire Middle Eastern powder keg would be the inevitable consequence.
Egypt’s Dilemma
Der Spiegel wrote on June 27:
“A new state is being born in Egypt in the wake of the revolution. While the old guard is battling to preserve its influence, scores of new parties are jockeying for power, including the Muslim Brotherhood, which is resorting to shrewd tactics in a bid to cement its political clout… Five months after Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for 30 years with a single political party and a clique of corrupt corporate leaders, stepped down at the age of 83, Egypt’s population of some 80 million is mired in a political swamp. It is hard to discern the democratic reforms, the long-overdue improvement in living conditions and the more equitable social order that Egyptian protestors longed for. ‘It’s business as usual,’ wrote the popular weekly newspaper Al-Fagr (The Dawn) in a resigned commentary. ‘The old powers are still in control.’
“Very few of Egypt’s key government decision-makers have had to give up their posts. Only a handful of prominent officials… were replaced. Security also leaves much to be desired. Crime is rife due to a lack of police operations. Unknown gangs have meticulously dismantled and stolen some 300 kilometers of train track along an important route across the Suez Canal towards Palestine and Israel…
“Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood is making headway in its campaign in the villages and city slums where imams are trying to persuade the faithful that everyone who denies the party of the Muslim Brotherhood his vote is betraying Islam…”
Politico reported on June 30:
“The U.S. has decided to formally resume contact with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood group – which does not recognize Israel… One senior U.S. official said the Brotherhood’s rise in political prominence… makes the American contact necessary… The decision to resume contact with the Muslim Brotherhood group may worry members of the Jewish community and Israeli officials, Reuters reported. Politico… wrote yesterday about the increasing anxiety of center-left Jewish Democrats who are losing faith in Obama, most recently because of the speech in which he called for the country’s 1967 borders to be the basis for peace talks, with ‘land swaps.’”
The whole idea of Egypt’s fight for real change and true democracy was, sadly, nothing else but an illusionary pipe dream. Egypt’s prophesied future does not look too promising.
Chinese-European Relationship
Deutsche Welle reported on June 27:
“Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao explained to his government that solving Europe’s debt crisis would be of great interest to China. Hong Lei of the Chinese Foreign Office stated that ‘China is ready to help European countries now and in the future.’ He explained further that some measures to boost economic cooperation have already been taken; for example, China has started buying EU bonds… China’s foreign exchange reserves of over $3 billion (around 2.1 billion euros) are the largest in the world. One fourth of these are in euros. According to official Chinese statements, China has already bought up debt from euro countries for billions of dollars since April alone…
“Thirteen Chinese ministers are accompanying Wen Jiabao for the first round of German-Chinese government consultations in Berlin. For China, this is a completely new form of cooperation… [Germany’s Chancellor Angela] Merkel still takes every opportunity she gets to talk to the Chinese government about human rights. Though the Chinese have always patiently listened to her, it has never seemed to have any effect.”
The Telegraph wrote on June 27:
“…while the Chinese media will sell any intervention [to save the euro] as a grand favour to impoverished Europe, it is worth remembering that Europe remains China’s biggest export market. And with the latest surveys indicating that Chinese factories have slowed to almost flat growth, China needs Europe to keep on buying its goods or face difficulties in what remains one of the key pillars of its economy. China may be the world’s fastest-growing major economy, but it still needs moribund old Europe.”
Der Spiegel added on June 27:
“Beijing recently published a report praising cooperation between the two countries [China and Germany]. From bank regulation to research, technology and youth exchange programs, the ‘strategic partnership’ with Germany is more extensive than with any other European nation…”
Deutsche Welle wrote on June 28:
“As Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao wrapped up his European visit in Berlin on Tuesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany intended to boost trade with China to at least 200 billion euros ($283.8 billion) in the next five years… Trade between the world’s number two economy, China, and Germany, at number four, currently stands at 130 billion euros annually. The Chinese premier followed Merkel’s announcement by asserting China’s confidence in the eurozone. ‘It’s true that right now some European Union countries are encountering economic problems. These are, however, of a temporary nature,’ he told the business forum. The European Union is ‘strong enough to master the current challenges,’ he added.”
The close interdependent relationship between Europe and China is one more reason why the euro will not fail, as both power blocs cannot afford such an occurrence. However, just to give an example of the absolute nonsense and irresponsible misinformation which is being circulated, note what the British Express wrote on June 27:
“Rumours are also rife in Germany that Deutsche Mark bank notes are being printed again in preparation for ditching the euro. It is said Germany’s central bank, the Bundesbank, has been ordered to print marks as part of contingency plans to leave Europe’s single currency.”
Of course, there is absolutely no verifiable truth to this statement, and no shred of evidence is offered for such irresponsible reporting, but the tragedy is that gullible people tend to believe just about anything that seems to support their false paradigms and wishful thinking.
“Berlin’s Dance with the Dragon”… German Press Concerned About China’s Influence
The Local wrote on June 29:
“Newspapers, regardless of their political stripes, were all but unanimous in expressing concern about the danger of too-great China’s influence in Germany and Europe after Chinese premier Wen Jiabao travelled to the region this week. Some bemoaned the lack of a united European policy on China, allowing the emerging Asian giant to use its considerable economic lure – and bulging wallet – to more easily influence each country individually… while Germany sees business and trade as purely economic issues, China sees them strategically…
“Populist mass-circulation Bild newspaper wrote that China offers great business opportunities – but also poses a giant risk… ‘China is not a democracy, nor a country with the rule of law, nor a free market economy, distance and mistrust remain essential… Germany and Europe must remain true to themselves…’
“The centre-left Süddeutsche Zeitung lamented the fact that there was no common European policy on China… The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung criticized the fact that Europe sees China only through the lenses of business and human rights… China’s purchase of the stricken bonds of debt-ridden European nations was not done from the goodness of its heart, the paper wrote. Europe’s increasing dependence on China would make criticism of its human rights record harder…
“The left-wing Tageszeitung wrote that the great love-in between the German cabinet and Wen’s entourage of ministers masked the realities of China: a paranoid communist party that is cracking down on media and strengthening its network of spies while using business to further its political aims. The paper noted that an advisor to the Chinese Foreign Ministry had recently put it this way: The Chinese were ‘interested in a strategic vision and a global perspective. Europe by contrast seems to believe that it is more important how many planes are sold and how many contracts are signed.’”
EU Pressures Greece
The EUObserver wrote on June 28:
“…the European Commission has warned Greek deputies that if they do not vote the right way, then ‘everything changes’ as to whether ‘EU solidarity continues’… EU economics commissioner Olli Rehn said there are only two options for the country: pass the mid-term package or default… He refused to answer whether a country can default and still be a member of the Eurozone…
“The austerity has provoked furious country-wide resistance to the measures. A two-day general strike [instigated by communists and labor and trade unions, and supported by anarchists, according to Der Spiegel and Deutsche Welle] was launched on Tuesday.”
BBC News wrote on June 29:
“The Greek parliament has voted in favour of a drastic package of austerity measures intended to save the country from defaulting on its debts. The proposed tax hikes and spending cuts have been deeply unpopular with the Greek public. A nationwide 48-hour strike is under way and violent clashes are continuing in the streets of the capital, Athens… Top EU officials welcomed the result as a ‘vote of national responsibility’, saying it had pulled Greece away from the ‘very grave scenario of default’ while paving the way for a second aid package.”
In response to the Greek vote, Bild Online wrote: “The euro has been saved.” Deutsche Welle quoted Angela Merkel as saying the vote was “both an important step for the future of Greece and for the stability of the euro. We, the European Union, stand ready to help.”
According to Bild Online, the Greek Parliament approved detailed laws pertaining to austerity measures in a second vote on June 30. The paper wrote: “Now it is done!” It also stated: “As a consequence, the market reacted positively and relieved, and the value of the euro rose and reached a level of 1.45 towards the U.S. dollar.”
Animal Sacrifices—A Foretaste of What Is to Come…
BBC News reported on June 28:
“The Dutch lower house of parliament has passed a law effectively banning the ritual slaughter of animals… The legislation states that all animals must be stunned before being killed. But the Islamic dhabiha and Jewish shechita methods of ritual slaughter require them to be fully conscious… debate over the matter swiftly became a focus of animosity towards the Netherlands’ 1.2 million-strong Muslim community. The country’s Jewish population is comparatively small at 50,000.
“Following months of debate a last minute concession was offered – the Muslim and Jewish communities will have a year to provide evidence that animals slaughtered by traditional methods do not experience greater pain than those that are stunned before they are killed. However, observers say finding such proof will be virtually impossible. The bill must still be approved by the upper house of parliament before it can become law… In a rare show of unity, the Muslim and Jewish communities condemned the legislation and said it infringed on their religious freedom.
“‘One of the first measures taken during the Occupation [by Nazi Germany during World War II] was the closing of kosher abattoirs,’ Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs told MPs during a debate in The Hague… To make meat kosher for Jews or halal for Muslims, animals must be slaughtered while still awake, by swiftly cutting the main arteries and veins in their necks with sharp knives, and then allowing the blood to drain out.”
This is an interesting foretaste of what IS going to happen in the Holy Land. The Bible is very specific that the Jews will start bringing sacrifices again in Jerusalem, and the future United States of Europe, under German leadership, will intervene and forcefully forbid such sacrifices.
IMF Confirms Lagarde as Strauss-Kahn Successor
Deutsche Welle reported on June 29:
“French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has been named as the new head of the International Monetary Fund… replacing her countryman Dominique Strauss-Kahn who was forced to step down from the post in May after becoming embroiled in a sexual assault case in the United States…
“The 24-member IMF board appointed Lagarde, 55, by consensus to a five-year term beginning July 5. Earlier Tuesday, she had won the backing of the United States, which carries the most votes within the board. A host of Asian, African, European and Latin American nations also threw their weight behind her for the role, which traditionally has gone to a European…
“Lagarde was the first woman to head the French Finance Ministry, the first female finance minister in a G8 country and is now the first woman to lead the IMF. She received strong support for her candidacy, backed not only by French President Nicolas Sarkozy but also by members of the OECD from Britain, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands. Germany had also expressed support for her… Lagarde also received backing from Russia and China, despite the fact that the latter would have preferred a candidate from the emerging economies take the job, rather than another European…
“Like Sarkozy, she wants the IMF to develop into a type of global economic governance organization. The contacts she’s made during her career in the international economic and financial world could help realize this aim.”
Der Spiegel Online commented that “’Convinced European’ Christine Lagarde Takes Over.” Lagarde’s intensions to bring about a global economic government are also quite interesting in light of biblical prophecies, as contained in the 18th chapter of the book of Revelation.
Nuclear Threats in the USA
CNN reported on June 29:
“The manager of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant and his colleagues are bent on dispelling rumors about… a meltdown… Still, there is a genuine crisis at the plant. Floodwaters from the swollen Missouri River have engulfed this facility… The buildings housing the reactor core, the spent fuel rods and other crucial components are protected by small levees and aqua-berms. But outside those barriers, the water is at least 2 feet above ground level…
“Officials did not allow journalists directly into the rooms housing the reactor core and the spent fuel rods…”
Reuters reported on June 29:
“New Mexico fire managers scrambled on Tuesday to reinforce crews battling a third day against an out-of-control blaze at the edge of one of the nation’s top nuclear weapons production centers. The fire’s leading edge burned to within a few miles… of a dump site where some 20,000 barrels of plutonium-contaminated waste is stored at the Los Alamos National Laboratory…
“Established during World War Two as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb, it remains one of the leading nuclear arms manufacturing facilities in the United States. Nuclear Watch New Mexico said on its website its greatest concern was for the 20,000 55-gallon sealed drums of plutonium-tainted waste stored at one corner of the complex, some stacked in the open on asphalt, some in tents, some buried underground…
Of course, we are being told that no real danger exists. But in light of the continuing lies permeating from Japan’s nuclear power plant fiasco, who is really willing to believe those “reassuring” words any longer? In any event, we should be able to see the potential dangers that nuclear power plants pose for mankind.
