INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL PULSE

Bush to be sworn in with same Bible used by Washington - The true story!

NEW YORK - The Bible used to swear in the first President George W. - George Washington - will be used to swear in George W. Bush. The 1767 King James Bible also was used at the inaugurations of Presidents George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Dwight Eisenhower and Warren Harding. St. John's Masonic lodge of New York City has owned the Bible for 200 years and offers it for every inauguration. President Clinton opted to use his grandmother's. The book is so fragile that not even Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist - who administers the oath - is allowed to touch it. It's held on a red cushion.(1)

Not So Fast Says Ed Decker

Ed Decker states in his newsletter "An act of God - Saturday's wet weather - prevented President Bush from being sworn in with the historic Bible used to administer the oath of office to his father and to the nation's first President. With a persistent drizzle and temperatures hovering around 30, the 1767 King James Bible that George Washington placed his left hand on was deemed too fragile to brave the elements. "At the last minute, because of the weather, it was decided the chance of it getting wet was too great," said John Mountain, of St. John's Masonic Lodge on 23rd St. in Manhattan, which houses the Bible. Instead, Bush was sworn in on a family Bible.. Rev. Franklin Graham delivering his prayer during the Inaugural Prayer Service for President George W. Bush at the Washington National Cathedral received a whole page in Ed's Newsletter.

In case you are wondering were we stand? We stand with the Bible: "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2) Jesus said the Satan would be so deceptive that even the elite could be deceived. According to the Bible, Satan is in control of the weather. Otherwise we could blame every tornado on God.

President Bush is a member of the United Methodist Church, a member of the ecumenical, liberal World Council of Churches. The United Methodist Church has an Office for the United Nations. Don't be surprised at his decisions where the "Faith-based Agenda" comes into play.

(1) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SeattleTimes.woa/wa/gotoArticle?zsection_id=26844
8413&text_only=0&slug=money19&document_id=134261313
 

Thundering On The Metroliner With George Washington's Inaugural Bible

 
Jan. 19 -- We're going 125 miles an hour.
WASHINGTON POST STAFF WRITER Saturday, January 20, 2001: George Washington's 1789 inaugural Bible, encased in a battered brown leather satchel, sits on the floor of a passenger compartment on Amtrak Train No. 113. It is between the legs of a guy named Paul Magnotta, who is delivering it to Washington, D.C., to be used Saturday in the inauguration of George W. Bush as 43rd president of the United States.

Across the rain-slick industrial flats of New Jersey, through the gentle Delaware woodlands, this elegant King James Bible makes its way along almost the same route that the first president-elect followed in reverse 212 years ago in his nine-day journey from Mount Vernon by horseback and carriage to be inaugurated April 30 in New York City, the first capital of the new democracy.

At every town, Washington was greeted by cheering crowds, fireworks, ceremonial cannon-fire. Women strewed garlands in his path. For his entry into Philadelphia, he mounted a white steed. "Philadelphia, 30th Street, next stop!" the conductor announces now. People hoist their bags, ready to detrain. Outside, all is gray and wet.

The guy in the seat in front of the Bible is reading a Penguin paperback, the guy behind is typing on a laptop and making cell phone calls. Neither is aware that George Washington's inaugural Bible, which was at the center of such a primary event in their nation's history, is here. Magnotta, a 47-year-old commercial cleaning products salesman, has been entrusted with the historic Bible by virtue of his position as master of St. John's Lodge No. 1, A.Y.M., Free and Accepted Masons -- the New York outfit that owns it. At the moment, he's tucking into a Thai Chicken Wrap sandwich and a bag of Garden of Eatin' Red Hot Blues, which he is washing down with a couple of bottles of Samuel Adams.

He's shooting the breeze -- about auto transmissions, French cooking, Hemingway, you name it -- with two of his brother Masons who are also part of the Bible detail, printing company executive Jules Garfunkel and airline ticket agent John Mountain. Magnotta also does a fair imitation of Brando in "The Godfather." All are in spiffy business suits. Magnotta is a burly guy who looks like he could defend the Bible if need be.

"My foot is up against it," he says with a grin, referring to the fact that, while transporting this priceless document, he always has either direct physical contact with it or keeps it close by and in his direct line of sight. "It's kind of like a living thing," he muses. "It has a life of its own. It's as if George Washington is with us right now."

Magnotta plans to be nearby and keeping a close watch Saturday when Bush places his left hand on the ornate antique Bible -- plus a family Bible -- scheduled to be held by his wife, Laura, and raises his right hand to take the oath. (Both Bibles were used in the 1988 inauguration of the incoming president's father, George Herbert Walker Bush; the Washington Bible was also used by Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter.)

Magnotta is a bit concerned, however. "They have me scheduled to leave it on the platform, but that's not going to happen," he confides, speaking of the carefully choreographed plans of the Bush inaugural committee. "I'm not leaving it out on the platform, especially if the weather's not good. I want to stay in close proximity where I feel I can get to it with a good jump if, God forbid, anything happens."

Magnotta hopes he'll be allowed to come out with the ornate, nine-pound, red leather-bound tome on its red velvet pillow at the appropriate moment, hand it to Laura Bush or "whoever is going to hold it, and then take it back safely inside right after the oath." This, he realizes, needs to be negotiated on arrival in Washington. "The inaugural committee doesn't understand," he says cheerfully. "They think of this as a nice little novelty."

The Washington Bible was at the center of a small -- you could even think, in retrospect, somewhat humorous -- screw-up that delayed the nation's first inauguration. The great man -- beloved by most of his 4 million countrymen and elected by a unanimous vote of the Electoral College -- had landed in lower Manhattan April 23, 1789, from an elaborately decorated barge rowed across New York Harbor by 13 pilots from the New York Maritime Society.

He was greeted by a cheering throng of thousands. Inauguration Day, April 30, began with church bells ringing and a huge gathering outside Federal Hall, located just across Wall Street from where the New York Stock Exchange is today. Washington -- "dressed," according to one account, "in a suit of brown broadcloth of American manufacture, to indicate his support for American industries and his belief that he was taking office as a civilian rather than as the former commander in chief of the Continental Army" -- was escorted to Federal Hall in a dignified military procession.

After some to-do inside, Washington and Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, New York's highest-ranking judge, accompanied by Vice President John Adams, New York Gov. George Clinton and members of the House and Senate -- stepped out on the balcony of Federal Hall. The crowd roared. Livingston prepared to administer the oath of office, the words of which are contained in the Constitution. Suddenly, Livingston and Washington realized that nobody had thought to bring a Bible for the ceremony.

Whoops. Swearing on the Bible wasn't constitutionally mandated, but it was unthinkable not to. Hastily, Jacob Morton, master of the St. John's Masonic Lodge, went for the Bible in the lodge rooms, located at "the old coffee house" on Wall Street, according to a Masonic account of what happened. Most of the participants in the ceremony, including Washington, were members of the fraternal and charitable organization.

(Washington was a Mason most of his adult life, and master of the lodge in Alexandria. At the time, the fellowship also included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Ben Franklin. Later, Harry Truman was among a dozen U.S. presidents who were members. Thurgood Marshall was a member, as was Hubert Humphrey, Gene Autry, Al Jolson, Davy Crockett, Barry Goldwater, George M. Cohan -- and Beethoven. (The Bushes, according to Garfunkel, are not.)

The Bible itself, published in London in 1767, is complete with the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha, supplemented with historical, astronomical and legal data from the period, plus 103 steel engravings and two foldout maps. When it arrived on the balcony, Washington -- with one hand upon it and the other over his heart, as a later famous painting may or may not have correctly portrayed the scene -- repeated the oath of office "in a loud, firm voice," according to one noncontemporaneous account. "He then added, 'So help me God,' and bent forward to kiss the Bible."

Livingston shouted, "Long live George Washington, president of the United States!" and everyone went nuts.
(Whether Washington actually added "So help me God" to the oath is not supported by any eyewitness accounts, according to Philander D. Chase, editor of the Papers of George Washington project at the University of Virginia. "He may have said those words," Chase said.) After the swearing-in, Washington went inside to read his -- and the new country's -- first inaugural address in the Senate chamber.

"It was a very touching scene," one eyewitness wrote, "and quite of the solemn kind. His aspect grave, almost to sadness, his modesty, actually shaking, his voice deep, a little tremulous, and so low as to call for close attention."
He spoke of "the sacred fire of liberty," of the great "experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." He endorsed the new Constitution, and even promised not to try and push Congress around...

Early yesterday morning, Magnotta and his brother Masons made their way to Federal Hall in lower Manhattan -- constructed in the last century on nearly the same site as the original, which was torn down in 1812 and the scrap sold for $425 -- to pick up the Bible from the plexiglass display case where it's kept on public display. It was a media zoo.

"Do it again!" shouted a photographer after a National Park Service ranger carefully lifted the Bible from its specially made, lined case and transferred it to the Masons in a dignified manner. They did it five times, with flashbulbs popping and cameras of the major networks rolling. Magnotta, Garfunkel and Mountain gave stand-up interviews.

Finally, it was time to catch the noon Metroliner and -- followed by the media mob and with Magnotta carrying the Bible like a Wall Street financial guy carrying an attache case in the lead -- they went out and got into a cab. Cabbie Augustus Gray, 49, told that he was transporting George Washington's inaugural Bible, commented with amazement: "Yeah?"..

Tonight, to have stayed at the downtown Marriott. Saturday, it will again play its own small part in the unfolding drama of American history.
 

Operation Blessing - 700 Club

 
OBI (Operation Blessing - 700 Club) Tackles Hunger in "Supper Bowl"
 
 
CBN.com - (January 20, 2001) Football fever is in the air!…as fans everywhere set their stakes on the biggest game of the year---the Super Bowl.
Even former Pittsburgh Steeler, Robin Cole, has his favorite:
"Well, we don't know who's going to win the Super Bowl...no one knows. But, I'm going with the Ravens!"
While this former pro football player has his mind set about the Super Bowl, he's got his heart involved in something else---the Supper Bowl.
Along with the help of 850 volunteers and 150 organizations and churches, the Supper Bowl is a festival sponsored by Operation Blessing (OBI) and Somebody Cares Tampa Bay, and is intended to bring the excitement of the Super Bowl to the low or no income community of Tampa, Florida.
Free sports clinics led by former professional athletes, a petting zoo, clowns, concerts, clothing, medical aid, and a distribution of 9,800 bags of groceries, made the 7th Annual Supper Bowl a truly monumental day!
"We've got four truck loads here---about 120,000 lbs.," said Bob Fanning, Executive Director of OBI. "We've got fresh produce, we've got candy, we've got grapes, we've got pasta, we've got cereal."
Dan Bernard, President of Somebody Cares Tampa Bay said, "We have 175 businesses, corporations, churches, ministries and government agencies out here working together. It's a real infiltration of the body of Christ into the at-large Tampa Bay area."
Devon Terry, a young man who was receiving help and volunteering said, "If it weren't for the Lord, I wouldn't be here today---and I thank God for that. And I thank God for the food, and for helping all the people on welfare and stuff!"
Recipient, Verdell Grant, commented, "I got medicine for my children now! I don't have to worry about getting no medicine for them…and I have my diabetes checked free!"
Over 850 people teamed up to bring the love of Christ to people like Verdell. Partner, Dan Hilton joined in the Supper Bowl festivity…
"What I'm receiving is a lot of personal satisfaction being able to, in my small way, help others."
When you partner with CBN and Operation Blessing in events like the Supper Bowl, you're bringing joy and relief to countless people struck with poverty and grief. You're helping to change lives forever with the love of Jesus Christ---and as an example, during this year's Supper Bowl, as many as 2,500 attendees were saved! Praise God!
Please give generously to CBN and help ministries like Operation Blessing, WorldReach, the National Counseling Center and the 700 Club to name a few.
For you football fans...here's a recap of last year's Supper Bowl highlights, along with last September's event with the San Francisco 49ers:
OBI Supper Bowl 2000 in Atlanta
Last year's Operation Blessing's Supper Bowl took place in Atlanta, Georgia. Events like these can only happen through the generosity of our donors.
Though winter had hit Turner Field on Saturday, over 3,000 attendees and volunteers showed up to receive and distribute food. At this event, 9,000 grocery bags were handed out, and over 100,000 pounds of food were given to those in need.
This one-day community festival also included health screening and free dental services, youth sports clinics with professional athletes, games, music for less fortunate families during Super Bowl XXXIV activities. We are "an officially sanctioned event of the Metro Atlanta Super Bowl XXXIV Host Committee."
San Francisco 49ers Tackle Hunger With OBI's Hunger Strike Force!
(September 21, 2000) -- As millions of Americans glue themselves to the television this football season for the weekend pre-game shows, their favorite player might be one of many out helping OBI's Hunger Strike Force (HSF) tackle hunger!
Recently, HSF kicked off the first of four food distribution events with the San Francisco 49ers. Safeway Foods matched HSF's truckload of food with their own; together providing 57,000 pounds of food and hygiene items to the poor and needy of East Palo Alto, California.
In response to a door-to-door flyer distribution by community volunteers a week prior, 2,300 adults came to the distribution center at the 49ers' Academy. Each adult was laden with two bags full of items including potatoes, carrots, bagged salad, yogurt, cereal, canned items and assorted hygiene items. Seven-hundred children where treated to a bag of assorted toys and candy.
As if that weren't enough to bring smiles to the guests' faces, five 49er starting players including Ken Norton Jr., Brian Young and Junior Bryant as well as five cheerleaders worked alongside 150 volunteers, sharing encouragement, giving autographs, and smiling for pictures. Corporate executives from the 49ers, Safeway Foods, Fresh Express, Home Depot and BFI also rolled up their sleeves.
"The day was perfect; not a cloud in the sky," said Pam Erickson, OBI's Director Of Procurement & Corporate Relations. "The atmosphere was very festive and many guests expressed deep appreciation as well as gratitude for the assistance!"
More touchdowns for hunger relief will be done on October 7th in Oakland, California by HSF and the San Francisco 49ers, with two more events following. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers have also committed to participate in one food distribution event each during Thanksgiving week.

President Clinton authorized the United States to sign a treaty creating a permanent international criminal court to try war criminals.

No permanent tribunal ever created. Helms vows to fight pact.

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton authorized the United States on Sunday to sign a treaty creating a permanent international criminal court to try war criminals.

In a statement, Clinton said the United States affirmed its "strong support for international accountability and for bringing to justice perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity."

"The United States has a long history of commitment to the principle of accountability, from our involvement in the Nuremberg tribunals that brought Nazi war criminals to justice, to our leadership in the effort to establish the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda," the president said. "Our action today sustains that tradition of moral leadership."

The courts covering Bosnia and Rwanda are the only war-crimes tribunals currently functioning. There has never been a permanent international court to deal with war crimes. In 1998, the Rome Treaty created the International Criminal Court. It allowed nations to sign on to the treaty until December 31, 2000. More than 130 nations have signed the treaty, including most U.S. allies. Iran signed the treaty Sunday.

The parliaments of 27 nations have ratified the Rome Treaty; 60 governments are needed for the treaty to go into effect. Israel has an appointment with the United Nations to discuss the matter. North Korea, Libya, China and Iraq have not joined the treaty.

Clinton's decision [not in agreeement with] members of Congress and concerns from within the administration itself that the court would infringe on U.S. sovereignty and could lead to politically motivated prosecutions of U.S. military men and women.

"This institution could well put America in a position to be held hostage to blackmail, to threats based on our military presence around the world, our diplomatic efforts, our geopolitical economic interests," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, on Sunday. "I don't believe in any way it is in the interest of this country."

A senior Clinton administration official said the White House still has concerns, but decided to sign the treaty to "have a seat at the table" in negotiations about the court's structure and rules.

Helms vows to fight pact

Sen. Jesse Helms, R-North Carolina, has been a vocal critic of the treaty. A spokesman for Helms said he will "declare war" on the International Criminal Court and make it a priority in the next Congress to defeat ratification of the treaty in the Senate.

The issue is expected to come up during confirmation hearings for President- elect George W. Bush's Cabinet. [ Source: CNN Correspondent Kate Snow and Producer Beth Lewandowski contributed to this report. http://www.CNN.com/2000/US/12/31/war.tribunal/index.html]

 

In Gujarat, they burn TV, the `epicentre of evil'

 

BHUJ/SURAT, Muzamil Jaleel & Melvin Thomas - excerpt February 11, 2001 : In Teendarvaza, people took out their television sets and set them ablaze on the road to prevent recurrence of earth quakes. Around 24 sets had already been destroyed. Two moulvis of the area had asked the people to destroy their TV sets which are spreading obscenity and immorality in the society and thus attracting God's wrath. Moulvi Imtiyaz and Mufti Rouf had addressed a prayer gathering in Khajori Vali masjid where they had asked the people to desist from "all immoral activities if they wanted the quakes to stop." ..

Scores of Muslim families destroyed television sets on Saturday night. Maulana Syed Khalil Ahmed Randeri in Surat had blamed television programmes at a religious congregation held in the Rani Talav area. ``This (the earthquake) clearly indicates Allah's anger on humankind. Television is the epicentre of all evil,'' he had said. Soon, people in the Chowk Bazar, Saudagarwad, Rander, and Patni Colony areas began to destroy television sets. Some threw them out on the street. Some smashed them with rods at street corners. Some put them on fire. [Source: http://www.indian-express.com/ie/daily/20010212/ina12027.html ]  

China And Russia Move Closer On Treaty - How Does The U.S. Fit Into This?

United by a desire to counter the United States' pre-eminence in world affairs and its plans to build a missile defence shield, China and Russia are negotiating their first political treaty since an ill- fated peace and friendship pact at the outset of the Cold War. China's top foreign policy official, Mr Qian Qichen, confirmed last week that negotiations were taking place but sought to play down Western concerns that they would constitute a big step in Beijing's improving security ties with Moscow. "It will not be an alliance," he said. [Source:http://www.smh.com.au/news/0101/15/world/world6.html]

"The United States does not understand the real nature of relations between the Russian and Communist Chinese leaders. Washington believes that a geniune improvement took place in relations in the 1980s between the Chinese and Gorbachev and Yeltsin. I see these contacts as evidence that 'perestroika' in Russia did not take the Chinese by surprise, that they have a complete understanding of the realties behind it and that their strategic cooperation with the Russians continues as it has done since the late 1950s through now with open acknowledgement of their good relations. The United States views the Russian sale of complete factories and new weapons systems to the Chinese as dictated by Russian desire to ease their current economic difficulties. To my way of thinking it amounts to the deliberate transfer of advanced technology to an old and trusted ally.

"...Because of the failure of Western policymakers to understand Sino- Russian strategy particularly since the launching of 'perestroika', I fear that there is a real chance of the Russian and Chinese leaders succeeding in carrying through their strategy of convergence with the West in the next ten years or so." [Source: [Anatoliy Golitsyn in a memorandum to the CIA dated February 1993; "The Perestroika Deception," pp 159, 161.]

NOTE: An interesting bit recently was that Russia wants to build a tunnel to the U.S. via Alaska. We don't have the backup for it. Just have accumulated too much information and lose track of some of it. Next came the following issue which fits right in. In the recent C-SPAN televised CFR meeting it was stated that the European Union is aligning with Russia due to depleting energy in Europe. Africa is not a viable resource. It is disintegrating according to the CFR. This fact will bring a longstanding plan by the unseens to the front of merging the U.S. with Russia to gain access to all their minerals and resources.

[NOTE: We just received a new tape: AmerRuss by Texe Marrs which details plans of US merging with Russia by way of Alaska.]

Iraq to Donate $94 Million to Poor Americans


REUTERS - January 15, 2001 - BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government, at a meeting chaired by President Saddam Hussein, Monday agreed to donate 100 million euros ($94 million) to poor Americans, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) said. "The cabinet decided, on humanitarian grounds, to allocate 100 million euros to be distributed to poor Americans," INA said, adding an Iraqi commission would be formed to supervise distribution of the money.

It said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan would be notified of the donation. INA said there were 30 million people living below the poverty line in the United States -- Iraq's sworn enemy. Iraq is under a United Nations humanitarian program to relieve its population from the effects of economic sanctions imposed over the country's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Baghdad's proceeds from oil sales are used to buy food, medicine and other essential goods under U.N. monitoring. Last month, Saddam pledged one billion euros to Palestinians to aid their uprising against Israeli occupation. ($1-1.062 Euro) [Source: http://news.excite.com/news/r/010115/11/news-iraq-usa-dc ]

 

Britain & Germany Keep Lid on Pact Talks

 

Tony Blair and Gerhard Schröder imposed a news blackouton discussions last night over forging a new Anglo-German alliance within the EU. With closer links between Berlin and London likely to result in a downgrading of Germany's ties with France, the leaders decided that the agenda was too delicate to make public. A short, pre-dinner question-and-answer session for journalists at Mr Schröder's Berlin home was abruptly cancelled yesterday.

According to both governments, the meeting was merely a routine, private get-together. But Germany is keen to explore the possibility of building closer links with EU nations other than its old partner, France, in the aftermath of last month's acrimonious summit in Nice. Mr Schröder was furious at France's refusal to make sacrifices of its own national interests in the name of European integration. Britain has since been mooted as a new potential partner for Berlin or member of a "tripartite alliance" with Germany and France. British officials denied that there was any deliberate move to weaken German ties with Paris. (The London Telegraph)

* Gerhard Schröder and Tony Blair, both suffering from Cabinet losses, tried to devise a formula yesterday that could turn Europe into a vote- winner rather than loser. The Prime Minister, perhaps bruised by the Mandelson affair, seemed to be almost allergic to the press and refused even to make a bland statement when he turned up for dinner in Berlin. The German leader tried to relax the plainly tense Prime Minister with jocular small talk. “That,” he said of a large abstract painting on the wall of his living room, “is not a portrait of the current situation in Germany.”

Mr Blair was once something of a mentor to Herr Schröder, helping to shape him as a modernising Social Democrat. The crucial part in the British education of the German leader was played by Peter Mandelson, who, in a joint strategy paper with Bodo Hombach, set out the contours of the Anglo- German relationship in Europe. Neither Mr Mandelson nor Herr Hombach (banished to a Balkans fundraising job in Brussels after a house-purchase scandal) was present in Berlin.

Insiders said that Mr Mandelson was present in spirit, for the 2 leaders found common ground on the Mandelsonian question: “How do we give more democratic legitimacy to Europe?” The Chancellor was using his dinner with Mr Blair as a launch-pad for his “post-Nice agenda”, supposed to steer Europe towards a constitutional conference in 2004. The Germans want a legally binding document that shares out the responsibilities of Europe between Brussels, national governments and the regions. [Nothing wrong with this, is there?] The British Government is sympathetic to a document that lays out future competencies and states the general principles of the new Europe, but is wary about how this should be anchored in law.

The Prime Minister is enthusiastic about any reform that enhances the democratic credential of the euro in a future referendum campaign. Herr Schröder, whose partial conversion to a federalist vision is relatively recent, also knows that only boosting the democratic image of the EU will guard him against criticism in next year’s general election. This election will coincide with the introduction of the euro as an over-the-counter currency and with the final (and most delicate) stages before eastward enlargement. Both issues leave him vulnerable to attack from his most likely rival, Edmund Stoiber, the Bavarian Prime Minister.

Herr Schröder, who will meet President Chirac of France and Lionel Jospin, the French Prime Minister, tomorrow, has called for a new definition of the Franco-German relationship. The Chancellor is aware that the balance of advantage in this relationship has shifted towards the Germans. His proposals for a more tightly integrated Europe are designed in part to reassure Paris that Germany is not seeking a Germandominated Europe. But the proposals are out of step with the French mood, which has become deeply suspicious of German initiatives.

Yet the Anglo-German relationship has also been shifting. In the summer of 1998 Mr Blair met Herr Schröder privately in the British Ambassador’s residence in Bonn. The Chancellor’s campaign was thus blessed and given gentle help by Blairite missionaries. The British influence on Herr Schröder has since shrunk. Although both leaders seem to be suffering similar problems, the Chancellor is at an earlier stage of his ruling cycle. (The London Times)

 

President Bush Bows Out Of Peace Processes

 

Tampa Tribune - February 25, 2001 - Bush departed from former President Clinton, a close Blair friend, saying he would take a hands-off approach to peace efforts in Northern Irelland... They agreed to support establishing a European defense force, as long as it enhances NATO's capacity in "peacekeeping" and other missions.

 

Franco - German Division

 

The strains in Franco-German relations reflect personal differences as well as profound changes within Europe

The venue has been chosen with great care. President Jacques Chirac of France and Lionel Jospin, his prime minister, will sit down to dinner on Wednesday night with Gerhard Schröder in an exclusive country restaurant not far from Strasbourg on the Franco-German border. It is secluded, intimate and in the heart of Alsace, the French region where the cultures of the 2 countries are most closely intertwined. The speciality of the chef - choucroute au poisson, sauerkraut with fish, reflects that history.

The significance of the gathering is matched only by its sensitivity. The postwar partnership between France and Germany, on which the EU was founded, is once more under strain. The meeting is informal and no agenda has been set but both sides are acutely aware of the need to revive their relationship. Yet the chances of a breakthrough with any sort of joint initiative are decidedly slim. "They will be walking on eggshells," according to one adviser.

Officials on both sides and close observers of the Franco-German alliance reject suggestions that it is dying - or indeed already dead. They insist that without a close understanding between Paris and Berlin, continuing development of the EU and its enlargement to embrace the emerging democracies of central and eastern Europe could grind to a halt. They declare their determination to make it work well once again. But they scarcely seek to disguise the present divide.

"It is true that both sides have taken positions on the basis of their national interests that were not identical," said Pierre Moscovici, the French minister for Europe, in a weekend interview with Der Spiegel, the German magazine. He cited their clash over financing the agriculture policy at the 1999 EU summit in Berlin and their latest quarrel over their respective voting weights at last month's European summit in Nice. "Undoubtedly, that has weakened the EU," he admitted, "for our partners have got used to France and Germany pulling in the same direction."

Behind the growing divide lie personal factors, the complex chemistry between today's leaders and the political pressures of domestic politics - especially in France, where authority is divided between a socialist government and a conservative head of state. At the same time, there have been much deeper structural changes in Germany, France and the EU. Yet it would be wrong to see the relationship as one that has been harmonious for decades only to deteriorate under the stewardship of Mr Chirac and Mr Schröder.

"Franco-German relations have always been difficult," says Anne-Marie Le Gloannec of the Centre Marc Bloch, a Berlin think-tank. "There were psycho-dramas throughout the '70s, with each side having great panics about what the other was up to. The difference is that now there is no psycho-drama. The brain scan is flat." One senior French diplomat puts it slightly differently. "Traditionally, France and Germany were in opposite corners on almost every issue. So it was only when we agreed that it was possible for everyone to agree and reach a solution."

That was how it used to be. But the EU and its individual member states have changed since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Germany became much the largest country and economy in the EU, with a population of 82m against less than 60m apiece for the UK, France and Italy. Enlargement to include Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1994 tipped the voting balance away from the big countries in favour of more complex alliances of large and small. With the EU set to expand from its present 15 to at least 27 and probably more than 30 member states, that trend will become ever more pronounced.

But while Germany seems increasingly confident about the future, France's behaviour has become ever more querulous and unpredictable.At Nice, Mr Schroder allowed other member states to make his arguments for him, and barely insisted on extra votes to reflect Germany's larger population. Mr Chirac was the one who turned it into a serious confrontation. Their personal relationship has certainly soured an already difficult atmosphere. On one hand, the French president is notoriously undiplomatic. The chemistry was difficult when Helmut Kohl was German chancellor, although they were both conservatives. With Mr Schröder he shares neither politics nor temperament.

Unlike Mr Kohl, for whom a commitment to Europe was the essential price of German unification and a means to German rehabilitation, Mr Schröder bears no baggage from WW2; as Ms Le Gloannec puts it, he is interested in "a return on his investment". Mr Schröder showed it at the Berlin summit on the future financing of the EU when he demanded a cut in Germany's net budget contribution. But on that occasion he was thwarted by the opposition of Mr Chirac, who was determined to preserve the common agricultural policy for France.

The clash in Berlin laid the seeds for the confrontation in Nice. Some say that Mr Schroder was determined to have his revenge, and made no attempt to co-ordinate the French and German positions in advance. "It was obvious we would get a better deal with everyone around the table," according to one German negotiator. Both sides have been involved in bitter recriminations since. "Every statement the Germans make seems to be interpreted with a pro-European prejudice," says a senior French diplomat. "But the reality is that the Germans are pursuing positions close to their national interest. Germany did not make a single concession at Nice." (The Financial Times - Analysis)

 

Italians & French Cement New Alliance

 

As EU countries look for new partnerships after last month’s Nice summit, Italy and France yesterday put aside differences to forge a new alliance, agreeing to invest in new road and rail links. In talks at the Royal Palace in Turin President Chirac and Giuliano Amato, the Italian Prime Minister, agreed that the Mont Blanc tunnel would re-open in September, 2½ years after it closed after a disastrous fire. Italy, for which the Mont Blanc tunnel is a vital trade link with northern Europe, had pressed for it to re- open in June, but settled for a later date to allow for French delays over safety checks.

Rome also made a concession to Paris over plans for a new high-speed rail link between Turin and Lyons, agreeing to a start-up date of 2015, despite Italian environmental concerns. Gianni Agnelli, the head of Fiat, whose power has earned him the title “the uncrowned King of Italy”, said in an article written for the French newspaper Le Figaro that the transport links would cement “strong cohesion” between France and Italy.

Diplomats said that Italy was flattered to be courted by France and conscious of its potential role as a “medium-sized power with European clout” after the demise of the traditional Franco-German axis at the EU summit last month. “Both France and Britain find Italy an attractive ally,” one said. “It played a mediating role at Nice and, with the exception of immigration and protection of the Italian food industry, there are few European issues on which it takes an all-or-nothing stand.”

La Stampa of Turin said that Italy shared French concerns over German “preponderance” in Europe. It noted that Italy was also seeking an understanding with Britain in the post-Nice debate over how national voting should be re-weighted in an enlarged EU and had “always distrusted the Franco-German axis”.

Observers said it was significant that Francesco Rutelli, who on Sunday stepped down as Mayor of Rome to campaign as the Centre-Left’s candidate to succeed Signor Amato as Italy’s next Prime Minister in elections this spring, had made London his first port of call. Signor Rutelli is to hold talks with Tony Blair today, after his talks with Gerhard Schröder. Signor Rutelli, 46, who trades on his youth and good looks, hopes that a “Blair endorsement” will help him to close the gap on Silvio Berlusconi, the 64-year-old media tycoon and leader of the Italian Centre-Right, who is ahead in most of the opinion polls. (The London Times)

 

E.U. Alliances Under Strain

 

This week a series of top-level meetings among the leaders of Germany, France and Britain may give a clue to the direction of the Great Debate about Europe's future, which was launched at the EU summit in Nice last December. The UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, dined with the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, in Berlin on Monday, amid signs that Germany is reasserting itself as leader of a federal, integrated Europe.

And Mr Schroeder travels to Strasbourg on Wednesday for a meeting with Jacques Chirac aimed at patching up the 2 countries' "special relationship". That will be hard, since Germany and France now disagree openly about the way ahead. The Nice summit revealed the naked power play behind all the talk of idealism and common interests among the main players in the debate. Now each is staking out its own ground on Europe's battlefield of ideas. But Europe's media are seeing the meetings and speeches largely as a dialogue of the deaf, in which tempers are becoming badly frayed.

An influential member of the European Commission, the Dutchman Frits Bolkestein, has spoken of Europe's current "shifting alliances". But Mr Bolkestein himself deplores these shows of national rivalry. Many, like him, now fear that the Great Debate will give off more heat than light. A clash between Germany and Britain appears inevitable, after Chancellor Schroeder in recent days stepped up his rhetoric in favour of a formal constitution for the EU, and called for more integration among the EU states, which would further pare away the powers of its nation-states.

But the greatest danger for the project of a "united Europe" comes from the new Franco-German tensions. The French Government, shaken by Germany's new political assertiveness, questions Berlin's motives in seeking more supranational powers for the EU. And it fears German domination of central and eastern Europe. In an interview in the German news magazine Der Spiegel, the French Minister for Europe, Pierre Moscovici, pleaded for "a Europe of nations". He acknowledged the warning signs of a climate of mistrust between France and Germany, and said they must be nipped in the bud. Any open power rivalry between them, he said, would be "extremely dangerous for both, and disastrous for the European Union". (BBC - Analysis) [ Michael Turner mykelturner@airmail.net ]

 

Interview: Ziad Abu Zayyad - prohibit shofar blowing at Western Wall

IMRA - Aaron Lerner interviewed Jerusalem Palestinian Legislative Council representative, Ziad Abu Zayyad, in English, on December 31, 2000.

IMRA: You said today in an interview that the "Wailing Wall" or Western Wall is the Burak Wall and thus part of the Al Aqsa Mosque. What is the ramification of this position?

Zayyad: I would like to refer you to the case that was discussed in 1929. There was a dispute at that time and it was investigated by an international committee.

IMRA: As I recall the issue at the time was that the blowing of a shofar (ram's horn) at the Wall was seen as a problem.

Zayyad: Yes.

IMRA: Do you see the blowing of a shofar to be a problem in the future as well?

Zayyad: Yes. There was international intervention (to prohibit shofar blowing). My comment to you was that the committee determined that the wall was part of the mosque and was thus Wakf property.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director - IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis) imra@netvision.net.il
[ http://www.imra.org.il ]



Cairo meet as Egypt bars Israeli participation - EU Cancels Cairo Meeting

Anti-Israel Statements by the President of Syria

MEMRI - January 12, 2001 - Following are excerpts from President Bashar Al-Assad's remarks following his meeting with the new president of Pakistan:

"We, in Syria, remember with great appreciation Pakistan's positions toward Syria and the Arab nation throughout the Arab-Zionist conflict, a conflict that stems from Israel's aggression on Arab land. We especially appreciate Pakistan for refraining from recognizing Israel and from relations with it at the expense of the Arab nation."

"We stand by Pakistan in its just cause and hope that it will find proper solutions to its regional problems and challenges. The Arab Syrian people followed developments in Pakistan [i.e. the recent coup] with great empathy, in the hope that the Pakistani people - our brothers - will gain the power, the regional and international importance, and the prosperity to which they aspire. We hope that they will continue to support and defend the causes of the Islamic nation, and especially the sites that are holy to Islam and Christianity on the dear Palestinian land, and first and foremost, Jerusalem."

"The Arab-Zionist conflict is a struggle between truth and falsehood; between the spirit of tolerance and peace of Islam and the Zionist path of racism and aggression, as represented by Israel… It is a struggle between the desire for a peace based on justice and the granting of rights to their lawful owners, on the one hand, and the Israeli criminal aggression and barbaric crimes, on the other. Israel has been committing [these crimes], ever since it was [a bunch of] racist gangs; and it still commits them [now] that it is a state based on loathsome racist values and hatred towards Arabs and Islam."

"The Arab nation believed in resolving the conflict by a just and lasting peace based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the principle of land for peace. According to this principle, Israel will withdraw from the Arab-Syrian Golan to the June 4, 1967 lines, complete its withdrawal from Lebanese lands, free the Arab prisoners, and fully recognize the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state with Holy Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.".. (1)

(1) Syrian News Agency [SANA], January 7, 2001. Bashar Al-Assad said almost the same thing following his meeting the Chinese deputy foreign minister. Al-Safir (Lebanon), January 11, 2001. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)

Are Israeli Citizens Prepared for War?

Taken from a Commentary: Winston MidEast Analysis & Commentary - February 13, 2001
".. Many individual communities have recently assumed the responsibility for upgrading their defensive weapons and training. In coordination with the Army, they have evaluated their inventories, listed what is needed and proceeded to raise funds from outside the country to supply the night vision, rifle scopes, generators, lights, binoculars, communications and medical emergency needs.

Various Leftist governments made stripping Israelis civilians of their weapons one of their top priorities. Conversely, they have allowed Arafat to smuggle in top quality weapons, including long range telescopic sights for sniping from distances. Israelis are not allowed to bring in really long range scopes or night vision scopes because the Left has passed laws prohibiting importation of such equipment except for military use. The military has been trying to provide arms to some of the settlements but it is mostly old equipment with insufficient ammunition. They cannot go against Labor’s orders.

Except for individual communities’ initiatives, there has been little or no effort to equip or train civilians - even to walk guard patrols like the Shomrim of past pioneering days. At this time, in the February 6th elections Arik Sharon was elected by 25% margin due to the specific failure of Ehud Barak to protect the Israeli people. Saddam Hussein is threatening to send missiles with atomic, biological or chemical warheads and increasing the possibility of war on Israel’s borders. The Barak government never even called on Israelis to clean out their bomb shelters or safe rooms. (This was due to his personal political considerations so as to not further alarm the voters during the election campaign.)..

If there are successful attacks on the civilian population then, clearly, Barak, Peres, Beilin and all those who collaborated on the plan to disarm the civilian population .. would be directly responsible for whatever murders or maiming due to the planned vulnerabilities of the people at large and for whom they are responsible.. in order to advance their fraudulent ‘peace process’?

They have encouraged and accelerated Arafat’s war timetable. Now they do not want to carry the legacy of having incited the Arab nations into a full scale war, with catastrophic weapons of mass destruction. So they do what Labor has always done, namely, blame it on someone else. In this case, the fall guy is Arik Sharon, the newly elected Prime Minister.

Now that the Labor Left has put Israel into her worst military position since 1948, perhaps it is just as well that a real General was elected to save Israel once again. If there has to be a war, then clearly it is better in the hands of Arik Sharon than anyone like the Doves of Labor. And it is better that it begin with Israel holding as much land as she has now, rather than later when she has been forced to give away more land, strategic depth, water and Holy Sites...

There is much to accomplish to prepare Israel’s Army and civilian population for the war that Barak and crew have made inevitable by conceding so much strategic land that Israel has been tactically weakened. There is much to accomplish to undo the Arab world’s perception that Israel is weak. There is little time to do both. Arik. . .start NOW! [Source: gwinston@interaccess.com ]

Israel gives PA ''several days'' to end violence or risk massive attack

Weekend News Today - Fri Mar 2,2001 -- Israel has warned the Palestinian Authority of a massive attack unless it immediately ends the current insurgency campaign against the Jewish state. The warning gives the PA "several days" to crack down on the ruling Fatah party and Islamic militants. The Israeli message also rejected negotiations with the Palestinians before the halt of six-month-old mini-war, which has spread from the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Israel.

The message was also relayed to the United States, government sources said. They said Israel has sent several leading intelligence officers and defense officials to Washington to present evidence that PA Chairman Yasser Arafat is behind the current bombing campaign against Israel. "The most important aim is to return security to Israeli citizens and this is what we will do," Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon said.

The sources said Israel's military has drafted plans for a brief but massive attack on the West would cause PA to flee into exile. They said some of the military's plans have been approved by the government and that the capture of the PA could take a matter of hours.

U.N. Chief Annan calls for ''statesmanship and vision'' in the Middle East

Fri Mar 2,2001 -- Source: UN NEWS SERVICE [URL: http://www.un.org/News/dh/latest/page2.html#6]

With the Middle East peace process now facing a "particularly sensitive moment," Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged the parties in the region to exert effective leadership in order to prevent the violence from intensifying.

In an address to the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Annan voiced concern about the deteriorating situation on the ground. "Equally worrying has been the unravelling of the progress that had been made between Israelis and Palestinians in overcoming the mistrust and suspicion that had plagued their relationship for decades and in moving forward towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace," he said.

The Secretary-General urged the parties to exercise maximum caution and restraint to prevent a further escalation of the violence "which could have very serious consequences for the entire region." "This is a time for statesmanship and vision, if ever there was one," Mr. Annan told the Committee. He called on the parties to preserve the gains achieved so far and to move ahead towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.

Arafat prepared to flee to Baghdad

 

February 22, 2001 - [Jerusalem Post] Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat may flee to Baghdad with his close associates if violence in the territories continues to escalate. Arafat has not paid his staff for two months and Palestinian opposition figures are gaining influence among the general population, according to Jane's Foreign Report.

The Palestinian leader sent some of his senior advisers to Baghdad last month, ostensibly to discuss general Iraqi support for the Palestinians. This visit was reportedly also used to make arrangements for a potential evacuation. One of the emmisaries was Farouk Kaddoumi, who opposed the Oslo agreement between Israel and the Palestinians from the start.

According to the story in Jane's Foreign Report, Arafat is prepared for the time when Israel forbids him to land his plane at the Gaza airport - effectively forcing him into exile.

Iraq's President Saddam Hussein has always been a firm supporter of the Palestinian cause and of Arafat. The Palestinians, in turn, supported Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War.
[Source: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/02/22/LatestNews/LatestNews.21901.html ]