The Russia-EU summit downgraded to a short meeting

The Russia-EU summit downgraded to a short meeting 

New Europe 17-Jan-14 

The Russia-EU summits have always been spread over two days, comprising a dinner including Russian president Vladimir Putin, the president of the Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the Council Herman Van Rompuy, and many other EU high officials. 

Initially foreseen for 27-28 January, the “summit" will now consist of a meeting of only a couple of hours. On 28 January, Putin is supposed to arrive by 13.30, and a press conference is already announced for 16.00 h. 

EU officials wouldn't comment on this, but the drastic downgrading of the summit reflects Putin’s displeasure with the EU’s position on Ukraine and on many other issues, including Syria. 

The displeasure is so high, that, as demonstrative gesture, no concrete topic will be discussed during the meeting, leaving the Europeans wondering how to draft the final communique. One formula already circulating is that the participants will proceed to an "in-depth reflection about the EU-Russia relationship". 

During the on-going crisis in Ukraine, the Kremlin, especially through the foreign minister Serghei Lavrov, was vociferously critical of the EU’s “interference” in favour of the Ukrainian opposition, as EU officials regularly appeared on Kiev’s central square in the middle of the demonstrations. 

Putin's discontent with EU the started during the autumn of 2013, when the EU asked Russia to end using trade agreements to block East European nations from seeking closer relations, or signing special trade and association agreements with the bloc. In October, the EU foreign ministers even discussed possible trade measures to be considered against Russia in response to political and economic pressure exerted by Moscow on East European nations. 

European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Štefan Füle even said then that “Russia's pressure on Ukraine in the issue of signing the Association Agreement with the European Union is unacceptable”, an unusually harsh statement by Commission’s standards. 

Putin is known to take personal offence to any criticism against Russian politics. Gone are the times when Schroeder, or Tony Blair, or especially Berlusconi, were cavorting with their personal friend Vladimir Putin. The former Communist countries that entered the EU brought a radical change in perception. Even the recent collapse of the European Nabucco gas project in favour of the Russian South Stream pipeline should be placed in this context. 

Meet the Grand Duke of Russia… in Brussels

Meet the Grand Duke of Russia… in Brussels 

New Europe 19-Jan-14 

In an exclusive interview with New Europe, the Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia - the 33-year-old heir apparent to Maria Vladimirovna, the Grand Duchess of Russia - spoke about his title, the evolution of the throne and his work in Europe. 

In Brussels, you just celebrated the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov. What does this important name mean for you? Does it make you feel proud? 

All people need to remember their ancestors and try to be worthy of them, follow their examples and learn from their mistakes. Some people know about their ancestors more and some less. I was lucky in this sense because the history of our lineage is well known and can be traced for almost 700 years, during which more than 300 years, my ancestors were brought forward to rule Russia. Kinship with other dynasties binds us to the world’s history. This imposes a serious responsibility on me. Like any man, I strive to achieve positive results in life. However, like any man I can make mistakes. But my efforts on a number of initiatives cannot be comparable with the achievements of my ancestors. I know that people judge us very harshly and demandingly because they compare what we do to the acts of our predecessors. This is why I do my best in order to fulfil my duty to represent the honour of my homeland, my compatriots and the good name of the Romanovs, trying always to embody the strong values and traditions I have been brought up in and always trying to put my name at service for good causes. 

Is there a historical member of your family that has most inspired you from a moral or professional point of view? 

I never cease to admire the will and energy of Peter the Great and his willingness to sacrifice. He demanded a lot from others, but was just as demanding of himself. Even his death became a symbol of these qualities. He became fatally ill, saving a stranded soldier of a boat in the icy waters during winter. Peter I by his own example proved that any work is worthy of respect, that there is no “non-prestigious” profession because all professions serve the betterment of a society. He mastered many sciences and crafts. In my work, I try to follow his example given the fact that he did not stubbornly try to keep all on his own, and did not to assume that all that was foreign was better, with his extensive travel and learning of a bigger world he tried to combine the best of both worlds to make his country stronger. Other ancestors I could mention, Alexander Nevsky, Nicholas I and Alexander III, all these sovereigns, each in his own way, have embodied the most positive qualities of Russian monarchs. 

Can you tell us about your work? 

I started working in Brussels in 2001 as an assistant to the MEP and President of the Juridic Committee Ana de Palacio. I later worked with MEP Pilar Ayuso and eventually I was in the cabinet of Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transports and Energy Loyola de Palacio. I later moved to Luxembourg to continue my work in the General Directorate of the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). 

In 2010, I started working for Norilsk Nickel, a Russian company and the first global producer of nickel. I started as an adviser to the general manager of the company on European related issues, and soon after I was given the responsibilities of president of Norilsk Nickel Europe in London and Brussels representing the companies interests in front of the institutions of the European Union. I also became a member of the board of directors of an association of Nickel-related companies that came together with other similar companies from across the globe to solidify our industry’s position and reputation within the European Union. I am currently pursuing a variety of initiatives - some commercial and some charitable. I am working on the creation of a public affairs, communications platform in Brussels (Romanoff & Partners) which will specialise not exclusively in representing the interests of Russian and Eastern European corporations and public interests within the European Union. 

I am also working on the charitable side with the creation of The Russian Imperial Foundation for Cancer Research. It is a foundation that aims to give the opportunity to fight what is nowadays one of the greatest plagues worldwide and a major cause of mortality in Russia. We are now in the process of gathering medical experts from around the world to help us find the best way to focus our efforts. I am also hoping to give a chance to our Russian medical experts and students to be as prominent as they once were. With a little luck and God’s help we can maybe do our part to put in check this great evil of our times. 

Do you have any contact with the English or the Spanish royal families? 

Of course, we are in touch with our relatives. We correspond with each other regularly .We congratulate each other during the holiday seasons - there are various dynastic ceremonies. It is an integral part of the social work of the imperial house. 

In Europe, there are monarchical countries that show a more modern image to the public. What do you think about this change of mentality? 

A monarchy is an expression of values and traditions, but it must not remain frozen in time. Monarchs are the maximum expression of a state’s institutions and are deeply linked to the various aspects of their nation and of their societies. Each historical period has had an evolution and monarchs are the ones who in many cases have driven this process. I’m thinking about Peter the Great and his big commitment in modernising Russia, or Catherine the Great who brought into her nation the ideals of the era of the enlightenment. Considering the enormous processes of liberalisation and globalisation, I believe monarchy has evolved as well. It has become more modern though still being representative of its nations and citizens, without discarding the historical and traditional values and traditions that it embodies. 

Signs of Our Times January 2014 Edition

“A TIME OF TROUBLE SUCH AS NEVER WAS”
The vision given to the prophet Daniel (from whose writing the above quotation is taken) described the condition of the world in which we now live. The angel was describing a state of turmoil described variously as “The Last Days,” “The Time of the End,” “The latter days.” This short period of time will culminate in what is scripturally referred to as “The day of the LORD,” ”The great and terrible day of the LORD,” “A day of wrath” and other, less spe-cific, references. Unfortunately, it is not going to be pleasant for the vast majority of global humanity Those readers of SOT who have followed our reasoning in the previous editions will recognize that the passage quoted above from Daniel 12 follows immediately the prophecy of the battle between the king of the north and the king of the south (Iraq/Iran vs. Saudi Arabia and its allies). The “king of the north” ends his campaign in defeat at the hands of “Michael the great Prince” (Israel’s Messiah – Jesus Christ) in Israel, east of Jerusalem.
The place has been specified as the valley where King Jehoshaphat led the people of Judah out to confront the Arab horde which was attacking Jerusalem at that time. However, God had confounded the Arabic war machine and by the time the Jewish army had arrived on the scene, the Arabs had turned on each other so viciously that not one survived!
So it will be on “the day of the LORD.” Let us examine some of the prophecies:
Let us look at a few more “day of the LORD” prophecies.
From the pen of Zephaniah the prophet we see that this day of destruction receives a number of the above titles:
WARNINGS abound in both Old and New testaments about this “Day of Wrath!” Unfortunately many Orthodox churches have neglected this vital message – vital especially in our day when “the transgressors have come to the full.” [Daniel 8:23].
The Apostle John received the last message that our Lord Jesus gave – The Book of Revelation. John was given glimpses of the future – including “the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;” and he wrote this: “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” [Revelation 6:17].
SIGNS OF OUR TIMES
Joel 3:9 [RSV] Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war (“sanctify”) “make a holy war”, stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, "I am a warrior." 11 Hasten and come, all you nations round about (Jerusalem), gather yourselves there. Bring down thy warriors, O LORD. 12 Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the nations round about [i.e. ALL Israel’s Arab neighbours].
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Joel 2:31 the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hastens greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloomi-ness, a day of clouds and thick darkness, … BUT NOTE THIS …. Zephaniah 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.
After Paul’s warnings in Romans chapter 1 of the diseases God will inflict on those who practice Sodomy and Lesbianism, Paul writes in verse 29 that all those men who are full of “all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:” AND WHO … “knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death… after their hardness and impenitent hearts” treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile……………..”
January 2014 Vol. 26 No. 1
DANIEL 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book..”
IS this the message that Christians hear? We know that Jesus Christ saves us – but saves us from what?
Some imaginary devil who supposedly rules deep down in a fiery hell? Or that Jesus takes an imaginary immortal soul to bliss in heaven? None of this in the Bible. Instead it is the “devil” {literally “false accusers”} that ends in “the lake of fire” – which is a symbol of “the second death.” The final judgment on all sin and sinners. The Bible says: “The soul that sins shall die!”[Ezekiel 18:4 & 20], while on the contrary the Bible assures those who “turn to serve the living and true God; and - wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus,” that they will be “delivered us from the wrath to come.” [1 Thessalonians 1:9 & 10].
THE FAITHFUL BELIEVERS IN CHRIST are delivered from the wrath to come! This is the message of Scrip-ture! SOT always ends with the hope that our Lord Jesus will COME to save us, i.e. “to raise the dead in Christ,” and take with them “those who are alive and remain” to meet our returning Saviour so that we may “be ever with Him” – in the Kingdom of God on earth [1 Thess. 4:14-18]. Our aim is to help our readers as well as ourselves to be prepared for His Coming by understanding that “GOD rules in the Kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever He will and sets up over it the basest of men.” [Daniel 4:17]. In other words that GOD IS IN CONTROL! The events SOT mentions are a slice of what is happening in this little globe called Earth. But God is not confined to Earth!
The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 8:3 “When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; 4 what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?” BUT God is mindful of man and has given us His Son that we can have eter-nal life in His Kingdom when Jesus comes as “King of kings and Lord of lords” to cleanse the Earth of evil. When there will truly be “Glory to God in the highest; Peace on Earth and Good Will toward men.” SO …. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Yes! We are seeing all these things. Dick Tracy and Buck Rogers (fictional characters of bygone years – remembered only by the very aged) have long since been surpassed in the realities of our time. The cruelty of man has no bounds. His inventions are all dangerous – often fatal - and the expression of his immoral thoughts more vividly displayed than Shakespeare or Dante could ever have imagined. “Transgressors are at the full”- or are they? The sum total of mankind’s immorality and ingenuity has resulted in the world we see around and within us today!
God has given mankind His Word, known in the English tongue as ‘The Bible.’ He has preserved it through centuries of opposition. It has cost the lives of many faithful men who succeeded in translating and publishing it. Today many millions of copies lay neglected, rejected or opposed in households all over the world – sadly – for it contains the ONLY way of escape from the calamities it foretells that are to envelope our planet in the near future.
Israel is the focal point of all prophecy. Israel is God’s witness that He is in control. Israel is back in their Land! SOT may comment on events which seem quite distant to the Land of Israel, but even remote occurrences may prove to be significant in their later development. Usually if SOT can see a connection to Bible prophecy. For example: (1) China has recently extended its territorial waters to take in the disputed islands just south of Okina-wa called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. This has angered the governments of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, all of whom have a claim to these small islands. All these nations use the surrounding waters as fishing grounds. Japan has purchased them from their original owners, angering China. The situation is quite tense. While this seems very remote from Israel, in the prophecy concerning “the kings of the north and south” there is this statement concerning the “king of the north” (which SOT suggests is Iran): “But tidings from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go forth with great fury to exterminate and utterly destroy many” [Daniel 11:44] causing this aggressor to move into Egypt and eventually, Israel where he is destroyed. We will watch if and how this develops.
(2) SOT often comments on the monetary crisis; the Vatican; or, the rise of Germany to European dominance for example. But SOT sees the rise of Germany as the “beast whose terrible wound was healed” foretold in Revela-tion 13 to dominate world finances. That the Vatican is the reality of the symbolic woman “Babylon the Great” [Revel. ch.17].
(3) Closer to Israel we see the “Arab Spring” as the fulfillment of the many prophecies which tell that the Arabs will continue to destroy themselves in conflicts against each other, as they have done many times in past Biblical his-tory when they attempted to overthrow Israel and thwart the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
So, much lies ahead. The crux of the matter is found in John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” “Even so, Come! Lord Jesus.”

Egypt to Hamas: We're Coming for You

Egypt to Hamas: We're Coming for You 

Israel Today 19-Jan-14 

In a scenario Israelis would have found too far-fetched to believe just a few years ago, Egypt is set to become the Jewish state's new best friend in the fight against Hamas terrorism. 

Having finally put down the Muslim Brotherhood after its hijacking of the 2011 pro-democracy revolution, the Egyptian military has been making not-so-subtle threats against the Palestinian terror group. 

Hamas is an off-shoot of and closely aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood. When senior Muslim Brotherhood official Mohammed Morsi briefly became Egypt's president, Hamas-ruled Gaza erupted in celebration. 

The new military rulers in Cairo know that they cannot be truly done with the Muslim Brotherhood without eradicating the Hamas threat, too. 

Since last summer, the Egyptian army has destroyed over 1,200 tunnels running under the Sinai-Gaza border, dealing a severe blow to the Hamas economy. 

Now, officials in Cairo say the regime intends to launch a series of campaigns to undermine Hamas' legitimacy in Palestinian society and put the group on the run. 

Egypt will reportedly begin bolstering Hamas' rivals in Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction, while also instigating in Gaza the same kind of street rallies that brought down Morsi's government. 

Hamas officials in Gaza called the Egyptian threats "delusional." 

Meanwhile, Israel is remaining relatively mum on the development. But during a press conference in Jerusalem last week, Dov Weissglas, former chief of staff to Ariel Sharon, said Israelis had to "pinch themselves" to make sure they weren't dreaming when first reading the news of Egypt's shift. 

Netanyahu to UN: Can You Handle the Truth?

Netanyahu to UN: Can You Handle the Truth? 

Arutz Sheva 19-Jan-14 

Hiding the truth about the Jewish nation’s connection to the land of Israel will not advance peace, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting. 

Netanyahu reacted to the decision made by UNESCO, the UN’s cultural body, to postpone an exhibition on Israel’s Jewish history due to concern that it “might be perceived as endangering the peace process.” 

The exhibit “won’t endanger negotiations. Negotiations that are based on the facts, on truth, cannot be endangered,” Netanyahu declared. 

However, he warned, other UN behavior does hurt the chances for peace. “What does undermine talks is some states’ automatically summoning Israeli ambassadors over trivial matters, while serious violations by the Palestinian Authority get no response,” he charged. 

“The biased approach to Israel does not advance peace – it delays peace,” he continued. “It strengthens the PA’s refusal to move forward in negotiations.” 

The Prime Minister also had a warning for Hamas, in response to recent rocket attacks on Israel, and the Israeli response that followed. 

“We are determined to maintain quiet in the south. We do this through a policy of preventative strikes, and also with a firm response to those who hurt us, or try to hurt us. 

“I suggest to Hamas that it take this policy of ours into account,” he said. 

Saudis set to order 25 C-130Js in $6.7 billion deal

Saudis set to order 25 C-130Js in $6.7 billion deal 

GeoStrategy direct w/e 22-Jan-14

Saudi Arabia has launched procurement of what could result in 25 C-130J air transports. 

Saudi Arabia has ordered two of what could be 25 C-130J Super Hercules. The first order was for the KC-130J refueling tankers. 

"As a legacy C-130 operator, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is familiar with the workhorse capabilities of the Hercules," Lockheed Martin vice president Chris Antone said. 

The Saudi order, consisting of a Defense Department award of $180 million to L-M, was meant to enhance Saudi combat operations. Executives said the Saudi Royal Air Force was expected to order the C-130J air transport for its next order. In all, the Saudis plans to procure five KC-130J and 20 C-130J-30 aircraft in a deal estimated at $6.7 billion. 

"With the addition of C-130Js, Saudi Arabia will have a proven asset that provides unequaled results — both regionally and around the world," Antone said on Oct. 21. 

Executives said Saudi Arabia became the 16th country to select the C-130J. They said the aircraft could be employed in both military and civilian missions, including search-and-rescue. 

U.S. Army team of 64 set for CW demolition mission at sea near Syria

U.S. Army team of 64 set for CW demolition mission at sea near Syria 

GeoStrategy direct w/e 22-Jan-14 

At least 700 tons of mustard gas and a component of sarin were expected to be neutralized aboard the U.S.-flagged Cape Ray in the eastern Mediterranean. 

The United States has been organizing a team to destroy Syria's chemical weapons arsenal in Syria. 

The U.S. military has assigned 64 specialists in CW to travel to Syria in late January to acquire and destroy tons of lethal agents surrendered by the regime of President Bashar Assad. At least 700 tons of mustard gas and a component of sarin were expected to be neutralized aboard the U.S.-flagged Cape Ray in the eastern Mediterranean. 

"It's going to be a slow start," Adam Baker, a representative of the Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, said. "We're going to go very deliberately and safely." 

Officials said Cape Ray, a former merchant vessel, was expected to leave the United States for Syria around Jan. 20. They said the Army team, in the first CW destruction at sea by the United States, would employ two new field deployable hydrolysis systems to neutralize the CW agents. 

"This has not been done on this platform, not been done at sea," Baker said. "But it is taking the established operations we've done at several land sites domestically and internationally and is applying them here." 

In a briefing on Jan. 2, Baker said Cape Ray contained the capacity to neutralize up to 50 tons of CW per day. He said the mission, in which CW agents would be neutralized by bleach, water or sodium hydroxide, was expected to take up to 90 days. 

"There is a ramp-up period," Baker said. 

The administration of President Barack Obama ordered preparations for a CW destruction mission as early as December 2012. Over the last year, the army oversaw the assembly of systems to neutralize CW through hydrolysis, with the first prototype ready in June 2013. On Jan. 7, the first consignment of CW left the Syrian port of Latakia on a Danish cargo vessel. 

Safety first: Capt. Rick Jordan (second from left) stands with Chemical Engineer Adam Baker (second from right) and Environmental Engineer Rob Malone (left) on the MV Cape Ray on Thursday in Portsmouth, Virginia. | AFP-JIJI  Japan Times 

"We could have waited to see what happened and then reacted to that, or we could have moved out ahead of time and then prepared for what might happen or was likely to happen," Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall recalled. "Fortunately, we took the latter course." 

The U.S. mission could coincide with plans to convene talks in Geneva, Switzerland to end the nearly three-year civil war in Syria. On Jan. 5, Secretary of State John Kerry said Iran, the leading military supplier to Assad, could be invited to the Geneva talks, scheduled to begin on Jan. 24. 

"Now, could they contribute from the sidelines?" Kerry asked. "Are there ways for them conceivably to weigh in? It may be that that could happen, but that has to be determined by the [United Nations] secretary general. It has to be determined by Iranian intentions themselves." 

Meanwhile, the United States has signaled its readiness to keep Syrian President Bashar Assad in power. 

A former U.S. intelligence chief has suggested that Assad's continued rule marked the most feasible outcome of the civil war in Syria. Michael Hayden, who headed the CIA until 2009, addressed a strategic conference on options to end the nearly three-year Sunni revolt. 

"Option three is Assad wins," Hayden told the annual Jamestown Foundation conference of counter-insurgency experts. "And I must tell you at the moment, as ugly as it sounds, I'm kind of trending toward option three as the best out of three very, very ugly possible outcomes." 

In an address to the Jamestown Foundation on Dec. 12, Hayden was believed to be reflecting the view of the U.S. intelligence community. Hayden said the other two options were the continued revolt and the dismantling of Syria, the borders of which were defined by the British-French Sykes-Picot agreement in 1916. 

"I greatly fear the dissolution of the state, a de facto dissolution of Sykes-Picot," Hayden said. "And now we have a new ungoverned space, at the crossroads of the civilization." 

Congressional sources said Hayden's address reflected the view of the U.S. intelligence community. They said the CIA and other agencies, backed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has consistently opposed a U.S. strike on Assad, even in wake of a chemical weapons attack on rebel communities in Damascus in August 2013. 

Hayden said the Assad regime, despite massive aid from Iran and Russia, failed to quell the Syrian revolt. He did not rule out continued rebel control of much out of the country. 

"The dominant story going on in Syria is a Sunni fundamentalist takeover of a significant part of the Middle East geography, the explosion of the Syrian state and of the Levant as we know it," Hayden said.