News items that look towards Ezekiel 38 & 39

[Shammu]

Russia seeking to improve ties with Libya to restore influence
2007-12-25 23:35:42

    TUNIS, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Libya has been widely regarded as one of Moscow's important steps to catch up with the West in efforts to restore its influence in the North African country.

    Lavrov's two-day trip that ended Monday seeks to make arrangements for a possible visit to Libya by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    In a letter extended to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Putin expressed his willingness to visit the country, saying that Moscow is ready to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields. Tripoli welcomed the letter and expects Putin's visit.

    The move is widely believed to be a signal of Russia's efforts to warm up its cooled ties with Libya in a bid to regain its influence in the country.

    After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia lost its past glories overnight, resulting in a severe deterioration of its ties with Libya, which was an important ally of the former Soviet Union and a traditional buyer of its arms.

    Lavrov admitted that bilateral ties have been in stagnation for some time and said the current level of bilateral ties is incompatible with their cooperative traditions.

    Libya, long accused by the West of backing terrorism, has been trying to rebuild normal relations with western countries after renouncing terrorism and nuclear weapons.

    The West also intends to resume ties with Libya, eyeing its abundant oil reserves and potential as a market.

    Furthermore, Libya's role in Africa and the Middle East has improved since the United Nations lifted sanctions against it, and its role will be further enhanced after Jan. 1, 2008, when it becomes a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

    Lavrov pinned great hopes on his visit, saying both countries have the sincere wish to promote bilateral ties.

    Both the Russian and Libyan governments are hoping to upgrade relations and are willing to devote themselves to enhancing cooperation in various fields, he told reporters on Monday.

    Lavrov said both sides expect to sign cooperation agreements in military techniques, investment protection and avoidance of dual taxation.

    According to sources from the Russian delegation, Russia has agreed to provide help to Libya in its pursuit of civilian nuclear development and both sides hope to sign such an agreement.

    Analysts said Russia will comprehensively resume its ties with Libya if Putin succeeds in setting foot in the country.

    What follows, they said, will be fierce contention between Russia and the West in Libya and the region at large.

Russia seeking to improve ties with Libya to restore influence

[Shammu]

Yup...... Libya is mentioned in Gog/Magog, so this is just another confirmation of the the allies cementing their relationships before their fatal mistake in Ezekiel 38-39.

[Shammu]

Barakei: Gov't favors blood over talks
JPost.com Staff
THE JERUSALEM POST
Dec. 26, 2007

Israel's plan to build a new neighborhood near the Atarot Airport in northeastern Jerusalem reveals the government's true face as a "government of war and occupation" that is guilty of warmongering against the Palestinians and the Arab world, according to Hadash chairman MK Muhammad Barakei.

Barakei, in an interview with the Palestinian Quds Press agency Wednesday, also claimed that the Olmert administration differed from its predecessors in its intention to fan the flames of war in the region by starving the Palestinian people and bringing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to the brink of explosion.

Meanwhile, Barakie said, "The government continued to unveil its plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, in Jerusalem and on the Golan Heights." This proved, he claimed, that it was "not interested in pursuing negotiations but rather in spilling blood, and dancing in the blood and destruction as it has been doing in recent days in the Gaza Strip."

The MK predicted that the building was an insidious "terrorist" ploy that would "spark the next regional war." Israel, he said, had a vested interest in upholding a state of war in the region; "a war crime against humanity and future generations."

Israel's treatment of Israeli Arabs is fundamentally "racist", he said, and alleged that the "Israeli occupation" was stealing Bedouin lands in the Negev.

"Anyone dreaming of a transfer of Arab Israelis can dream on till his dying day, because Arab citizens will never budge an inch from their homeland and their homes," Barakei said, and appealed to "peaceable elements" within Israeli society to influence the public.

Barakei: Gov't favors blood over talks

[Shammu]

Jordan supports the settlement of Nagorno-Garabagh conflict on basis of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
26 December 2007

Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Safar Abiyev received special envoy of Jordan King for Middle Asia and Azerbaijan Abdulla Vureykat.

According to the press service for Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, the meeting participants discussed relations between the two countries.

The special envoy of the Jordan king announced that his country supports the settlement of Nagorno-Garabagh conflict on basis of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

The sides also discussed current military and political situation in the region and prospects of military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Jordan.

Jordan supports the settlement of Nagorno-Garabagh conflict on basis of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
~~~~~~~~~

For those of you who don't know.........

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR)  commonly called Nagorno-Karabakh, is a de facto independent republic located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of South Caucasus, which is officially part of Azerbaijan, about 270 kilometers (170 miles) west of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and very close to the border with Armenia.

The predominantly Armenian-populated region became a source of dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan when both countries gained independence from the Russian Empire in 1918. After the Soviet Union expanded into the area, it established the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923. On December 10, 1991, as the Soviet Union was collapsing, a referendum held in the NKAO and the neighboring Shahumian region resulted in a declaration of independence from Azerbaijan as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which remains unrecognized by any international organization or country, including Armenia.

In the final years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the region re-emerged as a source of dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, culminating in the Nagorno-Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994, most of Nagorno-Karabakh and several regions of Azerbaijan around it remain under joint Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh military control. The parties have since been holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagorno-Karabakh_Republic

[Shammu]

Putin tells Russia's government to prepare for his becoming prime minister

10 hours ago

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin is urging the Russian government to work harder than ever as he prepares to take over as prime minister after March presidential elections.

Putin told a cabinet meeting Thursday that ahead of the election the whole state machine, and primarily the government, must work dependably and steadily.

Putin has said he would accept the prime minister's post if his protege, Dmitry Medvedev, is elected president in March.

Medvedev, 42, a first deputy prime minister, appears certain to win the March 2 election, given Putin's support and the Kremlin's control over the political landscape and national television.

Putin has pledged not to undermine his successor by weakening Russia's strong presidential system and transferring powers to the prime minister's office.

But many believe Putin will remain the real leader of Russia, at least in the short term.

During the cabinet meeting, the last of the year, Putin reeled off a string of statistics showing strong economic growth in 2007.

Gross domestic product will have grown by 7.6 per cent this year, he said, adding that the government's budget surplus would amount to 3.6 per cent of GDP.

Putin said the country's growing financial strength has led to a reduction in the number of Russians living below the poverty line to between 12 and 13 per cent, down from 15 per cent in 2006.

The Russian economy has seen steady growth during Putin's eight years in office thanks to high prices for oil, the main export commodity.

Putin tells Russia's government to prepare for his becoming prime minister

[Shammu]

Well this not surprising, Gog is in place, the hook securely fastened and is being reeled in.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Benazir Bhutto, a politcal leader in Pakistan, has been assassinated

As the former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto concluded addressing a political rally in Pakistan, the leader of the opposition was shot in the neck by a gunman who then set off a bomb killing himself and a number of Bhutto supporters.

President Mushaaraf and his government have called on the Pakistani people to remain calm so that the terrorists can be defeated and order returned to the country. Bhutto had twice been the country's PM and had been campaigning ahead of the election due to be held in January. This was the second suicide attack against Ms. Bhutto in recent months and came amid a wave of bombings targeting security and government officials.

The assassination of a political leader in the only nuclear-powered Islamic state has significance geopolitically and prophetically according to Bible prophecy.

Under threat of assassination, Benazir Bhutto, former PM of Pakistan, was openly campaigning to return to power in a state that is violent due to the militant Islamic element in the country. Warned of the possibility of being killed, Bhutto went ahead in her effort to return to power and deal with the terrorists in her nation. The truth behind the assassination of Ms. Bhutto will ultimately come out but until then, chaos is the term best used to describe the situation in Pakistan. The Islamic militant element in Pakistan has been the major force behind the conflict and seems to be positioning itself in to take control of the nuclear facility of Pakistan, the only such nuclear WMD in the Islamic world.

This would empower the radical Islamic groups to facilitate the prophetic scenario that is found in Joel 2:2-3 which speaks of a mighty Moslem militia formed in the Last Days to attack Israel. The nations involved in that attack, listed in Daniel 11, Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83, all are aligned under the Islamic banner.

Benazir Bhutto's assassination does indeed help to set the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

[Shammu]

Pilgrims stranded in standoff with Egypt
JPost staff and AP , THE JERUSALEM POST    Dec. 29, 2007

Nearly two thousand Palestinian pilgrims returning from Mecca were stranded in the Red Sea on Saturday after refusing to sign an agreement with Egyptian authorities to re-enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.

Among the pilgrims were senior Hamas operatives, several of whom are wanted by Israel, Israel Radio reported. Fearing arrest once they arrived at the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom Crossing, the Hamas members insisted on returning to Gaza via Rafah Crossing, which is not under Israel's control.

The pilgrims had sailed to the port city of Nuweiba on the Sinai Peninsula from Jordan's Aqaba Port but the Egyptians were stopping them from disembarking.

Hamas said there were a total of 1,900 pilgrims who had been waiting since Friday in the Red Sea.

The Palestinians were refusing to accept food or medicines until they received permission to use Rafah and some even threatened to set the ferries on fire.

Israel filed a complaint with Cairo after Egypt allowed the Palestinians to pass through Rafah on their way to Mecca and after Defense Minister Ehud Barak's recent visit to Egypt, Israeli officials said the Egyptians agreed to have the pilgrims use Kerem Shalom Crossing on there way back to Gaza.

IDF intelligence estimates released on December 5 indicated that up to a couple of dozen Hamas terrorists were among the so-called pilgrims Egypt allowed out of the Gaza Strip. In recent years, hundreds of Hamas terrorists have traveled abroad to Iran and Lebanon for military training, and officials said it was possible that these terrorists would do the same.

The IDF also fears that if the pilgrims are allowed to return to Gaza through Rafah they might smuggle millions of dollars to Hamas.

Senior Palestinian officials dismissed Israel's concerns, saying the Egyptians could search the pilgrims for smuggled cash.

"Israelis raise trivial issues and complicate things to cover up criticism over continued construction of settlements," said Mohammed Sobeih, the Arab League's undersecretary general.

The standoff angered Hamas, who said Egypt has a responsibility to bring the pilgrims back to Gaza as quickly as possible.

Some 5,000 people waving Palestinian and Hamas flags gathered on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt on Saturday and demanded the pilgrims be allowed to enter.

"We won't accept any excuse for preventing the pilgrims from returning," read a banner carried by one of the protesters.

Egyptian riot police arrived and mounted a machine gun on a building overlooking the corridor separating Egypt from Gaza. Hamas security positioned themselves between the protesters and the border gate.

In Gaza late Friday, angry Hamas loyalists fired their guns in the air and lobbed sound bombs in protest of Egypt's actions. The rioting was quickly quelled by Hamas security.

Hamas government spokesman Taher Nunu said Saturday that 1,900 pilgrims are caught in limbo at sea and urged Egypt "to urgently end their plight."

"We in the government and the people refuse to use (the Israeli) crossing. The pilgrims have the right to return the same way they exited," he said.

Hamas lawmaker Yehia Moussa said Egypt has a moral obligation to bring the pilgrims back home.

"We demand an immediate end to the situation before we get to popular reactions with undesired consequences," he said.

Moussa said it was not a threat, but "the public has the right to protest and revolt against the closure."

Pilgrims stranded in standoff with Egypt

[Shammu]

Hamas urges Egypt to open Gaza border to pilgrims

Fearing Israel will arrest wanted militants making their way through with Muslim pilgrims returning from Mecca, Hamas demands more than 2,000 stranded Palestinians be allowed to return to Gaza through Rafah crossing

News Agencies
Published: 12.29.07, 17:44
Israel News

Hamas Islamists called on Egypt on Saturday to open its shuttered border crossing with the Gaza Strip to let more than 2,000 Palestinians return to their Gaza homes from the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, is demanding that Egypt reopen the Rafah crossing to allow the pilgrims to pass directly into the coastal territory rather than force them to pass through Israeli border posts first.

Hamas fears Israel will arrest wanted militants among the pilgrims.

Hamas officials estimated that 2,200 Gaza pilgrims were stranded on ships at an Egyptian port on the Red Sea.

Israel believes some of the militants may be carrying money for Hamas and other groups.

"We are aware of the Israeli and American pressures on Egypt, and we urge Egypt to reject these pressures and to allow the pilgrims a safe return through Rafah," Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told a news conference.

Hamas said a 62-year-old woman who fell ill died aboard one of the ships, which have been stranded for a second day.

Abu Zuhri said the Gaza pilgrims have rejected Egyptian demands that they agree to return through Israeli-controlled crossings.

Egyptian officials had no immediate comment.

Israel and the United States are pressing Egypt to do more to prevent the smuggling of guns, explosives and funds into the Gaza Strip.

Egypt has rejected Israeli complaints about the smuggling, accusing Israel of trying to distract attention from settlement.

In mid-December, Israel allowed hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza to cross Israeli territory on their way to the annual haj pilgrimage.

Earlier in the month, about 2,200 pilgrims heading for Mecca crossed from Gaza into Egypt through Rafah.

Hamas urges Egypt to open Gaza border to pilgrims

[Shammu]

Hamas urges Egypt to open Gaza border to pilgrims

If they're waiting for their god allah to part the sea, I'm afraid they have a long wait...............

[Shammu]

Russia Plans Increased Arms Exports to Iran, Others
By Sergei Blagov
CNSNews.com Correspondent
December 28, 2007

Moscow (CNSNews.com) - In the latest sign that Moscow is keen to expand its arms exports to Iran despite Western objections, Russia reportedly has agreed to supply the Islamic republic with air defense systems.

Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Najjar said on Wednesday that Russia would sell Iran the S300 missile system, but he did not disclose a delivery date.

On Friday, the Russian agency that oversees Russia's military exports issued a statement denying that any such sale would take place.

"The question of deliveries of S-300 systems to Iran, which has now arisen in the mass media, is not currently taking place, is not being considered and is not being discussed at this time with the Iranian side," the agency said.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said the administration had "ongoing concerns about the prospective sale of such weapons to Iran and other countries of concern."

According to Russian missile makers, the S300 can shoot down combat aircraft as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.

The S300 PMU1 system can engage targets flying as low as 10 meters off the ground at a range of up to 150 kilometers, while the PMU2 variant has a range of 200 kilometers.

The S300 is a continuation of the earlier generation S75 surface-to-air (SAM) missile. Between 1965 and 1972, the Soviet Union supplied nearly 8,000 SAMs to North Vietnam.

Washington repeatedly has urged Moscow to cut military sales to Iran, to little avail. Earlier this year, Russia delivered 29 TOR-M1 air defense missile systems worth $700 million. The S300's capability is considered to be far superior to that of the TOR-M1 system.

Among post-Soviet countries, only Belarus and Kazakhstan (aside from Russia) have the S300 systems. Moscow also has sold them to China as well as to Vietnam and Cyprus.

The Kremlin has been prioritizing arms exports as both a foreign policy tool and for economic benefit. China, India, Venezuela and Iran are among Moscow's top clients.

On Monday, leading presidential election candidate Dmitry Medvedev announced that the country's arms exports were estimated to exceed $7 billion this year, up from $6.5 billion in 2006.

Russia is currently reported to be haggling with both China and India - its top military hardware buyers - over prices.

China and India have threatened to stop purchases if Russia does not stop raising prices on already-signed arms contracts.

New Delhi is also unhappy about Russia's sale of jet engines for Chinese-made fighters to be sold to Pakistan, India's long-standing rival.

Russia Plans Increased Arms Exports to Iran, Others

[Shammu]

N Korea failed to tell all on nuclear program

Posted 10 hours 25 minutes ago

The US says North Korea has failed to provide all the information about its nuclear program it had promised in return for international aid.

A US State Department spokesman says it is unfortunate North Korea has not yet met its commitments and is slowing down the process of disablement.

Pyongyang agreed in October to declare its nuclear activities and disable the facilities at Yongbyon by the end of the year.

US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said it was unfortunate that North Korea had so far failed to provide a complete declaration of its nuclear programs and urged the Government there to deliver a correct statement of all its weapons and proliferation activities.

The US and South Korea have said they particularly want to know how much plutonium has been produced and to see evidence that there is no secret program for uranium enrichment for weapons purposes.

N Korea failed to tell all on nuclear program

[nChrist]

          

Can you believe that Congress or any other entity believes these folks?

It's more logical to go in the other direction and seriously doubt every word that comes out of their mouths. After all, does North Korea, Russia, China, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and others have any track history of telling the truth? NO!

In fact, I'm shocked when they tell the truth on anything!

[Soldier4Christ]

Russian, Libyan navies resume contacts

The Russian and Libyan navies have resumed contacts after a long hiatus when a Russian Navy vessel made a port call at Tripoli, an aide to the Russian Navy commander said on Saturday.

The Ivan Bubnov tanker will stay at the Libyan capital until January 7. It is participating in a two-month patrol mission in the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Russia's first in the past three years, which began on December 5.

"The visit by the Russian vessel to Libya could be seen as a revival of contacts with the country's navy in the interest of strengthening mutual understanding and building trust in the Mediterranean region," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said.

Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said previously that a total of four warships and seven other vessels of Russia's Northern, Black Sea and Baltic Fleets, as well as 47 airplanes and 10 helicopters, would take part in the 12,000-mile cruise.

"The mission is aimed at ensuring a naval presence and establishing conditions for secure Russian navigation," Serdyukov told the Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in the Kremlin.

Libya's leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on December 24 in Tripoli to discuss bilateral relations and international issues.

After the meeting the foreign minister said that the two countries are preparing Putin's visit to Libya.

Lavrov also said Libya's Soviet-era debt to Russia, which stands at around $3.5 billion, including interest, would be a key issue on the visit's agenda.

In mid-August, Putin announced the resumption of strategic patrol flights, saying that although the country halted long-distance strategic flights to remote regions in 1992 with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic and political chaos, other nations had continued the practice, compromising Russian national security.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Russia is worried that its Muslim community is on track to account for more than half its population

Low domestic birthrates coupled with ever-increasing immigration from the former Soviet Republics is producing explosive growth in Russia's Muslim community which is on track to account for more than half its population by mid-century.

Russia's national fertility rate is 1.28 children per woman, far below what is needed to maintain the country's population of nearly 143 million, while the average fertility rate for Russian Muslims is six children per woman.

Russia's Muslim population has increased by 40% since 1989 and by 2015, Muslims will make up a majority of Russia's military, figures that have Slavic Russians concerned about becoming a minority in their own country.

The ever-increasing Muslim population in Russia is setting the stage for the prophetic scenario found in Bible prophecy for the Last Days.

The former superpower nation of Russia has in recent years been moving to reestablish itself as a major player on the world scene. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a major force in Russian politics, has emerged as a key player in world affairs and looks to continue to impact Russia, Europe, and in fact the world.

However, there are concerns that the explosive birth rate and immigration of Muslims in Russia could also have an impact on world affairs in the very near future. This is a scenario that is found in Bible prophecy for the Last Days as it pertains to Russia.

Ezekiel, the ancient Jewish prophet some 2,500 years ago pre-wrote history with his prophecy that the geographical location known then as Magog, modern-day Russia, would lead a coalition of nations to destroy Israel, that's Ezekiel 38:2. All the other nations in that coalition would be of Islamic or Arabic background, that's Ezekiel 38:2-6.

Russia's ever-increasing Muslim population is indeed setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.