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The Man With The Plan
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Hi rollin, it is good to see a new post from you. Encouraging thinking is the way to stay alert!
Now, I think that the little horn may be some type of pagan religion; which may have something to do Daniel and the iron mixing with the clay.
Does the word allah ring any bells?
Wildfire
Now, I think that the little horn may be some type of pagan religion; which may have something to do Daniel and the iron mixing with the clay.
Does the word allah ring any bells?
Wildfire
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hey isn't allah from the islamic faith, which branched from Abraham's first son with Hagar, Ishmael
I think if it's gonna be from pagen area, gonna have to come from the roman empire somewhere, but i'm not up to date on the current pagan religions besides wicca
I think if it's gonna be from pagen area, gonna have to come from the roman empire somewhere, but i'm not up to date on the current pagan religions besides wicca
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oh I have no idea who the AC will be. Seems like anything is posible at this point. I'm sure that when they do take their stand, we will know who it is without any doubt.
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Hi Wildfire,
Thanks to you my friend, and I would agree that a new thread can bring refreshing. It is also very important to stay alert. This thread here, seems to be more of a fun one, but that should not negate it's importance, because I don't think that the Lord would show me this for nothing. I was watching Jack Van Impe last night and it was amazing to me because he actually mentioned that Solana was trying to change the set six month rotation system that is currently in place, but the amazing part was that he never even thought about that little scripture of Daniel 7:25.
It is still beyond me, why would the Lord be showing me things like this?? Little ole me, that is unschooled in the things of Prophecy and the Bible too. Men have gone to school for years and not been able to see the things that the Lord is showing me. But this is not me folks, this is the power of the Holy Spirit. I am nothing to be praised, and worthy of nothing. I do believe that my next thread should be one of praise for what God is doing in these last days. He is starting to pour out His Spirit on the Church. I have also noticed someone else that is in my church that the Lord is pouring out His Spirit on her too, but in a different way. She has been given two songs that she has given away to our Church, that is no doubt in my mind from the Holy Spirit. These songs not only sound professional, there is also none better, not even the professional ones. One thing that stands out to me, is that you sure can tell that the Holy Spirit was with her when she was writing those songs.
I was pondering why would God want to use people like her and me in these last days? And the best answer that I can come up with is: Maybe the Lord is wanting to use people in these last days that aren't looking to make a profit from what the Lord gives them. Her songs are awesome, and so is it awesome to see the things that the Lord is showing me. There is only one thing that I know of that we both have in common, and that is we are giving what the Lord gave us away. The best things in life are free, and the first thing that comes to mind is our salvation, what a gift that was.
There is one other thing that comes to mind, or a couple of scriptures actually, that remind me of what God is doing in us. For this I take you to the word. Psalm 19:7 -
"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple." There is a better one that comes to mind, but I first have to find it, and when I do, I will edit it in.
Here it is: 1 Corr.1:20-28 -
"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through it's wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influencial; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are."
I am just an average person and only a high school graduate, with the exception of some tech schools. I was by no means considered wise by the worlds standards or God's standards, but when God calls someone who is average, and gives them previously unknown information or spiritual secrets, then their averageness seems to disappear. The Lord will do as He pleases, and who is able to question God?? I believe that it is very important that we as christians ask and seek out our spiritual gifts. Then we can lift up our Lord, and offer Him to a lost and dying world. Let His glory shine through all that we do. Let no man boast, except in the things of God.
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Brian45
Senior Member
Hi wildfire . I use to think the AC would claim himself to be ALLAH as well , the problem is , Daniel says he does not regard the God of his fathers nor any God , So that blows my little theory away . I'm leaning more towards the AC being an arab athiest , but I'm only going on a few small scriptures , not enough to bother mentioning here . Good luck guys .
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Great thread Thunder!!
If the anti-christ is to accepted by the Jews as the messiah, as I have heard, and read, some indicated. He would then have to prove his Jewish ancestry. I believe the anti-christ will come from the old money orders of Europe, that now control the international banking system. There is a particular family in this cartel of families, that claim to be able to prove, they are direct descendants from Joseph and Mary. This is the Hapsburg family. Since Joseph would have had the throne, as king of Israel, (if the Romans had not have controlled the region), proving your direct ancestry back to Joseph and Mary would convince a lot of Jews, that this was the sign of the messiah. I believe all the news makers are just the mid-level members of all the secret societies, who are following the orders of their masters. These money orders control and finance these secret societies. I do not believe the anti-christ is a current leader of a particular country. He we be introduced to the world after two events, that are about to take place. These two events will leave to world in chaos and confusion. These to events are the resurrection/rapture of the saints, and the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39. In the rapture millions will vanish, followed almost immediately by a war that will kill ¼ of the worlds population. That is over one billion people. This war will also subdue the 3 kingdoms spoken of in the book of Daniel. The anti-christ will appear suddenly, be glorified by the media, and have all the answers that a secular GOD hating society wants to hear. With little resistance he will take power. The ten kings that have NO power as of yet, will receive power in one hour with the anti-christ. These 10 men are more than likely the patriarchs of the families of the old money orders that I have written of at the beginning of this post. This is what I get from my study. I like reading the opinions of others on this topic, because there is always a piece of the big picture/puzzle that some one will post to make the picture more clear to us all. Peace, but not yet.
If the anti-christ is to accepted by the Jews as the messiah, as I have heard, and read, some indicated. He would then have to prove his Jewish ancestry. I believe the anti-christ will come from the old money orders of Europe, that now control the international banking system. There is a particular family in this cartel of families, that claim to be able to prove, they are direct descendants from Joseph and Mary. This is the Hapsburg family. Since Joseph would have had the throne, as king of Israel, (if the Romans had not have controlled the region), proving your direct ancestry back to Joseph and Mary would convince a lot of Jews, that this was the sign of the messiah. I believe all the news makers are just the mid-level members of all the secret societies, who are following the orders of their masters. These money orders control and finance these secret societies. I do not believe the anti-christ is a current leader of a particular country. He we be introduced to the world after two events, that are about to take place. These two events will leave to world in chaos and confusion. These to events are the resurrection/rapture of the saints, and the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39. In the rapture millions will vanish, followed almost immediately by a war that will kill ¼ of the worlds population. That is over one billion people. This war will also subdue the 3 kingdoms spoken of in the book of Daniel. The anti-christ will appear suddenly, be glorified by the media, and have all the answers that a secular GOD hating society wants to hear. With little resistance he will take power. The ten kings that have NO power as of yet, will receive power in one hour with the anti-christ. These 10 men are more than likely the patriarchs of the families of the old money orders that I have written of at the beginning of this post. This is what I get from my study. I like reading the opinions of others on this topic, because there is always a piece of the big picture/puzzle that some one will post to make the picture more clear to us all. Peace, but not yet.
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Thanks MARANATHA2002,
These are very interesting days, no doubt. I don't really know how much more will be revealed, but I didn't even expect to learn this much about him. One thing for sure though, I will definately want to keep at least one eye on this guy. The left hand was not supposed to know what the right hand was doing, but no one ever said anything about the right hand not being able to know what the left hand is up to. The wise will know and understand. I don't think they will be able to get anything past the five wise virgins. She is ready and waiting. See ya
These are very interesting days, no doubt. I don't really know how much more will be revealed, but I didn't even expect to learn this much about him. One thing for sure though, I will definately want to keep at least one eye on this guy. The left hand was not supposed to know what the right hand was doing, but no one ever said anything about the right hand not being able to know what the left hand is up to. The wise will know and understand. I don't think they will be able to get anything past the five wise virgins. She is ready and waiting. See ya
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I believe we will have a balcony view of the whole picture, if you know what I mean. Peace, but not yet.
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Hey MARANATHA,
Yeah, I think I know exactly what you mean. I hope to watch from high above!! I believe the five wise virgins will have front row seats!!
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12.06.2002 - 09:31 CET
Schröder cautious about electing EU president
GERHARD SCHRÖDER - Germany's chancellor has decided to respect Germany's traditional support for more powers for the European Commission and the European Parliament. (Photo: PES)
German chancellor Gerhard Schröder expressed moderate interest in the proposal put forward by leaders of three large EU states to elect an EU president for a five year period, which would replace the present system of a rotating presidency held by each EU state. After a meeting on Tuesday with the president of the Convention on the EU future Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Mr Schröder warned the proposal would dramatically affect the way the EU works and the relations between EU institutions. As his representative in the Convention previously did, Schröder has discreetly taken the side of the European Commission in the battle between the two visions of Europe: the intergovernmental; giving more powers to the EU governments, and the community method; supporting more powers to the Commission.
Small EU states have already determinedly rejected the idea to elect an EU president, fearing this would give more power to the large member states, as the EU president would inevitably be a politician from a large state. The small EU countries are attached to the present system of a rotating presidency, saying it favours equality among states in the EU.
"It is an interesting proposal," the chancellor told the press after the meeting with Giscard in Berlin: "However, this proposal would not only change the way the Council works. It would also impact on the relationship of the other institutions with the Council," he added. The representative of the German government in the Convention, Peter Glotz, has recently rejected the idea put forward by leaders of the UK, France and Spain to elect an EU president to head the Council, the institution gathering representatives of EU governments. Also, Mr Schröder's challenger for the chancellery in September's elections, the conservative Edmund Stoiber, rejected the idea, saying it would weaken the democratic legitimacy of European integration.
The EU leaders are set to tackle the proposal at their meeting in Seville, on June 21-22, as part of a crucial discussion of reforming the highly criticised and opaque Council. However, Mr Schröder points out the matter would be best dealt with by the Convention on the EU future, as it would not only affect the Council but also the balance of powers between the institutions, and would entail Treaty changes.
Small states want equalitarian system
A majority of EU leaders have so far directly or discretely rejected the idea, which is seen as a move to promote the power of the big EU states. The prime ministers of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were the first to explicitly say the idea would not suit the EU. Austria's leaders also said they don't like the proposal and want a system which preserves equality among EU states, and so did Finland, a champion of the fight for small states' rights. Luxembourg prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Tuesday during a panel discussion on Europe in Germany that he was against the proposal.
German voice decisive
However, the decisive voice to determine the balance of support for the proposal was that of Germany, the largest EU country, and traditionally the most loyal to the European integration. Although electoral reasons and industrial lobbying have induced chancellor Schröder to harshly criticise the European Commission over the last year, he decided to respect Germany's traditional support for more powers for the European Commission and the European Parliament.
Press Articles Süddeutsche
Written by Daniela Spinant
Edited by Honor Mahony
-----------------------------------------------------------
While the European Union is trying to expand, it would appear from the above article that the smaller, less powerful nations may opt to leave the EU. There are currently 15 member States. Of the 15, only 12 have adopted the euro as their choice of currency. It would appear from scripture that eventually the EU will have only 10 member States. These are the 10 horns mentioned in the book of Daniel.
Schröder cautious about electing EU president
GERHARD SCHRÖDER - Germany's chancellor has decided to respect Germany's traditional support for more powers for the European Commission and the European Parliament. (Photo: PES)
German chancellor Gerhard Schröder expressed moderate interest in the proposal put forward by leaders of three large EU states to elect an EU president for a five year period, which would replace the present system of a rotating presidency held by each EU state. After a meeting on Tuesday with the president of the Convention on the EU future Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Mr Schröder warned the proposal would dramatically affect the way the EU works and the relations between EU institutions. As his representative in the Convention previously did, Schröder has discreetly taken the side of the European Commission in the battle between the two visions of Europe: the intergovernmental; giving more powers to the EU governments, and the community method; supporting more powers to the Commission.
Small EU states have already determinedly rejected the idea to elect an EU president, fearing this would give more power to the large member states, as the EU president would inevitably be a politician from a large state. The small EU countries are attached to the present system of a rotating presidency, saying it favours equality among states in the EU.
"It is an interesting proposal," the chancellor told the press after the meeting with Giscard in Berlin: "However, this proposal would not only change the way the Council works. It would also impact on the relationship of the other institutions with the Council," he added. The representative of the German government in the Convention, Peter Glotz, has recently rejected the idea put forward by leaders of the UK, France and Spain to elect an EU president to head the Council, the institution gathering representatives of EU governments. Also, Mr Schröder's challenger for the chancellery in September's elections, the conservative Edmund Stoiber, rejected the idea, saying it would weaken the democratic legitimacy of European integration.
The EU leaders are set to tackle the proposal at their meeting in Seville, on June 21-22, as part of a crucial discussion of reforming the highly criticised and opaque Council. However, Mr Schröder points out the matter would be best dealt with by the Convention on the EU future, as it would not only affect the Council but also the balance of powers between the institutions, and would entail Treaty changes.
Small states want equalitarian system
A majority of EU leaders have so far directly or discretely rejected the idea, which is seen as a move to promote the power of the big EU states. The prime ministers of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were the first to explicitly say the idea would not suit the EU. Austria's leaders also said they don't like the proposal and want a system which preserves equality among EU states, and so did Finland, a champion of the fight for small states' rights. Luxembourg prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Tuesday during a panel discussion on Europe in Germany that he was against the proposal.
German voice decisive
However, the decisive voice to determine the balance of support for the proposal was that of Germany, the largest EU country, and traditionally the most loyal to the European integration. Although electoral reasons and industrial lobbying have induced chancellor Schröder to harshly criticise the European Commission over the last year, he decided to respect Germany's traditional support for more powers for the European Commission and the European Parliament.
Press Articles Süddeutsche
Written by Daniela Spinant
Edited by Honor Mahony
-----------------------------------------------------------
While the European Union is trying to expand, it would appear from the above article that the smaller, less powerful nations may opt to leave the EU. There are currently 15 member States. Of the 15, only 12 have adopted the euro as their choice of currency. It would appear from scripture that eventually the EU will have only 10 member States. These are the 10 horns mentioned in the book of Daniel.
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I am not sure if the nations of Europe are the 10 kingdoms of Daniel and Revelation, or if the 10 kingdoms are the 10 regions that the UN has the world divided into, with a united Europe being just one of the kingdoms. I saw this division in a publication by an organization called Vampire Killers Police Against the New World Order. This organization is made up of former and currently active police officers and some military personal in the USA. They had collected published material from the UN that is in the Library of Congress, that showed the world divided into 10 regions, and their plan was to have a leader for each kingdom. It has been a few years since I read this. Any one interested should search the police against the new world order, and read their documentation. Of course Thunder's interpretation could be correct. I believe it is one of the two. Time will surely tell. Peace, but not yet.
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Hey MARANATHA,
It's good to have you back with us. I saw that map too. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Mikail Gorbachov the designer of that map, after He was thrown out of Russia?? I believe he is now living in San Francisco or somewhere in California. Go figure. Didn't Wild Bill give our old enemy a new home??
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I believe this new design of the world just may have a chance to come into play in the tribulation. The ten kings will be given power for one hour under the AC reign. He may put them in charge of these regions for a while, but the cookie will crumble eventually. This may be how he will implement the "mark of the beast". He may just use these ten to get that job done, and then throw them out of his way. Who knows??
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I get that indication too. Once the AC believes he has complete control, and Satan enters him, he will become a dictator. I believe this will happen at the mid-point, at the abomination of desolation. Here we will see the implementation of the mark begin, and all out war on the tribulation saints who will refuse to take the mark. As you have read from some of my post on other threads, I believe the battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39 will subdue the three kingdoms in the book of Daniel. This will allow the AC to come into power at the beginning of the tribulation.
When it says these10 kings will receive power in one hour with the beast, I get the indication that they have had no power as yet. What do you think? Also I am not sure of the time frame of these 10 kings . Is this at the beginning of the tribulation, or at the mid-point, what do you believe here? I fill it is one of the two.
As far as Mr. Gorbachov, I also believe he is in California. I thought I had at one time or another, heard he was teaching economics, or political science, or something of that nature at one of the universities there. I think he was here even before wild bill was elected, Im not sure. If memory serves me, the map we are discussing was created by the law making body of the UN. I believe they are called the united parliamentary association, and I believe this was published in the early 60s. It could be Gorbachov helped revise it, I am not sure.
Thunder, I must say how glad I am that we can discuss our beliefs without the insults and name calling (that I see of some of the other post), even though we may have a difference in opinion on a detail or two from our study. I am also amazed of how close our two studies are. I have enjoyed the shared knowledge on your threads, and look forward to many more. Peace, but not yet.
When it says these10 kings will receive power in one hour with the beast, I get the indication that they have had no power as yet. What do you think? Also I am not sure of the time frame of these 10 kings . Is this at the beginning of the tribulation, or at the mid-point, what do you believe here? I fill it is one of the two.
As far as Mr. Gorbachov, I also believe he is in California. I thought I had at one time or another, heard he was teaching economics, or political science, or something of that nature at one of the universities there. I think he was here even before wild bill was elected, Im not sure. If memory serves me, the map we are discussing was created by the law making body of the UN. I believe they are called the united parliamentary association, and I believe this was published in the early 60s. It could be Gorbachov helped revise it, I am not sure.
Thunder, I must say how glad I am that we can discuss our beliefs without the insults and name calling (that I see of some of the other post), even though we may have a difference in opinion on a detail or two from our study. I am also amazed of how close our two studies are. I have enjoyed the shared knowledge on your threads, and look forward to many more. Peace, but not yet.
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17.06.2002 - 09:02 CET
Seville summit to discuss Council reforms
BARCELONA COUNCIL - Stricter agendas and limited speaking time in European Councils are amongst the proposals put forward by the Spanish Presidency. (Photo: EU Commission)
EU foreign ministers are set to discuss on Monday a crucial report proposing reforms of the Council of ministers and of EU summits, which will be presented to the heads of state of the EU countries later in the week, at the Seville summit. The report, outlining long due reforms to the most opaque EU institution, sparked fear among the members of the Convention on EU future the EU states risk stealing the Conventions thunder on this crucial debate, just when the Convention tackles general reforms of the EU institutions.
Solana report
The reform proposals were drawn up by the Spanish presidency on the basis of a report drafted by the Council Secretary General Javier Solana, following contributions submitted by personal representatives of the heads of state of the EU countries. Among the proposed changes, it is being suggested to split the General Affairs Council in two parts, reducing the number of Councils to ten, and changing the present 6-month rotatory system of Council Presidency. Some of these proposals are set to be adopted in the Seville European Council.
Proposal for immediate changes to the Council Presidency
According to the report, the functioning of the Presidency could be improved both by practical changes within the current system and a more substantial reform requiring amendment of the Treaties. The Seville European Council, however, will only be able to rule on the first possibility, since measures requiring a revision of the Treaties are to be discussed within the Convention, before ultimately being submitted to the Inter Governmental Conference planned for 2004.
Replacing six-month programmes
The Spanish Presidency listed three immediate changes that could be done to the current six-month rotating EU presidency. One change is to replace the six-month programmes, currently drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of each Presidency, with annual programmes, drawn up jointly by two presidencies. This would reduce the risk of having a programme marked by particular national preoccupations.
Moreover, the continuity between successive Presidencies can be enhanced by having a presidency to take-over its duties early or else extend its term, depending on the nature of the proceedings. It was also proposed to allow the general secretariat of the Council to chair certain working parties in very specialised sectors of an administrative or technical nature, and also appointing the chairmen of certain committees for a period longer than 6 months.
Changes requiring amendment of Treaties
Although the Solana report states that the present system of six-month presidency, will be unable to function with an enlarged union, some member states still maintain that it has not been objectively proven that the current system would pose difficulties if it is maintained. However, the Spanish presidency put forward two proposals to amend the current system: having collective presidencies, either between two or three successive Presidencies, or automatic rotation between five or six-pre-constituted teams of states for a fixed period of two and a half or three years.
Another proposed change is to have a President elected by the heads of states in the European Council, for example from among its former members. It is also proposed that a pre-determined number of members of the European Council should be appointed to assist the President in performing his task. However, small member states oppose this proposal, as they claim the EU president would inevitably be a national of a large EU state, and this would harm the equality between EU states.
Split of GAC
The majority of EU countries are in favour of dividing the current meetings of foreign ministers in two separate formations, one called "General Affairs" and the other "External Relations", one to deal with horizontal coordination of decisions taken by different Council formations, and one deciding on foreign affairs. The Spanish Presidency is also proposing to limit the time of the European Councils for only one day.
Reducing the number of Councils
The report drawn by the Spanish presidency proposes to reduce the number of Council formations to 10, from the present 16. This would mean that several national ministers would be able to participate as full members of the same Council formation. Also, the number of informal Ministerial meetings is set to be limited to 5 per Presidency. These new provisions are expected to be applied by the Danish Presidency, which collaborated in the drafting of this report.
Press Articles Guardian
PDF Document Measures to prepare the Council for Enlargement: Report by the Presidency to the European Council
Written by Sharon Spiteri
Edited by Lisbeth Kirk
Seville summit to discuss Council reforms
BARCELONA COUNCIL - Stricter agendas and limited speaking time in European Councils are amongst the proposals put forward by the Spanish Presidency. (Photo: EU Commission)
EU foreign ministers are set to discuss on Monday a crucial report proposing reforms of the Council of ministers and of EU summits, which will be presented to the heads of state of the EU countries later in the week, at the Seville summit. The report, outlining long due reforms to the most opaque EU institution, sparked fear among the members of the Convention on EU future the EU states risk stealing the Conventions thunder on this crucial debate, just when the Convention tackles general reforms of the EU institutions.
Solana report
The reform proposals were drawn up by the Spanish presidency on the basis of a report drafted by the Council Secretary General Javier Solana, following contributions submitted by personal representatives of the heads of state of the EU countries. Among the proposed changes, it is being suggested to split the General Affairs Council in two parts, reducing the number of Councils to ten, and changing the present 6-month rotatory system of Council Presidency. Some of these proposals are set to be adopted in the Seville European Council.
Proposal for immediate changes to the Council Presidency
According to the report, the functioning of the Presidency could be improved both by practical changes within the current system and a more substantial reform requiring amendment of the Treaties. The Seville European Council, however, will only be able to rule on the first possibility, since measures requiring a revision of the Treaties are to be discussed within the Convention, before ultimately being submitted to the Inter Governmental Conference planned for 2004.
Replacing six-month programmes
The Spanish Presidency listed three immediate changes that could be done to the current six-month rotating EU presidency. One change is to replace the six-month programmes, currently drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of each Presidency, with annual programmes, drawn up jointly by two presidencies. This would reduce the risk of having a programme marked by particular national preoccupations.
Moreover, the continuity between successive Presidencies can be enhanced by having a presidency to take-over its duties early or else extend its term, depending on the nature of the proceedings. It was also proposed to allow the general secretariat of the Council to chair certain working parties in very specialised sectors of an administrative or technical nature, and also appointing the chairmen of certain committees for a period longer than 6 months.
Changes requiring amendment of Treaties
Although the Solana report states that the present system of six-month presidency, will be unable to function with an enlarged union, some member states still maintain that it has not been objectively proven that the current system would pose difficulties if it is maintained. However, the Spanish presidency put forward two proposals to amend the current system: having collective presidencies, either between two or three successive Presidencies, or automatic rotation between five or six-pre-constituted teams of states for a fixed period of two and a half or three years.
Another proposed change is to have a President elected by the heads of states in the European Council, for example from among its former members. It is also proposed that a pre-determined number of members of the European Council should be appointed to assist the President in performing his task. However, small member states oppose this proposal, as they claim the EU president would inevitably be a national of a large EU state, and this would harm the equality between EU states.
Split of GAC
The majority of EU countries are in favour of dividing the current meetings of foreign ministers in two separate formations, one called "General Affairs" and the other "External Relations", one to deal with horizontal coordination of decisions taken by different Council formations, and one deciding on foreign affairs. The Spanish Presidency is also proposing to limit the time of the European Councils for only one day.
Reducing the number of Councils
The report drawn by the Spanish presidency proposes to reduce the number of Council formations to 10, from the present 16. This would mean that several national ministers would be able to participate as full members of the same Council formation. Also, the number of informal Ministerial meetings is set to be limited to 5 per Presidency. These new provisions are expected to be applied by the Danish Presidency, which collaborated in the drafting of this report.
Press Articles Guardian
PDF Document Measures to prepare the Council for Enlargement: Report by the Presidency to the European Council
Written by Sharon Spiteri
Edited by Lisbeth Kirk
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From Foe to NATO Chief: Javier Solana Madariaga
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By CRAIG R. WHITNEY
RUSSELS, Belgium -- Javier Solana Madariaga, the Secretary General of NATO, is running the biggest air operation the alliance has carried out in its 50 years of existence. This is the same man who opposed Spain's entry into the organization as a young Socialist opposition politician in the early 1980's.
"I've never planned my life," Solana, a 56-year-old former Foreign Minister, said with a laugh in his office this week as the allied bombing of Yugoslavia entered its second week.
"Life, and the wind of life, have taken me places I never thought I'd be," he mused, in fluent if sometimes heavily accented English. "Look at me: I'm a theoretical physicist!" he said, to prove the point.
He looks the part, dressing casually in NATO's button-down headquarters in black loafers, with rimless glasses, and sporting a sparse, salt-and-pepper beard and mustache (but no gray hair yet).
And indeed he has a Ph.D. in solid-state physics and, after graduate study at the University of Virginia in the 1960's, became a professor of physics at the Complutense University in Madrid in 1974.
But politics has always been his true vocation; he likes to describe himself as a social democrat rather than a socialist.
Born in Madrid on July 14, 1942, under the fascist dictatorship of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, Solana quickly became a troublemaker.
He joined Spain's underground Socialist Party in 1964, a year after being expelled from the university where he later returned to teach, because he had been active in youth organizations opposed to Franco.
"I am a European, and I come from a country that has suffered very much in its history this century from a civil war," Solana said, with images of columns of Albanian civilians fleeing repression in Kosovo on the television screen in his office on the first floor of NATO headquarters, just outside Brussels.
"We have to say very clearly that we cannot live together with people in Europe who behave in this manner at the end of the 20th century," he said, referring to President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia.
"The great frustration I've had in dealing with the Balkans is a good number of leaders are people with their heads turned to the past, not to the future."
His own head firmly turned to the future, he met Felipe González, a charismatic young Spanish Socialist leader, in the early 1970's, when the party was still a clandestine organization.
When Spain established a constitutional monarchy with an elected legislature after Franco's death in 1975, González led the Socialist opposition out into the open, with Solana at his side.
Until González was elected Prime Minister in 1982, Solana opposed conservative attempts to establish a close military relationship with the United States.
The future leader of NATO opposed the presence of American military bases in Spain and, after a conservative Spanish Government negotiated Spain's entry into the North Atlantic Alliance just before the Socialists' election victory in 1982, he opposed that, too.
Once in power, the Socialists changed their minds. Solana then played an important role in organizing a referendum in 1986 endorsing the participation of Spain in the alliance if it kept its forces out of NATO's integrated military structure.
Solana's summons to Brussels came at the end of 1995, after Willy Claes, the Secretary General at the time, was indicted in a Belgian military-procurement and bribery scandal stemming from his years as a Socialist Party leader. The United States and its European allies clashed over two other candidates, and Solana was the compromise.
As Secretary General, Solana has presided over the post-cold-war alliance transformation that had been prepared by his two immediate predecessors, Claes and the late Manfred Wörner of Germany.
So he presided over the political decisions NATO made to send 60,000 peacekeepers to Bosnia, just after he took office, and to take in three formerly Communist countries, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, at a summit meeting in 1997.
Now Solana presides over daily and often contentious meetings of the 19-member North Atlantic Council to oversee the bombing campaign.
The Council gave him authority at the end of January to decide, after consulting with President Clinton and other allied leaders, to give the go-ahead to NATO's top military commander, Gen. Wesley K. Clark of the United States.
He took that step on March 23.
Now his main job, another military officer said, is to keep the allies in line with diplomacy and an easygoing, informal backslapping style that many NATO diplomats credit with maintaining the fragile consensus.
If the bombing eventually succeeds in bringing peace to Kosovo, Solana will be a hero in Spain, where he could run for Prime Minister in elections that are to be held by March 2000. If it fails, he will be among the first political casualties, close behind the alliance's relationship with Moscow that he has tried to nurture despite Russia's opposition to the bombing.
"We may fail, or not achieve 100 percent," he said with a shrug.
"But we have shown we have the will to try."
His family life, he conceded two years ago, has suffered from his work; his wife, Concepción Giménez, whom he met as a student in the United States, lives in Madrid, where she works, with their daughter, Vega, and son, Diego, while Solana commutes every weekend or two from Brussels. But now, he said, he lives mainly in his office.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Articles
The Overview: Weeks of Bombing Will Aim to Break Milosevic's Grip
Issue in Depth: Conflict in Kosovo
Forum
Join a Discussion on The Conflict in Kosovo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By CRAIG R. WHITNEY
RUSSELS, Belgium -- Javier Solana Madariaga, the Secretary General of NATO, is running the biggest air operation the alliance has carried out in its 50 years of existence. This is the same man who opposed Spain's entry into the organization as a young Socialist opposition politician in the early 1980's.
"I've never planned my life," Solana, a 56-year-old former Foreign Minister, said with a laugh in his office this week as the allied bombing of Yugoslavia entered its second week.
"Life, and the wind of life, have taken me places I never thought I'd be," he mused, in fluent if sometimes heavily accented English. "Look at me: I'm a theoretical physicist!" he said, to prove the point.
He looks the part, dressing casually in NATO's button-down headquarters in black loafers, with rimless glasses, and sporting a sparse, salt-and-pepper beard and mustache (but no gray hair yet).
And indeed he has a Ph.D. in solid-state physics and, after graduate study at the University of Virginia in the 1960's, became a professor of physics at the Complutense University in Madrid in 1974.
But politics has always been his true vocation; he likes to describe himself as a social democrat rather than a socialist.
Born in Madrid on July 14, 1942, under the fascist dictatorship of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, Solana quickly became a troublemaker.
He joined Spain's underground Socialist Party in 1964, a year after being expelled from the university where he later returned to teach, because he had been active in youth organizations opposed to Franco.
"I am a European, and I come from a country that has suffered very much in its history this century from a civil war," Solana said, with images of columns of Albanian civilians fleeing repression in Kosovo on the television screen in his office on the first floor of NATO headquarters, just outside Brussels.
"We have to say very clearly that we cannot live together with people in Europe who behave in this manner at the end of the 20th century," he said, referring to President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia.
"The great frustration I've had in dealing with the Balkans is a good number of leaders are people with their heads turned to the past, not to the future."
His own head firmly turned to the future, he met Felipe González, a charismatic young Spanish Socialist leader, in the early 1970's, when the party was still a clandestine organization.
When Spain established a constitutional monarchy with an elected legislature after Franco's death in 1975, González led the Socialist opposition out into the open, with Solana at his side.
Until González was elected Prime Minister in 1982, Solana opposed conservative attempts to establish a close military relationship with the United States.
The future leader of NATO opposed the presence of American military bases in Spain and, after a conservative Spanish Government negotiated Spain's entry into the North Atlantic Alliance just before the Socialists' election victory in 1982, he opposed that, too.
Once in power, the Socialists changed their minds. Solana then played an important role in organizing a referendum in 1986 endorsing the participation of Spain in the alliance if it kept its forces out of NATO's integrated military structure.
Solana's summons to Brussels came at the end of 1995, after Willy Claes, the Secretary General at the time, was indicted in a Belgian military-procurement and bribery scandal stemming from his years as a Socialist Party leader. The United States and its European allies clashed over two other candidates, and Solana was the compromise.
As Secretary General, Solana has presided over the post-cold-war alliance transformation that had been prepared by his two immediate predecessors, Claes and the late Manfred Wörner of Germany.
So he presided over the political decisions NATO made to send 60,000 peacekeepers to Bosnia, just after he took office, and to take in three formerly Communist countries, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, at a summit meeting in 1997.
Now Solana presides over daily and often contentious meetings of the 19-member North Atlantic Council to oversee the bombing campaign.
The Council gave him authority at the end of January to decide, after consulting with President Clinton and other allied leaders, to give the go-ahead to NATO's top military commander, Gen. Wesley K. Clark of the United States.
He took that step on March 23.
Now his main job, another military officer said, is to keep the allies in line with diplomacy and an easygoing, informal backslapping style that many NATO diplomats credit with maintaining the fragile consensus.
If the bombing eventually succeeds in bringing peace to Kosovo, Solana will be a hero in Spain, where he could run for Prime Minister in elections that are to be held by March 2000. If it fails, he will be among the first political casualties, close behind the alliance's relationship with Moscow that he has tried to nurture despite Russia's opposition to the bombing.
"We may fail, or not achieve 100 percent," he said with a shrug.
"But we have shown we have the will to try."
His family life, he conceded two years ago, has suffered from his work; his wife, Concepción Giménez, whom he met as a student in the United States, lives in Madrid, where she works, with their daughter, Vega, and son, Diego, while Solana commutes every weekend or two from Brussels. But now, he said, he lives mainly in his office.
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