Arabs to Rejoin Mediterranean Union

The Arab states apparently want back into the Union for the Mediterranean States:

Arabs Back On Board For Mediterranean Union

AFP – June 24, 2009

CAIRO (AFP)–Arab states will rejoin the Mediterranean Union, which has been frozen since the Gaza war in December-January, an Arab League official said Wednesday, despite reservations about sitting down with Israel.

“The whole Arab group will participate in the next meetings. We will not be the ones to block the process,” Mohammed al-Nasseri, who heads the Euro-Arab cooperation department at the Arab League, told AFP.

He said Arab members, which include the Palestinians, would attend the July 7 meeting in Brussels to formally announce the 43-member union’s relaunch.

The Arab members will first attend a Euro-Mediterranean ministerial meeting in Paris Thursday on sustainable development, Nasseri said.

Launched at a Paris summit in July, the Union groups E.U. member states with countries in North Africa, the Balkans, Arab world as well as Israel in a bid to foster cooperation. http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200906241303dowjonesdjonline000681&title=arabs-back-on-board-for-mediterranean-union

France attempts to revitalise Union for the Mediterranean

EurActiv – June 26, 2009

Held up by the invasion of Gaza at the beginning of 2009 and the ensuing freeze in Israeli-Palestinian relations, France relaunched the Union for the Mediterranean at a meeting held in Paris yesterday (25 June). EurActiv France reports.

After six months of slow motion, delegations from 43 member states were invited by the French environment minister to evaluate the condition of a number of sustainable development projects.

“The Union for the Mediterranean experienced a major slowdown after January […] We have convinced our partners to resume formal meetings,” indicated the technical counsellor responsible for the economy and finance at the Elysée’s Med Union unit, Gilles Mantré, during a conference organised by the Foundation for Policy Innovation on 19 June.

And if the process has begun anew, it is “solely because we’ve altered the parameters of cooperation,” he added. Contrary to the technical meetings of the Barcelona Process, which brought together ambassadors and experts, the meetings of the Union for the Mediterranean put heads of state and government in contact with one another.

According to diplomats, this was what allowed countries to overcome the Gaza crisis without leaving the Mediterranean Union. This point of view is shared by the president of the Arab World Institute, Dominique Baudis. “It was a mistake to launch the Barcelona Process solely at the ministerial level. When an initiative is taken at the level of heads of state and government, the political impact is stronger,” he said.

Launched with great pomp in July 2008, the Mediterranean Union was given a Franco-Egyptian co-presidency…

“The real assessment of the Union for the Mediterranean will need to be made two years after its launch,” added France’s Mantré. Concrete projects – such as solar power projects or sea highways – thus still have a year to bear fruit. http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/france-attempts-revitalise-union-mediterranean/article-183525

While the deals in Psalm 83/Daniel 11:27-28 and Daniel 9:27 have not yet occurred, as I have been saying since its launch, the Mediterranean Union may be the organizational framework for possibly all such deals to take place (though the Mediterranean Union itself is not strictly necessary for any of them).

While the Mediterranean Union does have a co-president of the North and a co-president of the South (called a “co-presidency” in the above article), neither are yet in position to be the final King of the North nor the final King of the South. But events seem to be lining up in a way that the top Mediterranean Union leaders may ultimately hold those positions.

Union for the Mediterranean

Blue: Members of the European Union in the Union for the Mediterranean States
Green: Other members (primarily from the African Union & Arab League)
Striped green: Libya is currently only an observer member in the Union for the Mediterranean

Libya, which has been distant from the Union indicated that it may also become a full member. Libya’s leader, by the way, has taken titles to suggest that he is the final leader that the Muslims are looking for. Notice the following two items:

Ghaddafi’s historical visit to Italy paves way for Libya-EU ties

Xinhua – June 10, 2009

By Silvia Marchetti

On Thursday Ghaddafi will give a speech at the Italian Senate and at La Sapienza state university, while he will meet on Friday with the Italian association of entrepreneurs and a delegation of 700 women.

According to Arturo Varvelli, researcher at the Milan-based ISPI institute of international politics and author of Italy and the rise of Ghaddafi, “the Libyan leader’s trip to Rome will pave way for greater Libya-EU relations, especially in the fight against illegal immigration.”

“Closer bilateral ties between Italy and Libya can support Libya’s integration in the circuit of international cooperation,” said Varvelli.

“It’s a great historical opportunity to consider Libya’s official entry in the Mediterranean Union and accelerate the implementation of the framework agreement between Libya and the EU, launched in 2008.” http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/11/content_11523232.htm

Colonel Gaddafi is turning into a mellow megolamaniac…

Gaddafi, 68…he is the world’s third longest-serving head of state. He still talks himself a big role in the world -“I am an international leader, the King of Kings of Africa and the Imam of the Muslims” – and the world is happy to let him believe it. It’s a better Gaddafi now. Older, wiser, but not so crazy as to give the impression that he might be going sane. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/5524083/Colonel-Gaddafi-is-turning-into-a-mellow-megolamaniac.html

Although Colonel Gaddafi is not likely to be accepted as the Imam of the Muslims, as he gets older, it would not be a surprise if he endorses someone (possibly from Egypt) for that role–the role that would seem to be that of the biblical King of the South.

So, while much of the world is focusing on Michael Jackson and the Iranian situation, events in Europe and the Middle East continue to move forward in ways to be set to fulfill biblical prophecy.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? What does the Bible say?
The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam?