Here is a translation of the 2nd part of a speech given Tuesday by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone at the presentation of a book by Andrea Tornielli, "Pio XII: Un Uomo Sul Trono di Pietro" (Pius XII: A Man on the Throne of Peter).
So what's new?...
The timing could hardly be worse: With Prime Minister Prodi away at the G-8 summit meeting, his fragile center-left government was caught up in an embarrassing crisis and fighting for its political survival.
For Heaven's sake, gentlemen, spare us the choreography. It's bad enough that you're foisting the Euro constitution on us despite two "No" votes. It's monstrous that you should be betraying your own electorates in favour of the Brussels technocracy. But, since this is plainly what you've decided to do, just do it. Don't mock us by pretending that the outcome is still in doubt; don't mime elaborate bust-ups over voting weights and vetoes.
Germany said that the planned EU constitution must include human rights provisions, signalling tough talks with Britain and other opponents of the clause at an upcoming EU summit aimed at clinching a deal on the treaty.
Members of the European Parliament raised the spectre of rejecting any new EU treaty negotiated by member states they consider not ambitious enough. The European Parliament's opinion on the finished text is not legally binding, meaning that technically national governments could forge ahead with it anyway. However, a thumbs-down from MEPs would be a major political upset and would be too damaging to ignore.
I am getting increasingly fed up with those who qualify the Constitutional Treaty as a "radical new departure" or a "revolutionary change" to the nature of the EU. It is not. It is a pragmatic set of adjustments in response to problems with the existing system. The basic "rulebook" of the European Union is spread over several different treaties, each new one amending a previous one. It would be useful to codify them into a single text. This, the Constitutional Treaty does.
NOT-SO-GREAT G-8
The G-8 summit started on Wednesday evening. Before that, Chancellor Merkel lunched with President Bush, but there's not much hope she will be able to persuade him to sign up to a meaningful agreement on combating global warming.
Europress...
As G8 leaders settle down for their first full day of talks, Europe's press considered the divisions over tackling climate change and the tense relations between Russia and the West.
German press...
With his threat of a new Cold War, Putin appears poised to upstage both Merkel and Bush at Wednesday's G-8 conference. Some German papers are comparing him to the Black Bloc.
President Bush has again tried to soothe a row with Russia at the start of a G8 summit in Germany. Bush said he was looking forward to his private meeting with Putin on Thursday afternoon. He said he would tell his Russian counterpart that the missile defence shield is "not something we should hyperventilate about".
Know your enemy – a phrase coined by Sun Tzu, the Chinese military strategist, 2,000 years ago – is even more critical in diplomacy than it is in warfare. As the leaders of the world's most powerful nations gathered in Germany last night for the annual G8 summit, the identity of the enemy was pretty clear. An alternative villain has suddenly upstaged the hapless President Bush. Enter Vladimir Putin, the new global enemy #1. Casting Russia as the enemy suits everyone at this year's summit.
Concern is growing that Israel and Syria may be heading towards war, with signs that both are preparing their armies. The preparations are being made across both sides of the ceasefire line in the Golan Heights area occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel yesterday appointed a team of senior ministers to handle policy towards Syria, but denied it was a "war cabinet". The move came just a day after Israeli troops held a widely publicised training exercise in which they captured what army officials described as a model of a Syrian village.
Turkey's new incursion into northern Iraq to strike back at Kurdish guerrillas delivered a diplomatic warning shot to US and Iraqi leaders struggling to hold off a divisive conflict. The latest raid by Turkish troops raised concern among US military officials from Baghdad to the Pentagon, even as they first denied and then downplayed the border crossing in one of Iraq's most peaceful regions.
Iran and Hungary in Budapest discussed issues of mutual interest and the most pressing regional and international developments.
The governor general of northern Mazandaran province said that Iran's Government welcomes foreign investment in all fields. Speaking in a meeting with a group of Italian businessmen and investors, he said ground has been paved for activities of all investors within the frameworks of the country's laws and international regulations. The head of the Italian commercial delegation cited one of the main objectives of their visit to Mazandaran as exploring its trade capabilities. He also described Italian-Iranian trade and cultural relations as age-old and deep rooted.
The Majlis Speaker condemned atrocities of the Zionist regime in violating sanctity of Al-Aqsa mosque and destruction of a part of the international culture and civilization. "Due to silence of international circles and support of certain foreign powers during years of occupation, the Zionist regime has adopted measures to change population structure of the city of divine religions and cradle of peace."
Bomb-bomb, not jaw-jaw...
A senior member of Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's government suggested that his country is running out of patience with a US-backed diplomatic overture to head off Iran's nuclear ambitions. Neither Israel nor the US has ruled out a military strike to stop or slow Iran's progress.
The largest US military flotilla to enter the Gulf since the 2003 Iraq war has begun winding up 2 weeks of war drills off Iran's coast. The 9 warships, including 2 aircraft carriers carrying some 140 aircraft, are now patrolling waters as close as 35 miles to Iran's coast.
For most Americans, who now wish we had never invaded Iraq, the notion of expanding that extraordinarily lethal mistake into neighboring Iran and Syria must seem insane. Yet those same brilliant neoconservative strategists who brought us the war in Iraq and constantly urge its escalation exist in their own special reality. They speak of military hostilities against Iran and Syria with anticipation rather than apprehension. As we should have learned over the past 4 years, their dreams often turn out to be our nightmares.
Do the lessons of WW2 have any bearing on today's ongoing showdown in the Persian Gulf? Is the "War Party" inside the Bush Administration, headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, borrowing a page from Hitler's 1936-39 playbook, carefully orchestrating a near-term war with Iran? Recent events, when viewed through the lens of history, suggest that this may be precisely what is going on.
Nine of 10 candidates for the Republican presidential nomination explicitly or tacitly supported a US attack on Iran using nuclear weapons, in response to a question at Tuesday night's nationally televised debate in New Hampshire. Despite the extraordinary character of these declarations—giving support to the first use of nuclear weapons in war since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 62 years ago—there was virtually no US press coverage of these remarks and no commentary on their significance.
Getting Jewish permission...
Fred Thompson, US presidential hopeful and former star of the hit television series "Law & Order," is scheduled to make his first visit to Israel in the coming days. Of the dozen or so candidates contesting the nomination, Thompson is among the most supportive of Israel. He is also on record as supporting an Israeli military strike against Iran.
The privatization of war hands an incentive to American corporations, many with tremendous political clout, to keep us mired down in Iraq. But even more disturbing is the steady rise of this modern Praetorian Guard. The Praetorian Guard in ancient Rome was a paramilitary force that defied legal constraints, made violence part of the political discourse, and eventually plunged the Roman Republic into tyranny and despotism. Despotic movements need paramilitary forces that operate outside the law, forces that sow fear among potential opponents, and are capable of physically silencing those branded by their leaders as traitors. And in the wrong hands, a Blackwater could well become that force. Mercenary forces like Blackwater operate beyond civilian and military law.
Oil prices rose above $71 a barrel on Wednesday after news Turkish troops conducted operations in northern Iraq rekindled concerns over escalating tensions in the Middle East.
"About 17-21 million barrels a day of oil are coming out of the Persian Gulf. Even if only some of the tankers are delayed, that could reduce the supply of oil and increase prices," said Manouchehr Takin, an analyst at the Center for Global Energy Studies in London. But Tim Evans, an analyst at Citigroup Global Markets, said the storm shouldn't have a major impact on prices because while it may delay oil shipments, they eventually will get to their destinations.
The Bank of England has held UK interest rates at 5.5% following its latest meeting, but analysts say a rate rise later this year remains likely.
The European Central Bank has raised interest rates for the eurozone to 4% from 3.75%. The increase takes rates in the area to their highest level for 6 years and means they have doubled in 18 months.
Stock markets plunged into the red after the ECB lifted interest rates and signalled there are more increases to come.
The firm issues a "full house" warning on European equities, fueling big declines in stock markets Wednesday.
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Today in Scripture
* "(On the 5th) morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away..." (Exo 16:21)
* "On the 20th day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony." (Num 10:11)
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