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I don't know if there's any likelihood to this at all, but I thought I better mention it just in case. There is a negative astrological configuration that wil occur a few hours from now that might coincide with some sort of negative international event(s) in the hours and/or days to come. But before I get into the dirty details of what we're looking at here, let me discuss my general views concerning "astrology".
As overviewed in my articles on "Kremlin Astrology" (see below ), during recent years there has been a significant correlation between important astrological configurations and major international events in Russia, the Middle East (particularly concerning Iraq), the Balkans and Korea. There are two possible explanations for why such a correlation would occur: 1. Certain governments, most likely at Moscow's behest, are shaping history according to astrology and/or 2. Events correlate with astrological configurations because there is some truth to astrology. I think the answer is a mix of both of these possibilities.
As for the possibility that certain governments are shaping history according to astrology, there are precedents to believe this might be happening. For instance, Adolph Hitler was known to have planned his military campaigns and major moves during the second world war according to astrology (See, for instance, Wilhwelm T. Wulff's 'Zodiac & Swastika; How Astrology Guided Hitler's Germany', 1973). Also, many modern-day world leaders like Slobodan Milosevic, Ronald Reagan (because of their wives) and Princess Diana are known to have used astrology to plan their political and personal lives. Thus, if there are governments such as in Moscow that were deceptively planning for, and underhandedly shaping world history toward, something as immense as a nuclear third world war, the use of astrology in such long- term planning and historical manipulation would not be surprising. Such psychotic world leaders would use anything they could get their hands on that they thought might influence the masses and move history in their strategic favor.
While the use of astrology in an occultic fashion by diabolical, antichristian world powers is one explanation for a correlation between key astrological configurations and major world events, this does not account for some of the correlations I've observed. For instance, the correlation of lunar eclipses with the major Jewish holidays over the past two years and the surprising arrival of two bright comets, both of which appear to signify the coming destruction of Israel, are not something any human world governments could have brought about.
See http://www.jvim.com/IntelligenceBriefing/jun1997/cover.html
Also, consider this remarkable, recent example of astrological phenomena. The name "Diana" means "Goddess of the moon". Incredibly, the two greatest tragedies in the life and death of Princess Diana coincided precisely with eclipses of the moon, i.e., when the moon's light was shadowed....when Diana's ("candle"!) light was darkened. Princess Diana's divorce from Prince Charles was announced in the Houses of British Parliament on a lunar eclipse and Princess Diana's late-night car accident and death occurred at the time of a lunar eclipse. Once again, it is doubtful any world government was involved in creating such a profound coincidence. (One might also note that Princess Diana's death was predicted by the French astrologer and prophet Nostradamus- see article below).
On top of the examples above, I have also noted a strong correlation between planetary alignments and major turning points in the stock market. A prime example of this was the August 1987 top in the stock market and subsequent October crash. The top in the stock market precisely coincided with a new moon, 5-planet alignment just after the August 17th, 1987 "Harmonic Convergence"- an extraordinary cosmic event that had astrology buffs humming all around the world. The October 1987 stock market crash followed this top and precisely started with a lunar eclipse on October 7th, something forecast quite precisely by the "Spiral Calendar" lunar-cycle theory of swings in stock prices and mass mood (contact Elliott Wave International for more information on the Spiral Calendar).
Given observations like above, clearly there is a scientific basis to astrology, i.e., there is some "truth" to it. This truth could only be so if it is by God's design; symbolic synchronicity between astronomical and world events exemplifies and reflects the Creator's will in almost a supernatural fashion. Remarkably, this is one truth both Science and the Church would agree is *not true*....indicating it is probably one of the most important truths one can discover!
But regardless of what truth there is to astrology, it is possible that knowledge of such truth could be misused and abused. Those who look to the stars instead of God for guidance and grace in their lives are likely misled. More frightening, it appears that powerful human leaders like Hitler seek to take on the role of God and create history according to their own selfish wills using astrology as their guide and/or tool. This is where the occult and Satan is involved, when evil forces seek to replace and supercede the will and power of God with their own evil wills and worldly manipulations.
It is the latter potential abuse of astrology that might be a concern at the current juncture. In a few hours, the moon is going to come into conjuntion with the Mars, the planet of war and violence, and Pluto, the planet of extremism, death, manipulation and, most frighteningly, nuclear energy (just think of the word "Pluto"nium).
Astrological chart for 10/06/1997
+-------<11>27Leo48----<10>27Can54-----<9>29Gem59-----------+
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
<12>29Vir59----|-----------------------------|----- 2Gem04<8>
| | | |
| | Astrolog (4.10) chart | |
| | Mon Oct 6 1997 2:00am | |
| | -05:00 0:00W 0:00N | |
<1> 2Sco10-----| Placidus Houses. |----- 2Tau10<7>
| | Julian Day = 2450727.79 | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
<2> 2Sag04-----|-----------------------------|-----29Pis59<6>
| Plu 3Sag38 | | | |
| Moo 4Sag19 | | | |
| Mar 5Sag11 | | | |
| | | | |
+-----------29Sag59<3>-----27Cap54<4>-----27Aqu48<5>--------+
|
This is what an astrologer on my mailing list wrote to me about the upcoming event:
Some related information can be found at-
http://www.astropro.com/forecast/predict/1997-10.html
(Arch Crawford, financial astrologer)
Thus, in 1990, when Mars and Pluto squared the moon going into lunar eclipse (Mars and Pluto were in opposition), Iraq invaded Kuwait. Now that the moon is going align with a conjunction of Mars and Pluto (Mars and Pluto were in precise conjunction on Friday, the U.S. ordered an aircraft carrier to hurry to the Persian Gulf), it will be interesting to see if Saddam's Iraq, or maybe even Iran, stirs a new crisis in the Persian Gulf. Then again....there's Russia, Bosnia and Korea to keep an eye on...
The use of astrology by powerful dictators to make key decisions and time important moves did not stop with Babylonian Kings, however. It is now widely recognized that Adolph Hitler used astrology to guide his important moves. Hitler shaped his political moves and foreign policy decisions, like the timing of military campaigns in waging the second world war, according to the stars. (See, for instance, Wilhwelm T. Wulff's 'Zodiac & Swastika; How Astrology Guided Hitler's Germany', 1973).
Today the evil dictators and conquerors of the world are again relying on astrology to guide their moves. Specifically, *Gorbachev's* Russia (I believe Gorbachev is still the leading figure behind the scenes in Moscow today), Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the other authoritarian powers of the East are likely using the stars to guide a multi-year plan to militarily destroy the West and thereby conquer the world. Thus, upon close examination, one finds that almost all of the key events in Russia, Iraq, the former-Yugoslavia, Chechnya, so on and so forth, over the past decade have coincided with significant, relatively rare astrological configurations. (Note that the leadership of the "opposing" factions in places like the former- Yugoslavia and Chechnya are former Communist elite. Thus, no matter how much the opposite may appear to be the case, they are still likely receiving their orders from the Kremlin. That the Kremlin may control all sides of "staged" conflicts in places like the Chechnya was revealed by KGB defector Anatoliy Golitsyn in his book 'New Lies For Old'.)
So that the use of astrology by the Kremlin and authoritarian powers of the East is clear, please consider the following examples of where key events coincided with significant, rare astrological configurations:
1. *April 24th, 1986: Total eclipse of the Moon conjunct Pluto.
The following evening the Chernobyl disaster, which was likely no accident but rather a sick experiment to garner knowledge for fighting a nuclear war, occurred in the Ukraine.
Notably this configuration involved the planet Pluto which is supposed to represent explosive events and nuclear technology ("Pluto" is the root of the world "pluto"nium).
2. *July 22nd, 1990: Total solar eclipse.
Marked when Iraq began massing forces on the Kuwaiti border just prior to the 1990 invasion.
3. *August 2nd thru 7th, 1990: Lunar eclipse squares Mars and Pluto.
In the Market Watch section of the July 16th, 1990 issue of 'Barron's', there is an excerpt from the newsletter of financial astrologer Arch Crawford. It reads in part:
"...Aug. 6 (Lunar Eclipse squares Mars + Pluto). Expect some major catastrophe on that last one, Aug. 2-7, as something explodes in a big way... Astronomically similar to the Chernobyl disaster..."
On August 2nd, Iraq invaded Kuwait precipitating the Persian Gulf crisis.
4. *January 15th, 1991: Solar eclipse with rare 6-planet alignment in Capricorn (note: in astrology the Sun and Moon are considered planets).
January 15th, 1991 was the U.N. deadline for Iraq to pull-out of Kuwait before the allied attack a day later- the beginning of the Gulf War.
According to an ancient Babylonian prophecy, "when all the planets meet in Capricorn the world will be destroyed by fire". In January of 1991, there was a six-planet alignment in Capricorn, and Venus, Jupiter and Pluto were heavily aspected in Capricorn and in tension with each other. Thus, from the perspective of someone in Iraq and the site of ancient Babylon, their "world was destroyed by fire" exactly as forecast in this astrological prophecy (see Moira Timms' 'Beyond Prophecies and Predictions', pp.206 & 209).
5. *June 26th, 1991: Lunar eclipse of lunar/solar eclipse pair. Also, Pluto was squared (90-degree angle) by an alignment of Venus, Mars and Jupiter.
Marked the beginning of the civil war in Yugoslavia.
6. *August 19th, 1991: Alignment of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter in the zodiac sign of Leo.
A failed coup attempt by communist hardliners is staged in Moscow which supposedly brings an end to the Communist Party and Soviet Union.
7. *December 21st, 1991: Lunar eclipse on the winter solstice.
The Soviet flag comes down and the Russian flag is raised over the Kremlin as the Soviet Union is officially disbanded.
A few days after this, on Christmas day (?!), Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev resigned.
8. *June 30th, 1992: Solar eclipse of lunar/solar eclipse pair. This eclipse was aligned with Venus, Uranus and Neptune and sextiled (60-degree angle) Mars and Jupiter.
First U.N. forces arrive in Sarajevo as Western military intervention in the former-Yugoslavia begins.
9. *October 4th, 1993: Pluto conjunct Moon squares (90-degree angle) Saturn and trines (120-degree angle) Venus, Uranus and Neptune.
Political chaos erupts in Moscow following Russian President Boris Yeltsin's disbanding of the former-Soviet parliament.
10. *December 13th, 1993: Alignment of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars in Sagitarrius.
Communists and Nationalists win the elections for a new Russian parliament. Of particular surprise is the success of the "Liberal Democratic Party (?!) led by Hitler-like nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
11. *January 12th, 1994: Rare seven-planet alignment in Capricorn (five planets and the sun and moon). Tightest alignment of seven planets in 300 years.
U.S./Russia summit at which the superpowers sign an agreement to no longer target each other with nuclear weapons.
Alignment also coincides with increased Serb shelling of Sarajevo and a NATO summit meeting at which the Western allies agree to use force in the former-Yugoslavia. Within a month the first NATO ultimatum was issued for the withdrawal of Serb heavy weaponry from around a Sarajevan "safe-zone".
12. *November 18th, 1994: Lunar eclipse of solar/lunar eclipse pair. Eclipse is aligned with Pluto and Jupiter, squares (90- degree angle) Mars and trines (120-degree angle) Uranus and Neptune.
Croatian Serb warplanes bomb the U.N.-protected Bihac enclave in violation of a NATO-enforced "no-fly zone". NATO responds by bombing Serb positions. This is the first major use of military force against the Serbs by NATO in the Balkan conflict and the first offensive military action ever taken by NATO in the 45-year history of the alliance.
13. *December 11th, 1994: Mars squares conjunction of Pluto & Jupiter.
Russia invades the breakaway republic of Chechnya.
14. *April 29th, 1995: Solar eclipse of lunar/solar eclipse pair. Eclipse squares Neptune and Uranus.
Croatian Serb warplanes bomb the U.N.-protected Bihac enclave in Bosnia in violation of a NATO enforced "no-fly zone" once again. The Balkan war heats-up as a five-month cease-fire comes to an end.
(Notably, this was the first eclipse pair subsquent to the pair in November of 1994 which marked the only other time Croatian Serb warplanes bombed Bihac- both before and since.)
15. *June 14th, 1995: Mars squares alignment of Mercury, Venus and and Jupiter.
Similar to configuration on December 11th, 1994 when Russia invaded Chechnya. This time, a large group of Chechen rebels attack a town in southern Russia and take several hundred patients hostage at a hospital. The incident ends violently with hundreds of Russians killed.
16. *July 12th, 1995: Alignment of Sun, Moon, Neptune and Uranus trines (120-degree angle) Mars and sextiles (60-degree angle) Saturn and Pluto.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin reportedly suffers a heart attack while Bosnian Serb forces overrun the U.N.-protected enclave of Srebrenica.
17. *October 24th, 1995: Mars and Pluto conjunct total solar eclipse.
Russian President Boris Yetsin suffers a second heart attack since which he has still not recovered.
18. *November 22nd, 1995: 7-planet alignment of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Pluto in Sagitarrius.
Serbs do a total about-face and reach a peace agreement with Bosnian and Croatian representatives at peace talks in Dayton, Ohio. Some 60,000 NATO troops start heading into the former- Yugoslavia to take over the peace-keeping mission from the United Nations.
19. *December 21st/22nd, 1995: Clustering of all planets in or near Capricorn around the time of the winter solstice.
Communists and nationalist win Russian parliamentary elections.
20. *January 15th, 1996: Moon squares alignment of Earth, Sun, Mercury, Mars and Uranus.
Russian forces storm Chechen rebels holding hostages in southern Russia.
21. *February 26th, 1996: Sun conjunct Mars T-squares Pluto and the moon, which are in opposition (180 degrees apart).
Configuration is similar to the one that marked when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August of 1990. Notably, February 26th is also the fifth anniversary of Kuwait's liberation from Iraqi occupation and the end of the Gulf War.
Wave of terrorist bombings against Israel occur starting February 25th as the Arabs begin to unravel the false peace that has been established in the Middle East.
22. *April 3rd, 1996: Total lunar eclipse conjunct Mars and squared by Jupiter.
North Korea pulls out of the Korean War Armistice and then carries out a series of provocative armed incursions in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.
The twenty two developments above might be key steps in a ten-year plan (at the least) Russia has been carrying-out to open the way for a surprise third world war against the West.
Chernobyl was likely some sort of sick experiment to garner knowledge and do applied tests of skills and technology necessary to fight a nuclear war.
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War were part of a Persian Gulf deception meant to give the West an exagerrated sense of military superiority over the East and probably also to give Saddam a martyr role in the Arab world so that he may eventually start a "jihad", or holy war, against Israel and the West.
The civil war in the former-Yugoslavia is to draw NATO and the West into a war against the Serbs, Russia's orthodox christian ally, possibly to create a pretext for a right-wing coup in Moscow and a Russian "jihad" against America and the West.
Russia's seemingly bungled military intervention in Chechnya and the victory of nationalists in the December 1993 parliamentary elections was to set the stage for a bogus right- wing coup in Moscow.
Lastly, the summit at which the two superpowers agreed to no longer target each other with nuclear weapons helped open the way for a successful Russian surprise attack against the West such that the world is "destroyed by fire".
Unfortunately, as long as people don't accept the truth, the ruling elite in Moscow will continue to pursue their premeditated, ultimate crime against humanity. Even with the incriminating evidence from astrology to see the crime unfolding, as long as there is no collective effort to expose this literally satanic manipulation of world history, the lie will succeed and the antichrist shall prevail.
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Chattanooga Free Press
September 13, 1997, Saturday
"Astrology: A Gift From God?"
By Jim Ashley, Free Press Church Editor
"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the
heaven to divide the day from the night: and let them be for
signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years."
When Moses used the word signs (Owth in Hebrew) in Gen. 1:14
was he referring to astrology? Colin Mitchell and Cathren Bond
believe he was.
Mr. Mitchell, a former instructor of psychology at Chattanooga
State Technical Community College and Ms. Bond, a former teacher
of astrology at Chattanooga State, have studied astrology for 20
years.
Both pointed to the Star of Bethlehem as an astrological sign
and explained that the star was probably "the planet Venus, the
Morning Star," and the three wise men were "astrologers."
The Star of Bethlehem, according to Mr. Mitchell, "occurred at
that moment in time because that was the moment in time when
special things were happening. Through literally thousands of
years of observation and correlation, information has been
gleaned and developed (from heavenly bodies) so we can make a tad
more sense out of the divine plan and what's going on the
surface.
"So very many people see this system as being somehow opposed
to the will of God. But I can assure you, it is just the
opposite. It is as much as a waterfall or a whisper of wind that
is God talking to us, but you have to pay attention. You have to
get still enough to receive whatever is available.
"It has brought me as a person a great deal closer to the
sense that there is intelligence and purpose behind all of life,
even the kinds of accidents like Lady Di's, which has absolutely
galvanized this planet."
Asked why Princess Diana's two personal astrologers, Penny
Thornton and Debbie Frank, did not forsee her accidental death,
Mr. Mitchell said astrology gives only "hints" and that Diana may
have known that August 31 was a dangerous day and "may have been
cautious."
At least until she fled from photographers in a speeding
Mercedes Benz without fastening her seat belt.
Offering an example of astrological "hints," Mr. Mitchell said
that in about 1910, "the plant Saturn went into the sign Aries
and pretty soon you had World War I.
"Then some 29 years later around 1939, Saturn again went into
Aries, and you had Germany going into Poland (World War II).
"Some time later in the late '60s, again you had Saturn going
into Aries. You had the U.S.A. in the crescendo of the Vietnam
War; you had the Seven-Day War in the Middle East ...
"Now (1997), you've got Saturn back in Aries, and I dare say
you're going to see a similar kind of eruption."
Interestingly, he added, from now until the year 2000, Saturn
will make an unusual series of moves back and forth through the
constellation.
An Episcopalian and former Hospice volunteer, Mr. Mitchell
explained that although he personally uses astrology to "avoid
danger," he looks to the stars professionally as a diagnostic
counseling tool.
An individual's astrological sign (the dominant constellation
in the heavens under which a person was born), he said, "reveals
a lot about how a person perceives the world or interacts with
the world. ... If I can get the family's constellation nailed
down and know generally what mama or daddy were like, I can get a
sense of what home life was like. And this can help me explain to
the person what kind of world he is living in."
Also, he added, astrology teaches a person "how to get along
with people better" and "as long as we can be open to it, we are
going to continue to grow more and more towards being Christ-
like."
Asked if astrology could predict the Second Coming of Christ,
Mr. Mitchell said, "We are currently in what's called the Age of
Pisces. And Pisces is the part of the body is the feet. ... The
symbol of Pisces is the fish. ... Christ said, "I will make you
fishers of men,' to the 12. ... The pope wears the fisherman's
ring. ...
But, "this age is coming to a close somewhere around the year
2000, the beginning of the Age of Aquarius ... and, hopefully, we
will have that thousand years of peace we've been promised."
Ms. Bond, who also uses astrology to "avoid danger" and "get
along with people better," warned, however, that many leading
astrologers around the world say the infamous "antichrist" of
Bible prophecy was born, according to the stars, under the sign
of Aquarius on Feb. 4, 1962.
"The sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn were all
in Aquarius" at that time, she explained, quoting the
astrologer's guide or compass, Ephemeris.
A Lutheran, Ms. Bond said that although many of her Christian
friends saw a conflict between her astrologer's guide and the
Holy Bible, she once discussed astrology with her pastor and that
"he told me he knew Who put the stars and planets in place and
whose control they were under, and he had no problem with what I
did."
God, she said, is in control of everything.
Thus, the death of Diana "could not have be prevented."
The Lord, continued, "chooses not only the time you are born
but the time you die."
An astrologer, she said, can give you "warning" of danger
only. But, she pointed out, "another astrologer may disagree with
me."
The Holy Bible appears to also disagree with her. "You are
wearied by many counsels; let now the astrologers, those who
prophesy by the stars, those who predict by the new moons, stand
up and save you from what will come upon you. Behold, they have
become as stubble. ... Each has wandered in his own way. There is
none to save you" Isaiah 47:13-15.
"To me," Ms. Bond responded to the verse, "it's talking about
someone who's trying to take God's place, who is trying to usurp
His authority."
Asked about the verse also, Mr. Mitchell replied, "He's got a
point of view there. I don't really know exactly what to say. ...
"But when I picked up Diana's astrological chart and looked at
what was going on at the time the wreck happened, my jaw dropped.
It was just too much. It reflects celestial heavens on this piece
of paper connected with what she was doing and what was going on
the minute she took her first breath (at birth). How can all of
this line up and not be part of the diving plan?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Nostradamus credited with predicting Diana's death"
MANILA (October 1, 1997 08:27 a.m. EDT) - Sixteenth-century
astrologist and seer Michel de Nostradamus predicted Princess
Diana's death and funeral, according to e-mail that has been
making the rounds among Internet users.
The brief e-mail note received in Manila on Wednesday quotes
Nostradamus' "Century 2, Quatrain 28' 'both in French and
translated into English, which reads as:
"The last son of the man with the Prophet's name,
will bring Diana to her day of rest.
At a distance they wander in frenetic grief
Delivering a great people from ruin."
"The father of Dodi al-Fayed, the owner of Harrod's department
store, is named Mohammed, the name of the Islamic prophet. The
rest of Nostradamus's prophecy is self-evident," the e-mail
reads.
Dodi al-Fayed was Diana's boyfriend who died instantly in the
Paris car crash that also killed Princess Diana.
The e-mail attributes the source of the quatrain to a 1985 book
entitled "Nostradamus: Countdown to Apocalypse" by Jean Charles
de Fontbrune. Fontbrune has studied Nostradamus' predictions for
15 years.
"It's strange how his (Nostradamus) prophecies always become
perfectly obvious after the event," the e-mail reads.
Thousands have been fascinated by Nostradamus' predictions, which
include devastating world conflicts that would bring about an
apocalypse in July 1999.
Experts who have studied Nostradamus, however, agree there is no
authoritative interpretation of his verses, that can be so vague
they can be made to mean almost anything by wishful thinkers or
religious sects.
Despite the 1999 doomsday scenario, his predictions go on for
nearly 1,800 years after that date, scholars add.
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Date: Sun, 5 Oct 1997 17:11:13 +0000
Subject: October 31
This is not as powerful as a Mars Pluto conjunction but
October 31, is filled with potential security issues for
both Israel and the U.S. It is the date of the new moon
(Note of interest: this would be called a blue moon if it
was a full moon because it is the second new moon in the
month of October---as rare as 'once in a blue moon'). Both
Israel's chart and Mr. Netanyahu's is strongly aspected by
this new moon. In astrology, the new moon aspects are
thought to influence the entire lunation period (29 days).
Vesta (national security) is at 20+ aries (right on the USA
natal Chiron)----this 'sounds' like national security
problems. Also the New Moon is in Scorpio again
(emotionalism, revenge, explosiveness, desire, death).
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Date: Sun, 5 Oct 1997 04:38:59 +0000
Subject: times
At 1:38 a.m. Monday morning (tonight) moon conjuncts Pluto
and at 4:44 a.m. Moon conjuncts Mars......this would be a
key time for a Saddam surprise. Of course, the way our
news media reports things we may never know what takes
place at that time. I just bet he is up to something at
that time though.
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Date: Fri, 3 Oct 1997 16:39:58 +0000
Subject: Re: You thought I was crying wolf? (fwd)
Good call on this....very timely. Thank you. How about
that crazy Mars Pluto conjunction today combine with the
Moon Uranus square and today's volatility should have been
totally anticipated........even uglier astro over the
weekend....war very likely.
> Could you please elaborate?
>
> I believe Saddam takes action according to astrology.
I am talking about mundane astrology.....the effect that
overall aspects have on people, not natal astrology. Mars
and Pluto were conjunct at 7:42 p.m at 4 Sagittarius EDT
this evening. Mars the planet of war, violence and
impulsiveness, in union with Pluto, the planet of
extremism, death and manipulation, sees the the qualities
of both planets combined and intensified. Sagittarius is a
zodiacal sign with philosophical tendencies. A natural
clash. Add to that a Moon (public subconciousness) Uranus
(domination, compulsions, excitement, deviancy and erratic
change, territory) square at 5;28 p.m. today and the moon
in Scorpio (emotionalism, revenge, explosiveness, desire)
and you have big trouble looking for a place to happen.
I doubt that Saddam was using it, more a casualty of
it...but who knows.
Sunday the moon will be in Sagittarius (philosophical
idealism) and is there until the 7th and
conjuncts the Mars Pluto conjunction.......fanaticism,
anger, jihad, seem to be written all over the skies. So
this danger period should last at least thru the 7th.
There's even more. Vesta (safety-security) squared Neptune
(confusion) at 7:16 pm. tonight.
All this violence, anger and volatility in the market today
was totally expected by astro traders.
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Date: Mon, 29 Sep 1997 11:13:14 -0700
Subject: Re: Astrology?????
>>Why do you have an Astrology Charting site linked from your page?
J. Adams wrote:
>
> God is against self-righteousness. Once the Church steadfastly
> helf that those who don't believe the Earth is the center of the
> universe are against God. However, this was a misinterpretation
> of the scriptures by the so-called Christian of that day and
> age. Now the same sort of misjudgement has arisen with respect
> to astrology. For heaven's sake, when Jesus mentioned the so-
> called "End of the World", in Hebrew he was actually referring
> to the "End of the Age", i.e., the End of the astrological age
> of Pisces and the subsequent beginning of the Age of Aquarius.
> Here is some more modern day blasphemy for you to get needlessly
> bent out of shape about:
>
> See- http://www.jvim.com/IntelligenceBriefing/jun1997/cover.html
>
> Diana means Goddess of the moon:
>
> "Eclipses coincide with key turning points in Princess
> Diana's life --perhaps not surprisingly for a Sun sign Cancer.
> ... Diana's divorce from Charles was announced in the Houses of
> Parliament on a lunar eclipse. Her death occurred with a lunar
> eclipse. The moon covering the sun represented the darkening of
> her light..."
I am well aware of Jack and Rexella's ministry. I am well aware
of the lost "Star Bible". I am well aware of the universe being
an immense chronometer ticking away according to G-d's perfect
timing. I am not histerical as you suggest. You should be aware
that there is a vast difference between Biblical Astronomy (G-d
put the stars in place and named each one, references are given
throughout scripture regarding key events signalled by signs in
the heavens, I'm not ignorant of this truth) and occultic
astrology, that is, using the stars as a form of divination to
guide ones life. Satan perverts everything created by the Lord.
Read the Word and seek the Lord's will instead.
In Him, Sincerely, Steve
PS. Please, if you care to respond again (not necessary) send me
your own thoughts. I had previously reviewed the information you
sent. Also, self riteous I am not. In fact, I am just another
sinner in need of G-d's grace and the work completed on the
cross.
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"Mideast peace talks to resume Monday"
By Hisham Abdallah, Agence France-Presse
RAMALLAH, West Bank (October 5, 1997 8:05 p.m. EDT) - Israeli-
Palestinian peace talks are set to resume Monday, overshadowed by
Israel's alleged attempt to murder a Palestinian leader in Amman
and lingering Arab mistrust of the negotiations' U.S. mediators.
U.S. Middle East coordinator Dennis Ross is scheduled to kick off
the new talks Monday evening after holding separate meetings
earlier in the day with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in
Ramallah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in
Jerusalem.
But the U.S.-brokered initiative was likely to be hampered from
the start by the brewing scandal surrounding an assassination
attempt against Khaled Meshaal, a top figure in the Islamic group
HAMAS, 10 days ago in Jordan.
Jordanian officials said Israeli secret agents were behind the
bid to poison Meshaal and a furious King Hussein threatened to
break off diplomatic relations with Israel over the violation of
his nation's sovereignty.
He demanded a series of measures from Israel, notably the release
last week of jailed HAMAS spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin,
who was flown to Amman for medical treatment.
Jordanian and HAMAS officials said Sunday that Yassin would
return to his Gaza home on Monday, although Israel did not
immediately confirm it had authorized his entry into the
Palestinian-ruled territory.
While Palestinian Authority officials publicly welcomed the
sheikh's release, they privately said it could seriously
complicate the peace negotiations which are resuming only after
Arafat bowed to intense Israeli and U.S. pressure to crack down
on HAMAS following a recent spate of suicide bombings by the
Islamic movement.
Officials said it will be difficult for Arafat to pursue the
security clampdown demanded by Israel as a condition for
continuing the peace process when the Jewish state itself is
releasing top HAMAS leaders.
On the eve of the talks, Palestinian officials also renewed calls
Sunday for a strong European Union role to balance U.S. mediation
of the peace process.
Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Palestinian
President Yasser Arafat had asked Washington to accept the
European Union as "full partners" when Israelis and Palestinians
tackle negotiations on a permanent peace settlement.
"This is essential for balance in the negotiations," said Erakat,
reflecting Palestinian Authority criticism that U.S. mediators
have failed in the past to deal strongly enough with Israeli
violations of interim peace agreements.
Erakat said such Israeli violations, notably the building of
Jewish housing in disputed areas and a refusal to carry out
pledged troop withdrawals from West Bank rural areas, were likely
to prevent "real progress" when negotiations resume on Monday.
In Monday's talks, a group of eight Israeli and Palestinian
committees headed by Arafat's number two Mahmud Abbas and Israeli
Foreign Minister David Levy, are to resume talks on hold since
March to hammer out implementation of long-overdue Israeli
commitments from the 1995 interim self-rule accords.
These notably include the opening of air and sea ports in Gaza,
travel corridors between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the
release of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli press reports said King Hussein already obtained pledges
of further prisoner releases in his bargaining over the Meshaal
affair.
Erakat said the Palestinians would demand a three-month time
limit for the committees to reach results on the issues.
This week's talks will be followed by meetings in Washington on
October 13, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright.
These are to work out the terms for a "time out" from settlement
building which Albright has demanded and to address such other
broad issues as Israeli security demands to pave the way for the
launch of negotiations on the core "final status" issues.
These focus on Palestinian demands for their own state, the fate
of settlements and the future of Jerusalem.
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"Gunmen attack U.N. office in Baghdad"
CAIRO, Egypt (October 5, 1997 11:40 a.m. EDT) -- Gunmen hurled
grenades and fired bullets at a U.N. office in Baghdad,
destroying one vehicle and damaging three others, officials said
Sunday.
One attacker was injured and taken into custody by the Iraqi
army, according to a U.N. statement. The remaining three
attackers fled, it said.
The Saturday night assault targeted the World Health
Organization's headquarters in Baghdad, which houses an office
for U.N. officials monitoring the oil-for-food program.
No one claimed responsibility. It was not clear how the captured
gunman was injured.
According to preliminary reports, the four men also lobbed
grenades and opened fire at the WHO building, the statement said.
Eric Falt, spokesman for the oil-for-food program, told The
Associated Press in Dubai the attack came after office hours and
only guards were at the building.
The roof of the carport was partially burned, Falt said. One
four-wheel drive vehicle was destroyed and three others severely
damaged, he said.
U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Baghdad, Denis Halliday,
condemned the attack, the first ever at a U.N. building in Iraq,
the statement said.
"It is the Iraqi government's responsibility to protect U.N.
personnel and property against any harm and Mr. Halliday has
asked for an urgent meeting at the highest levels with the Iraqi
leaders in order to express his concern," said the statement.
No one claimed responsibility.
Iraq has been under U.N. sanctions banning the sale of oil, its
economic mainstay, since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. But a U.N.
program, put in place in December 1996, allows Iraq to sell $1
billion of crude every 90 days to buy needed food and medicine
under close U.N. supervision.
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"Iran threatens more raids in Iraq"
DUBAI (October 5, 1997 07:40 a.m. EDT) - Iran on Sunday
threatened to carry out more raids on opposition bases across the
border in Iraq, after an air strike which prompted the U.S. to
rush an aircraft carrier back to the Gulf.
"So long as terrorist groups conduct operations against our
territory, it will be our right to defend ourselves," Foreign
Minister Kamal Kharazi told the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-
Hayat.
"We have said many times we can not tolerate terrorist attacks
from across the border on our villages and pipelines," he said.
"That is why we decided to carry out a raid on their camps to
defend ourselves, which is our right."
The United States said Friday it had dispatched an aircraft
carrier battle group to the Gulf in the wake of Iran's incursion
into a "no-fly zone" in southern Iraq to carry out the raids on
the opposition People's Mujahedeen.
The accelerated deployment of the USS Nimitz and accompanying
warships "is related to our ability to carry out the
responsibility given to us by the international community," White
House spokesman Michael McCurry said.
The United States has warned that the incursions into the no-fly
zone could put Iranian pilots at risk.
The Nimitz, skipping a port call in Singapore, was now expected
to arrive in six days, rather than mid-October as scheduled, U.S.
defense department spokesman Kenneth Bacon said Friday.
"It's going over there to show we're serious about enforcing the
no-fly zone," he said.
Iraq has protested over the raids carried out on September 29 and
called for a ban on Iraqi flights in the south and north of the
country to be lifted to allow it to defend itself.
The "no-fly zones" for Iraqi aircraft were imposed by the United
States and its allies following the 1991 Gulf War.
The Mujahedeen said Iran's warplanes struck two of its bases near
the border, southeast and northeast of the capital. It was Iran's
first air strike since 1993 but the group has been the target of
several attacks by land.
The raid came three days after a meeting in New York between
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Said al-Sahhaf and Kharazi on
normalizing relations between the two countries, which fought a
1980-1988 war.
Kharazi, in the interview with Al-Hayat, ruled out a halt to such
dialogue. "We must try to open doors," he said, while noting that
the issue of the Iranian opposition based in Iraq was an
obstacle.
He also played down the prospects of a three-country alliance,
between Iraq, Iran and Syria, its main Arab ally. "I don't think
such an axis is possible at the moment ... There are still
outstanding questions with Iraq," he said.
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"US Accused of Raising Tensions"
Sunday October 5 9:13 AM EDT
DUBAI (Reuter) - The United States has needlessly raised tensions
in the Gulf by rushing an aircraft carrier to the region, one of
the leading newspapers in the Gulf said Sunday.
U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen last week ordered the
carrier Nimitz to skip a port call in Singapore and move to the
Gulf "at best speed" in response to Iranian air raids on bases
inside Iraq run by armed opposition exiles.
At the same time, Washington told Tehran Iranian aircraft could
be shot down if they violated the flight ban.
The carrier's group of seven warships is now due to arrive in the
Gulf to join existing U.S. naval forces in the waterway by the
middle of October, four or five days earlier than originally
scheduled.
"The U.S. already has an operational force in the region to
patrol the 'no-fly zone' inside Iraq, so Nimitz could have got to
the region a few days later than planned without creating a
crisis," Gulf News said in an editorial.
The English-language daily said the 'no-fly zone' was a
controversial ban imposed by the United States and Britain
against Iraqi air attacks on the minorities living in the north
and south of the country.
"It amounts to a questionable curtailment of Iraq's sovereignty
and must not be used to threaten the territorial integrity of the
country," Gulf News said.
It said the way the United States enforced the no-fly zones --
one in the north declared in 1991 to protect Kurds and one in the
south imposed in 1992 after Iraqi air force raids on Iraqi
Shi'ites --was a major reproach in itself.
"Why is Turkey being allowed to violate Iraq's sovereignty by
flying into the 'no-fly zone' in the north of Iraq and attacking
its Kurdish rebels from the air and on the ground without any
action being taken by the U.S.?" Gulf News asked.
"If and when the Nimitz sails into the Mediterranean to warn
Turkey against violation of the 'no-fly zone' in the north, then
American credibility will be better served than it is now."
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"Syria, Iran building up forces near Iraq"
ANKARA (October 3, 1997 08:04 a.m. EDT) - Turkey's semi-official
Anatolian news agency said on Friday that neighbors Syria and
Iran had deployed troops near a Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq
in an apparent response to a Turkish military raid into Iraq.
It said Syrian armored units had built up near a triangle of
territory where Syria, Turkey and northern Iraq meet. It also
said Iranian troops had been deployed on Iran's border with
northern Iraq.
A spokesman for the London-based Iraqi opposition group Iraqi
National Congress confirmed the deployments.
"There is information that Syria ... is carrying out a deployment
only 30 kilometers (20 miles) from where our border meets
northern Iraq," Anatolian said.
"Iran continues to deploy troops along its border with northern
Iraq," the agency said. It gave no indication of the size of the
build up.
Turkish forces have been fighting Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
guerrillas in northern Iraq for almost two weeks.
Ankara often accuses Iran and Syria of aiding the PKK in its
fight for Kurdish self-rule in southeast Turkey. Damascus and
Tehran deny helping the rebels.
The INC spokesman said one Syrian armored division was positioned
near northern Iraq. He said an unknown number of Iranian troops,
including Revolutionary Guards, had taken up positions at three
points near the northern Iraqi border.
Around 15,000 troops, backed by air power, are taking part in the
Turkish raid, the second major strike into Iraq this year.
The PKK said fighting was still going on with Turkish troops
around the group's main camp in northern Iraq, which Ankara said
it had captured this week in a cross-border raid.
"The heaviest clashes in the region are continuing in the Zab
Valley," the rebels said in a statement obtained by Reuters.
It said 10 members of an Iraqi Kurdish militia allied to Turkey
had died in the clashes. The statement did not say who now
controlled the Zab camp, a network of deep mountain caves.
Turkey says it is winning its anti-rebel fight inside Turkey but
needs to finish off the PKK in northern Iraq. More than 26,000
people have died in the conflict.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Sahaf on Thursday demanded the
immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Iraq. In a
speech to the U.N. General Assembly, he said Baghdad reserved the
right to respond to "these acts of aggression."
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"Crude Oil Futures Soar"
Friday, October 3, 1997
By Cliff Edwards
AP Business Writer
Crude oil futures soared Friday to an eight-month high after the
Clinton administration dispatched an aircraft carrier to the
Persian Gulf following violations of an Iraqi no-fly zone. The
move heightened tensions in a region that supplies a third of the
world's oil.
On other exchanges, precious metals rose sharply as the
possibility of Middle Eastern conflict caused investors to
scramble to safe investments. Corn and soybeans jumped as farmers
held on to the fall crop amid strong worldwide demand.
Crude futures had the biggest one-day gain since March 18 after
the Defense Department said the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz would
skip a port of call in Singapore and steam directly to the
Persian Gulf, arriving within a week to help enforce a no-fly
zone in southern Iraq. Heating oil and unleaded gasoline futures
also jumped.
Iran on Monday violated the no-fly zone while attacking rebels
who took refuge across the border in Iraq. The move heightened
tensions with Iraq, which had a long war with Iran in the 1980s.
In northern Iraq, Turkish forces also were fighting rebels.
``It's a fairly crowded war party over there, and the fact that
the U.S. is now potentially getting involved makes the
possibility of escalations of tensions that much greater,'' said
energy analyst Ed Kevelson at Paribas Futures Inc. ``With this
much uncertainty about what might happen over the weekend, no one
wanted to go home unprotected.''
Crude oil for November delivery on the New York Mercantile
Exchange rose 99 cents to $22.76 a barrel, the highest since Feb.
19. November unleaded gasoline jumped 1.56 cents to 62.99 cents a
gallon; November heating oil rose 2.21 cents to 62.01 cents a
gallon. Natural gas for November delivery rose 1.2 cents to
$3.125 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The energy gains continued a rally from Thursday, when Iraq
blocked United Nations weapons inspectors from entering suspected
illegal weapons sites, prompting threats of retaliation such as a
halt to Iraqi oil exports.
Gold and silver futures also rose sharply on the New York
Mercantile Exchange as investors sought a safe haven for their
money in the event of military conflict.
Precious metals tend to hold their value during times of military
or political upheaval. The rally on that market came despite
government reports showing inflation appears to remain in check,
reducing the need for the metals as an inflationary hedge.
December gold rose $3.40 to $336.90 a troy ounce; December silver
jumped 13.30 cents to $5.303 an ounce.
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Agence France Presse
September 11, 1997
"Iraq calls for jihad against Israel,
slams US peace efforts"
Iraq urged Arab states on Thursday to mount a jihad, or
Moslem holy war, against Israel and to reject a US-sponsored
peace process which it says is biased toward the Jewish state.
"All the signs and historical facts show that the Arabs have
no choice but to pursue the jihad against the (Israeli)
occupier," said Ath-Thawra, organ of the ruling Baath Party.
It said US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's maiden tour
of the Middle East that started in Israel on Wednesday was aimed
solely at "guaranteeing the security of the (Israeli) aggressor
which practises terrorism."
The peace process sponsored by Washington is "totally partial"
toward Israel, it charged, adding that the US administration
would "never accept the slightest pressure on the Zionist
entity."
It slammed "Arab heads of state who think they can settle
matters by negotiating with the enemy."
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"South Korea on alert after two
North Korean boats disappear"
SEOUL (October 3, 1997 11:04 p.m. EDT) - South Korea stepped up
vigilance on its western coast Saturday after two North Korean
boats disappeared from radar screens, officials said.
The two boats, which were in North Korean waters, were believed
to be similar to one previously used by Pyongyang infiltrators,
they said without elaborating on the type of vessel.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) instructed troops
deployed on five northernmost islands off the western coast and
along the western coast to strengthen security against possible
infiltration, the JCS officials said.
The two boats disappeared from South Korean radars Friday while
operating in North Korean waters near the inter-Korean border.
There was a possibility the North Korean boats were on a training
mission or trying to infiltrate the South under cover of darkness
as there will be little moonlight until next Wednesday, they
said.
No unusual movement by North Korean troops has been repported,
they said.
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"North Korea says war is possible 'at any moment'"
UNITED NATIONS (October 2, 1997 6:21 p.m. EDT) - Communist North
Korea told the United Nations General Assembly Thursday the
situation on the Korean peninsula was so tense that "a war could
break out at any moment."
"In recent years alone, the United States introduced over $3
billion worth of war equipment into South Korea," North Korean
Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su-hon said.
It had also been conducting joint military exercises more
frequently than ever before and "even directing the gunpoints of
the U.S. forces in Japan and the Pacific Fleet" towards North
Korea, he added.
"The prevailing situation in the Korean peninsula is so tense
that a war could break out at any moment due to the attempts of
the U.S., Japan and South Korean authorities against our
socialist republic," Choe said.
To ease the tension and avert the danger of war, the United
States should "abandon its hostile policy against our republic
and sign a peace agreement" with North Korea, he said.
Representatives of the United States, North Korea, South Korea
and China met in New York last month to prepare the ground for a
treaty to replace the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean
war, but achieved no results.
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"Kim Jong-Il inauguration scheduled for October 10"
By Lorien Holland, Agence France-Presse
BEIJING (October 5, 1997 08:46 a.m. EDT) - North Korea will
elevate the late Kim Il-Sung's son and heir, Kim Jong-Il, to
general secretary of the ruling Korean Workers' Party on
Thursday, according a Pyongyang diplomat in Beijing.
The long-awaited inauguration of the troubled Stalinist state's
de facto ruler, will fill the post left vacant by the death of
Kim senior in 1994 and complete the first dynastic succession in
communist history.
"Comrade Kim Jong-Il will be elected as general secretary at the
52nd anniversary of the founding of the party," the source said.
"The actual anniversary is on October 10, but there is a small
possibility that the election will be the day before."
His message was echoed by monitors in Seoul on Sunday.
"The two-week process for Kim's nomination as party head appears
to be over with a rally of party workers on Friday in Kaesong,"
said a North Korea watcher at Seoul's monitoring agency, Naewoe
Press.
The process started on September 21, when a regional party
congress in South Pyongan province formally nominated Kim Jong-
Il, 55, as general secretary of the all-powerful ruling Workers'
Party.
"The North is now gearing up for a final conference in the
capital (Pyongyang) to elevate Kim Jong-Il as general secretary,"
he added.
There has been no official announcement yet from Pyongyang on
when Kim will fill the post.
Kim Il-Sung died in July 1994 and the two top posts he held,
those of party general secretary and state president, have
remained vacant ever since.
The party constitution requires a plenary session of the party's
173-member Central Committee members to elect a new secretary
general.
But analysts in Seoul speculated Kim's inauguration could be
endorsed through other mechanisms, although they remained divided
over whether Kim might also fill the second top post, that of
state president.
The diplomat in Beijing, who did not wish to be identified, said
he had no information on the size or scale of celebrations for
the event, which comes as reports of a widescale famine are
filtering out of the isolated nation.
Hong Kong newspapers have quoted internal documents as saying one
million people have already died there and while this has not
been confirmed, aid workers distributing food in the nation
confirm that the situation is deteriorating.
Even North Korean diplomats in Beijing and in Moscow have
admitted that the "temporary difficulties" facing their nation
are immense.
Kim's September 21 nomination swiftly echoed through the nation,
with the official media reporting the nation "absolutely
worships, trusts and follows the general as god."
While the people were "vibrating with enthusiasm," mother nature
was also paying her tribute by sending blooms out of season and
allowing fishermen to catch a rare albino sea slug, it said.
Vice President Ri Jong-Ok also declared that the younger Kim
could have replaced his father as general secretary some three
years ago, but had refused out of loyalty and an ardent desire to
complete the traditional three-year mourning period.
Despite the official biographies that praise Kim Jong-Il for
being "unusually clever and wise" from childhood and mastering
military tactics at an early age, little is known about the man.
He frequently tours North Korean military bases in his capacity
as head of the armed forces, but is rarely seen in public and has
only made one official overseas visit, to China in 1983.
However, he did grant an audience to Oleg Shenin, chairman of a
grouping of communist parties of the former Soviet Union on
September 2, according to ITAR-TASS.
Shenin said his host appeared well-informed on events in Russia,
adding that the two men discussed international events and
Pyongyang's relations with Tokyo and Washington.
The Russian said he believed that "many guests abroad" would be
invited for the inauguration, but Chinese sources refused to
confirm if the head of the communist party here -- President and
General Secretary Jiang Zemin -- had received an invitation.
Despite strains in the relationship, China is North Korea's
oldest ally and would certainly be invited if there were any
foreign participation in the event.
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Nine Bosnian Croats to Go to War Crimes Court
Saturday October 4 7:00 AM EDT
By Laura Lui
ZAGREB (Reuter) - Nine Bosnian Croats will surrender voluntarily
for trial on war crimes charges to the international criminal
tribunal in the Hague on Monday, a lawyer defending one of them
said on Friday.
"We are planning to leave on Monday for The Hague. We are going
as a group," lawyer Jadranka Slokovic-Glumac, defense counsel for
one of them, Pero Skopljak, told Reuters by telephone.
Croatian state television said late on Friday the accused could
be flown on a NATO helicopter to the Adriatic port of Split and
then on to The Hague even before Monday.
The surrender follows heavy Western pressure on Croatia to stick
to its commitments under the Bosnian peace accord and hand over
war crimes suspects. Washington has already blocked two World
Bank and IMF loans and threatend further diplomatic isolation of
Croatia unless it complied.
Slokovic-Glumac said the two most wanted Croat suspects, Dario
Kordic and Ivica Rajic, would not be in the group. The West has
explicitly urged Croatia to make sure Kordic and Rajic stood
trial in the Hague.
The group will include two men indicted along with Kordic for
alleged persecution of Muslims in central Bosnia and seven other
suspects accused of atrocities in the village of Ahmici in April
1993.
Most of them offered to surrender voluntarily earlier this year
if the U.N. war crimes tribunal can guarantee them a fair and
quick trial.
One of the suspects, Marinko Katava, told the television by
telephone from Bosnia, the group had asked for the guarantees "so
we don't spend the rest of our lives waiting (for the trial to
begin)."
"I have been told indirectly (by the Foreign Ministry) that we
now have the guarantees... We've been promised a quick beginning
of the trial and that's the most important thing for us,"
Slokovic-Glumac said.
"We are ready to prove our innocence and tell the world the whole
truth," Katava said. The television added the whole group would
plead not guilty on all charges.
U.S. Balkans envoy Robert Gelbard was discussing the issue with
Croatian president Franjo Tudjman in Zagreb on Friday and State
Department spokesman James Rubin said Washington hoped to "have
some results from that effort very soon."
The United States said on Thursday the tribunal was now prepared
to hold trials three to five months after suspects voluntarily
turn themselves over for prosecution and Washington would work to
ensure this happens.
Bosnian Croat general Tihomir Blaskic handed himself over
voluntarily in April last year and his trial began some 15 months
later.
The Tribunal, set up in May 1993, has publicly indicted 78
suspects: 57 Serbs, 18 Croats and three Muslims, the majority of
them for crimes committed during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.
Croatia has so far extradited only one suspect and has held
Skopljak in its custody since August.
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"President in trouble if his foes win in Serbia and Montenegro"
By Dusan Stojanovic, Associated Press Writer
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (October 5, 1997 7:58 p.m. EDT) -- Slobodan
Milosevic's foes claimed the lead Sunday in elections for the
presidency of both Yugoslav republics, but a boycott by pro-
democracy opponents could invalidate the vote in Serbia.
Milosevic's associates faced tough challenges in Serbia and
Montenegro, in both cases from men who once supported the
authoritarian Yugoslav president but now bitterly oppose him.
Losses could affect the ability of Milosevic -- a regional
powerbroker whose influence ignited then quelled the war in
Bosnia -- to extend his stay in power.
In Montenegro, which has only 600,000 people, Prime Minister Milo
Djukanovic appeared to be heading for a major victory over
Milosevic's protege, current President Momir Bulatovic, according
to initial official results released early Monday.
Djukanovic says it is time for Montenegro to separate itself from
Yugoslavia's economic disaster. That could ultimately lead to
Montenegro's secession from Yugoslavia, or at least cause a lot
of trouble for Milosevic. Montenegro controls half of the votes
in the federal parliament, which elects and fires Yugoslav
presidents.
The election commission in Montenegro said that with 23 percent
of the vote counted, Djukanovic led incumbent President Bulatovic
35,643 votes to 31,587.
Djukanovic supporters, chanting "It's All Over," honked car horns
in the capital, Podgorica, and waved flags and wine bottles in
celebration of the apparent victory.
In Serbia, extreme nationalist Vojislav Seselj, who was running
against Milosevic ally Zoran Lilic, said that initial results
gave him the lead. At his headquarters, drinks and cakes were
prepared for celebration.
No official results were released, but Seselj said his own tally
gave him 52 percent of the vote with about 41 percent of the
ballots counted.
Turnout in Serbia appeared low, and reports of irregularities
surfaced soon after polls closed. If less than 50 percent of
eligible voters turn out, the election is invalid and will have
to be repeated in two months. Elderly voters said they had been
threatened with the loss of their government pensions and welfare
payments if they didn't turn out to vote for Lilic.
Polls closed at 8 p.m. No official results were expected until
later Monday.
More than 7 million people were registered to cast ballots in
Serbia, and 458,000 in Montenegro. Preliminary figures indicated
about 63 percent voted in Montenegro.
Independent observers reported many irregularities in Serbia, and
said they thought the 50-percent figure was not reached.
Srdjan Bogosalvljevic, a statistician for the independent Center
for Free Elections and Democracy, told reporters that initial
figures indicated turnout would not exceed 47 percent.
One Belgrade resident who didn't vote was university student
Mijodrag Momcilovic. "Who cares who wins?" he said. "Maybe both
Serbia and Montenegro should hit rock bottom so they can rebound
and get their heads above water."
Some elderly Belgraders reported they had been threatened by
Milosevic supporters. "They told me I must vote for Lilic, or my
pension is off," said an elderly woman, who for fear of
repercussions identified herself only as Dara.
She said she took a ballot, but invalidated it by marking it with
a big X.
Opposition leaders last year defeated Milosevic's Socialists in
local elections, and then conducted months of daily protests to
force him to recognize the results. Their coalition fell apart
this summer, but they led the boycott effort.
They said that given Milosevic's control of the media and other
levers of power, there was no way the election would be fair.
Ethnic Albanians in tense Kosovo province, who want independence,
also boycotted.
Opponents of Milosevic fear he will watch to see whether Lilic
has less votes, and if so, manipulate the turnout to make sure it
does not surpass 50 percent.
Seselj commanded Serb paramilitary units in the Croatian and
Bosnian wars and espouses a nationalism even more extreme than
that of Milosevic, who touched off fighting in those republics.
If Seselj wins, he could use the Serbian presidency to preach his
nationalist and anti-Western message. Seselj supporters also have
made gains in recent elections in Bosnia, and could make it even
more difficult to impose peace there.
Until summer, Milosevic was the Serbian president. But he moved
up to the Yugoslav presidency, which is appointed by Parliament,
because the constitution barred him from running again.
There were only about 30 foreign observers monitoring the
elections in Serbia, and about 60 in Montenegro.
Milosevic voted in Belgrade's exclusive Dedinje district with his
wife.
"I hope that citizens will vote in big numbers and give their
support to Zoran Lilic and the policy of peace and development,"
Milosevic said.
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ARTICLES FOR FAIR USE ONLY
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