Israel Warns China Its Oil Imports From Iran May Be In Danger

Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, met today with China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. Peres told Jiechi that China should play a significant role in trying to convince Iran to halt its ambitions to achieve nuclear weapons.

During the visit, Jiechi encouraged Israel to begin negotiating with the Palestinians and that China supported the peace plan of giving up more land to the Palestinians. In addition to negotiating with the Palestinians, Jiechi encouraged Israel to open up talks with Syria and Lebanon.

It appears that Shimon Peres is trying to convince China that there may be more at stake in this nuclear arms debate concerning Iran than China might be willing to admit. According to today’s Jerusalem Post, Israel is prepared to tell China that if Iran doesn’t back off from developing nuclear weapons and a military conflict erupts between Israel and Iran, China’s growing demand of oil, much of what it buys from Iran, may be in jeopardy.

The Jerusalem Post has learned that Israeli officials were planning to tell him that China’s oil and natural gas imports from Iran could be jeopardized in the future if pressure does not increase on the Islamic republic to cease its nuclear program and a military confrontation ensues.

During his stay, Israeli diplomats will argue that a more proactive stance on China’s part to pressure Iran will serve Beijing’s interests, by helping to avert a military conflict, thus safeguarding an important energy source for the growing and energy-hungry Chinese economy.

Jiechi will be urged by officials in Jerusalem to up the ante in the campaign to persuade Iran to halt its nuclear development work.

As China grows and develops it has made no bones about the fact they need oil and will do most anything to continue their supply lines to get it. We have often speculated what role China would play in the unrest in the Middle East. A few years ago it might have been a stretch to believe that China would have such an enormous demand for oil and natural gas. Welcome to the high stakes of using oil for leverage.

It is safe to say that China is now well vested in Middle East affairs.

Tom Remington

Russia Moves Troops Closer to Georgia’s Capital

For those who thought Russia had cleared out of Georgia a long while ago have been mislead. The truth is, the U.S. decided to leave a backbone back in Washington and focus on the economy. Russia has been on the move. Russia wants South Ossetia back on the map as thiers, and so does South Ossetia.

“It will be Russia,” said a Russian army lieutenant as the Ossetian soldiers under his command nodded.

But it isn’t just South Ossetia the Russians want. It’s all of Georgia…

“And Georgia used to be Russian, too,” said the young freckle-faced lieutenant, who would give only his first name, Sergei. Three armored personnel carriers and a tank were dug in around the checkpoint.

Remember that EU brokered cease-fire deal? Well Russia is now in direct violation of it by stationing forces just 25 miles from the Georgian capital. In recent weeks their have been protests against the Georgian president, which drew 10,000 people, and they vow to continue their opposition daily until the president resigns.

Of course this goes back before the Cold War, and I am sure pride has a lot to do with it. But let’s take a more realistic view of the situation. The oil and gas pipelines that cross into Georgian territory are among the few that bypass Russia in supplying Europe with energy coming directly from the Caspian Sea. With the EU pushing their empire East and Russia’s pushing West, gaining control over the pipelines feeding Europe is all about controlling Georgia. You take the Capital and you get the pipeline. Once Russia takes control, there is much more leverage besides military might to retake the old Soviet empire states that broke off from it.

This battle for Georgia, I believe, is a big step in what could soon lead to the Gog/Magog war, prophecied in the Bible.