John Manley on Israel: Canada must adhere to its principled, thoughtful approach
The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec
Jul 31, 2006, By John Manley
from http://johnmanley.blogspot.com/2006/08/john-manley-on-israel.html
We have never been neutral in the Middle East - we have always been a friend of Israel
Stephen Harper is right that we are a friend of Israel; but friends tell friends when they are wrong.
When the phone rang on Christmas morning in 2000, I was Canada's foreign affairs minister and enjoying the holiday with my family. It was the Israeli foreign minister, who asked that I encourage Prime Minister Jean Chretien to call Yasser Arafat and urge him to accept the proposal that was on the table during the last days of Bill Clinton's presidency.
The call signified Canada's ability to bridge differences between the protagonists in the Middle East conflict, based on our historic attempt to show good faith to both sides.
Recently, the Canadian policy has been wrongly portrayed in the media as having moved away from a "neutral" position on the Middle East conflict and toward one which is more "pro-Israel."
A few facts are worth remembering.
First, Canada has steadfastly supported the state of Israel, its right to exist and its right to defend its borders against those who would do it harm. This has been the policy of the Canadian government since the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948.
Second, Canada has also recognized that the Palestinian people also have fundamental rights, including the right of refugees either to return to the land from which they were displaced or to receive just compensation.
Third, Canada has always been prepared to offer its constructive views, no matter who might be criticized as a result. Successive governments have criticized Israel for its ever-expanding settlements in areas occupied after the 1967 war, while the PLO, and later Hamas, were chastised for refusing to acknowledge Israel's right to exist as well as for their willingness to condone and promote violence against their Israeli neighbours.
But this does not constitute neutrality. Canada has never been a neutral or pacifist country. Rather, Canada has sought to pursue a fair-minded and balanced foreign policy based on principle. This does not mean not taking sides. On the contrary, if you have principles, you must take sides.
This was the government's approach when I was the foreign affairs minister and deputy prime minister from 2000 to 2003, and I could look for precedent to both Liberal and Conservative governments for more than 50 years.
An apparent shift had occurred in 1979 when Prime Minister Joe Clark proposed moving the Canadian embassy to Jerusalem, thereby implicitly recognizing Israel's unilateral occupation of East Jerusalem. On reflection, and after some careful work by the late Robert Stanfield, the government rethought its policy and to this day our embassy remains in Tel Aviv.
For me, the question remains open as to whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided to shift Canada's policy after so many years.
I think he spoke too soon when he pronounced Israel's response to the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers to be "measured." Does he now wish he had added the words "thus far"?
And measured against what? If he was saying that Israel's response, though justified, must not be disproportionate to the provocation, then he was squarely within Canada's traditional policy. If he meant to give Israel a carte blanche, he should not be criticized for conforming to U.S. policy; rather, he should be accused of being even more pro-Israel than the Americans.
Having been burned in effigy by the Palestinians, criticized editorially in Beirut (front page, no less) and berated by some members of Canada's Jewish community for positions I took as Canada's foreign minister, I am prepared to give our new prime minister the benefit of the doubt. For now.
However, I remain convinced that Canada has a meaningful role to play in situations of conflict, not because we have been peacekeepers, but because we can bring a thoughtful, principled approach to the resolution of conflict.
Israel's vigorous response to the deplorable behaviour of Hamas and Hezbollah in kidnapping Israeli soldiers from within Israel's own territory contrasts sharply with the response of Israeli governments in the past, whose protests were vehement, but well short of military action. One is forced to wonder if that great champion of Israel's right to defend itself, Ariel Sharon, who late in life abandoned his Likud Party and became the proponent of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, would have felt it necessary to respond with such ferocity.
While I doubt a complete military defeat of Hezbollah is possible, it is arguably justifiable. It would also perform a useful service for beleaguered Lebanon by strengthening the hand of the Lebanese government, which has been incapable of asserting its sovereignty in regions controlled by Hezbollah forces.
For friends of Israel, though, the question is whether the defeat of Hezbollah would be worth the cost if it entailed the destruction of Lebanon and further increased the misery of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians. More victims mean more teenagers willing to die for the Hezbollah cause; thus, a military victory might prove Pyrrhic. Hezbollah, as an entity, will not be destroyed, because the deep animosities that led to its creation cannot be removed by 100- pound bombs.
Furthermore, the conflict so far, in addition to increasing support in the Arab world for jihad, has succeeded in driving up the stock of the radical Islamists in Iran and their clients in Syria, both of whom can be counted upon to support anyone who promises to make life difficult for the United States and Israel.
For Canada it remains important to be a true friend to the United States, but we do so by being clear when we disagree with its approach. Now we have three Arab states where the population undoubtedly believes U.S. policy and military support have created chaos and destruction - Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine - the very states the United States had said would point the way to freedom and democracy for other despotic Arab states.
If we have not been expressing concern about the humanitarian and political disaster that has been unfolding before the eyes of the world, then we should be. We should empower our able diplomats to be their most innovative and creative in working to fashion a peace that can endure.
Prime Minister Harper, there are great expectations of Canada in the Middle East, ones that can be met by being impartial, engaging with both sides and being willing to help on the side of reason and moderation. It is not a zero-sum game. So by all means, support Israel and remain a friend to the United States, but remember that Canada's foreign policy is based upon principles - ones we defend even when our friends disagree. It is this quality, not neutrality, that makes us valuable and trusted in world affairs.
With friends and former colleagues on both sides, my heart breaks as I observe the destruction and death that is unfolding.
John Manley is a former foreign affairs minister and deputy prime minister of Canada.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Enduring Peace will require a truce with obligations (like a friend with benefits?)
Want Mideast Peace? Get the right ceasefire in Lebanon
By Colin Rubenstein, TheAge.com.au
August 5, 2006
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, ""I genuinely believe the outcome of the present [conflict] and the emergence of a new order that will provide more stability will help create the necessary environment that will allow me ... to create a new momentum between us and the Palestinians." He added, "We want to separate from the Palestinians. I'm ready to do it."
The connection between the conflict in Lebanon and Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations may not seem obvious, but Olmert is right. So it is absolutely crucial that any ceasefire in Lebanon does more than simply halt the immediate bloodshed.
Olmert was elected on a platform of following up Israel's complete unilateral disengagement from Gaza last year with a further withdrawal, negotiated or unilateral, from the vast majority of the West Bank by 2010. Polls consistently show that Israelis want to end their control over the Palestinians and move towards a two-state solution, preferably by negotiation, but unilaterally if a credible final peace agreement does not appear possible (as it does not with the current Hamas government).
However, events in Lebanon represent precisely Israel's greatest nightmare about any withdrawal. After Israel completely withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah, a foreign sponsored terror group armed to the teeth and dedicated to Israel's destruction, gained control of the border. It built up a massive capacity to damage Israel's cities with around 13,000 rockets, imported from Iran and Syria, its patrons.
It is not responsible to the national government, and therefore there is no address which Israel can hold accountable if attacked. It hides its weapons among civilians - Israel has footage of rocket launchers firing and then being hidden in the garages of private homes. Thus if Israel attempts to target the organisation directly, civilians inevitably are killed and Israel is condemned internationally. Furthermore, its ideology of martyrdom for the sake of Islam makes it's almost impossible to deter.
Hezbollah's popularity in Lebanon, its claim to maintain armed forces independent of the government, and its extensive foreign support all depend on it maintaining confrontation with Israel. Moreover, Israel's behaviour is immaterial to this reality - pretexts for conflict must be found. Thus, the UN Security Council unanimously certified in 2000 that Israel holds no Lebanese territory. So Hezbollah invented a claim to the "Shebaa farms" region, a tiny scrap of territory which belonged to the Syrian Golan Heights until Israel occupied in the 1967 war. Hezbollah also claims it is fighting Israel to free Lebanese citizens in Israeli jails, even though there is only one of these - Samir Kuntar, who crossed into Israel in 1979 and murdered a father and his four-year-old daughter in their home.
Israelis naturally fear that any pullbacks from the West Bank are likely to lead to a duplication of the Hezbollah model - "unofficial" militias, armed by regional radicals, hiding among civilians, and seeking confrontation with Israel in the name of either radical ideology or the interests of states like Iran and Syria. Moreover, the proximity of the West Bank to the strategic heart of Israel would allow such a group to make life unbearable at will for the vast majority of Israelis. The Gaza experience certainly lends weight to such fears- the Hamas government calls for Israel's destruction and acquiesced in daily, unprovoked, rocket attacks on Israel by terrorists. Israelis would have to be suicidal to move toward a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with this likely outcome.
The end of the Lebanon conflict must therefore change the status quo on the Israel-Lebanon border. UN Security Council Resolution 1559, passed in 2004, which calls for all Lebanese militias to be disarmed and the Lebanese army to deploy throughout the country, must actually be implemented. Either Israel must be allowed to defend itself to the point where Hezbollah is seriously weakened, or the international community must be able to guarantee that a ceasefire will genuinely implement 1559, probably via an international force. If the problem presented by Hezbollah since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon cannot be dealt with, further Israeli disengagements needed for peace are going to become vastly harder to arrange, and extremists who want to make peace impossible will be empowered and inspired to follow Hezbollah's example throughout the region.
Moreover, we must not be naïve and imagine that we can resolve this problem by an unconditional ceasefire and then negotiations among all parties to solve grievances. Hezbollah does not have grievances which can be resolved - it opposes Israel's existence and gains power by manufacturing confrontations with it. Nothing Israel does will change this, and Hezbollah will not disarm just because it is asked nicely. Similarly, Iran and Syria have essentially paid no price for using Hezbollah to fight Israel - instead they have used it to distract from their own problems, especially the proposed UN sanctions against Iran because of its illegal nuclear weapons program. Syria and Iran will not agree to push Hezbollah to disarm unless they are pressured to do so.
Everyone wants the bloodshed to end as soon as possible, but it will be disastrous if there is no change to the pre-war status quo, especially as regards Hezbollah's capacity to start wars at a time and place of its (and Iran's) choosing. Not only Lebanon but the entire Middle East is likely to suffer from repeated and escalating conflict for the foreseeable future if this is the outcome.
Dr. Colin Rubenstein is Executive Director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council. Previously, he taught Middle East Politics at Monash University for many years.
By Colin Rubenstein, TheAge.com.au
August 5, 2006
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, ""I genuinely believe the outcome of the present [conflict] and the emergence of a new order that will provide more stability will help create the necessary environment that will allow me ... to create a new momentum between us and the Palestinians." He added, "We want to separate from the Palestinians. I'm ready to do it."
The connection between the conflict in Lebanon and Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations may not seem obvious, but Olmert is right. So it is absolutely crucial that any ceasefire in Lebanon does more than simply halt the immediate bloodshed.
Olmert was elected on a platform of following up Israel's complete unilateral disengagement from Gaza last year with a further withdrawal, negotiated or unilateral, from the vast majority of the West Bank by 2010. Polls consistently show that Israelis want to end their control over the Palestinians and move towards a two-state solution, preferably by negotiation, but unilaterally if a credible final peace agreement does not appear possible (as it does not with the current Hamas government).
However, events in Lebanon represent precisely Israel's greatest nightmare about any withdrawal. After Israel completely withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah, a foreign sponsored terror group armed to the teeth and dedicated to Israel's destruction, gained control of the border. It built up a massive capacity to damage Israel's cities with around 13,000 rockets, imported from Iran and Syria, its patrons.
It is not responsible to the national government, and therefore there is no address which Israel can hold accountable if attacked. It hides its weapons among civilians - Israel has footage of rocket launchers firing and then being hidden in the garages of private homes. Thus if Israel attempts to target the organisation directly, civilians inevitably are killed and Israel is condemned internationally. Furthermore, its ideology of martyrdom for the sake of Islam makes it's almost impossible to deter.
Hezbollah's popularity in Lebanon, its claim to maintain armed forces independent of the government, and its extensive foreign support all depend on it maintaining confrontation with Israel. Moreover, Israel's behaviour is immaterial to this reality - pretexts for conflict must be found. Thus, the UN Security Council unanimously certified in 2000 that Israel holds no Lebanese territory. So Hezbollah invented a claim to the "Shebaa farms" region, a tiny scrap of territory which belonged to the Syrian Golan Heights until Israel occupied in the 1967 war. Hezbollah also claims it is fighting Israel to free Lebanese citizens in Israeli jails, even though there is only one of these - Samir Kuntar, who crossed into Israel in 1979 and murdered a father and his four-year-old daughter in their home.
Israelis naturally fear that any pullbacks from the West Bank are likely to lead to a duplication of the Hezbollah model - "unofficial" militias, armed by regional radicals, hiding among civilians, and seeking confrontation with Israel in the name of either radical ideology or the interests of states like Iran and Syria. Moreover, the proximity of the West Bank to the strategic heart of Israel would allow such a group to make life unbearable at will for the vast majority of Israelis. The Gaza experience certainly lends weight to such fears- the Hamas government calls for Israel's destruction and acquiesced in daily, unprovoked, rocket attacks on Israel by terrorists. Israelis would have to be suicidal to move toward a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with this likely outcome.
The end of the Lebanon conflict must therefore change the status quo on the Israel-Lebanon border. UN Security Council Resolution 1559, passed in 2004, which calls for all Lebanese militias to be disarmed and the Lebanese army to deploy throughout the country, must actually be implemented. Either Israel must be allowed to defend itself to the point where Hezbollah is seriously weakened, or the international community must be able to guarantee that a ceasefire will genuinely implement 1559, probably via an international force. If the problem presented by Hezbollah since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon cannot be dealt with, further Israeli disengagements needed for peace are going to become vastly harder to arrange, and extremists who want to make peace impossible will be empowered and inspired to follow Hezbollah's example throughout the region.
Moreover, we must not be naïve and imagine that we can resolve this problem by an unconditional ceasefire and then negotiations among all parties to solve grievances. Hezbollah does not have grievances which can be resolved - it opposes Israel's existence and gains power by manufacturing confrontations with it. Nothing Israel does will change this, and Hezbollah will not disarm just because it is asked nicely. Similarly, Iran and Syria have essentially paid no price for using Hezbollah to fight Israel - instead they have used it to distract from their own problems, especially the proposed UN sanctions against Iran because of its illegal nuclear weapons program. Syria and Iran will not agree to push Hezbollah to disarm unless they are pressured to do so.
Everyone wants the bloodshed to end as soon as possible, but it will be disastrous if there is no change to the pre-war status quo, especially as regards Hezbollah's capacity to start wars at a time and place of its (and Iran's) choosing. Not only Lebanon but the entire Middle East is likely to suffer from repeated and escalating conflict for the foreseeable future if this is the outcome.
Dr. Colin Rubenstein is Executive Director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council. Previously, he taught Middle East Politics at Monash University for many years.
AUG 7, 2006: Pope Benedict XVI calls for immediate ceasfire
Pope says he's disappointed about ignored Middle East peace calls
By Catholic News Service, www.catholicnews.com
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI renewed his appeal for peace in the Middle East and said he was deeply disappointed that calls for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon had been ignored.
Peace is both a gift of God and the product of political commitment, and all people of good will have a duty to work for an end to hostilities, the pope said at a Sunday blessing Aug. 6.
Several hundred pilgrims applauded the pope as he spoke from the balcony of his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome. In a talk that marked the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the pope said Christ's salvation was sorely needed in a world threatened by the "shadows of evil," including fratricidal conflict in the Middle East.
"We well know that peace is first of all a gift of God, to implore with insistence in prayer, but at this moment I also want to recall that peace is the task of all people of good will. Let no one shrink from this duty!" he said.
"Faced with the bitter fact that up to now the calls for an immediate cease-fire in that martyred region have been disregarded, I feel impelled to renew my pressing appeal to that effect, asking everyone to offer their real contribution to the construction of a just and lasting peace," he said.
Pope Benedict donated two ambulances and emergency medical supplies to Caritas Lebanon; the U.N.'s World Food Program announced the papal gifts were placed on a cargo ship and left the port of Brindisi, Italy, Aug. 7. The ship was supposed to go to Cyprus to take on more supplies, then sail to Beirut.
On Aug. 7, fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militia continued to escalate. Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since July 12 had killed nearly 1,000 people -- mostly civilians -- and destroyed roads and bridges, while Hezbollah rocket attacks against northern Israel had killed more than 90 people, including at least 36 civilians.
Pope Benedict, who has urged an immediate end to the fighting since it began, explained the reasons for his appeals in an interview Aug. 5 with four German-language media. The interview was to be broadcast Aug. 13, but the Vatican made available a transcript of the pope's comments on the Middle East.
The pope said the Vatican was motivated in its actions not by political considerations but by the conviction that "war is the worst solution for everyone. It brings nothing of good for anyone, not even for the apparent victors. We know this well in Europe, after the two world wars."
"What everyone needs is peace. There are moral forces ready to help people understand that the only solution is that we must live together," he said.
He said the Vatican's actions and his own appeals were designed to mobilize all the potential forces of peace.
"Politicians must find a way to make this happen as quickly as possible and above all in a lasting manner," he said.
By Catholic News Service, www.catholicnews.com
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI renewed his appeal for peace in the Middle East and said he was deeply disappointed that calls for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon had been ignored.
Peace is both a gift of God and the product of political commitment, and all people of good will have a duty to work for an end to hostilities, the pope said at a Sunday blessing Aug. 6.
Several hundred pilgrims applauded the pope as he spoke from the balcony of his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome. In a talk that marked the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the pope said Christ's salvation was sorely needed in a world threatened by the "shadows of evil," including fratricidal conflict in the Middle East.
"We well know that peace is first of all a gift of God, to implore with insistence in prayer, but at this moment I also want to recall that peace is the task of all people of good will. Let no one shrink from this duty!" he said.
"Faced with the bitter fact that up to now the calls for an immediate cease-fire in that martyred region have been disregarded, I feel impelled to renew my pressing appeal to that effect, asking everyone to offer their real contribution to the construction of a just and lasting peace," he said.
Pope Benedict donated two ambulances and emergency medical supplies to Caritas Lebanon; the U.N.'s World Food Program announced the papal gifts were placed on a cargo ship and left the port of Brindisi, Italy, Aug. 7. The ship was supposed to go to Cyprus to take on more supplies, then sail to Beirut.
On Aug. 7, fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militia continued to escalate. Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since July 12 had killed nearly 1,000 people -- mostly civilians -- and destroyed roads and bridges, while Hezbollah rocket attacks against northern Israel had killed more than 90 people, including at least 36 civilians.
Pope Benedict, who has urged an immediate end to the fighting since it began, explained the reasons for his appeals in an interview Aug. 5 with four German-language media. The interview was to be broadcast Aug. 13, but the Vatican made available a transcript of the pope's comments on the Middle East.
The pope said the Vatican was motivated in its actions not by political considerations but by the conviction that "war is the worst solution for everyone. It brings nothing of good for anyone, not even for the apparent victors. We know this well in Europe, after the two world wars."
"What everyone needs is peace. There are moral forces ready to help people understand that the only solution is that we must live together," he said.
He said the Vatican's actions and his own appeals were designed to mobilize all the potential forces of peace.
"Politicians must find a way to make this happen as quickly as possible and above all in a lasting manner," he said.
Scowcroft offers simple Middle East Peace Proposal
peace in the middle east:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801571.html
posted by Aziz Poonawalla on Friday, August 04, 2006 DeanEsmay.com
Below, the outlines of a workable plan for peace in the middle east:
A Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with minor rectifications agreed upon between Palestine and Israel.
· Palestinians giving up the right of return and Israel reciprocating by removing its settlements in the West Bank, again with rectifications as mutually agreed. Those displaced on both sides would receive compensation from the international community.
· King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia unambiguously reconfirming his 2002 pledge that the Arab world is prepared to enter into full normal relations with Israel upon its withdrawal from the lands occupied in 1967.
· Egypt and Saudi Arabia working with the Palestinian Authority to put together a government along the lines of the 18-point agreement reached between Hamas and Fatah prisoners in Israeli jails in June. This government would negotiate for the Authority.
· Deployment, as part of a cease-fire, of a robust international force in southern Lebanon.
· Deployment of another international force to facilitate and supervise traffic to and from Gaza and the West Bank.
· Designation of Jerusalem as the shared capital of Israel and Palestine, with appropriate international guarantees of freedom of movement and civic life in the city.
Outline courtesy of Brent Scowcroft.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801571.html
posted by Aziz Poonawalla on Friday, August 04, 2006 DeanEsmay.com
Below, the outlines of a workable plan for peace in the middle east:
A Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with minor rectifications agreed upon between Palestine and Israel.
· Palestinians giving up the right of return and Israel reciprocating by removing its settlements in the West Bank, again with rectifications as mutually agreed. Those displaced on both sides would receive compensation from the international community.
· King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia unambiguously reconfirming his 2002 pledge that the Arab world is prepared to enter into full normal relations with Israel upon its withdrawal from the lands occupied in 1967.
· Egypt and Saudi Arabia working with the Palestinian Authority to put together a government along the lines of the 18-point agreement reached between Hamas and Fatah prisoners in Israeli jails in June. This government would negotiate for the Authority.
· Deployment, as part of a cease-fire, of a robust international force in southern Lebanon.
· Deployment of another international force to facilitate and supervise traffic to and from Gaza and the West Bank.
· Designation of Jerusalem as the shared capital of Israel and Palestine, with appropriate international guarantees of freedom of movement and civic life in the city.
Outline courtesy of Brent Scowcroft.
AGlitteringEye.com proposes new Mideast Peace Incentives
from www.AGlitteringEye.com
For Middle East peace the incentives must change
Aziz over at Dean’s World is attempting to promote a dialogue on potential solutions for the problems surrounding Israel, the current Israel-Hezbollah hostilities being only the most recent instance. First, he proposed the Scowcroft framework which includes provisions for a Palestinian state, renunciation of the right of return, recognition of Israel by the KSA, what are now being called “robust, international” peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, and other measures. Then he opened the floor to other alternatives.
He’s not getting much of anywhere.
Most of the commenters rejected the idea of a negotiated settlement outright, believing that military force was the only resolution left at this point. Somewhat to my amazement many seemed to believe that military force alone could be an effective solution for Israel’s problems.
It was noted in the comments that the Scowcroft framework is not unlike the proposal that was rejected by Yasser Arafat in 2000.
In my opinion the more serious problem with the plan is that it fails to take the incentives for all parties (more than merely the Israelis and Palestinians) into account and, indeed, that those incentives are propelling events in the wrong direction. Let’s consider some of the parties, their motivations, and the incentives in place.
The Israelis want to survive as a nation and have a little more peace and security than they currently enjoy. These are goals that I respect and support. If others, including the Europeans and their Arab neighbors also respected and supported those objectives (at least more than merely verbally), there would be no problem. But the Israelis also want to preserve a certain ethnic and cultural character to their state. I think that’s an eminently understandable objective but I honestly do not believe that it’s one that the United States should support.
The approval rating of the Olmert government has risen among Israelis since the beginning of the hostilities in Lebanon. Olmert’s personal popularity has risen to the highest level ever. Despite the rockets falling on them that are reaching ever further into the heart of their territory Israelis remain convinced that these actions will result in more security in the future and, possibly more importantly, that removing their troops from Gaza and southern Lebanon was a mistake. I think they believe that they’re winning.
Given that system of incentives it’s hard to see why the Israelis would stop doing what they’re doing.
Hezbollah clearly wants to destroy the state of Israel. They undoubtedly have Islamist motivations but I also believe that they want increased power within Islam itself. In my view this shouldn’t be viewed solely as a connivance of Iran’s but more in the context of the KSA’s advancing over the years of their own version of Islam.
Hezbollah’s popularity within Lebanon even among Sunni Muslims and Christians has risen since the start of hostilities. Nasrallah’s personal popularity is at an all-time high—he is now a person of international importance. Hezbollah’s popularity among regular Arab people in the Middle East (as opposed to among their governments) has also risen. Hezbollah apparently believes that it’s winning and they have plenty of agreement on that score in the West.
Given that system of incentives it’s hard to see why Hezbollah would stop doing what they’re doing.
Non-Hezbollah Lebanese people in all probability just want to be left alone. In the present hostilities we’re being treated to the surreal spectacle of the Lebanese government declaring themselves non-belligerents in a war going on within their borders.
The prospects for the Lebanese allying themselves with Israel to de-fang Hezbollah which, in my view, actually might have stood a chance of promoting democracy and stability within Lebanon—always a long shot—become fainter with each kilometer farther north the Israelis strike.
Syria clearly does not relish the idea of a military confrontation with Israel but they’re not concerned enough about it to disinvolve themselves with Hezbollah. As I mentioned before I’ve heard outright denials from the Syrians that they’re supplying Hezbollah.
Iran is clearly quite content to let events proceed as they may. It’s hard to see how they can lose. Hezbollah is opposing Israel for them and raising Shi’ite stock in the Muslim world. They have their own missile production facilities and, no doubt from their viewpoint, unlimited resources. Direct military confrontation between Iran and Israel is IMO farfetched and might indeed be the pretext the Iranians are looking for.
I find the motivations of the Europeans extremely puzzling. They clearly have more to lose by instability in the Middle East than anyone except possibly the people who live there. I don’t see how demonizing Israel promotes greater stability in the region unless you believe that it’s possible to completely eradicate the state of Israel. That, IMO, would create more instability in the region than either the European or we could deal with.
Roughly 30% of the founding population of the present state of Israel were Ashkenazic Jews who fled persecution in Europe. They were left with few alternatives. That’s the simplest explanation for where we are right now.
Europe continues to view terrorist groups in the Middle East as fighting a war of national liberation and Israelis as being the vanguard of fascism. I don’t think that’s quite as sophisticated an understanding of affairs as the Europeans themselves do.
Presumably, the Europeans will be happy as long as oil keeps flowing. I don’t see that their present policies faciliitate that objective.
The United States is a big country and significantly more complex than most of the rest of the world likes to believe. Historically, there have been a number of different schools of thought within the United States on our dealings with the rest of the world. I’ve written pretty extensively about them—see this post for the short version with links to other resources.
These schools of thought are still active and influential today. If you’d like a good idea of the Jacksonian view, look at the comments to Aziz’s posts, cited above.
For there to be anything that resembles a durable peace in the Middle East I believe that the incentives noted above need to change. Neither a settlement that will fail from its inception because it ignores the incentives in place or a military solution that is unlikely to succeed without expanding so far that it involves us all are worth considering.
Although I have never been an advocate for it at least the plan to democratize the Middle East, sometimes referred to a “the New Middle East” or “the Neo-Con Plan”, however fanciful it may have been, took incentives into consideration. My own objectiions to it were and have always been that it had little chance of succeeding in a timeframe that was politicallly or strategically acceptable.
So, how can the incentives be changed?
For Middle East peace the incentives must change
Aziz over at Dean’s World is attempting to promote a dialogue on potential solutions for the problems surrounding Israel, the current Israel-Hezbollah hostilities being only the most recent instance. First, he proposed the Scowcroft framework which includes provisions for a Palestinian state, renunciation of the right of return, recognition of Israel by the KSA, what are now being called “robust, international” peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, and other measures. Then he opened the floor to other alternatives.
He’s not getting much of anywhere.
Most of the commenters rejected the idea of a negotiated settlement outright, believing that military force was the only resolution left at this point. Somewhat to my amazement many seemed to believe that military force alone could be an effective solution for Israel’s problems.
It was noted in the comments that the Scowcroft framework is not unlike the proposal that was rejected by Yasser Arafat in 2000.
In my opinion the more serious problem with the plan is that it fails to take the incentives for all parties (more than merely the Israelis and Palestinians) into account and, indeed, that those incentives are propelling events in the wrong direction. Let’s consider some of the parties, their motivations, and the incentives in place.
The Israelis want to survive as a nation and have a little more peace and security than they currently enjoy. These are goals that I respect and support. If others, including the Europeans and their Arab neighbors also respected and supported those objectives (at least more than merely verbally), there would be no problem. But the Israelis also want to preserve a certain ethnic and cultural character to their state. I think that’s an eminently understandable objective but I honestly do not believe that it’s one that the United States should support.
The approval rating of the Olmert government has risen among Israelis since the beginning of the hostilities in Lebanon. Olmert’s personal popularity has risen to the highest level ever. Despite the rockets falling on them that are reaching ever further into the heart of their territory Israelis remain convinced that these actions will result in more security in the future and, possibly more importantly, that removing their troops from Gaza and southern Lebanon was a mistake. I think they believe that they’re winning.
Given that system of incentives it’s hard to see why the Israelis would stop doing what they’re doing.
Hezbollah clearly wants to destroy the state of Israel. They undoubtedly have Islamist motivations but I also believe that they want increased power within Islam itself. In my view this shouldn’t be viewed solely as a connivance of Iran’s but more in the context of the KSA’s advancing over the years of their own version of Islam.
Hezbollah’s popularity within Lebanon even among Sunni Muslims and Christians has risen since the start of hostilities. Nasrallah’s personal popularity is at an all-time high—he is now a person of international importance. Hezbollah’s popularity among regular Arab people in the Middle East (as opposed to among their governments) has also risen. Hezbollah apparently believes that it’s winning and they have plenty of agreement on that score in the West.
Given that system of incentives it’s hard to see why Hezbollah would stop doing what they’re doing.
Non-Hezbollah Lebanese people in all probability just want to be left alone. In the present hostilities we’re being treated to the surreal spectacle of the Lebanese government declaring themselves non-belligerents in a war going on within their borders.
The prospects for the Lebanese allying themselves with Israel to de-fang Hezbollah which, in my view, actually might have stood a chance of promoting democracy and stability within Lebanon—always a long shot—become fainter with each kilometer farther north the Israelis strike.
Syria clearly does not relish the idea of a military confrontation with Israel but they’re not concerned enough about it to disinvolve themselves with Hezbollah. As I mentioned before I’ve heard outright denials from the Syrians that they’re supplying Hezbollah.
Iran is clearly quite content to let events proceed as they may. It’s hard to see how they can lose. Hezbollah is opposing Israel for them and raising Shi’ite stock in the Muslim world. They have their own missile production facilities and, no doubt from their viewpoint, unlimited resources. Direct military confrontation between Iran and Israel is IMO farfetched and might indeed be the pretext the Iranians are looking for.
I find the motivations of the Europeans extremely puzzling. They clearly have more to lose by instability in the Middle East than anyone except possibly the people who live there. I don’t see how demonizing Israel promotes greater stability in the region unless you believe that it’s possible to completely eradicate the state of Israel. That, IMO, would create more instability in the region than either the European or we could deal with.
Roughly 30% of the founding population of the present state of Israel were Ashkenazic Jews who fled persecution in Europe. They were left with few alternatives. That’s the simplest explanation for where we are right now.
Europe continues to view terrorist groups in the Middle East as fighting a war of national liberation and Israelis as being the vanguard of fascism. I don’t think that’s quite as sophisticated an understanding of affairs as the Europeans themselves do.
Presumably, the Europeans will be happy as long as oil keeps flowing. I don’t see that their present policies faciliitate that objective.
The United States is a big country and significantly more complex than most of the rest of the world likes to believe. Historically, there have been a number of different schools of thought within the United States on our dealings with the rest of the world. I’ve written pretty extensively about them—see this post for the short version with links to other resources.
These schools of thought are still active and influential today. If you’d like a good idea of the Jacksonian view, look at the comments to Aziz’s posts, cited above.
For there to be anything that resembles a durable peace in the Middle East I believe that the incentives noted above need to change. Neither a settlement that will fail from its inception because it ignores the incentives in place or a military solution that is unlikely to succeed without expanding so far that it involves us all are worth considering.
Although I have never been an advocate for it at least the plan to democratize the Middle East, sometimes referred to a “the New Middle East” or “the Neo-Con Plan”, however fanciful it may have been, took incentives into consideration. My own objectiions to it were and have always been that it had little chance of succeeding in a timeframe that was politicallly or strategically acceptable.
So, how can the incentives be changed?
Global Resource offering small-scale photovoltaic electricity panels
Global Resource Options Launches New Solar Product Line
160- and 170-Watt Panels Offered to Growing Customer Base
Press Release from Global Resource Options, Inc.
White River Junction, VT Global Resource Options (GRO), national leader in sales of residential solar energy systems, announced that it is now distributing 160-Watt and 170-Watt Suntech Power solar modules. These high output panels are in addition to GRO's growing product line of solar electric and solar hot water systems. The addition of 30, 60, and 80 watt panels from SunTech was announced last month. The higher wattage panels now available will be used for residential kits to allow homeowners to produce their own renewable electricity.
Global Resource Options specializes in selling complete solar systems that are ready to work for their customers. The company recently announced an $88 million dollar supply contract with Evergreen Solar, based in Massachusetts. By also offering Suntech panels, the company is able to meet the growing demands of the solar industry, which has increased exponentially over the last decade.
About Global Resource Options
Global Resource Options, Inc., is the premier provider of residential solar energy systems in the Northeast, helping homeowners reduce their energy bills and turn their values into action. GRO makes solar simple, providing customers with consultation, installation, and as-needed maintenance.
About Suntech Power
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is one of the leading solar energy companies in the world as measured by production output of PV cells in 2005. Suntech designs, develops, manufactures and markets a variety of high quality, cost effective and environmentally friendly PV cells and modules for electric power applications. They have increased manufacturing capacity by 12 times, becoming one of the world's top 10 manufacturers of PV cells based on production output according to Photon International Magazine. For more information, please visit:
http://www.suntech-power.com .
For more information, please contact:
Sylvan Groth, Global Resource Options, Inc. e: sylvan@globalresourceoptions.com; phone: 800-374-4494 x122
160- and 170-Watt Panels Offered to Growing Customer Base
Press Release from Global Resource Options, Inc.
White River Junction, VT Global Resource Options (GRO), national leader in sales of residential solar energy systems, announced that it is now distributing 160-Watt and 170-Watt Suntech Power solar modules. These high output panels are in addition to GRO's growing product line of solar electric and solar hot water systems. The addition of 30, 60, and 80 watt panels from SunTech was announced last month. The higher wattage panels now available will be used for residential kits to allow homeowners to produce their own renewable electricity.
Global Resource Options specializes in selling complete solar systems that are ready to work for their customers. The company recently announced an $88 million dollar supply contract with Evergreen Solar, based in Massachusetts. By also offering Suntech panels, the company is able to meet the growing demands of the solar industry, which has increased exponentially over the last decade.
About Global Resource Options
Global Resource Options, Inc., is the premier provider of residential solar energy systems in the Northeast, helping homeowners reduce their energy bills and turn their values into action. GRO makes solar simple, providing customers with consultation, installation, and as-needed maintenance.
About Suntech Power
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is one of the leading solar energy companies in the world as measured by production output of PV cells in 2005. Suntech designs, develops, manufactures and markets a variety of high quality, cost effective and environmentally friendly PV cells and modules for electric power applications. They have increased manufacturing capacity by 12 times, becoming one of the world's top 10 manufacturers of PV cells based on production output according to Photon International Magazine. For more information, please visit:
http://www.suntech-power.com .
For more information, please contact:
Sylvan Groth, Global Resource Options, Inc. e: sylvan@globalresourceoptions.com; phone: 800-374-4494 x122
New Belfast homes to have solar panels pre-installed by 2008
24 July 2006
Solar roof panels are to become compulsory on all new houses in Northern Ireland from April 2008, the Secretary of State announced today.
Solar roof panels are to become compulsory on all new houses in Northern Ireland from April 2008, the Secretary of State announced today.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development seeks Clean Energy Investments
Europe looking to invest in alternative, renewable power
from http://www.ebrd.com/country/sector/power/renew/
The EBRD aims to promote environmentally sound and sustainable development in the full range of its activities. One of the Bank's objectives is to improve environmental performance of the power sector, including supporting actions to address the climate change issue.
As part of this objective, the EBRD is actively pursuing renewable energy projects.
The Bank is participating in the International Conference for Renewable Energies in Bonn. The EBRD's Action Plan for Bonn (0.1Mb) includes new initiatives for supporting renewable energy projects.
Submitting a proposal for a renewable energy project
The EBRD encourages developers to submit a proposal for renewable energy project funding.
Challenges of renewable energy projects
The founding agreement of the EBRD requires that all of the projects it finances meet sound banking principles. Considering the generally low level of power tariffs in the countries of operation and the lack of developed legislation to support renewable energy projects, the EBRD and project developers have faced significant challenges in identifying those projects with sufficiently robust economics to make financing possible.
However, the climate for renewable energy projects in the EBRD countries of operation is starting to improve.
As part of the accession of the first group of Eastern European countries to the EU, new members will set targets to generate a certain percentage of power from renewable sources. This should enable these countries to adopt legislation to support the development of renewable energy projects. Other countries in the region are also starting to look at ways of making renewable energy projects possible.
Renewable energy projects
Mutnovsky Geothermal Power Plant
One of the first independent power projects in the Bank’s countries of operation, the project consists of the construction and installation of a geothermal power plant located in Mutnovsky, southern Kamchatka, Russian Federation. More information can be found in the Showcase page.
Hydro rehabilitation
The Bank has also financed 7 projects involving completion and rehabilitation of the hydro power stations in Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Latvia, and Slovenia. Total investment in these projects is €480 million of which the EBRD has contributed €206 million.
How the EBRD is increasing its portfolio of renewable energy projects
The EBRD is taking active measures to expand the number of renewable energy projects which would be eligible for Bank financing.
Strategic Renewable Energy Assessment
This is a comprehensive study of the renewable energy resources in the countries of operation, completed last year by Black and Veatch and financed by the USAID. More information can be found on the Strategic Renewable Energy Assessment website.
The Bank is now considering a second phase of the study, which will focus on distributing information about renewable energy projects in the Bank’s countries of operation and identifying those projects in which to invest.
Carbon finance
Carbon finance provides another opportunity for the Bank to enhance the economics of the renewable energy projects to make their financing possible.
The Bank has been facilitating the development and sale of carbon credits on a project by project basis. It has also been involved in the creation of one of Europe's first carbon trading funds. More information is available on the Carbon finance page.
Bulgarian Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Credit Line
This €50 million facility was launched early in 2004 with the participation of several Bulgarian banks. It provides loans for small and medium sized energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Bulgaria.
Project owners and participating banks also benefit from assistance from the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund (KIDSF). KIDSF provides technical assistance to fund project appraisal and also provides a rebate incentive to project developers - a cash rebate of up to 20% of the investment cost for renewable projects.
Renewable Energy Financing Entity
The EBRD is seeking to invest in a renewable energy fund to be financed by the Bank and other investors. The fund will undertake equity and quasi-equity investments in creditworthy small- and medium-sized renewable energy projects throughout the Bank’s countries of operation. The EBRD is envisaging an initial total amount in the range of €30 to €50 million. The Bank is also seeking to raise technical assistance of up to €5 million for the fund. The technical assistance will be used by the fund to carry out legal, technical and commercial due diligence of selected projects. In the emerging markets of the Bank's countries of operation, these costs are significant and are often a major obstacle for project developers who are trying to raise additional equity and debt to carry out full project development.
The Bank has invited proposals and expressions of interest from financial partners with a view to co-investing in the proposed fund and from potential operators or managers of the fund and is currently discussing various proposals.
Armenia Renewable Energy Fund
The Bank plans to establish a Renewable Energy Fund in Armenia capitalized by a combination of blended funding from the International Development Agency and the Global Environment Facility and other donor funds.
The EBRD will provide a dedicated debt facility of up to €7 million to the Fund which will then extend affordable long-term loans to qualified renewable energy projects: mini-hydro, wind, and biomass projects. The Fund will be managed by experienced personnel that will help local developers in negotiating and closing the deals.
The Bank hopes to close the Fund and have the project operational by the end of 2004 with the World Bank commitment approved and disbursed by mid-2005. Fund operating costs and development work will be funded by USAID and advanced disbursements from World Bank and GEF.
from http://www.ebrd.com/country/sector/power/renew/
The EBRD aims to promote environmentally sound and sustainable development in the full range of its activities. One of the Bank's objectives is to improve environmental performance of the power sector, including supporting actions to address the climate change issue.
As part of this objective, the EBRD is actively pursuing renewable energy projects.
The Bank is participating in the International Conference for Renewable Energies in Bonn. The EBRD's Action Plan for Bonn (0.1Mb) includes new initiatives for supporting renewable energy projects.
Submitting a proposal for a renewable energy project
The EBRD encourages developers to submit a proposal for renewable energy project funding.
Challenges of renewable energy projects
The founding agreement of the EBRD requires that all of the projects it finances meet sound banking principles. Considering the generally low level of power tariffs in the countries of operation and the lack of developed legislation to support renewable energy projects, the EBRD and project developers have faced significant challenges in identifying those projects with sufficiently robust economics to make financing possible.
However, the climate for renewable energy projects in the EBRD countries of operation is starting to improve.
As part of the accession of the first group of Eastern European countries to the EU, new members will set targets to generate a certain percentage of power from renewable sources. This should enable these countries to adopt legislation to support the development of renewable energy projects. Other countries in the region are also starting to look at ways of making renewable energy projects possible.
Renewable energy projects
Mutnovsky Geothermal Power Plant
One of the first independent power projects in the Bank’s countries of operation, the project consists of the construction and installation of a geothermal power plant located in Mutnovsky, southern Kamchatka, Russian Federation. More information can be found in the Showcase page.
Hydro rehabilitation
The Bank has also financed 7 projects involving completion and rehabilitation of the hydro power stations in Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Latvia, and Slovenia. Total investment in these projects is €480 million of which the EBRD has contributed €206 million.
How the EBRD is increasing its portfolio of renewable energy projects
The EBRD is taking active measures to expand the number of renewable energy projects which would be eligible for Bank financing.
Strategic Renewable Energy Assessment
This is a comprehensive study of the renewable energy resources in the countries of operation, completed last year by Black and Veatch and financed by the USAID. More information can be found on the Strategic Renewable Energy Assessment website.
The Bank is now considering a second phase of the study, which will focus on distributing information about renewable energy projects in the Bank’s countries of operation and identifying those projects in which to invest.
Carbon finance
Carbon finance provides another opportunity for the Bank to enhance the economics of the renewable energy projects to make their financing possible.
The Bank has been facilitating the development and sale of carbon credits on a project by project basis. It has also been involved in the creation of one of Europe's first carbon trading funds. More information is available on the Carbon finance page.
Bulgarian Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Credit Line
This €50 million facility was launched early in 2004 with the participation of several Bulgarian banks. It provides loans for small and medium sized energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Bulgaria.
Project owners and participating banks also benefit from assistance from the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund (KIDSF). KIDSF provides technical assistance to fund project appraisal and also provides a rebate incentive to project developers - a cash rebate of up to 20% of the investment cost for renewable projects.
Renewable Energy Financing Entity
The EBRD is seeking to invest in a renewable energy fund to be financed by the Bank and other investors. The fund will undertake equity and quasi-equity investments in creditworthy small- and medium-sized renewable energy projects throughout the Bank’s countries of operation. The EBRD is envisaging an initial total amount in the range of €30 to €50 million. The Bank is also seeking to raise technical assistance of up to €5 million for the fund. The technical assistance will be used by the fund to carry out legal, technical and commercial due diligence of selected projects. In the emerging markets of the Bank's countries of operation, these costs are significant and are often a major obstacle for project developers who are trying to raise additional equity and debt to carry out full project development.
The Bank has invited proposals and expressions of interest from financial partners with a view to co-investing in the proposed fund and from potential operators or managers of the fund and is currently discussing various proposals.
Armenia Renewable Energy Fund
The Bank plans to establish a Renewable Energy Fund in Armenia capitalized by a combination of blended funding from the International Development Agency and the Global Environment Facility and other donor funds.
The EBRD will provide a dedicated debt facility of up to €7 million to the Fund which will then extend affordable long-term loans to qualified renewable energy projects: mini-hydro, wind, and biomass projects. The Fund will be managed by experienced personnel that will help local developers in negotiating and closing the deals.
The Bank hopes to close the Fund and have the project operational by the end of 2004 with the World Bank commitment approved and disbursed by mid-2005. Fund operating costs and development work will be funded by USAID and advanced disbursements from World Bank and GEF.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Shalom, Namaste, Tenaystilin, Inshallah: Middle East Peace Proposal 2006-2007
Middle East Peace Proposal
2006-2007
an offering of Yuya, Canadian singer-writer
Shalom, Namaste, Tenaystilin, Inshallah
august 3rd, 2006
(Proposal from MySpace.com/Yuya blog: Yuya blog Mideast Peace Plan post )
Stage One: Truce Among Combatants, and Nationhood for Palestine
As a prelude to the establishment of the Nation of Palestine, and of Israel signing a peace, security and trade agreement with Palestine and other nations, it is proposed that Israel enter into a ten-year renewable truce with each of Hamas and Hezbollah. Recognized as organizations that were leaders in the battle for the establishment of a Palestinian state, they would agree to retire from military activity upon its achievement. These organizations would be given asylum status but would have to abandon military pursuits and all violence, and become political, social and spiritual bodies; essentially agreeing to represent community concerns in a civil manner.
Israel isn’t just another nation state, it is the homeland of a people and a religion, so she shouldn’t shy away from signing a truce agreement with Sunni and Shia groups. Religious leaders may now speak up about their desire for peace with neighbors; study Ashoka if precedents are required for guidance. The reason for the ten-year term is that in Islamic tradition, it is the maximum period of time allowed for a truce with a non-Muslim nation, though renewals are clearly allowed and have been successful in the past. When a nation wants to be respected for its deep faith, it must also honour the religions of its neighbors, which in this case is overwhelmingly Islamic, though Christians have been brutalized by the crossfire.
It is a fact that there are deep scars in Palestine and Lebanon, and Israel and the world at large need to help with the healing. Seven decades ago Hitler and Mussolini began a wave of terror like the world had never seen, and one decade later we all began to slowly heal the damage inflicted by that madness. If nations such as Germany, Italy and Japan have been able to recover so well from shameful prejudice and violent anti-Semitism, it is likely that Israel’s neighbors can also be expected to prosper in a more tolerant, peaceful environment.
All parties to the agreement must be viewing the effectively twenty-year truce as a minimum duration of the desired peace, a way to generate even longer-term discussions and agreements while cooler heads are prevailing. It will be seen yet again that economic and social development can only become truly sustainable in an environment of glasnost and perestroika; the world spins every day and hard lessons are learned and relearned. This sometimes seemingly insurmountable task is in realty just a progression that every civilized planet must go through. Before global democracy and rule of the people can fully take root, there must be some sort of agreement on how to care for the Holy Lands. Jerusalem is the holiest city for Christians and Jews, and the third-holiest for Muslims. Both Christians and Muslims owe their some of their love of Jerusalem to that most famous Jew ever, Isa Jeshua of Nazareth, and in any case, it is really only the Jews that find all of Israel and Judea to be sacred, ancestral lands. By providing for a nation state in Gaza and the West Bank, Israelis are acknowledging that even though their people once thrived in Shechem (now Nablus) and Jericho, these towns are now home to Palestinians, and will stay that way.
The example of Northern Ireland, after the IRA became a political rather than a military force can provide lessons of transition. Jordan’s peace and trade deals with Israel boosted economic activity and security; these and other precedents are to be studied for elements advantageous to resolution of our conflict. India and South Africa are democratic nations won by the majority through civil participation, and the humanity that Gandhi and Mandela brought to the body politic are not to be ignored here.
A contiguous Palestinian state may be created via a land bridge at the southeast end of Gaza and southwest edge of the West Bank. The shape of this land will be wider where it joins Palestine, narrowest where it intersects Israel, via vehicle underpass (Stage Two) and rail overpass (Stage One). Palestine needs contiguity, but it also means that Israel loses a very small portion of her own contiguity; a viable Palestinian state requires this, and without healthy neighbors, anarchy will reign. The junction will be constructed so that neither Palestine nor Israel feels they have surrendered contiguity, with an internationalized area of highly secure bridges and underpasses allowing for uninterrupted travel within each nation. This junction can be looked at as a tremendous security risk, but also as a phenomenal social, cultural and commercial opportunity.
After Israeli political and religious leaders sign the ten-year renewable truce with Hamas and Hezbollah, the United Nations will declare Palestine a full nation state with regular membership privileges.
Stage Two: Regional Peace, Security and Trade Agreement
Subsequent to the achievement of nationhood for Palestine, concurrent with border talks and to be coordinated all within weeks rather than months, a five-year, renewable peace, security and trade pact will be entered into among Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and if conditions can be met and an understanding achieved, Syria. This four or five-nation landmark agreement will ensure non-aggression, opening up of markets, and the building of new roads, railways, seaports and airports. A host will be required for these talks, and it may be best for the negotiations to progress through several phases, perhaps beginning in Beirut, moving on to Damascus, then being nearly finalized in Paris and fine-tuned in Montreal before the signing ceremony in Toronto the Good.
Now, going forward, the key to maintaining regional peace, security and economic development will be long-term investment initiatives. It is imperative that Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Bahia, Sikh and other faiths and secular folk all invest together in the future of Palestine. This will include investments of goods and services by individuals, corporations, nation states, foundations and other NGOs.
The initial lands of Palestine will include the West Bank and Gaza, and if Syria agrees, the Shaba Farms and the northeast section of the Golan. Even though this is a highly contentious and some would say presumptuous aspect of this proposal, be aware that there are elements who would prefer to turn this region into yet another front in the perpetual “war on terror.” From a warrior point of view, it is likely that the USA would expect Israel to be able to defend itself from Syria, while the US could conceivably offer military aid if Iran became involved in the hostilities. Those scenarios involve a lot of death, so I am proposing this one: Israel finds a way to strike a peace deal with Syria, and asks the USA to help find peace with Iran.
The Shaba farms / NE Golan region may be earmarked for construction and development before new settlers move in, with 35,000 homes being built in three new connected towns, one with 15,000 new homes and two each with 10,000. These could be 3 and 4 bedroom primarily townhomes but some will be two and three bedroom apartments, and a smaller number will be 4 and 5 bedroom detached houses. The architecture should represent regional excellence and the main streets should allow for shops with apartments above. The commercial activity could consist of agricultural farms, plus light industrial such as manufacturing and assembling, plus retail, professional, community and tourism services.
It is suggested that an international coalition (eg. G8, EU, UN, IFC etc.) be put together to raise the estimated $3.5 to $4 billion these homes will cost (plus infrastructure development expenses of a similar amount), with Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese contractors bidding together with companies from Canada, France and other nations to ensure the highest quality buildings. As the project is at the juncture of four nations and very close to two more, skilled tradesmen and labourers can be hired from Palestine, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Development funding, technological expertise and institution and infrastructure-building assistance will be provided to all treaty signatories, with special emphasis on Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.
The goal of this agreement is to bring peace and prosperity to the entire region, but considering where Palestine is starting from, she will likely have to be among the leaders in regional economic growth for twelve to fifteen years for this to fully succeed. If Palestine is eventually granted one-half to two-thirds of the Golan (primarily the eastern and southern sections) in addition to the Shaba Farms region, and these lands are first linked by rail and later by highway to the West Bank and Gaza, it is conceivable that she could become the second (after Israel) most powerful economy in the region within fifteen to twenty years. This is not utopian or even viewing with rose-colored glasses; Palestine has the double benefit of being Israel’s closest neighbor and also being a natural conduit for Arab businesspeople in or near to the region. Palestine may well become not just the Arab gateway to Israel, but also the Western gateway to Arab nations such as Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
A high-speed Palestine National Railway can be constructed joining Damascus to Cairo via Nablus, Jericho and Rafah, with offshoots hooking up Amman and Gaza City. The tracks would run south from Damascus into Palestine along the edge of Shaba Farms, roll along roughly parallel to the Jordan River, jutting southeast to cross a small portion of Israel and entering the West Bank at it’s most northern central point. From there the PNR will travel south via Nablus and Jericho and hook up with the Amman line, then exit the west bank south of Hebron, crossing over to Gaza just north of Rafah, junctioning with the Gaza City line near the airport and continuing on from there to Cairo.
If a five-nation (Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria) peace, security and trade deal can be enacted, the initial Nation of Palestine is proposed to include Gaza and the West Bank, plus the Shaba Farms region and the northeastern section of the Golan. The negotiations over final border status will include a second phase, where Palestine is awarded additional lands for having achieved peace and development goals and a railway (Palestine National Railway, or PNR) will first connect the three land groupings of Golan, West Bank and Gaza. In Phase Three a four to six-lane Trans-Palestine Highway can be built, almost entirely within Palestine and roughly along the route of the PNR. This would provide seamless travel and commerce from the Shaba Farms region all the way to Rafah.
Redevelopment of Gaza City and its environs is crucial to the emotional and economic health of both Israel and Palestine. A series of waterfront and inland projects can be connected by modernized public transit, with community services such as schools and hospitals being the necessary foundation to restore the area to attract the business and tourism investments it requires to regain robust growth. Community-based redevelopment initiatives are likely the smoothest way forward for northern Gaza, with inner-city rebuilding providing a healthy complement to newer developments in the suburbs and in the south.
Ramallah, Nablus and Jericho all require attention, as does the delicate issue of Jerusalem. If God were here to comment, it is likely that no politicians would be overly welcome in the holiest of cities. A divided city may provide some temporary resolution but in the longer term it would be better for Jeru to be unified, even if that meant that the municipality was internationalized, and the capitals of Israel and Palestine had been transferred to Tel Aviv and Ramallah.
The building of a new city in southern Gaza, between Khan Younis and Rafah, will help restore health and vitality to all Palestinians, and even inject some life into nearby Egypt. Proposed to be constructed from northwest of the airport to southwest of Khan Younis, the project is for now named Khanara (or longer form, Khan Arafat). This city will have a university, a hospital and a beachfront area, with all of these amenities radiating out from two central pyramids, one slightly taller than the other, at the center of the commercial district. Educational, entertainment and tourist facilities reach toward the water, while mid rise office buildings and apartment and condo towers can be constructed inland from the two showpiece buildings, which should be mostly unobscured from the shoreline. It is estimated that 85,000 homes to house an estimated 320,000 to 425,000 people can be built within eight to ten years, with the highest densities close to downtown, and lower rise neighborhoods stretching out towards Rafah, the airport and Khan Younis. In addition, the downtown areas of both ancient Rafah, and the more recently inhabited refugee city, Khan Younis, will each need to be redeveloped and connected by public and private transit to Khanara and each other.
To the north of the new city, along some of the beaches west and northwest of Younis, will be built the community of Isa Beach, with modern tourist facilities for travelers from all over the world who are coming to see the Holy lands. The seaside amenities of Khanara and Isa Beach will become new ports of call for global pilgrims.
In Lebanon, the international community must undertake massive infrastructure rebuilding and the redevelopment of housing, and this must be performed as part of wider-ranging cooperation. One-off deals don’t bridge the gap; peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan were crucial watersheds, but without a Palestinian state, in each case it was clear that war would go on, in some form or other. The Cedar Revolution embraces non-violence and a civil society, and the world must support these positive movements. Chibli Mallat, Mahmoud Abbas and other powerful leaders are now willing to sit at the negotiating table, so let’s get cooking!
In Syria, significant improvements must be funded for the promotion of democratic institutions via educational and technological assistance. Modernization of Damascus’ transportation and communications facilities plus development of the area west of the city are priorities that the international community can assist with. Even the terrorist organizations not directly affiliated with Hamas or Hezbollah, but who call Damascus their headquarters, will have to either join in the peace initiative, desist from agitation, or leave. If the Syrian PM can become a broker in peace as he has been in war, then he will have helped his nation regain status that had been lost, in the eyes of Arab countries and in the international community.
How will Iran react if Israel and Palestine form a longer-term peace, security and trade deal with their neighbors, including Syria? Iran can spin Hezbollah’s truce and the establishment of a Palestinian state into a victory parade in Tehran. This will give them time to analyze the shifting sands and their loss of control over Syria, much like Syria has had to digest the fact that Lebanon has gone and will never return to the fold. In any case Iran will not overtly oppose a peace deal that establishes a Palestinian state and an essentially twenty-year truce. Regarding the latter, many mullahs will be secretly happy knowing they will have Israel to blame their problems on for at least another twenty years, and probably a lot, lot longer.
Stage Three: Asia West Parliament to be established in region, for promotion of democracy and dialogue
The western portion of Asia (an area commonly referred to as the Middle East) is perhaps the last remaining region on earth where large numbers of people still believe that violence is an effective means of solving political problems. While it is true that hatred and bitterness are not likely to disappear overnight, healthier conditions can be created that allow these corroding symptoms to dissipate over years and decades, and for genuine cooperation to return. There was a time when Muslims and Jews ruled the world together for almost four hundred years, during the seventh to eleventh centuries. Northern Ireland is a more recent example of a nation overcoming deep-rooted violence, and other countries and regions that have recovered from wars should also be studied.
Any efforts that regional and international partners can put forth that promote dialogue rather than push war, are dearly desired at this time. Ideally every nation would have some form of direct democratic representation on as many as five levels: local/municipal, regional, provincial / state, national, continental /multinational. Allowing West Asian citizens to vote on their representatives to a new regional parliament would instill both cooperation and participation in decision making, where they are clearly needed most. This is not a magic pill and will not transform societies overnight, but having a say in how their region is represented could lead to people experiencing the value of this form of communication, and many would likely want to experience more elections. The Palestinians learned a hard lesson when they voted for Hamas and war, because they got what they voted for. If Abbas can put together a Unity Government with Fatah sharing power with moderate and reformed Hamas parliamentarians, then Abbas will have the authority and respect required to launch the new nation of Palestine into full statehood.
A four-nation agreement between Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan is not difficult to imagine, but many readers are likely to have problems envisioning the currently pro-terrorist Baath regime in Syria ever agreeing to a meaningful peace deal. OK, first picture a scenario where both Hamas and Hezbollah leaders are about to sign peace treaties with Israel and Lebanon, and word hits Damascus that Amman is getting in on a four-nation trade bloc. If instead of being left on the sidelines, Syria were to agree to implement democratic initiatives at the regional and national levels, and to grant the Palestinians some or all of the Golan lands, then Syria would receive massive development funding and a full endorsement as host of the proposed Asia West Parliament. This new regional facility would be constructed along the Damascus – Beirut highway, west of Damascus near the Lebanese border. If the five nations in the agreement and the international community all support Syria as host of the new house of representatives, then the West Asian powerhouses such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iraq are unlikely to dissent.
The establishment of an Asia West Parliament in southwestern Syria, on this road between Beirut and Damascus, is therefore advised for the security and prosperity of the region. It is suggested that this home of governance be built about 10 to 30 kilometers from the Lebanon border, possibly near al-Is, said to be the ancient village of Aristobulus, a Herodian king known for his wise, peaceful ways. If Syria is not amenable to the democratic and peace developments, alternative locations would be on the same road, but another twenty to thirty kilometers to the west, on the Lebanese side of the border, or in Jordan near Amman.
Though Lebanon and Jordan would each make exemplary hosts for the Asia West Parliament, selecting Syria as host nation has distinct advantages. With Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon already forming an oasis of tolerance, adding Syria to the progressive zone widens peace efforts and helps bring Sunni-Shia concerns to the negotiating table, and off the battlefield. The alternative, of ostracizing and alienating Syria, could help turn that great nation into a battleground for sectarian and ideological concerns. By including Syria in both of the security and the economic blocks, and by locating the regional parliament here, stability in the entire area is improved.
If regional stability is not restored, then Palestinian nationhood could be delayed further, and nobody wants another Baghdad or Gaza where secure Damascus now sits. Why should the hopes and dreams of Palestinian and Lebanese citizenry be held hostage to Sunni-Shia conflicts, or worse, to abstract ideas of potential administration turnover?
Under this proposed comprehensive regional peace, security and democracy plan, each West Asian nation will receive between 3 and 15 parliamentary seats in the Asia West Parliament / Parliament Asia Ouest, to be elected by popular ballot.
Total estimated representation would initially be estimated at 155 to 170 members, to be elected by direct national voting. Construction on the parliament buildings is proposed to begin in 2007, with the first election to be held in autumn of 2009, for sitting beginning winter 2010.
To be continued and expanded upon …
NOTE: This is the first draft, written during the last week of July and the first week of August 2006. Feel free to post commentary, suggestions, corrections, additions, and omissions; all constructive feedback will be greatly appreciated. I would especially seeking to hear from those who love both Israel and Palestine, and from any who know of similar proposals. Peace to all, Shalom, Namaste, Tenaystilin, Inshallah.
2006-2007
an offering of Yuya, Canadian singer-writer
Shalom, Namaste, Tenaystilin, Inshallah
august 3rd, 2006
(Proposal from MySpace.com/Yuya blog: Yuya blog Mideast Peace Plan post )
Stage One: Truce Among Combatants, and Nationhood for Palestine
As a prelude to the establishment of the Nation of Palestine, and of Israel signing a peace, security and trade agreement with Palestine and other nations, it is proposed that Israel enter into a ten-year renewable truce with each of Hamas and Hezbollah. Recognized as organizations that were leaders in the battle for the establishment of a Palestinian state, they would agree to retire from military activity upon its achievement. These organizations would be given asylum status but would have to abandon military pursuits and all violence, and become political, social and spiritual bodies; essentially agreeing to represent community concerns in a civil manner.
Israel isn’t just another nation state, it is the homeland of a people and a religion, so she shouldn’t shy away from signing a truce agreement with Sunni and Shia groups. Religious leaders may now speak up about their desire for peace with neighbors; study Ashoka if precedents are required for guidance. The reason for the ten-year term is that in Islamic tradition, it is the maximum period of time allowed for a truce with a non-Muslim nation, though renewals are clearly allowed and have been successful in the past. When a nation wants to be respected for its deep faith, it must also honour the religions of its neighbors, which in this case is overwhelmingly Islamic, though Christians have been brutalized by the crossfire.
It is a fact that there are deep scars in Palestine and Lebanon, and Israel and the world at large need to help with the healing. Seven decades ago Hitler and Mussolini began a wave of terror like the world had never seen, and one decade later we all began to slowly heal the damage inflicted by that madness. If nations such as Germany, Italy and Japan have been able to recover so well from shameful prejudice and violent anti-Semitism, it is likely that Israel’s neighbors can also be expected to prosper in a more tolerant, peaceful environment.
All parties to the agreement must be viewing the effectively twenty-year truce as a minimum duration of the desired peace, a way to generate even longer-term discussions and agreements while cooler heads are prevailing. It will be seen yet again that economic and social development can only become truly sustainable in an environment of glasnost and perestroika; the world spins every day and hard lessons are learned and relearned. This sometimes seemingly insurmountable task is in realty just a progression that every civilized planet must go through. Before global democracy and rule of the people can fully take root, there must be some sort of agreement on how to care for the Holy Lands. Jerusalem is the holiest city for Christians and Jews, and the third-holiest for Muslims. Both Christians and Muslims owe their some of their love of Jerusalem to that most famous Jew ever, Isa Jeshua of Nazareth, and in any case, it is really only the Jews that find all of Israel and Judea to be sacred, ancestral lands. By providing for a nation state in Gaza and the West Bank, Israelis are acknowledging that even though their people once thrived in Shechem (now Nablus) and Jericho, these towns are now home to Palestinians, and will stay that way.
The example of Northern Ireland, after the IRA became a political rather than a military force can provide lessons of transition. Jordan’s peace and trade deals with Israel boosted economic activity and security; these and other precedents are to be studied for elements advantageous to resolution of our conflict. India and South Africa are democratic nations won by the majority through civil participation, and the humanity that Gandhi and Mandela brought to the body politic are not to be ignored here.
A contiguous Palestinian state may be created via a land bridge at the southeast end of Gaza and southwest edge of the West Bank. The shape of this land will be wider where it joins Palestine, narrowest where it intersects Israel, via vehicle underpass (Stage Two) and rail overpass (Stage One). Palestine needs contiguity, but it also means that Israel loses a very small portion of her own contiguity; a viable Palestinian state requires this, and without healthy neighbors, anarchy will reign. The junction will be constructed so that neither Palestine nor Israel feels they have surrendered contiguity, with an internationalized area of highly secure bridges and underpasses allowing for uninterrupted travel within each nation. This junction can be looked at as a tremendous security risk, but also as a phenomenal social, cultural and commercial opportunity.
After Israeli political and religious leaders sign the ten-year renewable truce with Hamas and Hezbollah, the United Nations will declare Palestine a full nation state with regular membership privileges.
Stage Two: Regional Peace, Security and Trade Agreement
Subsequent to the achievement of nationhood for Palestine, concurrent with border talks and to be coordinated all within weeks rather than months, a five-year, renewable peace, security and trade pact will be entered into among Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and if conditions can be met and an understanding achieved, Syria. This four or five-nation landmark agreement will ensure non-aggression, opening up of markets, and the building of new roads, railways, seaports and airports. A host will be required for these talks, and it may be best for the negotiations to progress through several phases, perhaps beginning in Beirut, moving on to Damascus, then being nearly finalized in Paris and fine-tuned in Montreal before the signing ceremony in Toronto the Good.
Now, going forward, the key to maintaining regional peace, security and economic development will be long-term investment initiatives. It is imperative that Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Bahia, Sikh and other faiths and secular folk all invest together in the future of Palestine. This will include investments of goods and services by individuals, corporations, nation states, foundations and other NGOs.
The initial lands of Palestine will include the West Bank and Gaza, and if Syria agrees, the Shaba Farms and the northeast section of the Golan. Even though this is a highly contentious and some would say presumptuous aspect of this proposal, be aware that there are elements who would prefer to turn this region into yet another front in the perpetual “war on terror.” From a warrior point of view, it is likely that the USA would expect Israel to be able to defend itself from Syria, while the US could conceivably offer military aid if Iran became involved in the hostilities. Those scenarios involve a lot of death, so I am proposing this one: Israel finds a way to strike a peace deal with Syria, and asks the USA to help find peace with Iran.
The Shaba farms / NE Golan region may be earmarked for construction and development before new settlers move in, with 35,000 homes being built in three new connected towns, one with 15,000 new homes and two each with 10,000. These could be 3 and 4 bedroom primarily townhomes but some will be two and three bedroom apartments, and a smaller number will be 4 and 5 bedroom detached houses. The architecture should represent regional excellence and the main streets should allow for shops with apartments above. The commercial activity could consist of agricultural farms, plus light industrial such as manufacturing and assembling, plus retail, professional, community and tourism services.
It is suggested that an international coalition (eg. G8, EU, UN, IFC etc.) be put together to raise the estimated $3.5 to $4 billion these homes will cost (plus infrastructure development expenses of a similar amount), with Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese contractors bidding together with companies from Canada, France and other nations to ensure the highest quality buildings. As the project is at the juncture of four nations and very close to two more, skilled tradesmen and labourers can be hired from Palestine, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Development funding, technological expertise and institution and infrastructure-building assistance will be provided to all treaty signatories, with special emphasis on Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.
The goal of this agreement is to bring peace and prosperity to the entire region, but considering where Palestine is starting from, she will likely have to be among the leaders in regional economic growth for twelve to fifteen years for this to fully succeed. If Palestine is eventually granted one-half to two-thirds of the Golan (primarily the eastern and southern sections) in addition to the Shaba Farms region, and these lands are first linked by rail and later by highway to the West Bank and Gaza, it is conceivable that she could become the second (after Israel) most powerful economy in the region within fifteen to twenty years. This is not utopian or even viewing with rose-colored glasses; Palestine has the double benefit of being Israel’s closest neighbor and also being a natural conduit for Arab businesspeople in or near to the region. Palestine may well become not just the Arab gateway to Israel, but also the Western gateway to Arab nations such as Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
A high-speed Palestine National Railway can be constructed joining Damascus to Cairo via Nablus, Jericho and Rafah, with offshoots hooking up Amman and Gaza City. The tracks would run south from Damascus into Palestine along the edge of Shaba Farms, roll along roughly parallel to the Jordan River, jutting southeast to cross a small portion of Israel and entering the West Bank at it’s most northern central point. From there the PNR will travel south via Nablus and Jericho and hook up with the Amman line, then exit the west bank south of Hebron, crossing over to Gaza just north of Rafah, junctioning with the Gaza City line near the airport and continuing on from there to Cairo.
If a five-nation (Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria) peace, security and trade deal can be enacted, the initial Nation of Palestine is proposed to include Gaza and the West Bank, plus the Shaba Farms region and the northeastern section of the Golan. The negotiations over final border status will include a second phase, where Palestine is awarded additional lands for having achieved peace and development goals and a railway (Palestine National Railway, or PNR) will first connect the three land groupings of Golan, West Bank and Gaza. In Phase Three a four to six-lane Trans-Palestine Highway can be built, almost entirely within Palestine and roughly along the route of the PNR. This would provide seamless travel and commerce from the Shaba Farms region all the way to Rafah.
Redevelopment of Gaza City and its environs is crucial to the emotional and economic health of both Israel and Palestine. A series of waterfront and inland projects can be connected by modernized public transit, with community services such as schools and hospitals being the necessary foundation to restore the area to attract the business and tourism investments it requires to regain robust growth. Community-based redevelopment initiatives are likely the smoothest way forward for northern Gaza, with inner-city rebuilding providing a healthy complement to newer developments in the suburbs and in the south.
Ramallah, Nablus and Jericho all require attention, as does the delicate issue of Jerusalem. If God were here to comment, it is likely that no politicians would be overly welcome in the holiest of cities. A divided city may provide some temporary resolution but in the longer term it would be better for Jeru to be unified, even if that meant that the municipality was internationalized, and the capitals of Israel and Palestine had been transferred to Tel Aviv and Ramallah.
The building of a new city in southern Gaza, between Khan Younis and Rafah, will help restore health and vitality to all Palestinians, and even inject some life into nearby Egypt. Proposed to be constructed from northwest of the airport to southwest of Khan Younis, the project is for now named Khanara (or longer form, Khan Arafat). This city will have a university, a hospital and a beachfront area, with all of these amenities radiating out from two central pyramids, one slightly taller than the other, at the center of the commercial district. Educational, entertainment and tourist facilities reach toward the water, while mid rise office buildings and apartment and condo towers can be constructed inland from the two showpiece buildings, which should be mostly unobscured from the shoreline. It is estimated that 85,000 homes to house an estimated 320,000 to 425,000 people can be built within eight to ten years, with the highest densities close to downtown, and lower rise neighborhoods stretching out towards Rafah, the airport and Khan Younis. In addition, the downtown areas of both ancient Rafah, and the more recently inhabited refugee city, Khan Younis, will each need to be redeveloped and connected by public and private transit to Khanara and each other.
To the north of the new city, along some of the beaches west and northwest of Younis, will be built the community of Isa Beach, with modern tourist facilities for travelers from all over the world who are coming to see the Holy lands. The seaside amenities of Khanara and Isa Beach will become new ports of call for global pilgrims.
In Lebanon, the international community must undertake massive infrastructure rebuilding and the redevelopment of housing, and this must be performed as part of wider-ranging cooperation. One-off deals don’t bridge the gap; peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan were crucial watersheds, but without a Palestinian state, in each case it was clear that war would go on, in some form or other. The Cedar Revolution embraces non-violence and a civil society, and the world must support these positive movements. Chibli Mallat, Mahmoud Abbas and other powerful leaders are now willing to sit at the negotiating table, so let’s get cooking!
In Syria, significant improvements must be funded for the promotion of democratic institutions via educational and technological assistance. Modernization of Damascus’ transportation and communications facilities plus development of the area west of the city are priorities that the international community can assist with. Even the terrorist organizations not directly affiliated with Hamas or Hezbollah, but who call Damascus their headquarters, will have to either join in the peace initiative, desist from agitation, or leave. If the Syrian PM can become a broker in peace as he has been in war, then he will have helped his nation regain status that had been lost, in the eyes of Arab countries and in the international community.
How will Iran react if Israel and Palestine form a longer-term peace, security and trade deal with their neighbors, including Syria? Iran can spin Hezbollah’s truce and the establishment of a Palestinian state into a victory parade in Tehran. This will give them time to analyze the shifting sands and their loss of control over Syria, much like Syria has had to digest the fact that Lebanon has gone and will never return to the fold. In any case Iran will not overtly oppose a peace deal that establishes a Palestinian state and an essentially twenty-year truce. Regarding the latter, many mullahs will be secretly happy knowing they will have Israel to blame their problems on for at least another twenty years, and probably a lot, lot longer.
Stage Three: Asia West Parliament to be established in region, for promotion of democracy and dialogue
The western portion of Asia (an area commonly referred to as the Middle East) is perhaps the last remaining region on earth where large numbers of people still believe that violence is an effective means of solving political problems. While it is true that hatred and bitterness are not likely to disappear overnight, healthier conditions can be created that allow these corroding symptoms to dissipate over years and decades, and for genuine cooperation to return. There was a time when Muslims and Jews ruled the world together for almost four hundred years, during the seventh to eleventh centuries. Northern Ireland is a more recent example of a nation overcoming deep-rooted violence, and other countries and regions that have recovered from wars should also be studied.
Any efforts that regional and international partners can put forth that promote dialogue rather than push war, are dearly desired at this time. Ideally every nation would have some form of direct democratic representation on as many as five levels: local/municipal, regional, provincial / state, national, continental /multinational. Allowing West Asian citizens to vote on their representatives to a new regional parliament would instill both cooperation and participation in decision making, where they are clearly needed most. This is not a magic pill and will not transform societies overnight, but having a say in how their region is represented could lead to people experiencing the value of this form of communication, and many would likely want to experience more elections. The Palestinians learned a hard lesson when they voted for Hamas and war, because they got what they voted for. If Abbas can put together a Unity Government with Fatah sharing power with moderate and reformed Hamas parliamentarians, then Abbas will have the authority and respect required to launch the new nation of Palestine into full statehood.
A four-nation agreement between Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan is not difficult to imagine, but many readers are likely to have problems envisioning the currently pro-terrorist Baath regime in Syria ever agreeing to a meaningful peace deal. OK, first picture a scenario where both Hamas and Hezbollah leaders are about to sign peace treaties with Israel and Lebanon, and word hits Damascus that Amman is getting in on a four-nation trade bloc. If instead of being left on the sidelines, Syria were to agree to implement democratic initiatives at the regional and national levels, and to grant the Palestinians some or all of the Golan lands, then Syria would receive massive development funding and a full endorsement as host of the proposed Asia West Parliament. This new regional facility would be constructed along the Damascus – Beirut highway, west of Damascus near the Lebanese border. If the five nations in the agreement and the international community all support Syria as host of the new house of representatives, then the West Asian powerhouses such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iraq are unlikely to dissent.
The establishment of an Asia West Parliament in southwestern Syria, on this road between Beirut and Damascus, is therefore advised for the security and prosperity of the region. It is suggested that this home of governance be built about 10 to 30 kilometers from the Lebanon border, possibly near al-Is, said to be the ancient village of Aristobulus, a Herodian king known for his wise, peaceful ways. If Syria is not amenable to the democratic and peace developments, alternative locations would be on the same road, but another twenty to thirty kilometers to the west, on the Lebanese side of the border, or in Jordan near Amman.
Though Lebanon and Jordan would each make exemplary hosts for the Asia West Parliament, selecting Syria as host nation has distinct advantages. With Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon already forming an oasis of tolerance, adding Syria to the progressive zone widens peace efforts and helps bring Sunni-Shia concerns to the negotiating table, and off the battlefield. The alternative, of ostracizing and alienating Syria, could help turn that great nation into a battleground for sectarian and ideological concerns. By including Syria in both of the security and the economic blocks, and by locating the regional parliament here, stability in the entire area is improved.
If regional stability is not restored, then Palestinian nationhood could be delayed further, and nobody wants another Baghdad or Gaza where secure Damascus now sits. Why should the hopes and dreams of Palestinian and Lebanese citizenry be held hostage to Sunni-Shia conflicts, or worse, to abstract ideas of potential administration turnover?
Under this proposed comprehensive regional peace, security and democracy plan, each West Asian nation will receive between 3 and 15 parliamentary seats in the Asia West Parliament / Parliament Asia Ouest, to be elected by popular ballot.
Total estimated representation would initially be estimated at 155 to 170 members, to be elected by direct national voting. Construction on the parliament buildings is proposed to begin in 2007, with the first election to be held in autumn of 2009, for sitting beginning winter 2010.
To be continued and expanded upon …
NOTE: This is the first draft, written during the last week of July and the first week of August 2006. Feel free to post commentary, suggestions, corrections, additions, and omissions; all constructive feedback will be greatly appreciated. I would especially seeking to hear from those who love both Israel and Palestine, and from any who know of similar proposals. Peace to all, Shalom, Namaste, Tenaystilin, Inshallah.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Alternative Energy Technology boosts Zantrex sales and stock price
by TYLER HAMILTON, ENERGY REPORTER for TheStar.com
Xantrex shares rise on clean power revenue growth
Shares in Xantrex Technology Inc. jumped 3 per cent yesterday after the company said "excellent" growth in the sale of wind and solar power products boosted revenues and profits in its second quarter.
Revenue for the period rose 18 per cent to $40.5 million compared to a year ago, based largely on 72-per-cent growth in the sale of inverters and other products for renewable power markets in North America, Europe and parts of Asia.
Profit soared to $2.3 million, up from a loss of $515,000 a year ago and more than quadrupling net income over its first quarter. Cash flow from operations grew to $3.5 million compared to $558,000 a year earlier.
The company said efforts at improving operational efficiency over the past year helped contribute to the higher profits and gross margins.
"These are solid results," said MacMurray Whale, an energy analyst with Sprott Securities, which upgraded Xantrex after its first quarter on signs the Burnaby, B.C.-based company was on the path to recovery after struggling in 2005. "These results support that."
The company's stock closed the day up 22 cents at $8.52 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Xantrex's inverters are the brains of renewable energy systems, managing the conversion and flow of electrical power generated by solar and wind systems.
Xantrex chairman Mossadiq Umedaly said rising energy prices, energy security concerns, and environmental issues continue to drive high interest in renewable energy.
This, he said, is leading to increased government support through subsidies.
Ontario is among a growing list of jurisdictions now offering incentives for wind development and increasingly solar.
"France and Greece recently announced incentives to encourage the use of solar energy, further increasing potential demand for our products," Umedaly said in a statement.
"During the second quarter, Xantrex began shipping solar products to Korea, which last year enacted renewable energy incentives."
In conclusion, Umedaly added, "we believe we're on track to realize our outlook of improved growth and profitability for 2006."
Also yesterday San Jose, Calif.-based SunPower Corp., a major player in the solar panel market, announced that it had selected Xantrex's inverters as part of its offering of complete solar system packages for its North American customers.
In the wind segment, which suffered from a major slowdown in 2005, Umedaly said the company could also benefit significantly over the long term from an announcement that BP Plc and Clipper Windpower PLC plan to co-develop five wind farms in the United States totalling more than 2,000 megawatts. Clipper is one of Xantrex's largest customers.
"These guys are really growing, and these deals are solid," said Whale.
Tom Astle, energy analyst with National Bank Financial, called growth in Xantrex's renewable business "impressive." But he warned that other areas need improvement.
This would include the mobile power business for commercial and recreational vehicles and marine craft, which saw revenues fall 12 per cent compared to a year ago.
"Unfortunately, the other businesses aren't performing quite as well," Astle said.
Xantrex shares rise on clean power revenue growth
Shares in Xantrex Technology Inc. jumped 3 per cent yesterday after the company said "excellent" growth in the sale of wind and solar power products boosted revenues and profits in its second quarter.
Revenue for the period rose 18 per cent to $40.5 million compared to a year ago, based largely on 72-per-cent growth in the sale of inverters and other products for renewable power markets in North America, Europe and parts of Asia.
Profit soared to $2.3 million, up from a loss of $515,000 a year ago and more than quadrupling net income over its first quarter. Cash flow from operations grew to $3.5 million compared to $558,000 a year earlier.
The company said efforts at improving operational efficiency over the past year helped contribute to the higher profits and gross margins.
"These are solid results," said MacMurray Whale, an energy analyst with Sprott Securities, which upgraded Xantrex after its first quarter on signs the Burnaby, B.C.-based company was on the path to recovery after struggling in 2005. "These results support that."
The company's stock closed the day up 22 cents at $8.52 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Xantrex's inverters are the brains of renewable energy systems, managing the conversion and flow of electrical power generated by solar and wind systems.
Xantrex chairman Mossadiq Umedaly said rising energy prices, energy security concerns, and environmental issues continue to drive high interest in renewable energy.
This, he said, is leading to increased government support through subsidies.
Ontario is among a growing list of jurisdictions now offering incentives for wind development and increasingly solar.
"France and Greece recently announced incentives to encourage the use of solar energy, further increasing potential demand for our products," Umedaly said in a statement.
"During the second quarter, Xantrex began shipping solar products to Korea, which last year enacted renewable energy incentives."
In conclusion, Umedaly added, "we believe we're on track to realize our outlook of improved growth and profitability for 2006."
Also yesterday San Jose, Calif.-based SunPower Corp., a major player in the solar panel market, announced that it had selected Xantrex's inverters as part of its offering of complete solar system packages for its North American customers.
In the wind segment, which suffered from a major slowdown in 2005, Umedaly said the company could also benefit significantly over the long term from an announcement that BP Plc and Clipper Windpower PLC plan to co-develop five wind farms in the United States totalling more than 2,000 megawatts. Clipper is one of Xantrex's largest customers.
"These guys are really growing, and these deals are solid," said Whale.
Tom Astle, energy analyst with National Bank Financial, called growth in Xantrex's renewable business "impressive." But he warned that other areas need improvement.
This would include the mobile power business for commercial and recreational vehicles and marine craft, which saw revenues fall 12 per cent compared to a year ago.
"Unfortunately, the other businesses aren't performing quite as well," Astle said.
John Hopkins study finds spiritual value in psilocybin mushrooms
Mystical magic mushroom experience a way to find Jah in nature?
Story from AP / CNN.com
Mystic mushrooms spawn magic event; Findings could lead to treatments for mental health problems such as addiction, depression
NEW YORK CITY -- People who took an illegal drug made from mushrooms reported profound mystical experiences that led to behavior changes lasting for weeks -- all part of an experiment that recalls the psychedelic '60s.
Many of the 36 volunteers rated their reaction to a single dose of the drug, called psilocybin, as one of the most meaningful or spiritually significant experiences of their lives. Some compared it to the birth of a child or the death of a parent.
Such comments "just seemed unbelievable," said Roland Griffiths of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, the study's lead author.
But don't try this at home, he warned. "Absolutely don't."
Almost a third of the research participants found the drug experience frightening even in the very controlled setting. That suggests people experimenting with the illicit drug on their own could be harmed, Griffiths said.
Viewed by some as a landmark, the study is one of the few rigorous looks in the past 40 years at a hallucinogen's effects. The researchers suggest the drug someday may help drug addicts kick their habit or aid terminally ill patients struggling with anxiety and depression.
It may also provide a way to study what happens in the brain during intense spiritual experiences, the scientists said.
Funded in part by the federal government, the research was published online Tuesday by the journal Psychopharmacology.
Psilocybin has been used for centuries in religious practices, and its ability to produce a mystical experience is no surprise. But the new work demonstrates it more clearly than before, Griffiths said.
Even two months after taking the drug, pronounced SILL-oh-SY-bin, most of the volunteers said the experience had changed them in beneficial ways, such as making them more compassionate, loving, optimistic and patient. Family members and friends said they noticed a difference, too.
Charles Schuster, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and a former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, called the work a landmark.
"I believe this is one of the most rigorously well-controlled studies ever done" to evaluate psilocybin or similar substances for their potential to increase self-awareness and a sense of spirituality, he said. He did not participate in the research.
Psilocybin, like LSD or mescaline, is one of a class of drugs called hallucinogens or psychedelics. While they have been studied by scientists in the past, research was largely shut down after widespread recreational abuse of the drugs during the 1960s, Griffiths said. Some work resumed in the 1990s.
"We've lost 40 years of (potential) research experience with this whole class of compounds," he said. Now, with modern-day scientific methods, "I think it's time to pick up this research field."
The study volunteers had an average age of 46, had never used hallucinogens, and participated to some degree in religious or spiritual activities such as prayer, meditation, discussion groups or religious services. Each tried psilocybin during one visit to the lab and the stimulant methylphenidate (better known as Ritalin) on one or two other visits. Only six of the volunteers knew when they were getting psilocybin.
Each visit lasted eight hours. The volunteers lay on a couch in a living-room-like setting, wearing an eye mask and listening to classical music. They were encouraged to focus their attention inward.
Psilocybin's effects lasted for up to six hours, Griffiths said. Twenty-two of the 36 volunteers reported having a "complete" mystical experience, compared with four of those getting methylphenidate.
That experience included such things as a sense of pure awareness and a merging with ultimate reality, a transcendence of time and space, a feeling of sacredness or awe, and deeply felt positive mood like joy, peace and love. People say "they can't possibly put it into words," Griffiths said.
Two months later, 24 of the participants filled out a questionnaire. Two-thirds called their reaction to psilocybin one of the five top most meaningful experiences of their lives. On another measure, one-third called it the most spiritually significant experience of their lives, with another 40 percent ranking it in the top five.
About 80 percent said that because of the psilocybin experience, they still had a sense of well-being or life satisfaction that was raised either "moderately" or "very much."
Story from AP / CNN.com
Mystic mushrooms spawn magic event; Findings could lead to treatments for mental health problems such as addiction, depression
NEW YORK CITY -- People who took an illegal drug made from mushrooms reported profound mystical experiences that led to behavior changes lasting for weeks -- all part of an experiment that recalls the psychedelic '60s.
Many of the 36 volunteers rated their reaction to a single dose of the drug, called psilocybin, as one of the most meaningful or spiritually significant experiences of their lives. Some compared it to the birth of a child or the death of a parent.
Such comments "just seemed unbelievable," said Roland Griffiths of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, the study's lead author.
But don't try this at home, he warned. "Absolutely don't."
Almost a third of the research participants found the drug experience frightening even in the very controlled setting. That suggests people experimenting with the illicit drug on their own could be harmed, Griffiths said.
Viewed by some as a landmark, the study is one of the few rigorous looks in the past 40 years at a hallucinogen's effects. The researchers suggest the drug someday may help drug addicts kick their habit or aid terminally ill patients struggling with anxiety and depression.
It may also provide a way to study what happens in the brain during intense spiritual experiences, the scientists said.
Funded in part by the federal government, the research was published online Tuesday by the journal Psychopharmacology.
Psilocybin has been used for centuries in religious practices, and its ability to produce a mystical experience is no surprise. But the new work demonstrates it more clearly than before, Griffiths said.
Even two months after taking the drug, pronounced SILL-oh-SY-bin, most of the volunteers said the experience had changed them in beneficial ways, such as making them more compassionate, loving, optimistic and patient. Family members and friends said they noticed a difference, too.
Charles Schuster, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and a former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, called the work a landmark.
"I believe this is one of the most rigorously well-controlled studies ever done" to evaluate psilocybin or similar substances for their potential to increase self-awareness and a sense of spirituality, he said. He did not participate in the research.
Psilocybin, like LSD or mescaline, is one of a class of drugs called hallucinogens or psychedelics. While they have been studied by scientists in the past, research was largely shut down after widespread recreational abuse of the drugs during the 1960s, Griffiths said. Some work resumed in the 1990s.
"We've lost 40 years of (potential) research experience with this whole class of compounds," he said. Now, with modern-day scientific methods, "I think it's time to pick up this research field."
The study volunteers had an average age of 46, had never used hallucinogens, and participated to some degree in religious or spiritual activities such as prayer, meditation, discussion groups or religious services. Each tried psilocybin during one visit to the lab and the stimulant methylphenidate (better known as Ritalin) on one or two other visits. Only six of the volunteers knew when they were getting psilocybin.
Each visit lasted eight hours. The volunteers lay on a couch in a living-room-like setting, wearing an eye mask and listening to classical music. They were encouraged to focus their attention inward.
Psilocybin's effects lasted for up to six hours, Griffiths said. Twenty-two of the 36 volunteers reported having a "complete" mystical experience, compared with four of those getting methylphenidate.
That experience included such things as a sense of pure awareness and a merging with ultimate reality, a transcendence of time and space, a feeling of sacredness or awe, and deeply felt positive mood like joy, peace and love. People say "they can't possibly put it into words," Griffiths said.
Two months later, 24 of the participants filled out a questionnaire. Two-thirds called their reaction to psilocybin one of the five top most meaningful experiences of their lives. On another measure, one-third called it the most spiritually significant experience of their lives, with another 40 percent ranking it in the top five.
About 80 percent said that because of the psilocybin experience, they still had a sense of well-being or life satisfaction that was raised either "moderately" or "very much."
UK's Gordon Brown has mistress named Gaia
from website of Friends of the Earth, FOE.co.uk
Gordon Brown's climate opportunity - World Bank Spring Meetings
April 2006
UK Chancellor Gordon Brown will be in Washington this week to call on the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to introduce a new US$20 billion World Bank fund to help developing countries invest in alternative energy sources in order to combat climate change. But Friends of the Earth has warned that the World Bank's Spring Meeting still looks set to steer energy policy in the wrong direction.
A new report, presented by the World Bank and IMF last week, to be adopted at the Spring Meetings on April 22 and 23, acknowledges the severe impacts of climate change on developing countries but still puts forward plans to invest in fossil fuel projects.
The Group of Eight (G8) richest nations at their Gleneagles Summit last July invited the World Bank to propose a plan for a sustainable energy future and to accelerate investment in these technologies. Gordon Brown proposed the US$20 billion fund for clean energy in his Budget speech to the Commons on 22 March.
The World Bank's `Clean Energy and Development: Towards An Investment Framework,' report acknowledges that just the cost of adapting to climate change is likely to be between 10 and 40 billion dollars per year. But instead of responding to those needs, the World Bank plans to continue funding substantial amounts of dirty fossil fuel projects. In 2005, only 10 per cent of the Bank's energy financing went to renewable energy or energy efficiency.
Friends of the Earth International's Climate Campaigner Catherine Pearce said:
"The proposals being put forward by the World Bank show a lack of ambition in developing clean energy projects and fail to re-direct financing away from existing fossil fuel sources. Most crucially they will not deliver sustainable energy to the two billion people who currently do not have access to a power supply.
"The World Bank seems to be more interested in the most environmentally and socially damaging projects, such as nuclear, large dams and so-called 'clean coal'. It is widely understood
that these technologies will not help to bring people out of poverty, which is the World Bank's core mission."
She added:
"Gordon Brown and the UK Government need to do more than call for more funding through the G8. The G8 currently releases 45 per cent of global emissions. They are also the main players in the World Bank. It is time they set their own house in order and established a clear plan for reducing emissions in industrialised countries. They could make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change, and must also do more to support the poorest and most vulnerable, who are disproportionately affected by its impacts."
The Bank is proposing to combine efforts under the framework on both alternative energy sources and adaptation to climate change. Rich countries urgently need to step forward to provide resources for sustainable energy services and, separately, to help the most vulnerable communities and countries adapt to climate change. A combination of the two implies that similar funding mechanisms are being considered. For an equitable approach to climate change, Friends of the Earth believes a separate funding system for adaptation would be required.
Two billion people currently have no access to energy services. Friends of the Earth is calling for the Introduction of clean, affordable, decentralised renewable energy services which can help alleviate poverty, reduce regional and local air and water pollution, generate jobs and income and empower local communities.
Funded energy projects should be subject to input and approval by local communities, should be carried out by appropriate institutions that will be responsive to civil society, and should have clear, ambitious commitments with targets and timetables, the organisation said.
Friends of the Earth campaigners from Asia, Africa, Central America and Europe, are in Washington DC April 19-26 to demand that the World Bank and the US Congress respond to the real needs and challenges that climate change poses to the world.
Gordon Brown's climate opportunity - World Bank Spring Meetings
April 2006
UK Chancellor Gordon Brown will be in Washington this week to call on the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to introduce a new US$20 billion World Bank fund to help developing countries invest in alternative energy sources in order to combat climate change. But Friends of the Earth has warned that the World Bank's Spring Meeting still looks set to steer energy policy in the wrong direction.
A new report, presented by the World Bank and IMF last week, to be adopted at the Spring Meetings on April 22 and 23, acknowledges the severe impacts of climate change on developing countries but still puts forward plans to invest in fossil fuel projects.
The Group of Eight (G8) richest nations at their Gleneagles Summit last July invited the World Bank to propose a plan for a sustainable energy future and to accelerate investment in these technologies. Gordon Brown proposed the US$20 billion fund for clean energy in his Budget speech to the Commons on 22 March.
The World Bank's `Clean Energy and Development: Towards An Investment Framework,' report acknowledges that just the cost of adapting to climate change is likely to be between 10 and 40 billion dollars per year. But instead of responding to those needs, the World Bank plans to continue funding substantial amounts of dirty fossil fuel projects. In 2005, only 10 per cent of the Bank's energy financing went to renewable energy or energy efficiency.
Friends of the Earth International's Climate Campaigner Catherine Pearce said:
"The proposals being put forward by the World Bank show a lack of ambition in developing clean energy projects and fail to re-direct financing away from existing fossil fuel sources. Most crucially they will not deliver sustainable energy to the two billion people who currently do not have access to a power supply.
"The World Bank seems to be more interested in the most environmentally and socially damaging projects, such as nuclear, large dams and so-called 'clean coal'. It is widely understood
that these technologies will not help to bring people out of poverty, which is the World Bank's core mission."
She added:
"Gordon Brown and the UK Government need to do more than call for more funding through the G8. The G8 currently releases 45 per cent of global emissions. They are also the main players in the World Bank. It is time they set their own house in order and established a clear plan for reducing emissions in industrialised countries. They could make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change, and must also do more to support the poorest and most vulnerable, who are disproportionately affected by its impacts."
The Bank is proposing to combine efforts under the framework on both alternative energy sources and adaptation to climate change. Rich countries urgently need to step forward to provide resources for sustainable energy services and, separately, to help the most vulnerable communities and countries adapt to climate change. A combination of the two implies that similar funding mechanisms are being considered. For an equitable approach to climate change, Friends of the Earth believes a separate funding system for adaptation would be required.
Two billion people currently have no access to energy services. Friends of the Earth is calling for the Introduction of clean, affordable, decentralised renewable energy services which can help alleviate poverty, reduce regional and local air and water pollution, generate jobs and income and empower local communities.
Funded energy projects should be subject to input and approval by local communities, should be carried out by appropriate institutions that will be responsive to civil society, and should have clear, ambitious commitments with targets and timetables, the organisation said.
Friends of the Earth campaigners from Asia, Africa, Central America and Europe, are in Washington DC April 19-26 to demand that the World Bank and the US Congress respond to the real needs and challenges that climate change poses to the world.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Norway is setting up a 20 billion Norwegian crowns ($3.24 billion) fund to promote renewable energy
from www.planetark.com
full story at http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/36782/newsDate/13-Jun-2006/story.htm
Norway Sets Up $3.2 Billion Clean Energy Fund
OSLO - Norway is setting up a 20 billion Norwegian crowns ($3.24 billion) fund to promote renewable energy such as wind and hydropower while spurring energy savings, the government said on Monday.
It said the cash would help Norway achieve a goal of raising available power by 30 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2016, compared with 2001, from alternative energy sources and by greater efficiency. Its previous goal was a saving of 12 TWh by 2010 versus 2001.
Norway's total power output, mostly from hydropower, is about 120 TWh a year.
"Bioenergy, windpower, hydropower, and energy efficiency will contribute to new possibilities, new jobs and new optimism over the whole country," Oil and Energy Minister Odd Roger Enoksen said in a statement.
The fund would be managed by state energy firm Enova.
Under the scheme, Enova would strengthen infrastructure for district heating, stimulate energy efficiency and renewable energy in households and set up a deposit scheme to encourage scrapping of oil boilers.
Norway needs to promote alternative energy use partly because its emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, mainly from burning oil, were far above target and about 9 percent above 1990 levels in 2005.
Under the UN's Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming, Norway has to limit any rise in emissions to no more than one percent by 2008-2012 compared to 1990 levels.
That goal is hard to reach because fossil fuel use is rising in Norway, the number three oil exporter behind Saudi Arabia and Russia. Norway generates almost all its energy from hydropower and has few rivers left to dam.
Under the new scheme, about 10 billion crowns would be put into the fund from January 2007 through the government's annual budget, and another 10 billion from January 2009.
full story at http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/36782/newsDate/13-Jun-2006/story.htm
Norway Sets Up $3.2 Billion Clean Energy Fund
OSLO - Norway is setting up a 20 billion Norwegian crowns ($3.24 billion) fund to promote renewable energy such as wind and hydropower while spurring energy savings, the government said on Monday.
It said the cash would help Norway achieve a goal of raising available power by 30 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2016, compared with 2001, from alternative energy sources and by greater efficiency. Its previous goal was a saving of 12 TWh by 2010 versus 2001.
Norway's total power output, mostly from hydropower, is about 120 TWh a year.
"Bioenergy, windpower, hydropower, and energy efficiency will contribute to new possibilities, new jobs and new optimism over the whole country," Oil and Energy Minister Odd Roger Enoksen said in a statement.
The fund would be managed by state energy firm Enova.
Under the scheme, Enova would strengthen infrastructure for district heating, stimulate energy efficiency and renewable energy in households and set up a deposit scheme to encourage scrapping of oil boilers.
Norway needs to promote alternative energy use partly because its emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, mainly from burning oil, were far above target and about 9 percent above 1990 levels in 2005.
Under the UN's Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming, Norway has to limit any rise in emissions to no more than one percent by 2008-2012 compared to 1990 levels.
That goal is hard to reach because fossil fuel use is rising in Norway, the number three oil exporter behind Saudi Arabia and Russia. Norway generates almost all its energy from hydropower and has few rivers left to dam.
Under the new scheme, about 10 billion crowns would be put into the fund from January 2007 through the government's annual budget, and another 10 billion from January 2009.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Alternative Energy stocks drop sharply in June
from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/business/mutfund/09alter.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
By NORM ALSTER
Published: July 9, 2006
AFTER a year of stellar performance, producers of alternative energy — from ethanol to solar and wind power — took a beating in the stock market this spring.
Up more than 80 percent from May 2005 to May 8 this year, the PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy fund, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the sector, tumbled more than 20 percent by June 30.
The sell-off unnerved the managers of some mutual funds that own alternative energy stocks. David J. Schoenwald, co-manager of the New Alternatives fund with his father, Maurice L. Schoenwald, acknowledged being fearful and uncertain of the causes or likely duration of the stock slide. "I don't know what's going on," he said. For the first six months of this year, the fund was still up 18.9 percent.
At the Winslow Green Growth fund, Matthew W. Patsky, co-manager of the portfolio with Jackson W. Robinson, said high stock prices had been the issue. "There was obviously froth in the market," he said. "You saw excessive valuations in some areas like solar." Winslow Green Growth was up 8.6 percent for the first half of the year.
Despite the spring sell-off, there were some reassuring developments for investors in alternative energy, and they came from what might seem unlikely sources. In May, Chevron announced that it was creating a business unit to research and invest in ethanol and biodiesel fuels.
"We like to form business units around key strategic objectives," said Donald L. Paul, vice president and chief technology officer at Chevron. "We're going to spend a significant amount of money in this area to get going."
In June, BP said it would spend $500 million to create a research center for biofuels. It also said it was forming a biofuels partnership with DuPont that would produce a sugar-based fuel for the British market in 2007. In November 2005, BP announced that it would invest $8 billion over the next decade in wind and solar power and in other technologies that produce electric power with lowered carbon emissions.
Chevron, Mr. Paul said, wants to find its place in the developing supply chain of biofuels, beginning with the sourcing of raw materials and extending to production, distribution and marketing. BP, a spokesman said, wants to address environmental concerns while developing longer-term supply alternatives to petroleum-based fuels.
The fact that major oil companies are scouring the field for investments could help create a floor for alternative energy share prices, said Stuart Bush, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets. For the major companies looking to hedge their bets with biofuels, "it would be easier to buy than to build capacity," Mr. Bush said. For example, Chevron announced in May that it was taking an equity position in Galveston Bay Biodiesel, which is building a plant to turn soybeans into diesel fuel.
Mr. Bush likes the prospects of a broad range of alternative energy stocks. He predicts a 35 percent increase in the next year for the WilderHill Index, a basket of 40 stocks mirrored by the PowerShares E.T.F.
Wind is "the most economically viable" alternative technology, Mr. Bush said. He favors Zoltek, which makes carbon fibers used in wind turbine blades. Blades made of carbon fibers can be longer than steel blades, allowing them to sweep a larger area and generate more electricity.
In solar power, Mr. Bush likes MEMC Electronic Materials, which supplies silicon for building solar cells. Silicon has been in short supply, and MEMC has taken advantage of the situation to lock up customers with long-term contracts at today's high prices, he said.
Though solar, wind and ethanol stocks have moved largely in concert, ethanol has been perhaps the most controversial industry sector. Ethanol is in great demand because of the high price of gasoline and because of a rush to replace MTBE, a gasoline additive intended to cut air pollution but now the subject of several lawsuits that say it contaminates groundwater.
In the United States, ethanol is generally made from corn. Those skeptical of the prospects for ethanol say that only so much farmland can be used to grow corn for fuel and that any rise in corn prices or drop in oil prices would jeopardize the profits of ethanol producers.
Elif Acar, an analyst at Standard & Poor's, said in June that most ethanol companies deserved only B-grade "speculative" ratings because of the up-and-down nature of the business.
"At its best, it could be very high margins," Ms. Acar said. "At its worst, it could be negative margins."
But while the S.& P. analysis focused on corn, Mr. Paul and other long-term ethanol investors are betting that cellulosic ethanol, derived from nonfood plant matter like grasses and farm waste, will one day be cheaper to convert into fuel. Producing cellulosic ethanol could also take far less energy than ethanol made from corn and yield considerably less pollution.
"There's big opportunities potentially in cellulosic," Mr. Paul said. Reflecting that outlook, Chevron announced last month that it would finance cellulosic research for the next five years at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
For all its promise, however, cellulosic ethanol does not offer simple investment choices. There are few publicly traded companies with cellulosic technology. Diversa of San Diego and Novozymes and Danisco of Denmark have reported progress in reducing the cost of enzymatic conversion of plant matter to fuel. Xethanol, in New York, has plans to use waste plant matter to make ethanol. Pacific Ethanol of Fresno, Calif., is one of several companies building corn-processing plants that could also make cellulosic ethanol if it could be produced at a competitive cost. But valuations on these companies are rich by most conventional measures. And because cellulosic technology is still evolving, it is difficult to identify eventual winners.
Finding any ethanol stock that is cheap is not easy, said Tim Guinness, manager of the Guinness Atkinson Alternative Energy fund. But he thinks he has one in Australian Ethanol, which is building production in Australia and the United States and is priced far more reasonably, he says, than American producers.
Investors in alternative technology stocks, Mr. Guinness asserted, must look beyond current market gyrations. "You need to take a medium-term view — at least two to four years," he said. Nobody, after all, can displace petroleum overnight.
By NORM ALSTER
Published: July 9, 2006
AFTER a year of stellar performance, producers of alternative energy — from ethanol to solar and wind power — took a beating in the stock market this spring.
Up more than 80 percent from May 2005 to May 8 this year, the PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy fund, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the sector, tumbled more than 20 percent by June 30.
The sell-off unnerved the managers of some mutual funds that own alternative energy stocks. David J. Schoenwald, co-manager of the New Alternatives fund with his father, Maurice L. Schoenwald, acknowledged being fearful and uncertain of the causes or likely duration of the stock slide. "I don't know what's going on," he said. For the first six months of this year, the fund was still up 18.9 percent.
At the Winslow Green Growth fund, Matthew W. Patsky, co-manager of the portfolio with Jackson W. Robinson, said high stock prices had been the issue. "There was obviously froth in the market," he said. "You saw excessive valuations in some areas like solar." Winslow Green Growth was up 8.6 percent for the first half of the year.
Despite the spring sell-off, there were some reassuring developments for investors in alternative energy, and they came from what might seem unlikely sources. In May, Chevron announced that it was creating a business unit to research and invest in ethanol and biodiesel fuels.
"We like to form business units around key strategic objectives," said Donald L. Paul, vice president and chief technology officer at Chevron. "We're going to spend a significant amount of money in this area to get going."
In June, BP said it would spend $500 million to create a research center for biofuels. It also said it was forming a biofuels partnership with DuPont that would produce a sugar-based fuel for the British market in 2007. In November 2005, BP announced that it would invest $8 billion over the next decade in wind and solar power and in other technologies that produce electric power with lowered carbon emissions.
Chevron, Mr. Paul said, wants to find its place in the developing supply chain of biofuels, beginning with the sourcing of raw materials and extending to production, distribution and marketing. BP, a spokesman said, wants to address environmental concerns while developing longer-term supply alternatives to petroleum-based fuels.
The fact that major oil companies are scouring the field for investments could help create a floor for alternative energy share prices, said Stuart Bush, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets. For the major companies looking to hedge their bets with biofuels, "it would be easier to buy than to build capacity," Mr. Bush said. For example, Chevron announced in May that it was taking an equity position in Galveston Bay Biodiesel, which is building a plant to turn soybeans into diesel fuel.
Mr. Bush likes the prospects of a broad range of alternative energy stocks. He predicts a 35 percent increase in the next year for the WilderHill Index, a basket of 40 stocks mirrored by the PowerShares E.T.F.
Wind is "the most economically viable" alternative technology, Mr. Bush said. He favors Zoltek, which makes carbon fibers used in wind turbine blades. Blades made of carbon fibers can be longer than steel blades, allowing them to sweep a larger area and generate more electricity.
In solar power, Mr. Bush likes MEMC Electronic Materials, which supplies silicon for building solar cells. Silicon has been in short supply, and MEMC has taken advantage of the situation to lock up customers with long-term contracts at today's high prices, he said.
Though solar, wind and ethanol stocks have moved largely in concert, ethanol has been perhaps the most controversial industry sector. Ethanol is in great demand because of the high price of gasoline and because of a rush to replace MTBE, a gasoline additive intended to cut air pollution but now the subject of several lawsuits that say it contaminates groundwater.
In the United States, ethanol is generally made from corn. Those skeptical of the prospects for ethanol say that only so much farmland can be used to grow corn for fuel and that any rise in corn prices or drop in oil prices would jeopardize the profits of ethanol producers.
Elif Acar, an analyst at Standard & Poor's, said in June that most ethanol companies deserved only B-grade "speculative" ratings because of the up-and-down nature of the business.
"At its best, it could be very high margins," Ms. Acar said. "At its worst, it could be negative margins."
But while the S.& P. analysis focused on corn, Mr. Paul and other long-term ethanol investors are betting that cellulosic ethanol, derived from nonfood plant matter like grasses and farm waste, will one day be cheaper to convert into fuel. Producing cellulosic ethanol could also take far less energy than ethanol made from corn and yield considerably less pollution.
"There's big opportunities potentially in cellulosic," Mr. Paul said. Reflecting that outlook, Chevron announced last month that it would finance cellulosic research for the next five years at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
For all its promise, however, cellulosic ethanol does not offer simple investment choices. There are few publicly traded companies with cellulosic technology. Diversa of San Diego and Novozymes and Danisco of Denmark have reported progress in reducing the cost of enzymatic conversion of plant matter to fuel. Xethanol, in New York, has plans to use waste plant matter to make ethanol. Pacific Ethanol of Fresno, Calif., is one of several companies building corn-processing plants that could also make cellulosic ethanol if it could be produced at a competitive cost. But valuations on these companies are rich by most conventional measures. And because cellulosic technology is still evolving, it is difficult to identify eventual winners.
Finding any ethanol stock that is cheap is not easy, said Tim Guinness, manager of the Guinness Atkinson Alternative Energy fund. But he thinks he has one in Australian Ethanol, which is building production in Australia and the United States and is priced far more reasonably, he says, than American producers.
Investors in alternative technology stocks, Mr. Guinness asserted, must look beyond current market gyrations. "You need to take a medium-term view — at least two to four years," he said. Nobody, after all, can displace petroleum overnight.
Carlyle/Riverstone Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund invests in Canadian Ethanol Plant
NEW YORK, July 10 (Reuters) - Private equity firm Riverstone Holdings on Monday said it plans to link up with Blackstone Energy Inc. to build a 15 million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant in Ontario.
The investors will convert an existing starch production facility in Collingwood, Ontario, to ethanol production expected to come online in mid-2007 pending provincial and federal approval.
The Carlyle/Riverstone Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund will buy a 77 percent interest in the plant, known as Collingwood Ethanol GP.
Buyout firm Carlyle Group and Riverstone have teamed up to invest in the renewable energy space, having just raised a $685 million renewable energy fund. The fund will invest in wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, ethanol and biodiesel.
Soaring energy prices have prompted state and federal governments to explore alternative fuel sources such as ethanol -- a renewable, corn-based fuel additive. That in turn has created hot investing opportunities and pushed up stock prices tied to the sector.
"The ethanol production from the Collingwood facility will help meet national and provincial renewable fuel targets, and the corn supply and labor will be drawn from the local community," said Curtis Chandler, executive director of Blackstone Energy. Blackstone Energy is a Canadian energy group that has developed and operated commodity brokerages, natural gas marketing companies and natural gas storage facilities. It is not affiliated with New York private equity firm Blackstone Group.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
The investors will convert an existing starch production facility in Collingwood, Ontario, to ethanol production expected to come online in mid-2007 pending provincial and federal approval.
The Carlyle/Riverstone Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund will buy a 77 percent interest in the plant, known as Collingwood Ethanol GP.
Buyout firm Carlyle Group and Riverstone have teamed up to invest in the renewable energy space, having just raised a $685 million renewable energy fund. The fund will invest in wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, ethanol and biodiesel.
Soaring energy prices have prompted state and federal governments to explore alternative fuel sources such as ethanol -- a renewable, corn-based fuel additive. That in turn has created hot investing opportunities and pushed up stock prices tied to the sector.
"The ethanol production from the Collingwood facility will help meet national and provincial renewable fuel targets, and the corn supply and labor will be drawn from the local community," said Curtis Chandler, executive director of Blackstone Energy. Blackstone Energy is a Canadian energy group that has developed and operated commodity brokerages, natural gas marketing companies and natural gas storage facilities. It is not affiliated with New York private equity firm Blackstone Group.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
UK's Gordon Brown asks World Bank to finance clean energy development
Story from:
http://www.itv.com/news/index_1173510.html
Brown delivers green power push to IMF / G7 / G8
Gordon Brown has called on the world's top industrial nations to put more money into tackling climate change.
The Chancellor was in New York for talks with his fellow G7 finance ministers on proposals for a $20 billion scheme to help developing economies invest in alternative energy sources.
He insisted there was a moral need to tackle climate change, saying: "For the well-being of the world's peoples to be enhanced not just in this generation, but in succeeding generations, we have a compelling and even more urgent duty of stewardship."
But Mr Brown said the need to cut greenhouse gases must be balanced with the UK's economic needs.
He made clear that he was not planning any increase in taxes on petrol to encourage people to cut their carbon emissions.
The Chancellor's comments follow a trip to Norway on Friday by Conservative leader David Cameron to see the effects of global warming first-hand.
from Reuters.co.uk:
Gordon Brown wants world consensus on environmental policy
By Fiona Shaikh
LONDON (Reuters) - The world must reach a new consensus on tackling environmental issues, Chancellor Gordon Brown will argue this week, as he calls on the Group of Seven rich nations to promote energy efficiency.
In a speech to the United Nations on Thursday, Brown will set out measures to tackle climate change, boosting speculation that he is straying further from his Treasury remit in the hope of taking over from Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has said he will not fight another election.
Brown's proposals may also help the Labour party wrestle the advantage on environmental issues from the opposition Conservative Party ahead of local elections on May 4.
"Environmental sustainability is not an option, it is a necessity," Brown will say in a speech on Thursday, according to extracts seen by Reuters. "Failure to act on the environment will put at risk future economic activity and growth."
Brown will argue that climate change is partly to blame for some of the humanitarian crises suffered by the developing world and that rich countries must work together to tackle the underlying cause as financial aid is just a short-term solution.
In his speech, Brown will suggest boosting existing measures to cut carbon emissions, for example, extending the European Emissions Trading scheme, with the ultimate goal of setting up a global carbon trading system.
"We will need the cooperation of all countries with significant energy needs and emission levels if we are going to tackle the global challenge of climate change comprehensively and cost effectively," Brown will say.
He will also urge electrical goods manufacturers to make their products more energy efficient and point out that around 10 percent of electricity supply is wasted by items such as televisions, DVD and CD players being left on "standby" mode.
Brown will travel to Washington on Friday, where G7 finance ministers will meet ahead of the semi-annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
There, he will try to win support for the World Bank to set up a $20 billion (11 billion pounds) fund to help developing countries invest in alternative energy sources.
He will also use Friday's G7 meeting to call for greater dialogue between oil producers and consumers and enhance transparency on the functioning of the energy market.
UK Chancellor Brown proposes global clean power funding
By Sumeet Desai
LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor Gordon Brown will this week call for a new $20 billion (11 billion pounds) World Bank fund to help developing countries invest in alternative energy sources in order to combat climate change.
Group of Eight policymakers had asked the World Bank last year to come up with an investment framework to enable middle-income countries shift towards cleaner, more efficient energy such as advanced coal burning techniques.
Brown will tell this week's meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington that urgent action is needed and with a level of funding that would make a difference to global emissions.
"The developed world has a responsibility to help developing economies meet their energy needs in an environmentally sustainable way," said Brown, who is expected to succeed Prime Minister Tony Blair before the next election expected in 2009.
"I will propose a World Bank facility - a $20 billion fund - for developing economies to invest in alternative sources of energy and greater energy efficiency."
Brown's proposal may also help his ruling Labour party regain the initiative on environmental issues ahead of local elections on May 4 after the government admitted it will not meet its key target to cut carbon emissions.
Conservative Party leader David Cameron, meanwhile, is set to travel to northern Norway this week to see first-hand polar ice caps disappearing because of global warming.
Treasury officials said countries such as China, India, and Brazil are experiencing rapid growth and a corresponding reduction in overall poverty and are now making investments to meet their increased demand for energy.
Their decisions now will influence their carbon emissions over the next 50 to 100 years and so acting now to channel their investment into more efficient or renewable forms of energy generation can lock in less pollution for the long-term.
At the same time, officials said that the world's poorest countries are the most at risk from the effects of climate change such as droughts and floods and there is an urgent need to support them in improving their capacity to respond.
"Climate change is an issue of justice as much as economic development. It is a problem caused by the industrialised countries, whose effects will disproportionately fall on developing countries," said Brown. who also chairs the IMF's main policy steering group.
"It is now clear that the largest impacts of climate change will occur in the great land masses of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Indeed many are already occurring, from reduced rainfall in the Sahel to floods in Bangladesh and Mozambique."
http://www.itv.com/news/index_1173510.html
Brown delivers green power push to IMF / G7 / G8
Gordon Brown has called on the world's top industrial nations to put more money into tackling climate change.
The Chancellor was in New York for talks with his fellow G7 finance ministers on proposals for a $20 billion scheme to help developing economies invest in alternative energy sources.
He insisted there was a moral need to tackle climate change, saying: "For the well-being of the world's peoples to be enhanced not just in this generation, but in succeeding generations, we have a compelling and even more urgent duty of stewardship."
But Mr Brown said the need to cut greenhouse gases must be balanced with the UK's economic needs.
He made clear that he was not planning any increase in taxes on petrol to encourage people to cut their carbon emissions.
The Chancellor's comments follow a trip to Norway on Friday by Conservative leader David Cameron to see the effects of global warming first-hand.
from Reuters.co.uk:
Gordon Brown wants world consensus on environmental policy
By Fiona Shaikh
LONDON (Reuters) - The world must reach a new consensus on tackling environmental issues, Chancellor Gordon Brown will argue this week, as he calls on the Group of Seven rich nations to promote energy efficiency.
In a speech to the United Nations on Thursday, Brown will set out measures to tackle climate change, boosting speculation that he is straying further from his Treasury remit in the hope of taking over from Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has said he will not fight another election.
Brown's proposals may also help the Labour party wrestle the advantage on environmental issues from the opposition Conservative Party ahead of local elections on May 4.
"Environmental sustainability is not an option, it is a necessity," Brown will say in a speech on Thursday, according to extracts seen by Reuters. "Failure to act on the environment will put at risk future economic activity and growth."
Brown will argue that climate change is partly to blame for some of the humanitarian crises suffered by the developing world and that rich countries must work together to tackle the underlying cause as financial aid is just a short-term solution.
In his speech, Brown will suggest boosting existing measures to cut carbon emissions, for example, extending the European Emissions Trading scheme, with the ultimate goal of setting up a global carbon trading system.
"We will need the cooperation of all countries with significant energy needs and emission levels if we are going to tackle the global challenge of climate change comprehensively and cost effectively," Brown will say.
He will also urge electrical goods manufacturers to make their products more energy efficient and point out that around 10 percent of electricity supply is wasted by items such as televisions, DVD and CD players being left on "standby" mode.
Brown will travel to Washington on Friday, where G7 finance ministers will meet ahead of the semi-annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
There, he will try to win support for the World Bank to set up a $20 billion (11 billion pounds) fund to help developing countries invest in alternative energy sources.
He will also use Friday's G7 meeting to call for greater dialogue between oil producers and consumers and enhance transparency on the functioning of the energy market.
UK Chancellor Brown proposes global clean power funding
By Sumeet Desai
LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor Gordon Brown will this week call for a new $20 billion (11 billion pounds) World Bank fund to help developing countries invest in alternative energy sources in order to combat climate change.
Group of Eight policymakers had asked the World Bank last year to come up with an investment framework to enable middle-income countries shift towards cleaner, more efficient energy such as advanced coal burning techniques.
Brown will tell this week's meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington that urgent action is needed and with a level of funding that would make a difference to global emissions.
"The developed world has a responsibility to help developing economies meet their energy needs in an environmentally sustainable way," said Brown, who is expected to succeed Prime Minister Tony Blair before the next election expected in 2009.
"I will propose a World Bank facility - a $20 billion fund - for developing economies to invest in alternative sources of energy and greater energy efficiency."
Brown's proposal may also help his ruling Labour party regain the initiative on environmental issues ahead of local elections on May 4 after the government admitted it will not meet its key target to cut carbon emissions.
Conservative Party leader David Cameron, meanwhile, is set to travel to northern Norway this week to see first-hand polar ice caps disappearing because of global warming.
Treasury officials said countries such as China, India, and Brazil are experiencing rapid growth and a corresponding reduction in overall poverty and are now making investments to meet their increased demand for energy.
Their decisions now will influence their carbon emissions over the next 50 to 100 years and so acting now to channel their investment into more efficient or renewable forms of energy generation can lock in less pollution for the long-term.
At the same time, officials said that the world's poorest countries are the most at risk from the effects of climate change such as droughts and floods and there is an urgent need to support them in improving their capacity to respond.
"Climate change is an issue of justice as much as economic development. It is a problem caused by the industrialised countries, whose effects will disproportionately fall on developing countries," said Brown. who also chairs the IMF's main policy steering group.
"It is now clear that the largest impacts of climate change will occur in the great land masses of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Indeed many are already occurring, from reduced rainfall in the Sahel to floods in Bangladesh and Mozambique."
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Ethanol to reduce Ethiopia's foreign exchange costs
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia may soon introduce blended petrol in their local market to reduce imports.
The government has tasked experts to study whether the blended product, a mixture of benzene and ethanol, would be viable.
The Fincha Sugar Factory currently manufactures large amounts of ethanol. The company is working with the Ethiopian Petroleum Enterprise (EPE) to see if a blend of 40 percent ethanol and 60 percent benzene will work.
This would require certain motor adjustments, but Brazil has shown that this is possible. If 10 percent ethanol is used, no adjustments will be needed, however, the aim of the exercise is to drastically reduce the cost of foreign exchange.
Ethiopia spends over $230mn annually on petroleum imports and using a high ratio of ethanol will help the government reduce foreign spending.
Buy hot new music from underground artist Yuya's new alternative cd, Give U Everything, at Rhapsody.com
MP3 Players, iPods, RingTones, digital music for sale online; New Rock and Reggae Music available for download:
Yuya's new album Give U Everything is now available to music fans worldwide; check out this new Canadian rock reggae recording artist at iTunes.com, MSN Music, Music.Yahoo.com, Rhapsody, emusic.com, StayAround.com, Musicload.de and more:
Find Yuya photos and songs at StayAround.com
Download Yuya CD Give U Everything at Music.MSN.com
Buy Yuya songs at Yahoo Music
Ethiopia may soon introduce blended petrol in their local market to reduce imports.
The government has tasked experts to study whether the blended product, a mixture of benzene and ethanol, would be viable.
The Fincha Sugar Factory currently manufactures large amounts of ethanol. The company is working with the Ethiopian Petroleum Enterprise (EPE) to see if a blend of 40 percent ethanol and 60 percent benzene will work.
This would require certain motor adjustments, but Brazil has shown that this is possible. If 10 percent ethanol is used, no adjustments will be needed, however, the aim of the exercise is to drastically reduce the cost of foreign exchange.
Ethiopia spends over $230mn annually on petroleum imports and using a high ratio of ethanol will help the government reduce foreign spending.
Buy hot new music from underground artist Yuya's new alternative cd, Give U Everything, at Rhapsody.com
MP3 Players, iPods, RingTones, digital music for sale online; New Rock and Reggae Music available for download:
Yuya's new album Give U Everything is now available to music fans worldwide; check out this new Canadian rock reggae recording artist at iTunes.com, MSN Music, Music.Yahoo.com, Rhapsody, emusic.com, StayAround.com, Musicload.de and more:
Find Yuya photos and songs at StayAround.com
Download Yuya CD Give U Everything at Music.MSN.com
Buy Yuya songs at Yahoo Music
BOLD Energy Act in the United States
Renewable Energy Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate
USA Senator Conrad introduces legislation to extend solar electricity, wind power tax credits, biofuels and alternative energy systems and technologies
Washington, DC [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] With energy independence and renewable energy development a legislative priority for Congressional leaders, the introduction of another renewable energy legislative proposal made its way to the Senate floor last week. Senator Kent Conrad's (D-ND) bill, called Breaking Our Long-term Dependence (BOLD) Energy Act, includes a five-year extension of the solar investment tax credit for businesses through 2012 and an extension of the wind energy production tax credit for the same period.
The bill would also require ethanol use in the U.S. to increase from 4.7 billion gallons in 2007 to 30 billion gallons by 2025, and would establish a new biodiesel and alternative diesel standard of 250 million gallons in 2008, increasing to two billion gallons in 2015, creating greater demand for biodiesel as a transportation fuel -- and greater demand for biodiesel manufacturing plants.
Recognizing the need for conservation, the BOLD Act encourages the manufacture and purchase of fuel-efficient and flexible-fuel vehicles. Purchasers of fuel-efficient vehicles would qualify for rebates up to $2,500. Automakers would be encouraged to install advanced technologies, including flexible-fuel technology, by 2017. They would be eligible for either a 35 percent tax credit or retiree health care grants to make this transition.
The residential credit for solar, however, was not included in the bill, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Conrad's bill would also establish a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) with a goal of 10% renewables by 2020, with a triple-credit multiplier for distributed generation projects less than one megawatt in size.
Not surprisingly, the SEIA does not anticipate this bill to move forward in its current form with some of the strong measures such as a national RPS, which has historically been voted down by lawmakers.
Senator Conrad is now the third member of the Senate Finance Committee in the last month to introduce legislation to extend the solar investment tax credit (ITC). As mentioned earlier by Renewable Energy Access, Senators Charles Grassley and Max Baucus have proposed the Alternative Energy Extender Act, S. 2401, which would extend both the residential and the commercial ITCs for solar for an additional three years, creating a total of five years for both credits (see related story at the link below).
"Although both bills provide a shorter window than the eight-year extender we are advocating for, it is encouraging that the Senate is willing to push extenders this year in a bipartisan fashion," said a statement from SEIA.
There were other nonrenewable energy initiatives in the comprehensive package including a USD $500 million grant program to fund the development of coal-to-liquid fuel technology. It would also help increase domestic oil production by increasing tax credits for oil companies that use carbon dioxide to extract more oil from aging oil fields.
Stream and download tracks from the Yuya CD, Give U Everything, at Emusic.com
Canadian singer Yuya has released his hot new cd Give U Everything, at German music website Musicload.de
Buy hot new music from underground artist Yuya's new alternative cd, Give U Everything, at Rhapsody.com
MP3 Players, iPods, RingTones, digital music for sale online; New Rock and Reggae Music available for download:
Yuya's new album Give U Everything is now available to music fans worldwide; check out this new Canadian rock reggae recording artist at iTunes.com, MSN Music, Music.Yahoo.com, Rhapsody, emusic.com, StayAround.com, Musicload.de and more:
Find Yuya photos and songs at StayAround.com
USA Senator Conrad introduces legislation to extend solar electricity, wind power tax credits, biofuels and alternative energy systems and technologies
Washington, DC [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] With energy independence and renewable energy development a legislative priority for Congressional leaders, the introduction of another renewable energy legislative proposal made its way to the Senate floor last week. Senator Kent Conrad's (D-ND) bill, called Breaking Our Long-term Dependence (BOLD) Energy Act, includes a five-year extension of the solar investment tax credit for businesses through 2012 and an extension of the wind energy production tax credit for the same period.
The bill would also require ethanol use in the U.S. to increase from 4.7 billion gallons in 2007 to 30 billion gallons by 2025, and would establish a new biodiesel and alternative diesel standard of 250 million gallons in 2008, increasing to two billion gallons in 2015, creating greater demand for biodiesel as a transportation fuel -- and greater demand for biodiesel manufacturing plants.
Recognizing the need for conservation, the BOLD Act encourages the manufacture and purchase of fuel-efficient and flexible-fuel vehicles. Purchasers of fuel-efficient vehicles would qualify for rebates up to $2,500. Automakers would be encouraged to install advanced technologies, including flexible-fuel technology, by 2017. They would be eligible for either a 35 percent tax credit or retiree health care grants to make this transition.
The residential credit for solar, however, was not included in the bill, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Conrad's bill would also establish a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) with a goal of 10% renewables by 2020, with a triple-credit multiplier for distributed generation projects less than one megawatt in size.
Not surprisingly, the SEIA does not anticipate this bill to move forward in its current form with some of the strong measures such as a national RPS, which has historically been voted down by lawmakers.
Senator Conrad is now the third member of the Senate Finance Committee in the last month to introduce legislation to extend the solar investment tax credit (ITC). As mentioned earlier by Renewable Energy Access, Senators Charles Grassley and Max Baucus have proposed the Alternative Energy Extender Act, S. 2401, which would extend both the residential and the commercial ITCs for solar for an additional three years, creating a total of five years for both credits (see related story at the link below).
"Although both bills provide a shorter window than the eight-year extender we are advocating for, it is encouraging that the Senate is willing to push extenders this year in a bipartisan fashion," said a statement from SEIA.
There were other nonrenewable energy initiatives in the comprehensive package including a USD $500 million grant program to fund the development of coal-to-liquid fuel technology. It would also help increase domestic oil production by increasing tax credits for oil companies that use carbon dioxide to extract more oil from aging oil fields.
Stream and download tracks from the Yuya CD, Give U Everything, at Emusic.com
Canadian singer Yuya has released his hot new cd Give U Everything, at German music website Musicload.de
Buy hot new music from underground artist Yuya's new alternative cd, Give U Everything, at Rhapsody.com
MP3 Players, iPods, RingTones, digital music for sale online; New Rock and Reggae Music available for download:
Yuya's new album Give U Everything is now available to music fans worldwide; check out this new Canadian rock reggae recording artist at iTunes.com, MSN Music, Music.Yahoo.com, Rhapsody, emusic.com, StayAround.com, Musicload.de and more:
Find Yuya photos and songs at StayAround.com
Monday, April 03, 2006
China becoming world leader in photovoltaic solar electric power
From RenewableEnergyAccess.com
China's Solar Industry riding on more than being the Low-Cost Player
by Jesse W. Pichel, Senior Research Analyst, Piper Jaffray
China is likely to be of paramount importance to the solar industry because of its low-cost manufacturing capabilities and potentially enormous domestic demand driven by new government programs. This was made abundantly clear in a recent visit to the country.
We hosted a solar panel discussion at the Piper Jaffray Internet and Technology Conference in Beijing, China, on March 3, and later met with senior management and toured five of the top six solar companies in China. We also met with wafer suppliers in Eastern Europe that supply Chinese solar cell OEMs.
We anticipate that many global solar OEMs are likely to pursue China strategies following the lead of Ersol Solar Energy AG (which appeared at the Piper Jaffray Solar conference in NYC on 2/21) with its JV investment in Shanghai Electric Solar Energy, Ltd. (a module supplier). Conversely, many of the Chinese solar OEMs may forward integrate by acquiring installers/ integrators in Europe and the U.S. Despite the blossoming low cost and integrated solar food chain in China, and several polysilicon feedstock plants that are under construction, there is no panacea to the current polysilicon shortage. Furthermore, we found little next-gen (thin film) technology other than a small 5 MW line in Tianjin.
How has our thesis changed? Our thesis remains that investors should focus on solar companies that offer the promise of lower cost per watt. To that end, solar companies operating in China will play an important role. However given that polysilicon, the major cost driver of solar today (raw poly is 40% of cost), is in short supply with rising prices, we prefer companies that possess technology that reduces (Evergreen Solar) or eliminates (Energy Conversion Devices) the need for polysilicon. Also we view polysilicon suppliers as lower risk solar investments (WFR).
Enormous solar capacity ramp under way in China: Chinese-based manufacturing will help lower the cost of solar. China has enormous (>1,000 MW) low-cost manufacturing capacity coming online over three years, and the entire solar food chain can now be found within China, including polysilicon feedstock, wafer, cell, and module production in addition to domestic wet-chemistry and equipment suppliers. In aggregate, the solar companies in China have focused on module capacity serving historically as an outsourced module- manufacturing partner. Module capacity of 450 MW will rise to 1200 MW by 2008. The 200 MW of domestic solar cell making capacity will rise to 1200 MW exiting 2008 with the ramp of three large cell makers and as certain wafer suppliers forward integrate. Wafer capacity of 100 MW in 2005 will grow to circa 800 MW by 2008 thanks to the production ramp of domestic polysilicon supply as well as large poly supply contracts beginning in 2008.
Chinese manufacturing cost advantages: In addition to labor costs that can be less than $200/month per worker, Chinese solar companies also benefit from lower SG&A (Sales, General and Administration or 'cost of doing business') Research & Development, peripheral costs, and tax rate. There is also an expanding solar manufacturing equipment industry that provides equipment at a fraction of the cost of equipment made overseas. The current generation of Chinese manufactured solar equipment includes module lamination, wafer etch/bath, and mono-crystalline wafer pullers (~$150,000 each). Also there is a growing list of lower cost wet-chemistry suppliers for slurry and aluminum paste. Chinese manufacturing lines tend to be more labor intensive and use more domestic equipment, requiring substantially lower capital expenditure. In particular, the Chinese module lines we toured do not run automated assembly equipment and instead favor an all-labor approach; the only equipment required are laminators and module testers.
No Chinese panacea to polysilicon shortage: Three Chinese polysilicon manufacturers dominate the domestic landscape. Sichuan Xinguang is still under construction with initial production in 2007, and 2008 planned capacity of 1,250 metric tons. LSCS now has capacity of ~300 ton, and plans 2007 capacity of 1,000 metric ton. ESM currently has annual polysilicon production of ~100 tons. Domestic poly production will not address near-term poly needs, as most production will not come online until 2008. Spot virgin poly prices are now as high as $200/kg, and many Chinese solar OEMs will happily pay $170/kg to secure poly. High-grade scrap (ingot tops and tails) command >$150/kg, while lower end scrap (pot scrap) can command $50-$70/kg. All solar companies are using a mix of scrap and virgin poly to keep their blended poly cost at ~$130/kg. Several Chinese solar companies, in anticipation of a future capital market transaction, have been stockpiling poly to the order of hundreds of metric tons. Additionally, we toured a major wafer reclaim facility that uses low-cost labor to sort and recycle broken/ rejected wafers from the semiconductor and solar industry.
Large domestic demand anticipated beginning in mid-2006: Solar demand in China is expected to increase significantly over the next several years driven by the Chinese renewable energy program enacted in February. Although the government has not communicated the details, the law is expected to generate 500 MW of annual capacity by 2010 ($3.5B USD), 3 GW by 2020, and 60 GW by 2050. Western China is an ideal location for solar given its 9 to 11 hours of sun per day (greatest in Tibet). Furthermore, many areas in Western China are off-grid and the government has an aggressive rural electrification initiative of ~300 MW. While details on the amount of subsidy have not been communicated, we learned of three large 30 MW solar power station projects planned for 2H06-2007. The prospect of large solar demand in China is likely to only benefit OEMs in China or global players with a manufacturing presence/JV in China. We believe that as funding for Chinese projects are finalized we may see more global OEMs partner or acquire suppliers in China.
Higher module prices and leading edge wafer thickness: Across industry, we find that spot module prices are now at $4.20 per watt. Contract prices remain circa $3.50 and below. In terms of wafer thickness, 240 um thickness is the norm in China and as a result, some manufacturers can now slice 45 wafers per kg of silicon (~100W at 10g/W), up from ~40 wafers (~88 W, 11.5 g/W) just six months ago -- a ~15% energy output improvement per kg. Although wafers can be sliced <100 um, thinner wafers are fragile and much more difficult to process into cells and modules.
About the author
Jesse W. Pichel, is Senior Research Analyst, Piper Jaffray & Co., a full-service brokerage firm based in Minneapolis, member NYSE and SIPC.
Buy hot new music from underground artist Yuya's new alternative cd, Give U Everything, at Rhapsody.com
MP3 Players, iPods, RingTones, digital music for sale online; New Rock and Reggae Music available for download:
Yuya's new album Give U Everything is now available to music fans worldwide; check out this new Canadian rock reggae recording artist at iTunes.com, MSN Music, Music.Yahoo.com, Rhapsody, emusic.com, StayAround.com, Musicload.de and more:
Find Yuya photos and songs at StayAround.com
Download Yuya CD Give U Everything at Music.MSN.com
Buy Yuya songs at Yahoo Music
China's Solar Industry riding on more than being the Low-Cost Player
by Jesse W. Pichel, Senior Research Analyst, Piper Jaffray
China is likely to be of paramount importance to the solar industry because of its low-cost manufacturing capabilities and potentially enormous domestic demand driven by new government programs. This was made abundantly clear in a recent visit to the country.
We hosted a solar panel discussion at the Piper Jaffray Internet and Technology Conference in Beijing, China, on March 3, and later met with senior management and toured five of the top six solar companies in China. We also met with wafer suppliers in Eastern Europe that supply Chinese solar cell OEMs.
We anticipate that many global solar OEMs are likely to pursue China strategies following the lead of Ersol Solar Energy AG (which appeared at the Piper Jaffray Solar conference in NYC on 2/21) with its JV investment in Shanghai Electric Solar Energy, Ltd. (a module supplier). Conversely, many of the Chinese solar OEMs may forward integrate by acquiring installers/ integrators in Europe and the U.S. Despite the blossoming low cost and integrated solar food chain in China, and several polysilicon feedstock plants that are under construction, there is no panacea to the current polysilicon shortage. Furthermore, we found little next-gen (thin film) technology other than a small 5 MW line in Tianjin.
How has our thesis changed? Our thesis remains that investors should focus on solar companies that offer the promise of lower cost per watt. To that end, solar companies operating in China will play an important role. However given that polysilicon, the major cost driver of solar today (raw poly is 40% of cost), is in short supply with rising prices, we prefer companies that possess technology that reduces (Evergreen Solar) or eliminates (Energy Conversion Devices) the need for polysilicon. Also we view polysilicon suppliers as lower risk solar investments (WFR).
Enormous solar capacity ramp under way in China: Chinese-based manufacturing will help lower the cost of solar. China has enormous (>1,000 MW) low-cost manufacturing capacity coming online over three years, and the entire solar food chain can now be found within China, including polysilicon feedstock, wafer, cell, and module production in addition to domestic wet-chemistry and equipment suppliers. In aggregate, the solar companies in China have focused on module capacity serving historically as an outsourced module- manufacturing partner. Module capacity of 450 MW will rise to 1200 MW by 2008. The 200 MW of domestic solar cell making capacity will rise to 1200 MW exiting 2008 with the ramp of three large cell makers and as certain wafer suppliers forward integrate. Wafer capacity of 100 MW in 2005 will grow to circa 800 MW by 2008 thanks to the production ramp of domestic polysilicon supply as well as large poly supply contracts beginning in 2008.
Chinese manufacturing cost advantages: In addition to labor costs that can be less than $200/month per worker, Chinese solar companies also benefit from lower SG&A (Sales, General and Administration or 'cost of doing business') Research & Development, peripheral costs, and tax rate. There is also an expanding solar manufacturing equipment industry that provides equipment at a fraction of the cost of equipment made overseas. The current generation of Chinese manufactured solar equipment includes module lamination, wafer etch/bath, and mono-crystalline wafer pullers (~$150,000 each). Also there is a growing list of lower cost wet-chemistry suppliers for slurry and aluminum paste. Chinese manufacturing lines tend to be more labor intensive and use more domestic equipment, requiring substantially lower capital expenditure. In particular, the Chinese module lines we toured do not run automated assembly equipment and instead favor an all-labor approach; the only equipment required are laminators and module testers.
No Chinese panacea to polysilicon shortage: Three Chinese polysilicon manufacturers dominate the domestic landscape. Sichuan Xinguang is still under construction with initial production in 2007, and 2008 planned capacity of 1,250 metric tons. LSCS now has capacity of ~300 ton, and plans 2007 capacity of 1,000 metric ton. ESM currently has annual polysilicon production of ~100 tons. Domestic poly production will not address near-term poly needs, as most production will not come online until 2008. Spot virgin poly prices are now as high as $200/kg, and many Chinese solar OEMs will happily pay $170/kg to secure poly. High-grade scrap (ingot tops and tails) command >$150/kg, while lower end scrap (pot scrap) can command $50-$70/kg. All solar companies are using a mix of scrap and virgin poly to keep their blended poly cost at ~$130/kg. Several Chinese solar companies, in anticipation of a future capital market transaction, have been stockpiling poly to the order of hundreds of metric tons. Additionally, we toured a major wafer reclaim facility that uses low-cost labor to sort and recycle broken/ rejected wafers from the semiconductor and solar industry.
Large domestic demand anticipated beginning in mid-2006: Solar demand in China is expected to increase significantly over the next several years driven by the Chinese renewable energy program enacted in February. Although the government has not communicated the details, the law is expected to generate 500 MW of annual capacity by 2010 ($3.5B USD), 3 GW by 2020, and 60 GW by 2050. Western China is an ideal location for solar given its 9 to 11 hours of sun per day (greatest in Tibet). Furthermore, many areas in Western China are off-grid and the government has an aggressive rural electrification initiative of ~300 MW. While details on the amount of subsidy have not been communicated, we learned of three large 30 MW solar power station projects planned for 2H06-2007. The prospect of large solar demand in China is likely to only benefit OEMs in China or global players with a manufacturing presence/JV in China. We believe that as funding for Chinese projects are finalized we may see more global OEMs partner or acquire suppliers in China.
Higher module prices and leading edge wafer thickness: Across industry, we find that spot module prices are now at $4.20 per watt. Contract prices remain circa $3.50 and below. In terms of wafer thickness, 240 um thickness is the norm in China and as a result, some manufacturers can now slice 45 wafers per kg of silicon (~100W at 10g/W), up from ~40 wafers (~88 W, 11.5 g/W) just six months ago -- a ~15% energy output improvement per kg. Although wafers can be sliced <100 um, thinner wafers are fragile and much more difficult to process into cells and modules.
About the author
Jesse W. Pichel, is Senior Research Analyst, Piper Jaffray & Co., a full-service brokerage firm based in Minneapolis, member NYSE and SIPC.
Buy hot new music from underground artist Yuya's new alternative cd, Give U Everything, at Rhapsody.com
MP3 Players, iPods, RingTones, digital music for sale online; New Rock and Reggae Music available for download:
Yuya's new album Give U Everything is now available to music fans worldwide; check out this new Canadian rock reggae recording artist at iTunes.com, MSN Music, Music.Yahoo.com, Rhapsody, emusic.com, StayAround.com, Musicload.de and more:
Find Yuya photos and songs at StayAround.com
Download Yuya CD Give U Everything at Music.MSN.com
Buy Yuya songs at Yahoo Music
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