Spain floats a new Middle East peace conference

by Michael G. Mickey

(9-27-06)

Just when you think the international community has finally settled on a set number of parties to be involved in Middle East peacemaking, i.e. the international Quartet of Russia, the United States, the European Union and Russia, as well as a set plan, i.e. the Quartet's roadmap to peace, along comes something to make you ponder whether everything that has been discussed to date will eventually be scrapped in favor of something brand new. In today's example of this, the Washington Post is reporting that Spain is floating the idea of a new Madrid peace conference like one previously held in 1991. To get an idea what the Madrid peace conference of 1991 involved detail-wise, you can read an actual invitation to the conference that is posted online or a Wikipedia article on the same that is quite detailed.

Interestingly, as we see in the Post article, there's a chance, if this peace conference comes to pass, an end result may see the Quartet of Middle East peacemaking nations expanded to include new countries. This is interesting, of course, as we see in Daniel's prophecy detailing the advent of Antichrist (a leader of Roman descent), that he will confirm a seven-year covenant of peace "with many."

While I've always considered the possibility that the Quartet could be the "many" of which Daniel referred to, depending on how the idea of a new Madrid peace conference is received globally, we may see a much larger group of "many" involved in Middle East peacemaking than we've seen thus far. Not only that, a new Madrid peace conference, should it take place, would present the European Union an opportunity to headline the event, as well as offer any number of its diplomats an unprecedented opportunity to negotiate a settlement in the ongoing Middle East conflict which we know is eventually going to take place, as seen in Daniel 9:26-27.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos is quoted in the Post article as saying, "Perhaps it would be timely for all the interested parties to meet again, at the same level as in 1991, to reaffirm their commitment to a comprehensive solution and to the basic principles on which that should be based."

Not only that, Moratinos hinted that such a conference could get others close to the Middle East conflict, the Arabs in my opinion, more involved in the process when he said, "(It) could incorporate the added value of some countries which are key to the region."

In the 1991 Madrid peace conference, the concept of land-for-peace was a vehicle utilized by diplomats to try and get things worked out between all the parties involved in the region much as it is being utilized today. Not only that, even in 1991 the phrase "peace and security" was being used by the international community to describe the end goal of such negotiations, most interesting as we compare the "peace and security" the international community hoped to see result from the conference with the "peace and security" being sought today, especially when we view that precise terminology through the lens of Bible prophecy as recorded in 1st Thessalonians 5:3:

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Let's review, shall we? A present group of "many" peacemakers representative of the international community may potentially be on the verge of increasing in participating members, the end goal of which will be, yet again, to bring peace and safety to the Middle East. This potentially groundbreaking peace conference, should it be held, will meet right in the heart of the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy - today's European Union, the ever-growing group of nations that will, sooner or later, give rise to the prophesied Antichrist.

What will the Antichrist do, according to Bible prophecy? He will confirm (or make strong) a seven-year peace covenant. KEYWORD: confirm.

Of all I read on this topic, the portion of the article that hit closest to home for me, although there are a number of issues raised that could be significant to those of us monitoring events taking place in the world around us for evidence that Christ's return may be drawing near is how close Moratinos came to describing what needs to happen at this point in Middle East peacemaking.

Moratinos said and I quote, "At this stage the important thing is not to invent new solutions but to have the courage, the historic generosity and the political will to apply the formulas ... which have already been examined to a very large extent in the course of previous negotiations, such as Camp David and Taba."

In other words, Moratinos thinks it's time for someone to actually confirm (or make strong) plans that are already in existence, based on years and years of on-again, off-again peace talks that have formed strong opinions as to how Middle East peace can actually be obtained!

With each and every day comes the possibility that something new is going to develop of prophetic interest, as I strive to document as thoroughly as I can on this website on a routine basis.

While the Quartet of Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations definitely meets the criteria to be the "many" which the Antichrist to come will confirm Middle East peace with in fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy and has, in fact, been trying to secure Middle East peace for years now, it may be on its way out having accomplished very little toward that end. A week from now (or perhaps even sooner) we may be discussing what is being said concerning a Middle East peace conference to take place in Madrid, Spain that may change everything concerning the future of Middle East peacemaking efforts.

Only one short week ago, I wrote a commentary detailing how former US president Bill Clinton had raised the possibility that a new Middle East peace initiative could emerge within the next two months, although he said he didn't have any "insider information" to base that on. I wrote, in relation to that issue:

While the article states that Mr. Clinton says he has no insider information on the situation, one has to wonder why he'd even make such a suggestion if he didn't. Why would he say a new initiative could emerge within the next 60 days when so much emphasis has been placed on reviving the Quartet's roadmap to peace, for example?

Having read of the potential of a new Madrid peace conference taking place today, I'm thinking my suspicions may well have been right on target on that issue a week ago. Bill Clinton may have let the cat out of the bag --- and I may have caught it.

The end times drama continues...