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TEN NATION CONFEDERACY POSSIBILITIES
There has been in existence since 1930, an
"economic" organization which is called, The Bank for International
Settlements (BIS).
BIS (The Bank for International Settlements)
Since September 1994, the eleven countries
from which the members of the Bank's Board of Directors are drawn have been
identical with the countries which comprise the Group of Ten, with which the
BIS has had a long and close association.
The purpose of this "The Group of Ten" (G-10)
organization is summarized as follows:
"The G-10 meetings have, over time,
become the pivotal forum in which much wider activities have been set in
motion by the G-10 central banks in the pursuit of international
financial stability - for example in the fields of monetary and
financial market monitoring and analysis, banking supervision and
payment and settlement systems."
The BIS in brief:
1. as a forum for international
monetary cooperation, the services offered by the BIS in hosting
meetings of central bankers and in providing facilities for various
committees, both standing and ad hoc, make an important contribution to
international monetary cooperation and mutual understanding
2. as a bank for central banks, the BIS
plays an important role in providing central banks with a broad range of
financial services for managing their external reserves
3. as a center for monetary and
economic research, the BIS contributes to a better understanding of
international financial markets and the interaction of national monetary
policies
4. acting as Agent or Trustee, the BIS
facilitates the execution of various international financial agreements.
(From the BIS website: http://www.bis.org/about/index.html)
Of course there is no way of knowing whether
this will be the particular organization that qualifies as "the ten horns"
until the historical reality occurs.
The WEU
In addition, there are other groups that might
just as easily qualify as the "ten horns."
The WEU (Western European Union) is also comprised of TEN specific nations
that govern its policies and activities. The WEU was founded in 1955, and
since then has participated in various political and military operations
with the intent of preserving the peace and security of Western Europe.
The purpose of this organization is to support
and defend the Modidfied Brussels Treaty.
(The Brussels Treaty signed on 17
March 1948 was amended by the Paris Agreements signed on 23 October
1954)
The unified intent of the nations that adopted
the Brussels Treaty is summed up as follows:
To reaffirm their faith in
fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person
and in the other ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations;
To fortify and preserve the
principles of democracy, personal freedom and political liberty, the
constitutional traditions and the rule of law, which are their common
heritage;
To strengthen, with these aims in
view, the economic, social and cultural ties by which they are already
united;
To co-operate loyally and to
co-ordinate their efforts to create in Western Europe a firm basis for
European economic recovery;
To afford assistance to each other,
in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, in maintaining
international peace and security and in resisting any policy of
aggression;
To promote the unity and to
encourage the progressive integration of Europe;
To associate progressively in the
pursuance of these aims other States inspired by the same ideals and
animated by the like determination;
Desiring for these purposes to
conclude a treaty for collaboration in economic, social and cultural
matters and for collective self-defence;
READ THE FULL TEXT of the Brussels Treaty
At the present time, there are 28 nations
associated with the WEU, but the core of TEN continue to be the ones who are
in control of the organization.
The WEU Assembly comprises 364
parliamentarians from the 28 countries of the WEU family. Among
them, the 115 representatives (and an equal number of substitutes)
from the ten signatory states of the modified Brussels Treaty have full
rights.
The nations involved with the WEU are:
The member countries (10):
France, Germany, Italy, United
Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, Luxembourg)
The associate member countries (6):
Poland, Turkey, Czech Republic,
Hungary, Norway, Iceland)
The observer countries (5):
Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Finland,
Ireland)
The associate partner countries (7):
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Bulgaria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania
THREE POINTS OF FOCUS:
1. Since 1955, WEU has often been an
instrument of progress in the European construction process.
2. The validity and quality of WEU's
politico-military legacy is recognised by those involved in the
elaboration of a Common European Security and Defence Policy (CESDP) for
the European Union.
3. The modified Brussels Treaty retains
its political potential for as long as it remains in force.
See information about the WEU at: http://www.assemblee-ueo.org/en/accueil.php
and http://www.weu.int/
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