Month: June 2005

AZG Armenian Daily #119, 29/06/2005
Armenia-CE
KOCHARIAN GIVES IN TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Referendum and Elections in November May Turn into a Trail for Armenia and
Azeri Presidents
At a joint press conference with Armenian foreign minister yesterday,
Germany’s permanent representative to the Council of Europe, Roland
Wegener, stated that progress is looming in all 3 spheres of Armenia’s
obligations to the CE — balancing the authority of executive and
legislative powers, reforming jural system and establishing electoral
system for Yerevan mayor.
Ago group and monitoring group of PACE are the ones that monitor
obligations Armenia assumed. Wegener, chairman in office of Ago
group met with Armenian President, parliament speaker as well as the
ministers of foreign affairs and justice.
In fact, President Kocharian and the ruling coalition are making
concessions exposed to pressure from the CE. If in the past the
Armenian authorities used to resist particularly in the issue
of elective mayoralty, then they are surrendering in the last few
weeks. The European structures, the CE above all, watching developments
in Armenia and Azerbaijan are giving clear signals that the referendum
and parliamentary elections launching in the countries will be in
the focus of their attention.
“Primarily, we need to make sure that the participating states meet
the standards of the CE in the spheres of democracy, human rights and
rule of law. For that reason, we take the South Caucasian region in our
spotlight for the time being. We believe important the developments
connected with referendum on Armenian constitution and parliamentary
elections in Azerbaijan”, head of the Committee of Minister of the
CE Amaral stated lately.
Wegener also stated yesterday that it is desirable that the
constitutional reforms win the favor of the majority in the parliament
and the opposition by the beginning of second hearings in August. That
will mark, Wegener put it, a new page in the democratic process in
the country. The envoy also noted that the referendum in fall should
be a turning point on this road.
Wegener also talked of Nagorno Karabakh issue. While joining the
Council of Europe in 2001, Armenia and Azerbaijan undertook obligation
to settle the conflict only peacefully. Wegener said that he is
acquainted with the details of the talk process but there are key
points over which the sides are failing to agree.
Vartan Oskanian confirmed that he had an unofficial meeting with his
Azeri counterpart in Brussels on June 22 and labeled the meeting
“very useful”. Foreign minister repeated that he and Mamediarov
came to an agreement in Paris over one issue not accounting small
points. Oskanian did not unveil the issue that the sides agreed on
but expressed hope that it will be settled and after that they will
pass on to other issue of the conflict.
The foreign minister does not expect new tasks from the OSCE Minsk
group co-chairs arriving in the region on July 11-16. He noted that
they are conducting talks over all the suggestions that are on the
table. And if the sides reach a consensus, Oskanian said, they will
easily jot it down.
By Tatoul Hakobian

DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND SYRIA DISCUSS STANCES OF THE
TWO COUNTRIES CONCERNING ISSUES OF MUTUAL INTEREST
ARKA News Agency
June 28 2005
YEREVAN, June 28. /ARKA/. Deputy Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Syria
Gegham Garibjanyan and Ahmad Arnus today discussed the stances of the
two countries concerning issues of mutual interest. As the Information
and Press Department of RA Foreign Ministry told ARKA News Agency,
the participants of the meeting also considered the perspectives for
cooperation in international organizations and the problems of Middle
Eastern and South Caucasian regions. Special attention was paid to
expansion of contractual basis and perspectives of trade-economic
relations development between the two countries. L.V.-0–

AZERI AND TURKISH FMs DISCUSSED KARABAKH ISSUE
Pan Armenian News
28.06.2005 06:46
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey Elmar
Mamedyarov and Abdullah Gul discussed the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict in Ankara yesterday, reported the Yerkir newspaper. Mamedyarov
is in Turkey on the invitation of Abdullah Gul. Besides the Karabakh
issue, the interlocutors also discussed a number of regional and
international matters.

INFRASTRUCTURE TO USE WiFi FORMED IN ARMENIA
Pan Armenian News
28.06.2005 06:35
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian capital is almost totally covered by
WiFi network for Internet access by low-power radio modems, Deputy
Executive Director of Web provider company Suren Zaratsyan stated in
a conversation with .am reporter. As of the current situation, the
second city of Armenia – Gyumri, as well as Artashat, Charentsavan and
Abovyan are also covered by wireless technologies. The Deputy Director
remarked that the only obstacle for access to Internet via WiFi may be
“barricades” like tall houses and relief. Direct vision of the access
point is necessary for access, S. Zaratsyan explained. Earlier
director of Arminco provider Andranik Aleksanyan reported that
the company has placed some 50 points of wireless access in the
territory of Yerevan that serve 500-600 users. The Director noted
that the company keeps standard prices of Internet access for all
connection types (except dial-up access) – 5 cents for 1 MB. Earlier
it was necessary, firstly, to get a license for production of radio
equipment, secondly, to receive authorization of use of radio spectrum
for production of computers, and thirdly, to register each computer
at the Technological Center CJSC of the Ministry of Transport and
Communication of Armenia and have it certified by a special certifying
body. Now the procedure is canceled and this will allow users of the
technologies avoid “bustle and headache.” It should be also noted
that for the use of the WiFi standard the 2.4 GHz radio frequency
was legalized in Armenia this spring.

Armenian court gives Azeri spy 12 years in jail
Itar-Tass, Russia
June 29 2005
YEREVAN, June 29 (Itar-Tass) – A local court in the Armenian capital
on Tuesday sentenced Andrei Maziyev, an Armenian citizen of Russian
origin, to 12 years in prison for treason through espionage in favor
of Azerbaijan.
Before his arrest Maziyev worked as an engineer at Yerevan’s Zvartnots
airport. The court agreed with prosecutors’ conclusion that Maziyev for
five years cooperated with security agencies of Azerbaijan, passing
them sensitive information about the political situation in Armenia,
its political parties and shadow business.
He made photographs and collected information about the presidential
take-offs and landings plane as well as on the route of the president’s
motorcade through the airport.

PUBLIC AFFAIR SOFFICE
NEWS RELEASE
EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AMERICAN AVENUE 1
YEREVAN, ARMENIA
June 28, 2005
TELEPHONE (+374 10) 46 47 00; 46 47 01; 46 47 02

Community Connections Program Celebrates Seven Year Anniversary
On Friday, June 24 IREX Armenia hosted the “Seven Years of CC” Farewell
Reception in celebration of seven successful years of the U.S. State
Department funded Community Connections (CC) Program. The audience
included more than 350 Community Connections alumni from throughout
Armenia, as well as such distinguished guests as U.S. Ambassador John
Evans and Armenian Minister of Education and Science Sergo Yeritsyan.
Through the Community Connections Program, Armenian specialists from
various occupations completed a 3-5 week internship in the United
States in their field of specialty. The goal of the program was to
provide trainings that prepare Armenians in key fields to respond to
the needs of their country and to introduce innovative and effective
practices into their professions. By allowing Armenian specialists to
enhance their professional skills in the United States, the program
also created important long-term connections between U.S. and Armenian
communities. Community Connections Program participants were recruited
and selected by IREX, and were able to complete their program through
funding from the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs.

ARMENIAN AND SYRIAN DEPUTY FMs DISCUSSED PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION
Pan Armenian News
28.06.2005 07:26
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Gegham
Gharibjanyan met with his Syrian counterpart Ahmad Arnous, reported the
Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The
joint delegation of the MFA and the Ministry of Finance of Syria
is in Armenia for recurrent political consultations June 28-30, as
well as to sign an agreement between the Governments on avoiding
double taxation. In the course of the meeting in interlocutors
discussed positions of the two countries over matters of mutual
interest, as well as prospects of development of cooperation within
international organizations and problems of the Near East and the South
Caucasus. Special attention was paid to prospects of expansion of the
legal framework and development of commercial and economic cooperation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Box: Darchinyan has chance to turnaround Australia’s fortunes
By Adrian Warren
AAP NEWSFEED, Australia
June 28, 2005, Tuesday 9:52 AM Eastern Time
SYDNEY, June 28 — IBF flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan has the chance
to turnaround Australia’s recent disastrous run in world title fights
when he defends his title against Colombian Jaair Jimenez.
The July 27 bout at the Sydney Entertainment Centre will be the
second defence for the 29-year-old, who won the title from Irene
Pacheco last December before retaining it against South African
Mzukisi Sikali in March.
Since that victory Australia has suffered three successive defeats in
world title bouts with Paul Briggs, Kostya Tszyu and Anthony Mundine
all being beaten.
Jimenez, 26, the ninth ranked contender, has a record of 22 wins
(16 KOs) four losses and one draw.
Three of his four losses occurred outside Columbia.
He lost on points to Adonis Rivas in a fight for the World Boxing
Organisation interim flyweight title in 2002 and suffered defeats in
his two most recent bouts against Gerson Guerrero, both of which were
in fights for the WBO Latino super flyweight Championship.
“He (Jimenez) is a tough kid, but if Vic trains properly, he’s not
going to have a problem with anybody,” Darchinyan’s trainer Jeff
Fenech said.
“Vic has been training very hard, he ran 20km yesterday.
“He’s certainly looking stronger and more confident with the title,
he’s much more at ease.”
Darchinyan, who relocated to Australia after representing Armenia
at the 2000 Olympics, boasts an unblemished professional record of
23 wins (18 KOs).
Fenech reiterated Darchinyan was still not the finished product.
“We’ve got things to work on, his pressure and his overall fitness
and I’d like him to shorten his punches up a bit,” Fenech said.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO MEMBERSHIP OF ARMENIA IN
INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION
ARKA News Agency
June 28 2005
YEREVAN, June 28. /ARKA/. RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian attaches
importance to membership of Armenia in International Labor Organization
(ILO). As the Information and Press Department of RA Foreign Ministry
told ARKA News Agency, Oskanian stated that during his meeting with
Friedrich Buttler, Director of the ILO Regional Office for Europe and
Central Asia. Oskanian noted that the integration into ILO would help
not only to solve the social issues in the country, but would have a
considerable impact on the economic development and increase of the
international rating of the country.
The Minister also welcomed the decision of the organization to create
the post of “national correspondent” in Armenia in order to regulate
the relations with ILO more efficiently.
At the same time, Buttler presented the activities of ILO in Armenia
and mentioned the directions of activities – investments in poverty
reduction program, assistance for creation of new job vacancies,
improvements in legislation of the sphere, assistance for integration
of Armenia in global processes. L.V.–0–

Newhouse News Service
June 27, 2005 Monday
Discussing the Art of Acting a Tough Role for Joan Allen
By TODD HILL; Todd Hill is film critic for the Staten Island (N.Y.)
Advance. He can be contacted at hill(at)siadvance.com.
The actress Joan Allen is being asked to do something she’s not only
sometimes uncomfortable doing, she’s not even sure she knows how to
do it.
She’s being asked to talk about acting.
The actress, who appears now in her third movie of 2005 a smaller,
independent film called “Yes,” directed by Sally Potter begins with
an analogy.
“When you ask a musician how they wrote that song they’re kind of like,
‘I don’t know, you know?’ And it can be one of the most moving things
you’ve ever heard,” she said during a recent interview.
“It’s not uncommon for painters and composers and actors, anyone
who’s creative, it’s not always easy to articulate how you do it.
Everybody comes at it from different places.”
But Allen has another reason for being reticent on the subject, at
least initially. “Sometimes I can get a little superstitious about
it and not want to analyze it too much, for fear that it will go away
if I look into it too much,” she said.
There’s also the fact that Allen has already invested many hours in
talking about her character in “Yes,” known simply as “She,” with
both Potter and her co-star Simon Abkarian (“He”). It’s difficult
to work on a Potter film without participating in extensive analysis
into character and motivation.
“Yes,” a supremely arty picture about the relationship between an
American woman and a Middle Eastern man, is Potter’s take on the events
of Sept. 11 and thereafter. It may be a love story, but it’s also the
British native’s chance to touch on the politics of today’s changed
world. And that gave the director and her actors a lot to talk about.
“We would sometimes go through certain scenes and have political
discussions,” Allen said. “It would bring up stuff for us, which
we would sort of talk about, but we knew the most effective way was
to make the relationship believable, passionate, intense, all those
things, and then the audience would take from it what they saw.”
Abkarian, an Armenian who grew up in Lebanon and France and who makes
his English-language debut in “Yes,” applauds Potter for addressing
the cultural chasm that currently exists between the West and the
Middle East.
“These days we are taught it is impossible to relate to each other
we are this and they are that, this is evil and this is not but it’s
beyond that simplicity,” he said. “It’s possible to create spaces
where we can relate to each other, accepting our differences.”
“Yes” is also notable for being spoken entirely in iambic pentameter.
The characters, in other words, rhyme throughout, and yet the device,
while perhaps pretentious, isn’t terribly distracting.
“Most people watch it for quite a long time a third, halfway through
and then they start to go, ‘Oh, does this rhyme?’ I’m very gratified
that that’s what’s happening,” Allen said.
“We were told when we were working on it to think much more Eminem
and Def Poetry Jam than Shakespeare. The point was to make it as
conversational as possible, to get the emotional meaning first and
then the poetry.”
Potter, who also considers herself a dancer, choreographer and musician
in addition to being a filmmaker, achieved her greatest success behind
the camera with 1992’s “Orlando,” based on the Virginia Woolf novel
and starring Tilda Swinton.
She’s also the first female filmmaker Allen has ever worked with,
despite a resume that totals nearly 30 motion pictures. Judging
from Allen’s effusive praise for her director, the experience was a
positive one.
“I felt so nurtured with her,” Allen said. “She said, ‘I will not put
one frame in this film where you do not look exquisite.’ I’ve never
had a director say that before.”
And indeed, the 48-year-old Allen does look rather fetching in
“Yes,” which she considers her most sensual performance to date. It’s
certainly a departure from her two other movie roles this year, as
an earth mother in the independent film “Off the Map” and an angry,
alcoholic widow in “The Upside of Anger.”
Last year Allen appeared as steelier characters in “The Notebook”
and the thriller “The Bourne Supremacy,” with Matt Damon.
“I do hope I get more opportunities, all actors want that,” she said.
“Well, most actors want that variety and range, so they’re not seen
in only a particular way.”