Month: September 2006

ETHIOPIA: HISTORICAL OVERVIEW ON IN ETHIOPIAN FILM INDUSTRY
By Arefaynie Fantahun

The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
Sept 25 2006

As many will agree, the cinema industry in Ethiopia is still in its
infant stage. In recent times, the country is seeing a good number
of new generations of filmmakers, in their majority amateurs, who
are making films that are enjoying a good run in various cinema houses.

On a not brighter note, however, the contemporary films "are not up
to the standard," many in the industry admit. There just is much to
be desired as far as the development of films is concerned, they say.

But, ironically, cinema was introduced to this country only three
years after the world’s first film ever was projected in Paris in
December 28, 1895 by the Louis Lumière brothers. To get a sense of
how far this industry has come and why it failed to make the progress
it should, read on the following article by our regular contributor,
Arefaynie Fantahun.

In an article appeared in ‘Annales d’Ethiopie ‘(2003), a French
journal on Ethiopia, Dr. Berhanou Abebe, a renowned historian who has
published extensively on aspects of Ethiopian history and culture,
wrote that in 1898, a Frenchman from Algeria brought one of the first
cinematic artifacts to Ethiopia, and sold it to the Italian minister
Ciccodicola, who presented it to Emperor Menilek of Ethiopia as a gift.

It so happened that, Minilik, had heard about the invention and was
keen to get the cinematograph. It was said that he watched several
films after he owned the projector.

According to Dr. Berhanou, there was a film house called ‘Pate’
owned by MM. Baicovich Frères in 1909 -1910. People were stunned
by this magical invention for the first months but soon they turned
indifferent. A French historian, Merab, in his ‘Impressions d’Ethiopie
(1922), quoted by Dr. Berhanou, said, ‘people apparently didn’t like
to entertain themselves.’ Dr. Richard Pankhurst, a distinguished
historian with several publications and books to his credit, in his
widely-acclaimed book ‘Economic History of Ethiopia’ (1968) wrote
about another attempt made in 1909-10 by some Armenians, but the
project attracted only temporary interest, and was soon abandoned.

But despite such indifference, the newly established Addis Ababa was
undergoing changes and was on its way to becoming the center of the
country’s political and cultural life.

It was at this time the first European oriented school, staffed largely
by the French, was opened in Addis Ababa, and with these were imported
teachers who would promote western-style dramas, the theatres, and
films in the years to come.

According to, Encyclopedia Aethiopica, Vol. I (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz
Verlag, 2003), in the early days cinema, cinema houses were called
‘Ye Seytan Bet’, (House of Satan), a definition which well suited
the technological "devilry" of cinematographically combined images
and movement.

The first film known to be produced in Ethiopia was a short 16mm
black-and-white film, produced by a certain Tedla on the occasion of
Empress Zewditu’s coronation day in 1917.

To be continued.

–Boundary_(ID_aEzmde70iar/7KraKn9ePw) —

ALL ARMENIAN YOUTH CONFERENCE "NATION AND HERITAGE" TO LAUNCH IN STEPANAKERT

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Sept 25 2006

YEREVAN, September 25. /ARKA/. All-Armenian youth conference "Nation
and Heritage" will be held on September 26-30, 2006 in Stepanakert.

Thirty nine young people submitted applications for participation
in this event: 21 – from Nagorno-Karabakh, 18 – from Yerevan and
different Armenian regions.

The conference was initiated by the NKR Ministry of Health, Culture
and Sports and the Center for organization of youth activities of
the Ministry of Culture and Youth.

EU "THREE" DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA ON OCT 2, 2006

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Sept 25 2006

YEREVAN, September 25. /ARKA/. A delegation of the EU "Three" is
to arrive in Armenia on October 2, 2006, Acting Press Secretary,
RA Foreign Office, Vladimir Karapetyan told ARKA.

He reported that during their visit the delegation members are to
discuss the plan of action of the Armenia-EU cooperation.

Head of the European Commission mission to Armenia and Georgia,
Ambassador Torben Holtz pointed out on Saturday that the delegation
will be headed by Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. Finland
is currently EU Chairman.

The Ambassador reported that the Yerevan meeting is to be followed
by RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan’s visit to Brussels to take
part in a sitting of the Cooperation Council.

The work on the plan of action will be completed when the final goal
has been achieved, Holtz said.

The plan of action envisages assistance in economic and energy reforms,
including the shutdown of the Armenian NPP, local government,
encouragement of investments, higher and specialized education,
including the IT sector, democratic management and social protection.

On June 14, 2004, in Luxembourg, the EU Council for General Affairs
and Foreign Relations made a decision on expanding the European
Neighborhood initiative to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

T. SARGSYAN: HSBC PRESENCE IN ARMENIA HAS SPURRED ARMENIAN BANKS’ DEVELOPMENT

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Sept 25 2006

YEREVAN, September 25. /ARKA/. For a decade of its activity in Armenia,
HSBC Bank Armenia has proved that there is favorable ground in the
country for successful banking business, Tigran Sargsyan, chairman of
the Central Bank of Armenia, said Saturday at the ceremony of marking
10th anniversary of HSBC Bank Armenia activity in the republic.

Sargsyan pointed out that the bank started functioning here in
the years of turmoil and suffering. "Courage was needed to start
negotiating with the government and make this step believing in the
country’s future", he said.

In his words, in 90s, Armenian banks feared that they would fail to
stand competition and the offshore bank would humble national banking
system. Contrary to their anticipations, HSBC presence in Armenia
has laid favorable ground for national banks’ activities and spurred
their development.

There are 21 commercial banks in Armenia with their AMD 465.2 billion
aggregate assets and AMD 102.3 billion total capital. Their net profit
for the first half of 2006 was AMD 8.2 billion.

HSBC Bank Armenia, whose parent bank is HSBC Bank plc, was registered
on September 25, 1995.

HSBC Bank plc, a branch of HSBC Holdings plc, possesses 70% of HSBC
Bank Armenia shares, and 30% belong to overseas Armenian investors.

Balance profit of HSBC Bank Armenia totaled AMD 4.6 billion by June
30, 2006 and profit for Jan-June 2006 made 1.5 billion. The bank’s
statutory fund is AMD 2.4, assets are AMD 71.5 billion and total
capital is AMD 7.3 billion. Aggregate credit portfolio of HSBC Bank
Armenia was AMD 22.9 billion by June 30, 2006.

HSBC Bank Armenia is the country’s leading bank on many indices. His
share in commercial banks’ aggregate assets is 15%, in credit
investments is more than 10%, investments in securities is more than
21%. Over 23% of individuals’ and legal entities’ aggregate deposits
in Armenian banks are in HSBC Bank Armenia. ($1 – AMD 384.03).

ARMENIAN PROSECUTOR RALLIES PRESSURE GROUPS
By Hovannes Shoghikian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 25 2006

In a move underscoring his political ambitions, Prosecutor-General
Aghvan Hovsepian presided at the weekend over the creation of an
alliance of non-governmental organizations uniting prominent natives
of various regions of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Hovsepian was elected "honorary chairman" of the grouping of about
three dozen "compatriots’ unions," including his influential Nig-Aparan
organization. Its elected nominal leader, parliament deputy Vahram
Baghdasarian, claimed that the new "congregation" will be "apolitical"
and will have no ties with any political party.

However, Baghdasarian himself is a politician and a leading member of
the recently formed Association for Armenia party, which is widely
believed to be sponsored by Hovsepian. The latter was at pains to
repeat that he has no far-reaching political ambitions and that the
"congregation" will not cater for his interests.

"Do not try to drag me into politics with a donkey-like stubbornness,"
said Hovsepian. "I will not engage in politics."

Hovsepian’s assurances are dismissed by leading Armenian politicians
and commentators. One of them, the governing Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), has repeatedly condemned his perceived
involvement in political activities. The influential prosecutor is
widely seen as a potential major contender in the next presidential
election due in 2008.

Speaking at the congregation’s founding conference, Anahit Sargsian,
a senior member of Nig-Aparan, made it clear that the consolidating
"compatriots’ union" will not be "indifferent to [the question of]
who will be the republic’s president and prime minister, parliament
deputy or mayors of cities, towns and villages."

Sargsian also took a swipe at Armenia’s mainstream governing and
opposition parties, saying that they have all "have exhausted
themselves" and "blinded themselves with their materialistic zeal."

"They are now discredited in the eyes of the people," she charged.

The remarks were denounced by Hamlet Harutiunian of the Artsakh Union
of Armenia-based natives of Karabakh, which also joined the grouping.

"In general, nothing exhausts itself, especially political parties,"
he told RFE/RL.

FAMILY STILL WAITING FOR MISSING SOLDIER 12 YEARS ON
By Irina Hovannisian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 25 2006

Greta Karapetian has a dream, and it speaks volumes about her pain
and desperation. She would give up everything, including her life,
to catch a final glimpse of her soldier son who went missing in the
dying weeks of the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

"I will wait for him even on my death bed," she says in tears. "Let
my heart stop, let me die the moment my boy comes back and I see him
for the last time."

Ashot Karapetian, who was 27 at the time of his disappearance in April
1994, is one of about 950 Armenian servicemen and civilian hostages
that remain unaccounted for more than 12 years after a Russian-mediate
truce stop fierce fighting in and around Karabakh.

Over 200 of them were citizens of Armenia proper. Most have been
formally declared dead by Armenian courts at the request of their
families who have lost any hope of finding their loved ones.

Others still hope for a miracle, embittered by what they see as
government indifference to the fate of the missing soldiers and
civilians. Karapetian’s elderly parents say no military or government
official has visited them in the last 12 years and are surprised to
see journalists taking interest in their plight.

"Nobody cares about my son," says Ashot’s father Avetik. "I have
written to [Defense Minister] Serzh [Sarkisian], to [President Robert]
Kocharian, to everyone. They replied that they keep looking for.

"But who are they looking for? Don’t they know what happened to those
men? They know, but won’t tell us."

Karapetian himself spent several months touring Karabakh and trying
to gather information about his son a decade ago, but to no avail.

Ashot was in a group of five soldiers who went missing in a pitched
battle with Azerbaijani forces southeast of Karabakh on April 20,
1994, less than a month before the war was stopped. One of them,
Artak Avetisian, is said to have been seen in a critical condition
by some of his comrades on that day. But his whereabouts have been
unknown since then.

Avetisian’s parents believe he is most probably dead and had the
Armenian authorities officially certify that recently. The formality
allowed them to start receiving a measly state benefit of 3,000 drams
($8) a month.

"I pinned my hopes on them for five or six years, but nothing was
done," Avetisian’s father Hrant says, referring to the government and
the military. "All I heard was ‘don’t worry, he’ll come back one day.’"

The Armenian Defense Ministry insists, however, that it has done its
best to locate and repatriate prisoners of war. Colonel Ashot Balian,
a member of a ministry commission dealing with them, claimed last April
that hundreds of Armenians remain alive in Azerbaijani captivity. "We
have information that they are used as slave labor in Azerbaijan,"
Balian told RFE/RL. "The Azerbaijani authorities keep moving them
around and leaving no traces of them."

"We still hope that our missing sons will return to their families
one day," he said.

The Azerbaijani authorities have denied holding any Armenian prisoners
and allege, for their part, that as many as five thousand Azerbaijani
captives are being held in Armenia and Karabakh. Defense Minister
Sarkisian dismissed the claims as "unfounded" during an April meeting
the visiting chairman of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC), Jacob Kellenberger.

The Red Cross, which has offices in both Baku and Yerevan, is the main
international institution that arranges Armenian-Azerbaijani prisoner
exchanges and repatriations. Both conflicting armies continue to turn
to it for assistance after reporting soldier disappearances.

Prisoner exchanges have also been arranged by private individuals,
usually via Georgia. They have strong connections in Armenia and
Azerbaijan and earn lump sums in the process. According to an informed
member of the Yerkrapah Union of Armenian veterans of the Karabakh war,
who asked not to be identified, some families have paid the middlemen
between $40,000 and $150,000 to get their sons out of captivity. "If
the parents have money and know where their son is kept, their chances
are big," he told RFE/RL.

The Karapetians neither have money, nor know Ashot’s whereabouts.

What they have instead is a bitter grudge against the far more
prosperous Armenian officials who they feel could have done more
to bring their son back home. "Our boys went to fight and die to
swell their pockets and the coffers of Swiss banks," says Avetik
Karapetian. "If, God forbid, there is another war, who will fight
for this country? Let them, their children fight."

EU CALLS FOR ENLARGEMENT PAUSE AFTER ENTRY OF BULGARIA AND ROMANIA

Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Sept 25 2006

Turkey’s aspirations to join the European Union looked very gloomy
Monday after the head of the European Union’s executive said the
European bloc cannot integrate more members after Bulgaria and Romania
and before institutional reforms.

"After the enlargement of Romania and Bulgaria it seems to us that we
are not in a position to integrate new member states without prior
institutional reform," President of the European Commission Jose
Manuel Barroso told a press conference in Brussels this afternoon.

The European Commission is set to say Bulgaria and Romania may join
the EU in January 2007 in a report to be published on Tuesday.

"There is no formal decision but as the president of the European
Commission I think it would be unwise to bring in other member states
apart from Bulgaria and Romania, which will be joining us soon,
before we have sorted out the institutional question," he said.

The European Parliament is to debate its report on Turkey’s EU
membership on Tuesday. The report demands Turkey recognize the
‘Armenian massacre’ before it can join the European bloc.

On Croatia, another EU candidate country, Barroso said, "Of course
I would like Croatia to join as quickly as possible if it fulfills
all the criteria."

DARFUR AT THE CROSSROADS

The Register-Guard, Oregon
Sept 25 2006

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, on the global agenda more urgent
than rescuing the people of Darfur from genocide.

Yet world leaders continue to respond with half measures that seem
almost crafted to ensure that Darfuris will not escape the fate that
has befallen the Armenians, Jews, Cambodians and Rwandans in past
de- cades.

A United Nations panel reported last week that Sudan’s government is
defying U.N. sanctions and is escalating its attacks on the remaining
villages in the sprawling western region of Darfur. Despite an
arms embargo, the Khartoum regime is continuing to provide weapons,
vehicles and other military assistance to the Arab tribal militias
known as the Janjaweed.

Darfur stands at a crossroads, and so far there is no indication the
international community will intervene to halt what President Bush
rightly called genocide in a speech last week to world leaders at
the United Nations.

As many as 400,000 African Muslims have died in Darfur from violence
or disease since 2003, and another 2 million are homeless. Millions
more may die soon unless world leaders take decisive, forceful action
to stop the slaughter.

Several developments last week, including Bush’s appointment of a
special envoy to Sudan, indicate the world hasn’t entirely forgotten
Darfur. But more drastic steps are needed, and without them the promise
that the world will "never again" allow genocide to go unchecked,
a promise imbedded in the United Nations Charter, will once again
go unfulfilled.

Bush has named Andrew Natsios, the former administrator of the
U.S. Agency for International Development, as special envoy to Sudan.

While a higher-profile appointment, such as Colin Powell or James
Baker III, would have helped highlight the importance of the crisis
in Darfur, Natsios has the requisite experience and, hopefully,
the necessary support from the White House to break through the
stalemate that has frustrated efforts to get a U.N. peacekeeping
force into Darfur.

The Security Council has authorized sending 20,000 peacekeepers to
replace an undersized and poorly equipped African Union force. That
group has struggled ineffectively to protect refugees and the dwindling
number of international aid workers that remain in Darfur.

However, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has refused to allow the
peacekeepers to enter Darfur and has even pledged to attack them if
they try. Meanwhile, al-Bashir has ordered African Union troops to
leave by Sept. 30, even though the union has agreed to extend its
mandate through the end of the year.

The clock is ticking. The United States and its allies must do
everything possible to persuade the Sudanese government to allow U.N.

peacekeepers to enter Darfur. If African Union troops remain in the
region, then al-Bashir must allow NATO to provide the additional
support it has promised.

Meanwhile, the Security Council should enact tougher sanctions,
including a travel ban on al-Bashir and other government leaders
and a no-fly zone to prevent government aircraft from assisting
the Janjaweed. U.S. diplomats must lean on China and Russia, which
have resisted international intervention in Darfur, to use their
considerable clout with Khartoum to persuade al-Bashir to admit the
peacekeepers.

Sudan’s Arab neighbors, including Libya and Egypt, must also break
their shameful silence about the genocidal slaughter of Muslims and
add their support for U.N. deployment.

It will take all these measures and more to stop the gears of genocide
from grinding on in Darfur.

EU STEPS UP PRESSURE FOR TURKISH PENAL-CODE REFORM

EurActiv
Sept 25 2006

The EU welcomed the decision to clear a writer of charges, but insists
that Turkey changes its laws to allow greater freedom of expression.

Background:

Cases brought against writers in Turkey gave cause for international
concern about the so-called Turkishness trials. Turkey had dropped
charges against the writer Orhan Pamuk earlier this year, following
strong pressure from the EU. The Commission has asked Turkey to
remove article 301 of the penal code, which served as a basis for
the trials. Issues:

Author Elif Shafak was acquitted of charges on 21 September 2006. The
court said there was no evidence that she insulted "Turkishness"
in her novel. Shafak’s book menioned the mass killing of Armenians
during the Ottoman Empire.

Similar cases of trials have raised concerns over the state of freedom
of speech in Turkey. Shafak stated that the law was used against
people to silence them. The Commission has urged that unjustified
claims be dismissed and to acquit those accused.

Commission spokesperson Krisztina Nagy said that the situation would
be reflected in the regular progress report on Turkey’s EU accession,
to be published on 8 November 2006.

European Parliament sources say that the delay of the report was due to
the unresolved Cyprus issue. The EU Presidency is currently holding
intensive talks with Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and other interested
parties to try to unblock an EU deal to open direct trade with the
Turkish Cypriots and convince Turkey to open its ports and airports
to traffic from Cyprus. Positions:

Commission spokesperson Krisztina Nagy said that "the Commission
welcomes this recent judgement. This is obviously good news."

However, she insisted that article 301 "continues to pose a significant
threat to freedom of expression in Turkey and to all those who express
a non-violent opinion".

Dutch MEP Joost Lagendijk said on the issue concerning article 301
"the Turkish government has a majority in parliament. This is an issue
where they could act. If they don’t, it makes it much harder to find
a compromise on Cyprus as well, so this has an influence much wider
than only freedom of speech. It can influence the negotiation process
positively if something happens, and negatively if nothing does."

British MEP Richard Howitt said that "there are 80 such cases going
on at the moment. Most are opened for political reasons. As long
as the law remains unchanged, these people will be able to carry on
causing mayhem."

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan made clear that he was ready
to consider amending a controversial article of the penal code:"Let’s
sit down and discuss this. We have to forge a consensus."

Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that the government would
first monitor the implementation of the controversial article 301
before considering changing it. Latest & next steps:

The European Parliament is to debate and vote the Eurlings report
on Turkey’s accession at the next plenary session in Strasbourg
on 26-27 September 2006. The report imposes tough conditions on
Turkey. It emphasises outstanding issues, such as the Cyprus issue,
the controversial article 301, as well as insufficient progress in
the areas of freedom of expression, minority rights, corruption and
violence against women.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CIS SECURITY SERVICES TO HOLD ANTITERROR EXERCISES IN ARMENIA

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Sept 25 2006

MOSCOW, September 25 (Itar-Tass) – Security services of the Collective
Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) countries will be held at the
Armenian nuclear power plant on September 26-29, the CIS Antiterrorist
Centre’s chief Colonel-General Boris Mylnikov said.

He told reporters on Monday that the Atom – Antiterror 2006
operative-strategic exercises would be a drill of planning and
conducting the search "to reveal and destroy sabotage groups that
infiltrated the territory of Armenia and seized a nuclear power plant
in the city of Metsamor".

Workers of the Armenian National Security Service and the Russian
Federal Security Service’s Special Task Centre will act as "terrorists"
secretly moving in Armenia, Mylnikov said.

He said that antiterrorists divisions of CIS security services would
hold the exercises of this scale for the first time jointly with the
allied headquarters of the CSTO and Armenian army units that are a
part of the CSTO Collective Rapid Deployment Forces.

The Armenian National Security Service and antiterrorist units of the
FSB Special Task Centre will play a main role in the exercises. When
"terrorists" are spotted, the Armenian army’s motorised infantry
battalion of the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces in the
Trans-Caucasus and two companies of special forces will join the
action, Mylnikov said.

Representatives of G8 countries, the antiterrorist division of the
OSCE Secretariat, the counter-terrorist committee of the UN Security
Council, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation’s Regional Antiterrorist Structure have been invited to
the exercises in a capacity of observers.

"Azerbaijan has refused to participate in the exercises considering
the complex relations with Armenia because of a lack of settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem," Mylnikov said.