Month: May 2008

ELIN SULEYMANOV: "BARAK OBAMA IS REALLY CLOSE TO BECOMING A CANDIDATE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY"

Today.Az
itics/45195.html
May 23 2008
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with Azerbaijan’s consul general in Los Angeles
Elin Suleymanov.

-How would you comment on information of various mass medias, which
state that Barak Obama is close to becoming a candidate to US President
from the Democratic Party?

-I would like to mention that I will speak as an exterior observer,
as being representatives of foreign countries, we do not interfere
with the internal political processes in the United States. At the
same time, like most other diplomats, accredited in the United States,
we are observing the election campaign with great interest. Though
election of politicians is an internal affair of Americans, everyone
realizes that Washington’s policy has a great influence both on
the international climate and the bilateral relations with each US
partner country.

In this context, I would like to share some personal observations. On
the whole, the US press mostly adhering to liberal outlooks, highlights
Obama more positively that other candidates. At the same time, Obama
is really close to becoming a candidate from the Democratic Party.

-How would you explain the popularity of this politician?

-I think a number of factors play a role in this issue, for example,
the reduced popularity of the Republicans party which in turn
increases chances of democrats. Obama himself is a young politician
of afro-American origin is an unusual candidate for position of the
president. This and his declamatory abilities promoted his popularity.

He successfully positioned himself as a candidate of changes, which
complies with the moods in the American society. It is important
that he has appeared not too long on a national political arena of
the United States and voters and not so much informed about him. This
strengthens his image of a candidate of changes and doubts regarding
sufficient experience to govern the country.

-How great are his chances to become the US president?

-This will be shown by the US voters in November. As is seen, the
election campaign this year is unpredictable so I will abstain from
any forecasts.

-What is the difference between his promises and the promises of the
candidate from Republicans, senator McCain?

-There are serious differences between senators McCain and Obama and
between McCain and senator Klinton both in the internal and external
policy. Perhaps, the problem is not the promises but the possibility
of their execution in case of victory of one of the candidates.

I would like to note that some promises made during the campaign
by each of the candidates, are quite unreal. This is more likely an
attempt to voice issues, important for candidate. Voters seem to be
aware that the common trend and priority of the policy of candidates
and not the obligatory execution of each definite promise.

-Do you think the US President will recognize the 1915 events in the
Osman Turkey as "a genocide of Armenians" in period of presidency of
those, fighting now for the post of the US head of state?

-Practice shows that different US Administrations are aware of the
importance of relations of Turkey-one of the most reliable allies
of the United States, and abstain from accusations of the so called
"genocide". At the same time, the Armenian diaspora has intensified its
activity on the issue and the pressure on different level politicians.

Thus, I would not like to make definite forecasts in this
case. Certainly, the assessment of the 1915 events in the Osman empire
has nothing to do with history and reflects political interesys of
definite politicians. Unfortunately, the leaders of Armenian diaspora
are more interested in it than the development of Armenia and even
more than the long-term interests of the United States in our region.

-It is said in Azerbaijan that Obama’s inauguration would increase
US pressure on Azerbaijan in the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. Is it true?

-Everything will depend on who will win the presidential elections
in the United States. Both Washington and the United States are aware
of the importance of strategic partner relations with Azerbaijan. In
this context, pressure on Azerbaijan is not a productive form of
building relations.

As for the US efforts to assist in the peaceful resolution of the
conflict, the best approach for our US friends is a support of the
model of fair resolution on the basis of international law. This
means not pressure but equal dialogue.

Moreover, with all my respect to mediators I consider that the most
important factors of the conflict resolution lie in our region, but
not out of its bounds. I do hope that the realities of the region
development, in particular Azerbaijan, will help the Armenian side
realize the lack of prospects of ethnic expansion and self-isolation
on the one hand and dividends of cooperation on the other hand.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2008 – FINAL: PARTICIPANTS LIST

Top40-Charts.com
May 23 2008
NY

LONDON, UK (Top40 Charts) – After the two Semi-Finals on Tuesday
and Thursday, all songs in the Final of the 2008 Eurovision Song
Contest are known. The Final will be broadcast tomorrow at 21:00 CET
in the evening.

Just like both Semi-Finals, the Final, of course, starts with the
Eurovision hymn. Shortly afterwards, Marija Serifovic’, the winner
of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, enters the stage to perform
together with a group of female dancers.

After that the hosts, Jovana Jankovic’ and Z(eljko Joksimovic’,
go on stage.While in the First Semi-Final, the theme was "City" and
in the Second Semi-Final, the theme was "Water", the theme of the
Final will be the combination of both – "City and Water". This is,
of course, a symbol of the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, which sits
at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers.

The first song in the Final is Pe-o Margine De Lume by Nico &
Vlad from Romania. They perform their operatic song brilliantly and
without any vocal problems. The colour theme on the stage and on the
LED projections are dark and resembles a romantic night sky. Second
on stage is Andy Abraham from the United Kingdom, who was directly
qualified for the Final. His vocal and dance performance sounds and
looks confident, and Andy manages well to give good vibes to the
public. He performs in a dark blue suit, and the LED projections are
very colourful. Third to perform is Olta Boka from Albania. Even though
she is the youngest singer participating in the 2008 Eurovision Song
Contest, she convinces everyone with her charms and her flawless vocal
performance. The LED screen in the background reflects the zooming-in
on a warm-coloured heart. The next song represents another one of the
countries directly qualified for the Final – Germany. The four girls
of the band No Angels are dressed in two colours, blue and purple. The
chorus is emphasized by pyrotechnical effects, and the background
scenery shows feathers gliding through the air. Their performance is
vocally solid and without visible problems. Fifth on stage is Sirusho,
singing Qele, Qele for Armenia. Sirusho looks fantastic on stage with
her short white, grey and black dress, and the dance performance is
professional, too. Pyrotechnical effects are used to boost the visual
appearance, too. Vocally, there is still some room for improvements
until the Final.

The next artist entering the stage is Laka from Bosnia and
Herzegovina. The whole setup of this performing brings a smile to
everyone’s face as the two main figures, Laka and his sister Mirela,
are running on stage in weird clothes and hairdresses. Four elderly
looking women perform as backing vocals, wearing white dresses and
knitting while singing. In the end of the performance, the word "LOVE"
is displayed on drying laundry. The audience was very enthusiastic of
this truly special and entertaining performance. Next up is Israel’s
Boaz Mauda who enters the stage, which, at that moment, is completely
dark. But this changes as soon as he sings the first chorus. Later
on, five backing vocals join and support him. Vocally, Boaz showed
all his talents and he left a powerful impression with his quiet
ballad. Eighth on stage are Terasbetoni from Finland, who certainly
wake up everyone who has switched on the TV set! They show Finnish
rock music at its best, powered by pyrotechnical effects, smoke and
loud shouting. The lights on stage are intensely blinking. The colour
theme of the stage and the LED screen in the background is in white
and red colours. The next country in the line-up is Croatia. After
the youngest performer in this Final, who performed third, it’s now
time for the oldest, who calls himself ’75 Cents’ corresponding with
his age. He performs together with Kraljevi Ulice – "The Kings Of The
Street". They sing a nostalgic song in Croatian language, reminding
of street art. Towards the end of the song, 75 Cents is scratching
a record on a grammophone like a young hip-hop DJ. On the big LED
screen in the background, white doves appear. Tenth to perform is
Isis Gee from Poland. She improved her vocal performance amazingly
since her first rehearsal! In a light blue dress, she performs her
love song confidently, while she is accompanied by her husband playing
the piano and four female violinists.

The stage is in white and light blue colours.

The eleventh country, Iceland, is represented by Euroband, consisting
of the two singers Friorik and Regina. They showed an energetic
performance of their song. Both were dressed in black and pink
outfits. They looked really relaxed and confident on stage, and
they were very warmly received by the public in the hall. Turkey
is next, with a rock song in Turkish language, performed by Mor
ve Otesi. The stage shows dark colours, with papier mache dolls
shown on the background screen and pyrotechnical effects in the
foreground. Both visually and vocally, the performance was confident
and powerful. Afterwards, there is the first commercial break,
and it’s time for a report from the Green Room by Kristina and Bane
again. Then, it’s the turn of the country drawn 13th: Portugal. Vania
Fernandes wears a black dress, while her five backing vocals wear
white clothes. The background scenery is entirely in blue and reminds
of water, fitting the song title Senhora Do Mar. Towards the end,
the wind machine emphasizes the increasing dramatic appearance of the
song and the singers. Both visually and vocally, the Portuguese entry
was brilliant! Next is another song which talks about the wide oceans:
Pirates Of The Sea, representing Latvia. The singers and dancers are
dressed up like pirates, reminding of carnival. Smoke effects are used,
and all in all, the public gets to see an energetic and funny stage
act. The 15th singer on stage is fan favourite Charlotte Perrelli,
representing Sweden. She is shown on screen in black and white in the
beginning, but after the first verse, everything is in colour again
– so don’t worry, your TV set is not broken, and you do not need to
readjust the colour settings either. Charlotte and her five backing
dancers showed a solid performance for their typical schlager song.

After a long night of celebrating, Simon Mathew enters the stage. He
and his band represent Denmark. They deliver a great and energetic
performance of All Night Long. At the end of the song, the LED
screen in the background shows fireworks in blue, white and purple
colours creating a feeling of being at a New Year party, which lasts
all night long. The 17th country in the Final is Georgia, which is
being represented by the blind singer Diana Gurtskaya. She starts
her performance in black leather clothes. Later on, a white blanket
is pulled over her from the front to the back of the stage, and as
soon as she reappears, the public gets to see her and her dancers in
different dresses! The performance and stage act were all good and the
public was very enthusiastic about her performance. Next up is another
favourite of the fans and bookmakers: Ukraine. Ani Lorak sings Shady
Lady in a stylish short shining dress, while she is supported by one
backing singer and four male dancers. The main element on stage is
a special box with mirrors on the outside, which turns transparent
when the lights inside are turned on. Ani even climbs on top of the
box during the performance! The singing was powerful and convincing,
and the stage act was elaborate. At the 19th draw position, it’s the
turn of France, another country which is directly qualified for the
Final. Sebastien Tellier shows his long hair and beard to the camera in
a self-confident way. The background scenery showed warm colours, and
it was reminiscent of a solar eclipse. Sebastien sung professionally
and without problems. The next country is Azerbaijan, showing one of
the most spectacular stage acts of the Final: Elnur performs as an
angel, while Samir is dressed like the devil. The performance features
not only traditional Azeri Mugham singing, but also pyrotechnical
effects. Altogether, the act looked and sounded convincing.

Greece was drawn 21st yesterday, so it’s Kalomira’s turn to perform
now. Again, the public gets to see an elaborate performance,
this time with a prop that turns into a shiny purple heart. Both
visually and vocally, Kalomira convinced everyone with a powerful
performance. Next is another directly qualified country: Spain. The
Western European country is being represented by Rodolfo Chikilicuatre
and his funny dance song Baila El Chiki Chiki. The performance includes
moves out of four distinct dances, and the stage scenery includes
bright colours, with the main one being red. On the background,
the names of the four dances are shown. The host country, Serbia,
is being represented by Jelena Tomasevic’, singing a nostalgic
ballad with ethnic influences. She wears a grey dress, and the wind
machine is used to make the performance look even more dramatic. She
looked and sounded confident, and the whole act was professional
and flawless. The postcard for Russia shows the recipe for a fish
soup, but obviously this doesn’t have anything to do with the song
or performance. Dima Bilan, one of the bookmakers’ favourites,
performs together with the figure skater Evgenii Plushenko and the
violinist Edvin Marton. Dima starts the stage act lying on the floor,
and later on, all three performers move onto artificial ice together,
with Evgenii performing skating figures and Edvin playing a 300 year
old Stradivari violin. Everything looked professional, elaborate,
and convincing for Russia. The last artist to perform on stage is
Maria from Norway. She performs in a dark blue dress in front of a
stage scenery in similar colours, with small lights on it, reminding
of stars. Her pop song sounded great, and there was nothing to be
criticized or improved in this performance.

After the performance of the Norwegian entry, it is time for the hosts
to start the voting. They do this by calling a special guest on stage,
which is one of the biggest basketball legends in Serbia. Thereafter
there is a re-run of the 25 songs, which is followed up by video
clips with the Eurovision atmosphere in Belgrade, such as the
Sava Centar/Press Centre, the Belgrade Arena, arriving fans in the
airport, the life in the Belgrade streets and the participants on
sightseeing. The video clips are followed up by another re-run of the
finalists. Then the voting period finishes, and the hosts introduce
the interval act. The interval act is traditional Serbian music,
and the female backing singers and male wear traditional Serbian
outfits. After a brief visit in the Green Room, the test voting begins.

Citizens of each country vote by telephone or SMS. The country’s
10 favourites are awarded 12, 10, then 8 through 1 points based on
votes. All 45 countries present their awarded points, totalling to
determine the winner.

Eurovision Song Contest 2008 – Final: Participants List: 1. Romania –
Nico & Vlad – Pe-o Margine De Lume 2. United Kingdom – Andy Abraham
– Even If 3. Albania – Olta Boka – Zemren E Lame Peng 4. Germany –
No Angels – Disappear 5. Armenia – Sirusho – Qele, Qele 6. Bosnia &
Herzegovina – Laka – Pokus(aj 7. Israel – Boaz – The Fire In Your
Eyes 8. Finland – Terasbetoni – Missa Miehet Ratsastaa 9. Croatia –
Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents – Romanca 10. Poland – Isis Gee – For Life
11. Iceland – Euroband – This Is My Life 12. Turkey – Mor ve O"tesi –
Deli 13. Portugal – Va^nia Fernandes – Senhora Do Mar (Negras A’guas)
14. Latvia – Pirates Of The Sea – Wolves Of The Sea 15. Sweden –
Charlotte Perrelli – Hero 16. Denmark – Simon Mathew – All Night
Long 17. Georgia – Diana Gurtskaya – Peace Will Come 18. Ukraine
– Ani Lorak – Shady Lady 19. France – Sebastien Tellier – Divine
20. Azerbaijan – Elnur & Samir – Day After Day 21. Greece – Kalomira –
Secret Combination 22. Spain – Rodolfo Chikilicuatre – Baila El Chiki
Chiki 23. Serbia – Jelena Tomasevic feat. Bora Dugic – Oro 24. Russia –
Dima Bilan – Believe 25. Norway – Maria – Hold On Be Strong

STUDENTS FOCUS ON WORLD’S ATROCITIES: MILLBURN GENOCIDE ‘MUSEUM’ OPEN THROUGH JUNE 4
By Jim Newton, [email protected]

Waukegan News Sun, IL
yles/966374,5_1_WA23_MILLBURN_S1.article
May 23 2008

MILLBURN — In a windowless, cinder block room in Millburn Central
School, seventh-graders have crafted a display that won’t raise your
spirits, but may raise your awareness.

And that’s the whole point of the multi-media Holocaust-Genocide
Memorial Museum, a commemoration of lives lost to genocide from 1915
to the present.

Student Haley May of Lake Villa said that while she thinks
seventh-graders are a little young to be studying genocide and events
like the Holocaust, it serves a purpose.

"I’m glad we learned it now," she said. "We need to know about
what people did to other people and what they are actually doing in
Darfur now."

May said that raising awareness is one of the best ways to prevent
such atrocities in the future. She expressed hope that the work the
classes put into creating the memorial will have an impact on those
who visit it.

"Overall, we worked really hard on it," May said. "When it was all
done and I walked in, I had tears in my eyes."

The display was created in a joint effort over several weeks by
the seventh-grade language arts, reading, social studies and math
classes at Central School. As part of the lesson plan, students heard
presentations from Larry Shelton, a Holocaust survivor, and Dr. Mary
Olson, whose family includes genocide survivors from Armenia.

The memorial includes posters, Power Point displays and 3-D areas
that make you feel part of the story, May said.

Sections include displays about the Holocaust, "The Forgotten Genocide"
in Armenia from 1915 to 1923, and the current situation in Darfur in
the Sudan.

Social studies teacher David Schroeder said the Millburn Central
seventh-grade teachers are "extremely proud" of the way the students
handled the exercise.

"I think at first they kind of thought it was another assignment,
another grade," Schroeder said, but added that after a while they
formed an emotional involvement in the project that is evident in
the final product.

"We could not be more proud of them," he said. "They rose to the
occasion."

The memorial is open to the public through June 4. Visitors are asked
to schedule a viewing in advance by calling the school office at
(847) 356-8331.

RECOMMENDATIONS BY OSCE CANNOT BE IMPLEMENTED IN AZERBAIJANI OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Trend News Agency
May 23 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 23 May / Trend News corr. J.Babayeva / Arif
Iskandarov, Senior Advisor in the Ecology Policy and Nature Protection
Department of the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry, stated to
journalists that the recommendations proposed by the OSCE, related
to the fire committed in the Azerbaijani occupied Nagorno-Karabakh
and surrounding regions, cannot be implemented due to the continues
conflict.

In 2006, the OSCE mission including the World Election Monitoring
Centre, UN program on environment and experts from European Commission,
European Union and Council of Europe held a monitoring to reveal
the ecological damage done to the regions as a result of fire. The
recommendations were developed as a result of the monitoring.

Recently, the Azerbaijani MPs demanded to hold discussions in
the Parliament with participation of international organizations
and ambassadors of foreign states regarding the fire committed by
Armenians in the Azerbaijani occupied territories.

According to Iskandarov, about AZN159mln in 2006 and AZN 15mln in
2007 worth damages have been done to Azerbaijan as a result of the
fire in the occupied territories.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FAILS TO DRAW UP OBJECTIVE REPORT ON TURKEY

Financial Mirror
May 23 2008
Cyprus

The European Parliament gathered in plenary session in Strasbourg
voted Thursday the report prepared by Mrs Oomen-Ruijten (Conservative,
Netherlands) on Turkey’s 2007 progress report and its 28 tabled
amendments. From a general point of view, the resolution focuses
its criticism on Turkey’s delays to fulfill its reforms commitments,
especially those regarding the State of Law, democracy, legislative
reforms and the minorities’ rights. The resolution claims that
"additional delays" in the implementation of these reforms "will
seriously affect the rhythm of the negotiations".

Regarding the various aspects of Turkey’s denial policy, the MEPs
failed to produce an objective report which gives a fair decision on
European Parliament’s positions already established on the Armenian
genocide, and this in spite of the strong positions expressed by a
great number of MEPs during the debates.

They have also adopted an amendment tabled by the MEPs supporting
Turkey’s interests (Cem Ozdemir, Joost Lagendijk – Greens) which aims
at minimizing the blockade on Armenia exerted by Turkey for 15 years.

"The Oomen-Ruijten report failed to show the reality of Turkey;
it proved once again that regarding the Armenian genocide the
European position is well established on denial, as is the candidate
country’s. It waters down even the Parliament’s position regarding
the blockade on Armenia by being in flagrant contradiction with the
Accession criteria and the requirements of the Neighbourhood policy:
the Oomen-Ruijten report cannot contribute to a real dialogue between
the Union and Turkey", declared Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of
the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy.

Referring to Article 301, in spite of the unanimous requirements
for abolition made by the Turkish and European civil societies,
the report is satisfied with indicating "that is of the view that
the abrogation of the 301 article would be the best solution", and
considering the cosmetic reform of this article as "a first step".

The European Armenian Federation reminds that the slight reform of
the 301 article deceived the European public opinion, and offended
the Turkish defenders of Human Rights, the first victims of this
iniquitous law which remains unchanged after so many years of
governmental promises.

"The compromising of the Oomen-Ruijten report with a law that penalizes
a right so fundamental that is the freedom of expression for Europe
will not help the Turkish democratic forces to upgrade their society",
commented Hilda Tchoboian.

"What the European societies demand from the European Parliament, is
to express in its reports more transparent positions, the truth on the
situation of Human Rights and democracy in Turkey: it is regrettable
that the report diffuses a screen of smoke in order to hide from the
public opinion the seriousness of Turkey’s breaches in these fields,
yet necessary for the examination of the integration of this country
in the European Union", concluded Hilda Tchoboian.

BAKU OPPOSES ANNOUNCEMENT OF ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON CONDUCTION OF ANTI-ARMENIAN PROPAGANDA BY AZERBAIJAN

Today.Az
tics/45180.html
May 23 2008
Azerbaijan

The announcement of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
about conduction of anti-Armenian propaganda in Azerbaijan is quite
unfounded, said spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry Khazar
Ibrahim.

"No anti-Armenian propaganda is conducted in Azerbaijan. In fact,
the Azerbaijani leadership and mass medias react to the really tough
anti-Azerbaijani propaganda, conducted by Armenia and the Armenian
diaspora", Kh.Ibrahim told Interfax-Azerbaijan.

Touching upon the concerns of the Armenian Foreign Minister about
the rise of the supporters of forced way of the conflict resolution
in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani diplomat recommended to Nalbandyan to
pay attention to the main point of the conflict.

"Mister Nalbandyan should pay attention to the main point of the
problem. Nowhere else in the world there is such a country which
occupies a significant part of the territory of a neighbor state. This
is the main cause of the adequate attitude to Armenian aggression
of those people, who fell victim of it, who was subjected to ethnic
cleansing and lose their relatives and even do not have a chance to
visit their graves", said Ibrahim.

According to the spokesman, in this connection Baku "will continue
calling things with their names and undertake steps for finding way
out of the situation, established following occupation of a part of
Azerbaijani lands by Armenia".

GAZA CANNOT BE COMPARED TO HOLOCAUST
By Ali Moossavi

Arab American News, MI
d=article&cat=InOurOpinion&article=1070
Ma y 23 2008

The 60th anniversary of Israel’s "independence" was met with all the
usual fanfare celebrating the "achievements" of the "only democracy"
in the Middle East and as a refuge for Jews – Bush fed into that,
saying Masada won’t fall again.

What was missing, of course, was the real meaning of that
anniversary. It’s imperative, then, to revisit the Jewish state’s
crutch – the Holocaust.

Israel’s establishment – which was supposed to settle once and for
all the anti-Semitism that produced the genocide – only created
more questions.

The main question: How is the Holocaust viewed through the prism of
cultural and political lenses?

Recently, when Libya’s deputy permanent U.N. representative Ibrahim
Dabbashi made a comment comparing Gaza with the Nazi death camps that
sparked a walkout by Western envoys, the reaction revealed a fissure
in the ways the Holocaust is perceived.

To Libya — and by extension the Arab/Muslim world — the Holocaust
is a metaphor for what’s happening to the Palestinians. It’s a way to
communicate the urgent need to act against the death and destruction
visited upon a people by a racist regime in the same way the Nazis
did to the Jews. It’s also a way to frame the issue into a paradigm
of victims and victimizers in a way the Western world would understand
without any reservations.

For the walkout participants and the world they represent — which
includes Israel — the Holocaust was a singular world event with no
parallel in history. The evil behind it was unique and so are the
victims, therefore their nation-building project is unique and beyond
reproach. Any comparison of the Jewish state’s actions to the Third
Reich is immoral and — get ready for it — anti-Semitic.

U.S. envoy to the U.N. Alejandro Wolff said the remarks "reflect a
degree of historical ignorance and moral insensitivity that is one
of the large reasons… why peace in the Middle East is so difficult."

Of course, it’s the U.S.’s pro-Israel policy that makes Middle East
peace so difficult, given the foreign aid, vetoing of Security Council
resolutions and standing by silently allowing the Israelis to brutalize
Palestinians and bomb Lebanese with impunity.

There is a tendency among Muslims and especially Arabs to
"Holocaust-ize" the Palestinian issue. However, it should be noted
that Israel isn’t a fascist state and no premeditated genocide is
occurring. The atrocity that is Gaza differs in that the killings
are collective punishment to break the will of a rebel populace,
not a final solution to eradicate a whole people.

This isn’t to say that Israel isn’t a racist state. It is. It’s a
Jewish state where non-Jews — mainly Palestinians — are discriminated
against on a daily basis inside the state and violently oppressed in
the territories (despite the withdrawal, Israel still controls the air,
sea and border crossings of Gaza.)

But all this can’t be compared to the Holocaust for another reason:
While the destruction of European Jews occurred largely in secret,
the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza is happening out in the open,
for all the world to see. Perhaps that’s what Dabbashi meant when he
said, "it is worse than that."

Accusations of anti-Semitism aren’t a new phenomenon. Not even the
"new anti-Semitism," coined by the Anti-Defamation League in 1974,
is new, just a recycled intimidation tactic that has reached new
distorted heights, with terms like "Arab anti-Semitism."

Despite the contradiction — Arabs are Semites — this has been
used to great effect, especially throughout the Al-Aqsa Intifada,
to justify Israeli violence and repression and to de-legitimize
Palestine solidarity movements.

It doesn’t hold because anti-Zionism is a rational analysis of a
real problem, not an irrational prejudice containing Jewish cabals
and conspiracies at its core. Besides, it’s the Jews who are the
aggressors, not the victims in the Middle East conflict.

"Uniqueness" is where the Holocaust has assumed a religious aura —
an object of worship instead of an object of study, the meaning of
which only the elite priesthood can decipher.

In the eyes of this priesthood, the Holocaust is "unique" — it can’t
be compared to other acts of mass murder, and therefore the suffering
of Jews is unique.

Among the practitioners of this religion is Elie Wiesel, a lauded
Holocaust survivor and pro-Israel bigot, who has said the Holocaust
"lies outside, if not beyond, history" and that it "defies both
knowledge and description."

By de-politicizing the Holocaust and removing it from the realm of
rational historicity, it becomes a tool of a bourgeois establishment
to make money, expand political influence and silence dissent —
in short, a Holocaust industry, as written by Norman Finkelstein.

Deborah Lipstadt, author of "Denying The Holocaust," wrote of "immoral
equivalencies" in comparing the Holocaust with the 1915 Armenian
genocide, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. occupation
of Vietnam that left at least two million dead, among others.

The proper use of the history of the Holocaust is as a lesson about
the evils of racism and colonialism — the death camps wouldn’t have
been possible without the occupation of Europe.

Instead, the Holocaust is understood through the narrow lens of
anti-Semitism, and the exclusive narrative of Jewish suffering,
thereby excluding others.

And with 60 years of Israel we’re left with 60 years of Holocaust
perversion and pimping in the service of the oppression of another
people, a disaster not only for Palestinians and Muslims, but for
Jews as well.

‘ADORATION’ A SIMPLE FAMILY STORY, SAYS DIRECTOR EGOYAN

Agence France Presse
May 23 2008

CANNES, France (AFP) — Canada’s Atom Egoyan, in the running for
the Cannes festival top prize with "Adoration," said the complex,
multi-themed film is at heart a simple story of an orphan who wants
to find out what happened to his parents.

"The story of his parents is kept from him for various reasons and
as a result he’s compelled to create his own story," he said in
an interview.

But the movie’s simple premise provides a backdrop for a flurry of
themes such as the impact of new media on our lives, inter-cultural
miscommunication, victimhood, and the collective fears of the
post-September 11 world.

"I think the most predominant theme is how do we negotiate family
histories," Egoyan, whose work often deals with alienation and the
subjective nature of truth, told AFP.

"Every family has a central myth and that myth is based on an
arrangement of events that may or may not have happened, that are used
to sustain illusions or aspirations of what that family should be."

"Adoration" tells how a Toronto school teacher, played by the
director’s wife Arsine Khanjian, asks her students to translate from
French a magazine article about a Middle Eastern terrorist who plants a
bomb in his pregnant girlfriend’s bag as she is about to take a flight.

One of her students, Simon, played by Devon Bostick, turns the exercise
into a fictional quest in which the couple become his parents.

His real parents, one Canadian and the other Lebanese, died in a car
accident which Simon suspects was deliberately caused by his father.

He goes online with his fictional family history and rapidly sparks
a flood of video chatroom reactions.

"His friends respond with disbelief, asking why he had never told
them this before," said Egoyan. "And then there are responses from
people who were on that plane, mourning a catastrophe that never
happened. The story gets very dense with all these possibilities."

"Then it all gets stripped away as we come to understand what’s
actually happening," said Egoyan, whose 12th feature film premiered
late Thursday, one of the 22 films in the running for the Palme d’Or
prize to be announced Sunday.

The teenager has to move beyond the cyberworld and find real objects
and places to give meaning to his life, "as opposed to the instant
meaning accorded to the sea of responses he is dealing with over the
Internet," said the director.

The complex plot is classic Egoyan fare. As in his previous works
"The Sweet Hereafter" and "Exotica," a series of flashbacks and the
unfolding plot slowly reveal the truth of the unlikely connections
between a group of people.

Egoyan’s own background explains his interest in cross-cultural
issues. He grew up in Canada, where he still lives, but is of Armenian
origin and was born in Cairo.

YOU CAN’T SPLIT THIS ATOM; EGOYAN’S ADORATION; SMALL FILM GAVE DIRECTOR A CHANCE TO EXPERIMENT
by Chris Knight

National Post (Canada)
May 23, 2008 Friday

CANNES – Atom Egoyan was the victim of an unfortunate overlap in
scheduling at Cannes yesterday, when the press conference for his new
film, Adoration, coincided with another event featuring Madonna and
a master class in filmmaking by Quentin Tarantino. Perhaps the world
press felt that, since this is the Canadian director’s 12th trip to
the film festival, they’d just catch up with him next time.

In any case, it made for a relaxed atmosphere for some 50 journalists
in a room that can hold at least five times that number. If Egoyan
was upset by the turnout, he didn’t show it.

Earlier in the day, he sat down to talk about what it means to present
a film in competition near the end of a festival. "People might be
exhausted, or they’ve already made certain decisions," he said, "or
maybe they’re looking for something." Egoyan has been in competition
four times previously, and was a jury member at Cannes in 1996.

He admitted to being not very tuned in, as he arrived in Cannes only
Wednesday from Israel, where he was discussing his 2002 film Ararat,
about the genocide in Armenia early in the 20th century. "Normally
I have a sense of what the feel at the festival is," he said. "In a
way that makes it really different."

Adoration is a much smaller film than Egoyan’s last, 2005’s
Where the Truth Lies, which starred Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth
and Rachel Blanchard. It’s also more personal, revolving around
themes of communication and technology, with which he has long been
fascinated. In the movie, high-school student Simon (Devon Bostick)
is persuaded by his French teacher (Arsinee Khanjian, Egoyan’s wife) to
present himself as the child of a terrorist who once put a bomb in the
luggage of his wife when she travelled while pregnant. Thanks to the
internet, the story spirals beyond the confines of the classroom. Scott
Speedman plays Simon’s uncle, and Blanchard returns to portray his
mother, in flashback.

"I wasn’t sure what to expect," Speedman said of the movie. "The script
was so convoluted, and you never knew what the end product was going
to be." Nevertheless, he was certain he wanted to work with Egoyan,
and flew from Los Angeles to Toronto to meet with the director in
spite of the fact that the part called for a man at least 10 years
older than Speedman, who is 32.

Egoyan was soon convinced. "It was his doing," he said. "He touched
me. There must have been something in the script that he got." He
added: "With a smaller film you have a lot more room to experiment. You
don’t need a bulletproof, industrially approved blueprint. It’s much
more malleable." Making Speedman someone who gave up his twenties
rather than his thirties to raise his nephew after the boy’s parents
died changes the dynamic of the character. "There’s still a possibility
to learn from this experience," Egoyan said.

Although Speedman and Blanchard are very much known figures in
Hollywood, Egoyan stresses that it wasn’t necessary to cast name
actors. "Sometimes nobody’s in it that you’ve ever heard of and that
doesn’t diminish the film. It doesn’t translate into anything unless
the film is any good."

The stars clearly enjoyed working with the Canadian auteur. "I’d
say the whole experience was full of adrenaline," said 16-year-old
Bostick. "I’d just watch him every single day. I’d watch him watch
people. He was my subconscious. He was my thoughts, I guess."

"I’d had this image of him in black suits behind the camera," Speedman
said, but the feeling on the set was anything but austere. Blanchard
said: "He’s really accessible as a director, as complex as his themes
may be." Looking directly at him, she added: "I adore you. I do."

Adoration, which had its gala screening last night at 10:30,
is Canada’s second shot at the Palme d’Or this year. Blindness,
a Canadian co-production that opened the festival, suffered from
middling reviews and largely disappeared from sight (pardon the pun)
amid the media attention focused on Indiana Jones, which had its first
press screening here last weekend. Popular discussions are raising
hopes for Clint Eastwood’s The Exchange to take the top prize,
but often the jury favours a smaller, less showy, more visionary
film. Adoration could prove to be just that.

YEREVAN SUPPORTS PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Interfax News Agency
May 22 2008
Russia

Yerevan supports a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
on the basis of a compromise, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said
at a meeting with EU ambassadors, the Armenian president’s press
service told Interfax-AVN.

"I hold that the possibilities for solution of the conflict still
exist, if the talks based on fundamental principles continue," he said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said he hoped that
the upcoming meeting between the Armenian and Azeri presidents in
St. Petersburg would bring forth good results.

"I hope for a positive meeting between the presidents that will
make it possible for us to continue the negotiating process on the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts," Nalbandian told the
2nd Armenian TV channel.