ASBAREZ Online [07-14-2005]

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07/14/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Mediators Say Karabagh Peace in Sight 2) Turkish Prime Minister 'Condemns' and 'Curses' BBC and Reuters 3) Armenian President Welcomes Film Directors to Golden Apricot Festival 4) Archbishop Shahe Ajemian Passes Away 1) Mediators Say Karabagh Peace in Sight YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Minsk Group mediators arrived in Armenia from Stepanakert where they held talks on Wednesday with the leadership of Mountainous Karabagh Republic. Karabagh President Arkady Ghukasian was quoted by his press service as speaking of "great expectations" from the current stage of the peace process. But Ghukasian also told the mediators that the parties have yet to bridge their differences on key issues. The American, French, and Russian co-chairs of the Group indicated on Thursday that they are edging closer to a resolution of the Mountainous Karabagh conflict, as they prepared to meet senior Armenian officials in Yerevan, the final leg of their latest tour of the conflict zone. "Yes, there is a possibility of a Karabagh settlement in the course of this year," said Steven Mann, the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. He added that an agreement will be signed "this year or within the next hundred years," indicating that the peace process has reached a make-or-break point. Bernard Fassier, the group's French co-chair, clarified that the conflicting parties are more likely to sign a framework agreement on "the basic principles" of the peaceful settlement. Both he and Mann stressed that the successful outcome of the negotiations is still not a forgone conclusion. They as well as Russia's top Karabagh envoy Yuri Merzlyakov are due to meet with President Robert Kocharian and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian on Friday. 2) Turkish Prime Minister 'Condemns' and 'Curses' BBC and Reuters ANKARA (Reuters)--On Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan denounced British-based news organizations, BBC and Reuters, for not describing the armed separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a terrorist group. Erdogan, speaking to the Ankara Chamber of Industry after observing a two-minute silence for the victims of last week's bomb attacks in London, warned against double standards in tackling terrorism in Turkey and in Britain. "I condemn and curse two important global television and media companies, BBC and Reuters, for both declaring the PKK terror group in Turkey to be a militia," Erdogan said. "I call on the global media to show an objective stance at this point. If this mentality continues, they should know that the terror which strikes Turkey and the children of this country today will strike them tomorrow, and will cause them pain." His comments were met by applause from Chamber of Industry delegates. The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, demanding Kurdish independence in a conflict that has claimed more than 30,000 lives. Turkish officials have frequently criticized Western media for the way they cover the Kurdish separatist conflict, which is a highly sensitive subject in Turkey. Reuters, the British Broadcasting Corporation and other international news organizations avoid describing armed groups as terrorist, unless the term is attributed, in line with policies of avoiding emotive language. Erdogan, who has driven human rights reforms that helped win Turkey an October start date for European Union (EU) entry talks, has often criticized domestic and foreign media on a range of issues but has not previously lashed out so pointedly over the PKK. PKK violence abated after the 1999 capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, but has been on the rise again since the group called off a unilateral cease-fire in June 2004. Both the United States and the EU include the PKK on their list of terrorist organizations. Suicide bombers linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network struck Jewish and British targets in Istanbul in November 2003, killing more than 60 people. Suicide bombers who struck London last week are also thought to have had al Qaeda connections. 3) Armenian President Welcomes Film Directors to Golden Apricot Festival YEREVAN (Armenpress/Armenianow.com)--Armenian president Robert Kocharian thanked directors who are in Armenia participating in the second Golden Apricot film festival. "The organization of such festivals is very important for us," said Kocharian explaining that it not only provides the opportunity to restore Armenian film tradition, but to also understand the art of contemporary filmmaking. The festival opened in Yerevan on July 12 under the theme "Armenia--a Crossroads of Civilizations and Cultures." As the apricot harvest, the organizers promise that this year's festival, which runs until July 17, will be even richer and sweeter than the first one. It has already marked its second year with a symbolic change of logo--the plump fruit of the inaugural festival has become apricot jam spread on a slice of bread. "The apricot ripened in one year and turned into jam, whether in terms of the organization, content and experience of the festival; it has become wiser and more concentrated in terms of being at a really international level," says Harutyun Khachatryan, director of the festival. This year the films will compete in two categories--international and all-Armenian. The international section will have two categories for feature films and documentaries made after July 1, 2003. The Armenian Panorama category covers fiction, documentary, and animation films by Armenian cinematographers. During the July days of the festival, the capital will burn with hot films; 140 have been selected from the 300 submitted this year, with 45 countries represented--three times the number in 2004. Entrants from New Zealand, Chile, and Nicaragua are among those selected. "The creation of a film festival last year seemed madness, since at least $2.5 million is needed to hold such an event. Nevertheless, we created a ridiculous budget of $100,000, found people who believed us and, as you can see, the dream became reality," says Khachatryan. The film juries under the Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyan include the Dutch film director Jos Stelling, British film critic and producer Simon Field, who headed the Rotterdam film festival jury for several years, and Deborah Young, a leading American film journalist. The Golden Apricot will host master classes from director Roman Balayan, actor Oleg Yankovski, Moscow Film Festival Director Nikita Mikhalkov, Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi, and the Iranian director hailed as a master of world cinematography Abbas Kiarostami, whose film won the Palme d'Or in Cannes last year. "It's amazing that they have all expressed a willingness to participate, but it is a fact that after last year's festival the name of Armenia was spread abroad. They loved the blessing of the apricot, maybe also the apricot vodka and our warm reception," jokes Khachatryan. The organizers of this large-scale festival kept their budget secret this year. Last year, the state allocated $100,000 but this year's festival received less government aid and the organizers rested their hopes on sponsors. "I am just back from the Moscow International Festival that had $3.1 million from the state budget, $900,000 from the Moscow city government and twice more from sponsors. I will not mention the sums allotted to the Golden Apricot, for it may seem very funny by comparison," says Susanna Harutyunyan, the art director of the festival. "Besides, this is only our second year and the Moscow film festival dates back 27 years." The festival offers several programs outside the competition, such as days of Iranian and Russian films. A special show of Armenian films devoted to the anniversaries of Henrik Malyan, Aghasi Aivazyan, Mher Lazarian, Khoren Abrahamyan, and Hrant Matevosyan will be held under the title "Tribute of Respect." There will be new works from Armenfilm--"Mariam" directed by Edgar Baghdasaryan will open the festival, and Atom Egoyan's wife Arsine Khanjyan will present Ruba Nadda's film "Sabah", in which she has a leading role. The organizers of the Golden Apricot have made "golden" promises to create a truly festive atmosphere. Charles Aznavour Square will host numerous souvenir and video film kiosks for film lovers, there will be open-air jazz concerts, and of course interesting films in the cool cinema halls. 4) Archbishop Shahe Ajemian Passes Away ETCHMIADZIN(Armenpress)--One of the most senior members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Eminence Archbishop Shahe Ajemian died on June 13, after a long and debilitating illness. Abp. Ajemian was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1926. He received his elementary education at the Haigazian School of Aleppo; from 1937 to 1939, he attended the academy of the Mkhitarist fathers. In 1939, he enrolled in the Aleppo Friars (Franciscan) School and graduated with honors in 1943. That year, he was accepted to the seminary of Antelias and ordained a deacon. After graduating in 1947, he was ordained a celibate priest by the late His Grace Bishop Terenig Poladian. From 1947 to 1950, he attended classes at the University of Brussels and graduated with a degree in literature and philosophy. He immediately began teaching classes at the seminary in Antelias, as well as at the Hovagimian-Manoogian School in Beirut. During 1952-1956, he served in the Chancellery of the See of the Great House of Cilicia. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Saint James of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem from 1960 to 1994. In 1965, he was consecrated a bishop by the late Vasken I, Catholicos of All Armenians. During his years of service in Jerusalem, he was Chancellor and Property Manager for the Patriarchate. His Eminence contributed numerous works to the "Sion" official monthly of the Patriarchate, focusing on religion, history, science, and philosophy. In 1982, he established the Armenian Bible Center on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. From 1975 to 1985 he was a member of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Church. He also contributed to the activities of the Armenian Church and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin through his involvement in ecclesiastical-organizational matters, the expansion and strengthening of international ties, preaching and ministry, as well as his lectures at the Gevorkian and Vaskenian Theological Seminaries of the Mother See. In 1994, Abp. Ajemian moved to Armenia, and in 1995, established the Theological Faculty at Yerevan State University. His Eminence was renowned for his scientific-pedagogical activities and wrote numerous articles and papers. 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