ASBAREZ Online [07-11-2006]

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07/11/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) ARF Says Peace Process Optimistic but Not Realistic 2) Golden Apricot Film Festival Begins in Yerevan 3) Russian Diplomat Says There Is No Framework in Peace Process 4) Armenia Presses Russia To Reopen Georgian Border 1) ARF Says Peace Process Optimistic but Not Realistic YEREVAN (Yerkir)The political affairs director of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau Giro Manoyan said Tuesday that recently announced intentions by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen to resolve the Karabakh conflict in 2006 were very optimistic but unrealistic due to the Azeri president's uncooperative position. "This optimism was based on the sole fact that there will be no elections in Armenia or Azerbaijan in 2006," Manoyan said. Hovhannisian added that Azerbaijan continued to pursue an aggressive policy and was not ready for any concession. Manoyan also mentioned that to say the process was "deadlocked" would not be the proper characterization since, from the onset, Azerbaijan had no intention of resolving the conflict based on the principle of mutual compromise. He also added that the only positive provision in the latest statement by the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs was the inclusion of a provision that gives the people of Karabakh the right to self-determination. Hovhannisian noted that the Karabakh negotiations have been favorable for Armenia after 1998, because the issue and discussion of a self-determination referendum did not occur before 1998. Manoyan explained that Stepanakert had never formulated a proper position toward the liberated territories. "The ARF position is that since Nagorno Karabakh is working on a constitution it should declare its dominance on those territories," Manoyan said. "However, both Yerevan and Stepanakert view those territories as part of a compromise," said Manoyan adding that the ARF did not agree with that approach. Manoyan added that Karabakh's agreement to hold a referendum was a compromise in and of itself since a referendum was held years ago to declare independence from Azerbaijan. Manoyan deemed inappropriate the tactic used by the US co-chairman Matthew Bryza to publicize the principles of the peace plan in bits and pieces, saying the entire proposal was made public in its entirety a week later. At the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) summer session, the Armenian delegation succeeded to ensure the support of other countries in turning down proposals put forward by the Azeri and Turkish delegations, Vahan Hovhannesian, head of the Armenian delegation to the PACE and National Assembly vice speaker, told a news conference Monday. Meanwhile, Hovhannesian said, resolutions favorable for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have been passed. "This time our cooperation with leading nations was successful, I mean, the US, Canada, France and Russia," Hovhannesian said. "Most importantly, we succeeded in including a provision regarding the right to self-determination within PACE resolutions based on the results of the Montenegro referendum." 2) Golden Apricot Film Festival Begins in Yerevan YEREVAN (Azg Daily)The Golden Apricot 3rd International Film Festival launched in Yerevan July 10 at the Yerevan Moskva Cinema. The festival's theme is "Crossroads of Cultures And Civilizations." Chairman of the Golden Apricot Film Festival, Canadian film director Atom Egoyan, in his opening remarks, said an Armenian film festival in Paris "one the most important events of my cultural formation, and convinced me that I had to connect with Armenia in a more direct way." "Although I had seen Paradjanov's work in Toronto, this was my first opportunity to see the full spectrum of production. It was also a chance to meet such legends as Henrik Malian, Albert Megerdichian and Tigran Mansourian. I first visited the country in 1991, coming back the next year to shoot Calendar with my wife, Arsinee Khanjian, and Ashot Adamian. Since that time, we have made regular trips back to Armenia, and it has become an essential part of our lives. Festivals are an amazing opportunity for filmmakers to share their stories with an audience and with each other." The festival was launched with the retrospective showing of "Namous", an Armenian film by Hamo Beknazarian, who founded Armenian Cinematography in 1925. An estimated 100 films by directors from 58 countries will be shown at the festival. The competition category of the festival includes films by Perdo Almodovar, Krzsystof Zanussi, Aleksander German Junior, and Rakhshan Bani- Etemada. The documentary film category includes films by Mickael Glavoger, Gunar Bergdal, Sergey Loznica, and Victor Kosakovskiy. 3) Russian Diplomat Says There Is No Framework in Peace Process BAKU (Armenpress)The Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group made a surprising revelation Tuesday, saying that there was no framework agreement, which reportedly was developed by the Minsk group cochairmen as it related to the terms of the proposed peace process principles. During an interview with the Azeri Trend news agency, the Russian co-chairman Yury Merzlyakov said the peace-brokers form the group suggested that the parties to the conflict must first coordinate the basic principles for the resolution of the conflict and develop the agreement on their basis. He then said the co-chairmen do not use such terms as "stage-by-stage," "package" or "universal" conflict resolution options. These terms have been used throughout the 14-year OSCE conflict resolution process. In the most recent peace efforts, Azerbaijan has suggested a "step-by-step" approach, with Armenia and the Minsk Group co-chairs not commenting on the matter. The Russian diplomat hinted that elements of the peace process would be further clarified following the first visit by the US Minsk Group co-chairman Matthew Bryza to the region. "At the moment, I am just not ready to assess the situation. It will become clearer when he goes there and listens to the parties' opinions," he added. Merzlyakov added that Bryza's visit to the region had been originally scheduled for late July or early September. In Armenia, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian announced at a press conference Tuesday that a possibility for rapprochement between Yerevan and Baku over the Karabakh conflict resolution process did not exist. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Sallukh, Oskanian said Bryza's scheduled visit to the region may stimulate establishing contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Matthew Bryza, in an interview Friday with the Azeri Service of BBC, said that the Minsk Group's statement, which says "there is nothing more to be achieved for determination of the peaceful principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," does not mean that the talks have reached a deadlock. Bryza commented that the statement means creative capabilities of the mediators have been exhausted and there is a need for new initiatives. "This is not a deadlock. This is a moment when co-chairs say 'now the leaders should make a decision on what they want,'" he said. In his opinion, both leaders have the political will and wish cooperation, "but do not know whether they are ready to conclude the basic principles of the framework agreement." 4) Armenia Presses Russia To Reopen Georgian Border YEREVAN (RFE/RL)Official Yerevan is making "active efforts" to get Russia to reopen its main border crossing point with Georgia which serves as one of Armenia's few external trade routes, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said on Tuesday. "We are working with the Russian side and hope that solutions will be found," Oskanian said without elaborating. Moscow closed the Upper Lars post on Thursday ostensibly to carry out repairs at the customs and border guard facilities on the Russian side of the rugged frontier. The move, which followed a controversial Russian ban on imports of Georgian wine and mineral water, was denounced as politically motivated by the authorities in Tbilisi. Armenian officials have also expressed concern, with Prime Minister Andranik Markarian saying that the Russians should have at least informed the Georgian and Armenian authorities of their actions beforehand. Speaking during a weekend visit to the Georgian Black Sea region of Ajaria, Markarian said the closure of Upper Lars has created a "very difficult" situation for Armenian companies exporting goods to Russia and other former Soviet republics. Scores of Armenian trucks were reportedly left stranded at the border crossing. Oskanian thanked the Georgian government for allowing some of them proceed to Russia via South Ossetia. But he said this "exception" was not a solution to the problem which threatens to hit particularly hard Armenian exporters of perishable agricultural products. Russia is their main market and they are now scrambling to re-route their shipments through the Georgian Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi. The Upper Lars checkpoint had already been closed for nearly two months in the autumn of 2004 as part of "anti-terrorist" measures taken by Moscow following the deadly seizure of a school in Beslan, North Ossetia by radical Chechen militants. The transport embargo was widely criticized in Armenia. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.