Author: Antonian Lara

Teenager topples ex-world chess champ
Magnus Carlsen of Norway continues to make headlines on the international
chess circuit. The 13-year-old boy from Baerum defeated one of the game’s most
successful players ever, former world champion Anatoly Karpov, in a blitz
tournament in Reykjavik, Iceland on Wednesday night.
Carlsen’s victory over Russian Karpov came in a lightning game where both
players had roughly five minutes each for the entire game. Conventional
tournament games allow much more time for thinking and lower margins of error, but the
result is still sensational.
Carlsen has made headlines in recent months after achieving two successive
results towards the international grandmaster (GM) title, the game’s highest
ranking.
The Baerum youngster won a grandmaster tournament in Holland in January and
then placed highly in an open event in Moscow, one of the year’s top
tournaments.
One more such result will give Carlsen the GM title, and make him the
youngest titleholder in the world.
The Reykjavik blitz event was a preliminary for a knock-out tournament which
was to continue on Thursday. The star line-up features a total of 16 players
and includes the world’s top-rated player, Garry Kasparov, who will meet
Carlsen in the first round.
The knock-out event will be a ‘rapid’ chess event, with each player having
roughly half an hour each for the entire game.
Carlsen is trained by Norway’s Simen Agdestein, a national celebrity who was
both a young chess grandmaster and a member of Norway’s international soccer
team.
Aftenposten English Web Desk
Jonathan Tisdall

Armenian opposition calls for new president
Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
13 Mar 04
“The time will soon come when all of us will turn to the people and
stay [in street demonstrations] until the administration leaves,” the
leader of the Anrapetutyun [Republic] Party, Albert Bazeyan, said
yesterday during a meeting in the cultural centre for the deaf,
organized by the intelligentsia. By the way, in saying “all of us”
Bazeyan meant two opposition political forces: the Justice bloc and
the National Unity Party. But it is worth noting that this time, as
well as well-known opposition members, there were also some
politicians, who may not be considered unreservedly members of the
opposition. Specifically, the leader of the Christian Democratic
Union, Khosrov Arutyunyan, the president of the ALM TV channel, Tigran
Karapetyan (as a leader of the People’s Party) and the former deputy
of the National Assembly, Ovanes Ovanesyan, who recently set up his
Liberal Progressive Party, took part in the meeting. Anyway, according
to Bazeyan, the sooner there is a change of power in our republic, the
better for the country. He is also sure that, if there is a nationwide
powerful wave, today’s administrative group will have no option but to
leave.
But what are they going to do, if they manage to get [Armenian
President] Robert Kocharyan’s resignation? Bazeyan replied: “We shall
form an alternative power centre: all of us should take one
responsibility – to organize democratic, free and fair elections in
Armenia.” He said that the political forces in the [governing]
coalition will also be invited to be involved “in the alternative
power centre”. Bazeyan said that the president of the country should
be a man elected by the republic and it is not ruled out that the
opposition will put forward several candidates for president in
extraordinary presidential elections.
[Passage omitted: musician Ogan Duryan says in his speech that the
people do not like Robert Kocharyan]
All the opposition politicians emphasized in their speeches that
Armenia needs a change of power and in this way should create the
opportunity for the formation of legitimate authorities, really
elected by the people. Only Tigran Karapetyan had a different view:
“Really, there is a crisis in the country. I think that if the
authorities do not do anything, then one should not continue to live
in this way, and they should give up their place to those who will be
soft-hearted.”

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
“THE CHRISTIAN IDENTITY OF JERUSALEM MUST BE PRESERVED”
DECLARED HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
ANTELIAS, LEBANON – After an intensive discussion with His Beatitude
Patriarch Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem at the Armenian
Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, His Holiness Catholicos Aram
I made the following statement to the press:
“We follow closely and with profound concern the prevailing situation in the
occupied Palestinian territories as well as in Jerusalem. Unfortunately the
ongoing violence, destruction and killing keep the prospect of permanent
peace with justice far away. His Beatitude shared with us the tremendous
difficulties and daily problems facing the Palestinian population. He also
expressed his deep concern regarding the diminishing Christian presence in
Jerusalem.
In fact, for centuries the churches have had an organized and impact making
presence in Jerusalem. Therefore, one cannot remain indifferent vis-à-vis
the actual situation in Jerusalem where the numerical size of Christian
communities has been significantly reduced, many Christians are leaving
Jerusalem and the activities of Christian churches are becoming increasingly
confined to certain areas of Christian life. These developments are due to
the intolerant and oppressive policy of Israel. We never accept that the
Christian identity of the Holy City be eligibly ignored and systematically
changed. We never accept that the Christian presence and witness become more
and more weakened in the birthplace of Christianity. We never accept the
policy of the Government of Israel aimed at the total judaization of
Jerusalem.
Where are our western Christian brothers and sisters in view of this dangero
us developments taking place in Jerusalem? In fact, Jerusalem cannot be
simply considered a place where a western Christian finds the remnants of
Christian history. The Christian communities have been integral part of the
history of Jerusalem. They are living and witnessing realities in the Holy
City and they should remain so. Therefore it is expected from the Churches
outside the Middle East to express their solidarity and their attachment to
Jerusalem more tangibly and actively by exerting pressure on their
respective governments to stop the judaization of Jerusalem. We firmly
believe in co-existence of religions. This is integral to the history of the
Middle East. Jerusalem has been a model of co-existence and it should remain
so. I believe that the World Council of Churches, the Vatican and the Middle
East Council of Churches will continue to assist the churches of Jerusalem
more efficiently as they face new challenges and tremendous difficulties”.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.
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