Author: Ekmekjian Janet

Ex-Karabakh mediator says launch of oil pipeline rules out Azeri-Armenian war
Bilik Dunyasi news agency
23 May 05
BAKU
“No matter how great the economic and political importance of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline might be, this project will pour cold
water on the military option for resolving the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict,” the former Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group,
Vladimir Kazimirov, has said.
According to the Russian diplomat, the project sponsors believe that
the chances of military action in the region are much slimmer than
those of a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
Kazimirov also commented on the latest round of negotiations [on 15
May] between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents on the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem in Warsaw. He said that despite the continuing
statements about the return of occupied territories to Azerbaijan, it
would be wrong to hope that a settlement could be achieved before the
status of Nagornyy Karabakh had first been established.

L’Armenie celèbre les 1.600 ans de son alphabet
Agence France Presse
21 mai 2005 samedi 1:30 PM GMT
EREVAN 21 mai 2005 — L’Armenie, qui celèbre en 2005 les 1.600 ans
de son alphabet, a inaugure samedi non loin d’Erevan une “allee des
lettres antiques”, destinee a commemorer l’invention du pretre Mesrop
Machtots en 405 après J.C.
A 1.600 mètres d’altitude au dessus de la capitale, 36 lettres de
pierre, d’une hauteur d’un mètre cinquante, ont ete erigees dans un
espace d’un demi-hectare au pied du mont Aragats.
Mesrop Machtots, aujourd’hui canonise par l’Eglise armenienne,
avait invente les 36 premières lettres de l’alphabet toujours en
usage aujourd’hui. Trois autres lettres ont ete rajoutees lors des
siècles suivants.
Les Armeniens considèrent que leur alphabet a ete un puissant facteur
d’identite de leur communaute, notamment pendant les periodes de
domination persanne et turque.
–Boundary_(ID_S78EzKPOX020kWaA0AK/uA)–

Sex is central to edgy new films in Cannes
By Erik Kirschbaum
CANNES, France, May 21 (Reuters) – Group sex, violent sex, gay sex,
and wife-swapping were among the central elements of stories in
entries at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
Whether a reflection of changing sexual mores around the world or
merely the work of edgy directors pushing new limits, Cannes audiences
were shown a great number of films with stories revolving around or
showing non-traditional sex.
“As the boundaries of what’s considered acceptable on and off the
screen get pushed back, directors are moving in to occupy that vacuum
of space and push the boundaries even further,” said Variety’s European
Editor Adam Dawtrey.
“In times that are tough for independent films, it’s important for
them to find an edge to give them some commercial appeal, though not
in a cynical way. The instinct is: ‘How do you grab audiences?’ And
the answer is with juicy scenes.”
Films with heterosexual intercourse or romantic suggestions of it have
long helped filmmakers in many genres to tell and sell their stories.
But this year a great diversity of sex has been displayed.
In “Where the Truth Lies”, Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth play a popular
entertainer duo with multiple daily sex partners, but their friendship
ends after sex with their hotel maid goes awry.
“I wanted to create this world that was intoxicating,” said Canadian
director Atom Egoyan, describing the need for group sex. “They could
take any amount of drugs they wanted and have as much sex as they
wanted. It was an unbridled atmosphere.”
“Don’t Come Knocking” is about a degenerate Hollywood star played by
Sam Shepard who learns he fathered two children, now adults, decades
earlier. But he’s slept with so many women in his life he at first
can’t even vaguely recall their mothers.
“Sam’s character is a womaniser and that’s one of his life’s
tragedies,” director Wim Wenders told Reuters. “It’s a disease like
alcohol. It’s why he missed his life because he was only always
thinking of the thrill of sex, drugs and rock and roll.”
In “Chromophobia”, a prostitute played by Penelope Cruz wears a
nurse’s costume for a sex ritual with a client, an elderly retired
judge who turns out to be her daughter’s father.
In Woody Allen’s “Match Point” a sizzling affair between the
brother-in-law and sister-in-law in a rich British family starts in
a rain-drenched wheat field but ends tragically after he gets her
pregnant and kills her to keep the scandal romance a secret.
Wife-swapping is the spice in life belatedly discovered by a retired
French couple in “Peindre ou Faire L’Amour”.
Barry Pepper clips and smells his dirty toenails in “The Three Burials
of Melquiades Estrada” before rising from the couch for a quick,
animal-like sex session with his bored wife while she continues to
watch television from the kitchen.
Perhaps the most controversial film is director Carlos Reygadas’
“Batalla en el Cielo” (Battle in Heaven). It starts with a teen girl
performing fellatio on an obese middle-aged Mexican who later has
graphic sex with his even heavier wife.
But he rejected criticism sex in his film is gratuitous.
“The whole world is involved in sex,” Reygadas said.
05/21/05 13:50 ET

AZG Armenian Daily #092, 21/05/2005
Armenian Genocide
A JOURNEY THROUGH GENOCIDE-STRICKEN PROVINCES OF OTTOMAN TURKEY
The website created by Montreal office of INFIVA
news agency offers a unique opportunity for a travel in Ottoman
Turkey. The website functioning since the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide on April 24 represents testimonies of 20 survivors
of the atrocities in 1915.
Those 20 voices accompanied with sound effects and imagery unveil
the tragedy of the Genocide. Visitors of the site have the chance to
travel through 20 provinces of the Ottoman Empire and to listen to
the voice of a survivor telling about his/her painful experience.
While creating the website INFA agency cooperated with its webmaster
Araz Artinian who is now working on “The Genocide In Me” documentary.
By Melania Badalian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri experts wary about relocation of Russian bases to Armenia
Yeni Azarbaycan, Baku
20 May 05
Excerpt from Mais Piriyev report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni
Azarbaycan on 20 May “Russia increases number of military bases in
Armenia” and subheaded “Can Armenia station military bases withdrawn
from Georgia?”
A part of the Russian military hardware and property in Georgia will
be relocated to Armenia, the chief of the Russian General Staff,
Army Gen Yuriy Baluyevskiy, has issued this statement. He believes
that it is possible to pull out the military bases within four years
if this happens.
Political expert Rasim Musabayov does not think this is very
convincing. He believes that under the [flank agreement on conventional
weapons] agreements in force, it is impossible to station over 220
pieces of armoured hardware in Armenia: “Armenia has already delegated
part of its quota to Russia and its [Russia’s] military base is
deployed in Gyumri. Armenia may accept some more Russian weapons and
ammunition. However, its opportunities are very limited.” [Passage
omitted: OSCE Istanbul Summit stipulates the pullout]
Political pundit Zardust Alizada does not think that the stationing
of the military bases in Armenia poses a threat to Azerbaijan. There
are nearly 3,000 Russian troops in Georgia now and half of them are
Georgian residents. These residents are both Armenian and Georgian. The
expert believes that they will not abandon their houses to move to
Armenia: “They will simply quit the army to find new jobs. There
remains ineffectual, obsolete and dilapidated military hardware [at
the Russian bases in Georgia]. Contrary to various claims, the might
and importance of the Russian military bases in Armenia are not high,
the expert considers. I do not think it is necessary to threaten the
people with the Russian military bases.”
Mubariz Ahmadoglu, the chairman of [the pro-government] Centre for
Political Innovation and Technology, thinks there are two reasons
why international organizations and superstates should demand that
Russia pulls out its military bases from Georgia: “First, they want
the military bases to be withdrawn from Georgia, second, there should
be a minimum amount of weapons in the South Caucasus. I think Russia
wants to play a game with the international community. The issue of
restricting conventional weapons in the South Caucasus is on the agenda
now and Russia and the OSCE are at loggerheads over this matter.”
Ahmadoglu believes that Russia will have to pull out its military
bases from Armenia one day as it will from Georgia. He thinks that
the stationing of extra Russian forces in Armenia will lead to serious
international pressure on official Yerevan. It is not ruled out that
international bodies will one day urge the Russians to take a decision
on the withdrawal of Russian military bases also from Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SOLDIERS REFUSE ALTERNATIVE MILITARY SERVICE
A1plus
| 14:53:15 | 20-05-2005 | Social |
“The people preferring alternative military service are also
Armenians. The society and the military men must not have negative
attitude towards them”, said Avetik Ishkhanyan, head of the Armenian
Helsinki Committee. He is surprised by the fact that the Government
does not want to amend the RA Law on “Alternative Military Service”
which was adopted in 2004.
Today by the initiative of the “Cooperation for Open Society” organized
a discussion about the problem in which besides non-governmental
organizations representatives of the OSCE Yerevan office and
the Ministry of Defense took part. Ministry of Defense Juridical
Administration head Sedrak Sedrakyan informed that at present 24
RA citizens are in alternative military service. 11 of them have
applied to the commanders saying that they refuse to continue their
service. The reason was that the officers make them do duties proper
to soldiers and thus violate the law and their religious convictions.
Yesterday 4 alternative servers left their place of service in the
Vardenis for the same reasons. They will be put to Military tribunal,
as according to the law the punishments for the alternative and
traditional servers are the same.
According to the Armenian Helsinki Committee the Law must be amended
as soon as possible. Particularly, the date of 42 months for the
alternative servers must be reduced by at least 6 months. Also the mark
on their uniforms “Alternative server” must be eliminated, and, which
is most important, their service must be regulated not by military,
but by civic organs.

FRENCH SENATE TO CONDUCT DAY OF CAUCASUS
Azer Tag
[May 18, 2005, 15:04:07]
The Day of Caucasus will be organized on May 19 at the French Senate,
the country’s Embassy in Baku has announced. The goal of the event
initiated by Ubiframce, the International Agency for Development of
Enterprises is provide French companies with information on business
environment in the South Caucasus. At the Azerbaijan-related hearings
to be presided by Chairman of the France-Azerbaijan friendship
group Ambrose Dupont and French Ambassador in Baku Roland Blatman,
will particularly focus on the country’s oil sector, and small and
medium business. The Azerbaijan-France business Forum to be organized
by Ubiframce in Baku on June 22-24 will also be discussed during
the event.

Armenia dismisses reports on return of Azeri regions
Baku, May 18, AssA-Irada
Armenia has dismissed reports that it reached an agreement with
Azerbaijan on its withdrawal from the occupied Azerbaijani regions.
“This statement contradicts reality”, Armenian foreign ministry
spokesman said on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said following the three-hour
meeting of Azeri and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert
Kocharian in Warsaw on Monday that the two discussed a timetable for
Armenia’s withdrawal from the occupied Azeri territories.*

JOHN EVANS: PRESIDENT BUSH’S APRIL 24 ADDRESS EXPRESSES US GOVERNMENT’S LATEST AND OFFICIAL POLICY REGARDING THIS ISSUE
YEREVAN, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. “President George Bush’s April 24 address
expresses the latest and official policy of US government regarding
this issue,” US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to RA
John Evans declared in his interview to the Yerkir web site, answering
the question, when the US will recognize the Armenian Genocide. The
ambassador quotted the following part of Bush’s address: “On Armenian
Remembrance Day, we remember the forced exile and mass killings of
as many as 1.5 million Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman
Empire. This terrible event is what many Armenian people have come
to call the “Great Calamity. I join my fellow Americans and Armenian
people around the world in expressing my deepest condolences for this
horrible loss of life.”

NUMBER OF 2D ‘GOLDEN APRICOT’ FILM FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS TO DOUBLE
By Ruzan Poghosian
AZG Armenian Daily #088, 17/05/2005
Culture
Director of “Golden Apricot” film festival, Harutyun Khachatrian,
informed that the festival this year will be held July 12-17. Film
workers of 45 countries have so far applied applications.
Grand Prix winner of “Golden Apricot” 2004, Atom Egoyan, will chair the
jury which includes Clod Miller, Klaus Eder, Jus Stelling, Simon Field,
Peter Wintonick and other renowned culture workers. Krzysztof Zanussi,
Abbas Kiarostami and Nikita Mikhalkov are among the honored guests.
“Cinematography as a Way of Dialogue” seminar will be held during the
festival days. Besides, the professionals will give lessons and film
directors will take part in film discussions.
The founders of the festival are the “Golden Apricot” Film Development
Fund, RA Culture and Foreign Ministries, “Hayfilm” cinema studio,
Association of Cinema Workers and Cinema Journalists, the Union of
Cinematographers and Home-Museum of Sergey Parajanov.
The “Golden Apricot” last year hosted more than 70 foreign film
workers and 150 movies from 20 countries were shown.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress