Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

Polyeucte – Grand Theâtre Massenet Saint-Etienne, France
By Francis Carlin

FT
March 17 2006 02:00

They are doing Carry on Christians in Saint-Etienne, a dizzy
Technicolor show that is as camp as Christmas. Alexandre Heyraud’s
interlocking series of red colonnades is simple and practical but
management should have taken the costume designer Frederic Pineau
aside and stopped him spending the entire municipal budget at the
local fabric warehouse. Pineau’s riotous pastel togas and headdresses
are right out of a 1950s time-warp.

Gounod thought his penultimate opera, based on Corneille’s tragedie
about the Armenian prince who flouts Roman authority and converts to
Christianity, was his best. It shows how mistaken composers can be
about their own works.

Polyeucte too often gets bogged down in an oompah, grand opera
style that the music director, Laurent Campellone, delivers with
keen attacks but a bit too much vigour. Apart from the tenor recital
lollipop “Source delicieuse”, there is little music of note but much
emphatic padding, run-of-the-mill orchestration, and regurgitated
formulae from past successes such as Faust.

Jean-Louis Pichon’s lame production makes things worse by leaving
the cast stranded mid-stage in shock-horror poses but the work
really requires a starry cast to make us overlook its pious self-
indulgence. Cecile Perrin’s Pauline can muster the high notes but is
hoarse in the middle register. Jean- Pierre Furlan in the title role
has a tenor voice that is in a weird class of its own: his vibrato-less
timbre could cut through the din of roadworks.

Evgeny Alexiev, as the altruistic Sevère, has appreciable power
but wayward control. The supporting cast is more at home with the
required style, notably Christophe Berry in a stylish, all-too-
brief pagan barcarolle.

And Corneille? He is probably still revolving in his tomb. But the
matinee audience lapped it up, particularly the climax, as Pauline
follows her husband and embraces death and the Christian faith.

Tel +33 4 77 47 83 40

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LSK challenges Govt on Armenians
By KEN LANGAT

Kenya Times, Kenya
March 16 2006

LAW Society of Kenya, Kericho branch, has challenged the Government to
come out clean over the presence of the alleged Armenian mercenaries
in the country.

The branch secretary Gideon Mutai said the mercenaries saga was a
security risk to the country and the sooner the Government comes out
with a clear statement over the issue the better.

Mutai lauded Langata Member of Parliament Raila Odinga for disclosing
the presence of the mercenaries in the country, describing him as
a leader who has the welfare of this country at heart on matters
pertaining to security.

Mutai asked other legislators to emulate Raila and come out strongly
in his support by intensifying pressure on the Government to take
necessary action against the aliens before any damage is done to
the country.

Said he: “By this time, the Government should already have arrested
the two Armenians while investigations were being conducted with the
assistance from those who claimed their lives are being endangered
by the duo.”

“It is deplorable to note that the two are yet to record statements
with the police and continue to enjoy State protection,” he added.

Speaking to the Press in his office, Mutai wondered why the Government
was quick to order some Opposition MPs to record statements while
the Armenians did not do so, especially after they admitted that they
had been approached by Raila and Kalonzo Musyoka to scheme and fund
on a plot to oust the Government.

He said Kenyans are more enlightened now than ever before and can no
longer be cheated by cheap propaganda.

He said the characteristic of the Armenians left a lot to be desired
whether they are business men or not saying right from the way they
dressed and work.

“Do business men have time to wear neckties, gold, bracelets, golden
wrist watches the way the Armenians are? These are normally the type
of people we usually see in movies and theatres,” he said.

He castigated lawyers who are associated with the Armenians saying
there is no advocate-client relationship in an act of wrongdoing
especially on matters touching the country’s security.

EURIMAGES’ ARMENIAN FILM PROJECT ANGERS ANKARA

The New Anatolian
ABHAber, Belgium
March 16 2006

The Council of Europe body Eurimages, to which Turkey contributes 1
million euros annually, has decided to give financial assistance to
a film supporting Armenian genocide claims, sparking anger in Ankara.

The decision to fund the Italian movie “The Farm of the Skylarks,”
which portrays Armenian claims of genocide, was taken during a
Eurimages general council meeting with the participation of 32 culture
ministers, although Turkey voted against and Macedonia abstained.

The decision to give 600,000 euros in assistance to the movie angered
Turkey due to the thought of Turkey supporting Armenian claims with
its own money. Italian broadcaster RAI’s becoming sponsor for the
movie also created a diplomatic row between Ankara and Rome.

The movie that will be directed by two Italian brothers Paolo and
Vittoria Taviani is to be based on a book written by Armenian-Italian
author Antonia Aslan.

Speaking to reporters about the film, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
stated that Turkey has taken necessary diplomatic steps and is waiting
for an answer.

Meanwhile, it was learned that Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi
intervened with a letter sent a letter to the Taviani brothers,
in which he urged them to tone the film down.

DEMOCRACY IN ARMENIA IS THE ISSUE WHICH U.S. OFTEN TOUCHES UPON, DANIEL FRIED SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 16 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “I hope that in
future as well I’ll have possibility to visit Armenia and work with
the Government of Armenia on our general issue which is building of
the future of Armenia,” Daniel Fried, the U.S. Assistant Secretary
of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs informed at
the March 16 joint press-conference with Steven Mann, the OSCE Minsk
Group American Co-Chairman.

He attached special attention to development of democratic processes
in Armenia and mentioned that democracy in Armenia is the issue which
the U.S. often touches upon.

Daniel Fried stated that his and Steven Mann’s visit to the region
has three important goals. The first: after the Ramboillet meeting to
discuss the negotiation process on the Karabakh issue settlement in
Baku and Yerevan. The second: to consider the South Caucasus’ future,
taking into account the state when regional problems like the issues
of Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia, Osetia, will already be solved and
“the countries of this region will be able to develop their future in
peaceful and safe conditions and will be able to make their choice
freely, without any outer pressures.” The goal of the visit is also
discussing of the energetic issues, “particularly connected with the
events taken place in January, this year.”

As for the one if the U.S. will assist Armenia in the issue of building
a new atomic power station, Daniel Fried mentioned that Europe and
U.S. observe problems of diversification of energic sources. “I know
what a solution those issues will get in general and particularly
relating to Armenia. I’ve heard that there is great interest in atomic
energy in Armenia, and I’ll inform Washington about it,” he stated.

DEAD BIRDS FRIGHTENED THE RESIDENTS OF GYUMRI

A1+
09:54 pm 15 March, 2006

A dead dove and a dead crow have been found in Gyumri.

In both cases the birds were found by the children.

The resident of the city applied to the Shirak region Veterinary
State Inspection immediately.

The workers of the Inspection found only the dead dove in the place
of incidence as the crow had been lost.

The investigations showed that the bird did not carry the bird flu
virus, and the concern was in vain.

According to the head of the Shirak region Veterinary State Inspection
representative Gagik Sargsyan, they get about 6-7 suchlike alarms
from the people a day, but up to now the bird flu virus has never
been found.

In this connection the Inspection is well prepared.

They have special tests with the help of which they can easily find
the virus.

“Tsayg” TV Company of Gyumri

SHARIFOV: “ARMENIANS PARTICIPATION IN OSCE CONFERENCE IN BAKU NOT DISPLAY OF COOPERATION BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES”

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2006 19:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Participation of Armenia’s representatives in
the work of the second preparatory conference of the Enhancing
Security and Transport in the OSCE Zone 14th economic forum does
not display economic cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
Azeri Vice-Premier Abid Sharifov stated at a news conference in Baku
March 16. “The event is organized by the OSCE and we take part in it
as an organization member,” Sharifov said, remarking that Azeri and
Armenian representatives participate in various international events,
either in Baku, Yerevan or other cities of the world. “Cooperation with
an occupant country cannot be the point,” he emphasized. It should be
remarked that three representatives of Armenia take part in the two-day
conference. In Sharifov’s words, the second preparatory conference
in Baku is of high importance. “A conference of that scale is held
in Baku for the first time and the event is one of three preparatory
measures within the OSCE 14th economic forum, which is scheduled in
Prague this May,” he reported.

POLITICAL GROUP URGES ARMENIA TO ACT AMID TENSION IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA

Noyan Tapan news agency
14 Mar 06

Yerevan, 14 March: The Javakhk council [political group demanding
autonomy for ethnic Armenians in the southern Georgian region of
Javakheti, referred to by the group as Javakhk], which comprises
15 public organizations, has appealed to the Armenian government
to pay proper attention to the problems of Armenians in Javakhk and
recognize the political component of this problem. This was set out
in a statement issued by the council on 14 March.

“Encouraged by the total indifference of the authorities of
the Republic of Armenia, Georgian circles have become even more
unrestrained,” the authors of the statement say. Recent anti-Armenian
steps in Georgia have included the dismissal of judges of Armenian
origin on the pretext of them having no knowledge of the Georgian
language, the opening of an eparchy of the Georgian church on the
territory of Armenia [as received] and the killing of an Armenian
youth in Tsalka.

“Without ruling out the possibility of a third party, including
Azerbaijan and Turkey, having been involved in provoking and
instigating these Anti-Armenian steps, the Javakhk council considers
the authorities of Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church to be
the main culprits. A share of the responsibility is borne by the
authorities of the Republic of Armenia, who have done nothing to help
resolve the problem of Javakhk,” the statement says.

“The core of the Javakhk problem is political. As long as Javakhk’s
political status is not clarified and Javakhk does not have guarantees
that Armenians will not be victimized, these issues will be impossible
to resolve,” council representative Razdan Madoyan said.

According to him, an overwhelming majority of Armenians in Armenia
are concerned about the problem of Javakhk because they understand
that it cannot be viewed in isolation. “On the one hand, it is the
question of Hay Dat [Armenian cause] and, on the other, it is the
question of Armenia’s physical survival because Javakhk is currently
the only possible link to Europe. We understand that if Armenians
leave the area, they will be replaced by Turks, which means that
Armenia will be complete blockaded,” he said.

Madoyan sees two possible scenarios: this will develop into either
another Naxcivan or another Karabakh. In his words, if Armenia wants
to continue its existence in the region as an independent state,
it should manage to preserve everything Armenian that remains there.

According to council representatives, Armenia should, if necessary,
send troops into Javakhk. Asked if Armenia was capable of fighting on
two fronts, council representative Gagik Ginosyan replied that this
would be a fourth front for Georgia. He said that one should not be
afraid of war if there was a threat of the motherland and national
dignity being lost and that Javakhk’s case was about the physical
survival of the republic of Armenia.

PRESS RELEASE
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
March 8, 2006
Tel/Fax: 610-642-6633
[email protected]

BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA ALUM PLANS ART SHOW FOR CHILDREN OF GYUMRI

In the summer of 2005, 25-year-old Birthright Armenia participant and
Sacramento native Tamara Shahabian embarked upon a four-month journey to
Armenia to change her destiny. Little did she know that when she left
Armenia, she would begin yet another journey – to help a group of young
emerging artists from Gyumri discover their own destinies. These emerging
artists are between the ages of 4 and 20 who attend the Gyumri Aesthetic
Center, a school/orphanage promoting cultural education and development.
With classes in drawing, painting and carpet-weaving, and a dedicated
gallery displaying artwork created by children living at the Center, the
school serves as a beacon of hope for a region that still suffers from the
devastations of the 1988 earthquake.

It was during a planned excursion to Gyumri with Birthright Armenia as a
volunteer with the Armenian Volunteer Corps, that Tamara and her father,
John Shahabian, first discovered the school’s gallery of artwork. As owners
of Coffee Works, a café in Sacramento that displays and sells artwork by
local members of the community, Tamara and her father realized they had
stumbled upon something incredibly valuable. Determined to help these young
artists, they decided to plan an art show at Coffee Works featuring artwork
created by the children of the center. All proceeds from the show would
then be sent back to the school.

With the help of Birthright Armenia, the father/daughter team was able to
transport almost 50 pieces of art all the way to Sacramento. Tamara then
worked with Coffee Works art director Melinda Johnson to touch-up, preserve,
and frame each piece. The artwork, which consists of large paintings,
paper-plate pieces, religious icons, and medium-sized and miniature carpet
weavings will be displayed on March 19 and March 20, at both St. James
Armenian Apostolic Church of Sacramento and Coffee Works respectively.

`We are extremely excited about the art show and its potential to return
much-needed revenues back to Gyumri,’ says Tamara. `My main goal for the
show is to illustrate to the students and orphans at the Gyumri Aesthetic
Center that they are capable of using their talents and creativity to
generate opportunities for themselves.’

Tamara’s dedication to the upcoming Coffee Works art show provides a source
of inspiration for other diasporan Armenians. As its core mission,
Birthright Armenia is not only committed to enriching the experience of
volunteers while in Armenia, but also promotes continued connections with
Armenia even after they leave its borders. In fact, Tamara’s idea for the
art show came as part of a `promise’ she made in a Continuing Involvement
Proposal that Birthright Armenia requires of all its program participants
when they leave Armenia. Tamara’s fulfillment of this `promise’ is just one
example of the lasting impacts her journey through Armenia has made in both
her life and the lives of other Armenians.

What Tamara and her father have accomplished can only be seen as a goal in
further connecting the Diaspora with the Homeland and aiding in its
development far into the future. What they have also provided to the
children of Gyumri is a message of hope. `I want the children’s
contributions to this art show to inspire them to discover their own
strengths and learn how they can turn their strengths into career
prospects,’ she says. `I think that in some ways, Gyumri is a desperate
place, but it is so important that the children there, and all over Armenia,
remain hopeful and learn at a young age that they can control their own
destinies.’

Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the Homeland and
Diaspora youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s
daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through work, study
and volunteer experiences, while developing life-long personal ties and a
renewed sense of Armenian identity. For those interested in learning more
about Birthright Armenia, please visit or email
[email protected].

MATTHEW BRYZA: US WILL STIVE TO DEVELOP DEMOCRACY NOT ONLY FROM UP TO DOWN BUT ALSO FROM DOWN TO UP

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The purpose
of my visit to Armenia is to do everything possible for further
strengthening of the Armenian-US relations,” Matthew Bryza, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs,
stated at a press conference in Yerevan on March 7.

In particular, according to him, the US attached special importance to
the Armenian-US bilateral relations in the field of democracy and the
issue of power-bearing substances diversification in Armenia. M. Bryza
noted that diversification is important not only with respect to
the issue of gas import – great attention should also be paid to the
development of hydropower energy, geothermal energy, as well as the
construction of nuclear power plants of new generation.

Regarding the current level of democracy in Armenia, M. Bryza noted
that he would not like to attach any label to Armenia, particularly,
to say what kind of country Armenia is today, – Armenia is in the
process of democratization.

We believe that it will proceed successfully, otherwise Armenia would
not have been included in the Millennium Challenges Program, he said.

He also underlined that the development of the democratization process
requires the political will of the country’s authorities and the
constructive position of its political parties. He said that in the
coming months, the US will try to use all available resources in order
to develop democracy not only from up to down but also from down to up.

MAIN INDUSTRY PRODUCTION INCREASED

Panorama.am
15:14 07/03/06

The companies working in the sphere of main industry and recycling
have produced production of 14.3 milliard drams, production of 13.8
milliard drams have been realized, the exported production reached
7.3 milliard drams. Today the head of Ministry of Economic Development
department of main industry Arthur Ashughyan at the press conference.

In 2005 the production of Zangezour copper-molybdenum factory was
87 milliard drams. As A. Ashughyan mentioned the prices of buildings
materials were high throughout all year round.

The modernization of “Armenal” was going on during last year. The
factory had already produced the first 100 tones of its production.

“We hope the working regime of the factory will be improved in a
couple of months,” he mentioned.