Author: Jagharian Tania

US TO ALLOCATE MILITARY GRANT TO ARMENIA
A1plus
| 13:53:16 | 30-06-2005 | Politics |
The US House of Representatives decreed Tuesday to allocate $5 million
to Armenia and Azerbaijan as a grant for military purposes in 2006,
day.az reported
To note, the Congressmen did not approve the $4 million military aid
to Uzbekistan explaining the decision by “changeable developments in
the republic.”
Baltic states will receive $5 million each.
According to the information center of the US Department of State
the program of foreign military financing is “a critically important
instrument of the US foreign policy for advancing its interests
throughout the world.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azerbaijan, Armenia Agree on Two More Principles
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
June 28 2005
Two pivotal issues were agreed upon during the Paris meeting of
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov has said. He did not elaborate, saying that the sides
had agreed to keep these issues confidential.
Mammadyarov said that despite progress in talks, the sides have not
agreed upon certain issues yet. “We will certainly discuss these
issues in the future and outline what steps should be taken to
achieve goals.”
Mammadyarov said the talks are underway based on the principles
outlined during the Warsaw meeting of the two countries’ presidents
and the foreign ministers are trying to arrive at a consensus. “After
consensus is reached on all principles, their gist will be reflected
on paper,” he said.
The minister went on to say that he held an informal meeting with his
Armenian counterpart Vardan Oskanian in Brussels last week during an
international event dedicated to the future developments in Iraq. The
parties discussed the most efficient directions to continue the
negotiations and complete the peace process soon, he said.
Commenting on Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov’s statement that
peace talks may yield results in August, Mammadyarov said it is
difficult to cite the exact timing.
“Frankly, I don’t expect the talks to yield results till the end of
August, when Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will meet in Kazan.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UN discussions on Garabagh conflict ‘will depend on peace talks’
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 28 2005
Baku, June 27, AssA-Irada — Azerbaijan is still to ascertain whether
or not the a draft resolution on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper Garabagh
conflict will be put on discussion at the UN General Assembly in
August, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has said.
Mammadyarov said the discussions will depend on the process of peace
talks. “If we achieve progress in talks, the situation will certainly
change. In this case, we will re-work the document,” he said.
Azerbaijan achieved putting the issue of illegal settlement of
Armenians in the occupied regions of Azerbaijan on the UN General
Assembly agenda in 2004. The discussions were followed by a visit of
the OSCE fact-finding mission to Upper Garabagh.*

AZG Armenian Daily #117, 25/06/2005
Constitution
DAYS OF TRIAL IN STRASBURG
‘We achieved total-lot results as regards changes’
The most overwrought day in the work of Armenian delegation at the PACE was
perhaps June 23. The delegation managed to avoid 2 dangerous offers that
could be fatal for Armenia once adopted.
On June 23, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe verified the
draft project of a monitoring commission on Armenian constitution. A session
of the monitoring commission discussed 3 proposals concerning the draft put
forward by Turkish and Azeri representatives and one by Dutch deputy Erik
Jurgens. The proposal of Turks and Azeris was hotly discussed during 2 days.
They suggested jotting down in the constitution that Armenia recognizes the
internationally recognized borders of other states. But, as parliament
vice-speaker Tigran Torosian said, “we managed to turn the offer down in a
fierce fighting”. The proposal was voted down by only one prevailing vote of
Matias Jorse, head of Liberal-Democratic block at CE. Upon Jurgens’
proposal, the Assembly called on Armenia to hold a referendum not later than
in November 2005.
“I think that it’s a rather fine draft and may lay serious foundation for a
successful referendum. Of course, we have to work on the draft”.
Discussions of the Venice Commission and the Armenian delegation followed.
“Azeris, having been warned that they will not be empowered in PACE once
elections fail, tried to include suchlike proviso in our draft. But their
attempts crushed down. This was not only the most nervous but also the most
successful day of the Armenian delegation as we managed to neutralize 2
dangerous proposals”, Tigran Torosian said.
By Karine Danielian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BAKU Today, Azerbaijan
June 24 2005
PACE committee on Karabakh to meet Thursday
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe committee on
Nagorno Karabakh will meet for the first time on Thursday.
On the first day of the PACE session, Wednesday, PACE approved the
composition of its temporary committee. It comprises parliament
members from Baku and Yerevan, chairs of separate PACE committees,
and the rapporteurs on Azerbaijan and Armenia, a representative of
the Azeri delegation at PACE Asim Mollazada said.
Mollazada, who chairs the organization committee of the Democratic
Reforms Party, will represent the Azerbaijani opposition at the PACE
committee.

VARDAN OSKANIAN: ARMENIA IS WILLING TO DEVELOP ITS RELATIONS WITH
PEACEFUL, UNITED AND DEMOCRATIC IRAQ
YEREVAN, June 24. /ARKA/. Armenia is willing to develop its relations
with peaceful, united and democratic Iraq. According to RA MFA Press
Service, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian stated about
it at the international conference on Iraq in Brussels. “Only 200
miles separate the capitals of our states, and we are most interested
in cooperation”, he said. Oskanian highly appreciated the fact of
holding a conference, adding that it’s very important for Iraqi
people, which must be aware of consistent involvement of the
international community in restoration of Iraq. “This makes sides
interested to apply more efforts to restore the country”, he
said. Oskanian added that even such small countries with moderate
possibilities and symbolic participation like Armenia understand the
value of moral support by interested observers. “Being a Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the country, which undergoes difficult transition
period, I can assure that due to consistent economic support and
long-term investments, the society will begin to believe in prospects
of peace and democracy”, he said.
Speaking about Armenia’s presence in Iraq, he noted that “the country
is rich with natural resources”. According to him, they speak not only
about the resources under ground, but also wealth of the national
diversity. “Ancient and large in number Armenia community of Iraq is a
part of that variety, and we are aware that together with other Iraqi
people they hope to have their input in prospering and peaceful future
of the country”, he said.
Oskanian left for Brussels by the invitation of the US Secretary of
State Condoliza Rice and EU Council Secretary-General Javier
Solana. The conference on Iraq in Brussels was organized at the
initiative of the USA, EU and Iraq. Delegations from 85 countries of
the world and largest international organizations will take part in
it. A.H.-0-

Armenpress
KOCHARIAN MEETS ARMENIAN STUDENTS IN MOSCOW
MOSCOW, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian president Robert Kocharian met
yesterday in Moscow with a group of Armenian students majoring at Russian
universities. Some 5,000 ethnic Armenian students are believed to study at
Moscow-based higher education establishments, 15 percent of them are
Armenian citizens.
The meeting was organized by Armenian embassy in Russia and the
Association of Armenian Students of Moscow State University. The president
had a frank talk with students and answered their questions, focusing on the
Karabakh problem, Turkish-Armenian relations, domestic issues.
In response to a question about the advisability of building an
Iran-Armenia railway, Kocharian said there was no need for it as there is a
railway connecting Armenia with Iran through Azerbaijan’s exclave
Nakhichevan. “As soon as we resolve the dispute with Azerbaijan this road
will resume its operation,’ he said

REQUIEM SOLEMNY PRESIDED BY CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS AT SOGHOMON
TEHLERIAN’S GRAVE
FRESNO, JUNE 22, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. As it was already
stated, on June 15, in Sacramento, within the framework of a pastoral
visit to the US Western Deocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians met with Arnold Schwarzenegger,
the Governor of California, the city authorities, law-makers and
senators of the state, including Senator Chuck Puchigian, of Armenian
origin. Before leaving for Sacramento, on June 14, the Catholicos of
All Armenians visited the California State University of Fresno where
there is an Armenian Studies Department as well. John Welty, the
President of the CSU Fresno Campus mentioned that there are students
of the Armenians origin at the University and it has numerous ties
with Armenia. Welty decorated His Holiness with the highest order of
the University. Then addressing his blessing to professors’ staff and
students of the University, the Catholicos of All Armenians presented
in details the mission of the Armenian Church and the present
achivements, particularly in the sphere of education. His Holiness
Karekin II appriciated services of the University in the issue of
bringing up and education of the youth, expressing his satisfaction
with the continual respect and love towards the Armenian people and
the Armenian Church. On the same day, Archbishops Nerses Pozapalian
and Vache Hovsepian, members of the retinue of the Catholicos of All
Armenians and ones of the elderly churchmen of the Mother See, and
clergymen of the deocese visited the old-aged pensioner’s home of
California. As Noyan Tapan was informed from the Information Center of
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Catholicos of All Armenians
had a meeting with Roger Monteroy, the Fresno Mayor at the Mayor’s
Office on June 13. His Holiness mentioned that Armenians settled down
in Fresno after the 1898 Hamidian massacres and the 1915 Armenian
Genocide. The Catholicos of All Armenians also expressed his gratitude
to the state authorities of California and expressed a hope that once
the United States will recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide.
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians visited the Armenian community
school of Fresno where about 100 pupils study. On the same day, in
Fresno, a requiem was presided solemny by the Catholicos of All
Armenians at the grave of Soghomon Tehlerian. At the end of the
requiem, His Holiness preached about justice and Armenians’ invincible
soul, gifting his blessing to united pious Armenians.

A1plus
| 21:31:32 | 22-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION 2005 |
THE AZERI PECULIARITY
As always, the Azeri delegation, passing over the discussed matter, referred
to the land problem. Member of the Azeri delegation Rafael Huseynov
mentioned that for the years after membership to the COE Azerbaijan has
proved that it spares no effort to establish democracy in the country and to
honor its obligations and commitments.
Mr. Huseynov spoke about the `peculiarity’ of Azerbaijan. `Azerbaijan is the
only member country of the COE, 20% of the lands of which are occupied’. We
hope that the PACE will take corresponding steps to call aggressor Armenia
to responsibility and will give Azerbaijan the possibility to become member
of COE with all its territory.
Head of the Azeri delegation Samed Seyidov also made speech. He asked
everyone to be tolerant to Azerbaijan and claimed that Azerbaijan takes
steps to solve all the problems.

New York Times, NY
June 22 2005
Verse Film Pits Love Against the Clash of Cultures
By ANNETTE GRANT
Published: June 22, 2005
Sally Potter – a dancer, choreographer, actress, singer, composer,
writer, poet and filmmaker – has a new movie, “Yes,” opening on
Friday. It follows “Orlando” (1993), “The Tango Lesson” (1997) and
“The Man Who Cried” (2000) and several short films and documentaries.
“Yes,” stars Joan Allen, Simon Abkarian and Sam Neill. It is written
in verse (iambic pentameter), one of the few films to use an unusual
form of dialogue. (Two others are “Force of Evil,” 1948, in blank
verse, and “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” 1964, which is sung
through.) “Yes” has two main characters, She (Ms. Allen), an
Irish-American, and He (Mr. Abkarian), an Arab from Beirut, who begin
an affair in London and end it in Havana. Mr. Neill plays She’s
husband. On a recent visit to New York, Ms. Potter talked to Annette
Grant about making “Yes.”
Skip to next paragraph

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
The writer and director Sally Potter.
Movie Details: ‘Yes’ | Trailer

Forum: Hollywood and Movie News

Nicola Dove/Sony Pictures Classics
Simon Abkarian and Joan Allen, who play the main characters in “Yes,”
a new film by Sally Potter. Written in verse, the film concerns an
affair between an Irish-American, called Her, and an Arab, called
Him.
Annette Grant “Yes” was your response as an artist to 9/11?
Sally Potter It was a visceral necessity, the very next day. I wanted
to contribute something affirmative in the face of such disruption,
when it seemed that the seeds of greater destruction had been
planted. The answer I found is “Yes,” a tender, erotic love story
played out against a backdrop of the clash of fundamentalisms, East
and West.
Q How did you decide to write it in verse?
A In my 20’s I was an improvising singer and I wrote many, many
songs. And at various stages, every screenplay I’ve written has been
in verse. But they’ve all been locked away in a drawer. Somehow it
seemed like the moment had finally come to let that idea play itself
out. I wanted this film to be like a river of voice. “Yes” just came
out that way, like a long poem or song.
Q So there was no opportunity for improvisation?
A No, it had to be the words as written exactly. Of course there were
many rewrites if something wasn’t working in rehearsal. The writing
and the directing of this film were so intertwined they became
inseparable. But the mode of delivery within the structure of what
was written was very free, so the actors never felt trapped in it.
They were word perfect. It was very easy for them to memorize,
because of the rhyme.
Q What was the first part you wrote?
A The car park scene in which He breaks up with She. I made it into a
five-minute film. Rewrote it, rewrote it, rewrote it, rewrote it,
again and again – partly because the world situation kept changing.
When we went into rehearsals the United States and England had just
gone into Iraq. So the script felt extremely prophetic, or pertinent
anyway.
Q Was this a hard film to raise money for?
A Really hard because it was perceived as very, very risky. People
found it difficult to believe that it would work.
Q Did you do a lot of research?
A I went to Beirut with Simon Abkarian, who is Armenian from there.
He was involved for about a year. I talked with him a lot, listened
to him a lot, about his life growing up there and his friends. I
often find that I need to write something first and then research it
afterwards because it’s as if the research has already been done
somewhere in my imagination, based on accumulated knowledge and
experience over the years. But then I fact check everything in
whatever way is relevant for fiction. I mean, you can’t – it’s not
“fact” by definition, but to make sure that the voice is authentic.
We were going to shoot in Beirut, but when the war broke out, the
insurers would not let us go. So we decided to shoot Beirut in
Havana, while we were there shooting the Havana scenes. We had to
shoot Havana in the Dominican Republic, because as an American, Joan
Allen couldn’t travel to Cuba.
But we obviously couldn’t take all the extras into Cuba, so we went
to the Arab Union in Havana, and I think the entire Arab population
of Cuba was in one scene. But I had Simon and the two friends come to
a meeting with all the extras and tell me is this a believable face
for this situation.
Q You cast yourself in “The Tango Lesson.” Were you ever tempted to
play She, the Joan Allen role, yourself in “Yes”?
A It crossed my mind and, of course, in the early days when I was
writing it I was reading it aloud to find out how it felt in the
mouth. But I think the experience of “The Tango Lesson,” taught me
that being in a film that you also direct can kind of hijack it away
from its intention to some degree.
Q If “Yes” is poetry, the real language of that film was dance.
A But also the language of whose eyes are looking – so it’s about
filmmaking. Every filmmaker makes a film at some point about the
process of filmmaking.
Q Joan Allen describes “Yes” as an extremely emotional adventure for
her. She has talked about rehearsals at which everyone was crying.
What were these emotions arising from?
A A combination of things. The script gave permission to feel,
through the vehicle of the story, the horrors of the global
situation. In rehearsal you need to arrive at the most profound level
of emotional contact with the material, partly in order to discharge
some of it to achieve the necessary transparency to play it. So that
the viewer doesn’t see a kind of therapeutic process going on on the
screen, but sees something many, many stages beyond that. But you
have to have gone through that first.
It wasn’t just the actors who would cry in rehearsal, but I would
turn around and the crew was also crying during the shooting. And now
audiences are crying at screenings. So some nerve is getting, I
think, usefully pushed. People are being allowed to feel; feel what’s
hard to feel or is amorphous and unfocused or it’s too threatening to
feel. And precisely because the film ultimately is affirmative, and
is joyful and is a celebration of love.
Q Isn’t this what art means to do, to make people feel through it?
A Yes. And to feel therefore themselves in it. I think that’s the
key.