Category: News

Official Kremlin Int’l News Broadcast
March 16, 2004 Tuesday
REMARKS ON GEORGIAN-ADZHARIAN CONFLICT BY STATE DUMA COMMITTEE FOR
FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIR KONSTANTIN KOSACHEV AND FORMER DEFENSE MINISTER
OF GEORGIA TENGIZ KITOVANI
Anchor: I am Ksenia Larina. Our guests are State Duma Committee for
Foreign Affairs Chairman Konstantin Kosachev. Good day, Konstantin.
Kosachev: Good day.
Anchor: And Tengiz Kitovani, a former Defense Minister of Georgia.
Good day, Tengiz.
Kitovani: Good day.
Anchor: I guess you all understand what issue we are going to discuss
now. It certainly is the conflict between Georgia — shall I say,
between official Georgia and its autonomous region that is called
Adzharia. Many experts say that this confrontation may develop into a
real civil war. So, let us discuss this today.
To begin with, I would like to ask our guests to express their views
on these developments, the main causes and how natural this conflict
is for you. Tengiz, you will begin.
Kitovani: This dates back to the times of Gamsakhurdia and his
appointment of Aslan Abashidze. The whole of Georgia was against
that. But Gamsakhurdia made a decision to appoint him chairman of the
Council of Ministers in Adzharia. And he also appointed Ardzinba. So,
the separatist movement goes a long way back into the times when
Gamsakhurdia made these appointments.
So apparently the separatist movement evolved with the support of
some separatist-minded politicians. As a result, we have today what
we have. The appointment of Saakashvili, it became immediately
obvious after this appointment that separatists ran away to Moscow in
search of asylum, from South Ossetia, Adzharia and Abkhazia. Aslan
Abashidze was among them. So apparently this scenario had been
prepared here.
Anchor: Do you mean here in Russia?
Kitovani: Of course, because that’s how things are developing now.
Russia supports Aslan Abashidze, and the Americans support
Saakashvili. Aslan Abashidze must not have been supported because
presidential politicians consider him a criminal. Under Gamsakhurdia
he shot in his own office a man who was in power at that time. I want
you to know this. He killed a man and remained in his office for 10
more years unpunished.
Anchor: He killed a person in his own office?
Kitovani: He did. He shot him dead in his own office. The man’s name
was Imnadze. I can tell you a lot of things.
Anchor: I want to turn the floor over to Konstantin Kosachev, who has
been smiling all this time.
Kosachev: Well, no, I haven’t been smiling because the situation is
developing in a tragic way and, God forbid, may come to a bloodshed.
There is nothing to laugh about.
But I cannot agree with such a one-sided assessment of the situation.
First of all, I think that not only and not so much Gamsakhurdia is
responsible for this situation. On the one hand, it has deep
historical roots. On the other hand, it existed and was not resolved
during Shevardnadze’s rule.
Second, I am absolutely convinced that if Russia were interested in
disintegrating Georgia and separating ethnic regions from it, it
would have done so a long time ago. Believe me, Russia can do that,
given the current sentiments in these ethnic regions. However,
Russia’s consistent position in favor of Georgia’s territorial
integrity, which we have repeatedly emphasized, has allowed Georgia
to remain as an integral state and not fall into feudal
principalities.
Third, when contacts with Russian officials take place in these
capitals, and I know what I am saying and I know what is discussed at
such negotiations, the only goal that Russia pursues in the context
of such negotiations is to convince the leadership of the concerned
ethnic regions to continue the political dialogue with Tbilisi,
refrain from unilateral radical actions based on force, and look for
compromises that can help Georgia remain as an integral state for
years and even centuries.
That is our main national interest for Russia — preserving Georgia
as an integral state, because Georgia’s disintegration into small
components will have an immediate and most negative impact on the
situation in the Caucasus where unfortunately we have enough problems
as it is.
Anchor: Is the President empowered to use force if at stake is a part
of the country that he is running or he isn’t?
Kosachev: Theoretically, he is empowered because this is part of
Georgia. As far as I understand, the leadership of Adzharia is not
saying that Adzharia is not part of Georgia. It has recognized that,
thank God. By the way, the parliamentary elections due to be held in
Georgia on March 28 will also be held on the territory of Adzharia,
which is a sign of the position of the present leadership of
Adzharia.
It is another question that any president — and I am sure that Mr.
Saakashvili is a wise President — should look for, if not the
shortest, the optimal ways toward this or that goal. And I am sure
that the use of force in conflicts of this kind will not bring the
coveted goal of a compromise any nearer, on the contrary, it will
make it more remote. This is what we are witnessing now. What is
happening before our eyes has again provoked emotions on both sides.
Let us think back to February 25 the day of inauguration of the
Georgian President when they stood shoulder to shoulder with the
President or, properly speaking, the Chairman of Adzharia, Mr.
Abashidze. They were standing together reviewing the military parade.
And I am sure that a Russian heart rejoices at such a picture. And
now, just three weeks on, we see the absolute opposite.
Why is it happening? I suspect that it should all be traced to the
March 28 elections. President Saakashvili is up against daunting
problems that face Georgia. First of all, problems of economic
character — rampant corruption and an industry that is at a
standstill. I am afraid that no miracles will happen in the Georgian
economy by March 28, much as we would all like it to happen.
And that generates the temptation of a small victorious military
operation that will enable the President of the whole of Georgia to
look like a credible national leader. I think such actions are
extremely dangerous and undesirable.
Anchor: Tengiz, to pick up where Konstantin Kosachev left off, a
question to you. Is military force the only solution at present?
Kitovani: I agree that the question cannot be solved by military
force. That would mean civil war. This is not an option. The parties
should agree peacefully. But at the same time I must be critical of
those who are setting up a blockade inside their own country. This is
not the way to act. Naturally, it will lead to a military
confrontation. You know that both Armenia and Georgia get cargoes
from Batumi. Everybody knows that. And the Armenians will get angry
because the cargoes delivered to Batumi are destined for Armenia.
Armenia will demand the opening of ports. And that becomes a vicious
circle. So, I am against any confrontations on the territory of
Georgia.
Anchor: Let us recall that Mr. Abashidze had turned for help to
Russia and to President Bush. And I would like Tengiz to answer my
question: How do you assess these remarks by the Adzharian leader?
And my second question: Should Russia interfere in this conflict to
some degree?
Kitovani: I think Russia should interfere if a conflict situation
arises. Russia should defuse the situation that obtains in Georgia
which is at war with its own people. Russia cannot do it as it could
be done when the arrival of Ivanov defused the situation during the
presidential election. So, I would be glad to welcome Russian
representatives who would follow this path.
Anchor: Should Russia support one or the other side in this conflict?
Kitovani: Russian policy must play this main role — and I have
always spoken about it — Russia should defuse the situation that is
becoming more and more tense in Georgia. The Russian President can do
it, he can do it.
Anchor: And the fact that Luzhkov has gone there, what does it mean?
Kitovani: Well, Luzhkov went to see his friend. They have long been
friends.
Anchor: So, you consider it to be a private visit?
Kitovani: Yes, a private visit, I think. Luzhkov cannot resolve this
issue, he went to see Abashidze as his friend.
Anchor: Well, I for one, find it rather strange: the mayor of Moscow,
the mayor of the capital of the Russian state, pays a private visit
to Adzharia at the peak of the conflict between two opposing forces.
Do you really think it is just a private visit?
Kitovani: Well, Luzhkov does have an interest because Luzhkov is
building some kind of dachas in Adzharia for Moscow. That much I
know. And of course, Luzhkov wouldn’t like the money to be lost,
Moscow’s money with which he is building something in the outskirts
of Batumi.
Anchor: The same question to Konstantin Kosachev, regarding Russian
participation in this conflict. How do you see Russian participation
in this?
Kosachev: First, I know exactly what Russia must not do in this
situation. We must not use our military capability in the shape of
our base in Batumi, on no account. Secondly, we must not use economic
levers, whether with regard to Tbilisi or Batumi in order to induce
the conflicting parties to strike a compromise. And thirdly, we must
not tap the potential of our own diaspora, and there are a lot of
people in Adzharia with Russian passports, to influence the
situation. And as to what we must do, and here I absolutely agree
with Mr. Kitovani, we must made maximum use of the political resource
which Russia has and which in my opinion is unique compared to the
resources of the United States or of the European Union.
We are equally reliable partners and allies now for Tbilisi and
Batumi. We enjoy the trust of both sides. I think it is hardly
feasible to line-up a certain living shield on the administrative
frontier and to send our politicians there or our heads of Russian
regions, and I think that indeed Mr. Luzhkov in this case is acting
on his own initiative rather than upon someone’s instruction from
above.
Incidentally, in Adzharia now, according to media reports, there
already are appearing some State Duma deputies. Here I would like to
stress…
Anchor: Alksnis is there and Savelyev.
Kosachev: I will stress that it is their private trips and again
there are no decisions of the State Duma taken to send its
representatives there. So, the deputies are there on their own
initiative as physical persons and citizens of Russia and not as Duma
deputies. Of course, it is impossible for Russia to stay away from
the conflict. I suspect that if the blockade of Adzharia continues,
Russia will have to organize some activities to simply help the
people…
Anchor: To provide humanitarian aid.
Kosachev: Humanitarian assistance will have to be provided as we are
doing it in the case of Abkhazia and in some of the episodes — with
South Ossetia. That is why I constantly say that now any radical
actions of either side are equally harmful. When the cortege
accompanying Mr. Saakashvili, was stopped at the administrative
border, this was also a radical action on the part of the Adzharian
leadership which also added a spark to ignite the fire. It is
probably possible to find some more flexible variants of actions, to
let in the official part of the cortege and to cut off the armed
guards. So, it was wrong to say that no matter who you are, president
or no president, the road is closed. Now it is also wrong to close
the air space, the port of Batumi and to threaten the closure of the
checkpoint in Sarpi on the border with Turkey. All these actions are
kind of links being added to one chain that may close and form a
vicious circle and of course Tbilisi and Batumi will not be able to
break that vicious circle. And here arises the role to be played by
Russia and I am positive that it will be constructive.
Anchor: And if Abashidze asks for military assistance?
Kosachev: Categorically no, I am profoundly convinced.
Anchor: Tengiz, and what does the head of Adzharia have today and I
am asking you about some military structures that he has?
Kitovani: Naturally, he places hopes on the Russian division which is
stationed there. But will the Russians comply with the request? Now,
Abashidze is asking assistance from those divisions that are
stationed in Batumi. This is the main role and incidentally, this is
the talk that Abashidze is using about seeking assistance from the
division stationed in Batumi.
Anchor: But does he have his own army?
Kitovani: Allegedly, there is the division manned by Georgian
soldiers — but this is nonsense, fairy-tales and the talk of the
child. But the only danger is coming from the side and it is correct
to close the Turkish borders because the Turks may take advantage of
the conflict. Under the agreements of 1920s, it is clearly stated
that Turkey has the right to enter the territory of Adzharia.
Kosachev: But the agreement is not valid, it no longer has any
effect.
Kitovani: It is valid. But if they enter, it will be late. Now all
the documents are being studied because it is necessary to take a
look at the agreement and so on. Then they will raise what was signed
at the Istanbul summit. The withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia
is not being complied with either. But it was written on paper and it
remains on paper.
Kosachev: Just a minute…
Kitowani: I will finish my thought. It stays on paper and those who
write, they execute.
Kosachev: I will take issue with that. It is because the Istanbul
accords contain a bilateral protocol between Russia and Georgia on
withdrawing by 2002 two bases — Vaziani and Gudauty — and it is to
be executed by 2002 and in regard to the bases in Akhalkalaki and
Batumi, agreement was registered to the effect that the parties will
decide on the format of the functioning of the bases on Georgia’s
territory. I ask you to refresh these documents in your memory.
As long as these bases are undesirable for Georgia, and now they are
definitely undesirable for Georgia, they are subject to withdrawal.
Russia does not challenge this and these bases will be taken away
from the territory of Georgia, including the base in Batumi, within
deadlines to be agreed by the parties.
Anchor: We don’t have much time left. Of course, we want to talk a
little about your forecasts — the worst case scenario and the best
scenario. If it is the worst case scenario, how will the events
develop. Konstantin, what do you think?
Kosachev: The worst-case scenario is the replay of Abkhasian variant
of 1992-1993 when armed units clash and these clashes quickly
develops into a civil war that involves pensioners and children.
Given the short temper of the confronting factions, and as far as I
understand, and if I am wrong, please correct me, mainly Georgians
live in Adzharia, at least they say that they are Georgians but of a
somewhat different type — so, given the short- tempered Georgian
character on both sides, neither will concede, and all this will go
on, resulting in flows of blood and heavy casualties only to end the
same way as the conflict in Abkhazia ended where the sides had
realized the pointlessness of using force any further and returned to
their places on different sides of the barricade. That’s the most
terrible scenario that may happen. It is absolutely senseless and it
will only inflict a new deep wound upon the efforts to resolve the
conflict by political means and preserve Georgia’s territorial
integrity.
Anchor: Tengiz.
Kitovani: I want all this to end peacefully. And I think it will. I
will travel to Tbilisi shortly to convince the sides to resolve the
whole thing peacefully with the help of Russia and America. The only
way out of this is to end this peacefully.
Mr. Saakashvili will have to make some concessions to Abashidze at
this point because otherwise Georgians will have to pay a dear price
and face grave consequences.
Kosachev: I hope and I am convinced that Mr. Saakashvili will have
enough political wisdom, restraint and strategic vision to try to
solve all of Georgia’s problems, including the Adzharian problem, at
one strike for a certain political or historical occasion.
Anchor: Tengiz, you said in the beginning that Abashidze is a
criminal. Then why don’t authorities simply arrest him and get it
over and done with?
Kitovani: You know, that’s exactly what he is afraid of. He is afraid
of this because it has been said several times on Tbilisi’s
television that he killed Imnadze in the 1990s under Gamsakhurdia.
So, he is simply afraid of all of this because he is a very careful
person. I know him very well. Tbilisi considers him a criminal for
killing Imnadze. Perhaps Muscovites do not know about this, but
Tbilisi’s television carries a lot of reports about this murder.
Imnadze’s daughter also often appears on television and she actually
witnessed the murder of her father.
Kosachev: If Mr. Saakashvili is aware of this fact, it’s very strange
that during the inauguration ceremony in Batumi on February 25 he was
standing shoulder to shoulder with this man. So, I think that the
situation is not as simple as that.
Kitovani: It’s a fact and it occurred in 1991. The daughter and
mother were arrested in Kutaisi and I liberated them because the
roads were blocked as they were seeking to get rid of the witnesses.
I got them out of there and took them to Tbilisi with a police escort
to make sure they didn’t get killed on the way. That’s what happened.
Anchor: Unfortunately we have run out of time. Obviously this topic
will be among the main news for a long time. We all want the
situation to be resolved peacefully. Our guests, Tengiz Kitovani and
Konstantin Kosachev, wish that too. I thank you for coming here
today.
From: Baghdasarian

Source: The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute Committee on Science and the Arts Announces the Benjamin Franklin Medal and Bower Award Laureates for 2004
Raymond Damadian, Inventor of the First Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) Machine, Among the Laureates Honored with America’s Most
Historic Science Awards — Widely Regarded as American Nobel Prizes
PHILADELPHIA, March 18, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) — The Franklin Institute’s
Committee on Science and the Arts, together with Institute President
and CEO Dennis M. Wint, today announced the Benjamin Franklin Medal
and Bower Award laureates for 2004. These preeminent scientists are
being recognized for their outstanding achievements in the fields of
chemistry, computer and cognitive science, electrical engineering,
life sciences, mechanical engineering, and physics. Laureates will be
honored formally at a gala awards ceremony and dinner, presented by
Fleet Bank, on Thursday evening, April 29, 2004, at The Franklin
Institute, in Philadelphia. The Master of Ceremonies for this
celebration will be Lester Holt. Holt is the lead anchor for daytime
news and breaking news coverage on MSNBC.
The 2004 Franklin Institute Bower Award Laureates are: Seymour Benzer,
who will receive the esteemed Bower Award for Achievement in Science
and the accompanying $250,000 Cash Prize; and Raymond Damadian, who
will receive the Bower Award for Business Leadership. The Benjamin
Franklin Medal Laureates are Roger Bacon, Harry B. Gray, Richard
M. Karp, Robert B. Meyer, and Robert E. Newnham.
“These exceptional scientists are taking up the torch of a
180-year-old-legacy of extraordinary achievement in science and
technology,” says Wint. “Whether lifting the veil on the mysteries of
the brain, or inventing tools and technologies to help us conquer
disease and revolutionize many aspects of science, engineering, and
business, these Laureates are changing the quality of our everyday
lives. We are proud to honor these individuals as they have honored
and inspired us and generations to come through their dedication to
science.”
Meet The Laureates
The Bower Award Laureates
The 2004 Bower Award and the accompanying $250,000 Cash Prize for
Achievement in Science in the Field of Brain Research goes to
geneticist Seymour Benzer for his pioneering discoveries that both
founded and greatly advanced the field of neurogenetics, thereby
transforming our understanding of the brain. More than anyone else,
Benzer began the effort to trace the actual, physical links from genes
to behavior. Research based on these fundamental experiments is today
providing profound insights into such degenerative disorders as
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to opening the door
to a new world of understanding about the genetic basis of brain
function and pathology, Benzer also is honored for his monumental
discoveries in molecular biology and physics early in his career.
The 2004 Bower Award for Business Leadership in the Field of Brain
Research goes to physician and inventor Raymond V. Damadian for his
development and commercialization of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
used in clinical applications. Damadian filed for a patent in 1972,
which was granted in 1974 for an “Apparatus and Method of Detecting
Cancer in Tissue”. Soon afterwards, he and his team built the first
MRI scanner and achieved the first human scan (1977), and subsequently
founded FONAR Corporation and developed the first commercial MRI
machine in 1980. MRI technology has transformed the diagnosis and
treatment of disease in our lifetime, and in doing so, created an
entirely new industry. The development and commercialization of the
MRI has given the world a Jules Verne view inside our bodies such that
even the inner workings of the brain are now within reach. Today,
thanks to Damadian’s work, more than 60 million MRIs are performed
each year around the world.
The Benjamin Franklin Medal Laureates
The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry goes to Harry B. Gray for his
pioneering contributions to the understanding of the underlying
physics and chemistry that control electron transfer in
metalloproteins. Specifically, Gray has applied his knowledge of
inorganic chemistry to biological processes. He and his team
identified the molecular pathway by which electrons move in proteins
that contain a bound metal ion such as iron or magnesium in their
structure. Examples of metalloproteins in living cells are chlorophyll
in plants and hemoglobin in blood. Gray is an indefatigable promoter
of inorganic and biological chemistry.
The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science goes to
Richard M. Karp for his contributions to the understanding of
computational complexity. vHis work helps programmers find workable
solution procedures to tremendously complex problems, avoiding
approaches that would fail to find a solution in a reasonable amount
of time. Scientific, commercial, or industrial situations where his
work applies include establishing least-cost schedules for industrial
production, transportation routing, circuit layout, communication
network design, and predicting the spatial structure of a protein from
its amino acid sequencing. Karp is among the world leaders in
algorithm design, analysis, and computational complexity.
The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering goes to Robert
E. Newnham for his invention of multiphase piezoelectric transducers
and their spatial architecture, which has revolutionized the field of
acoustic imaging. Specifically, Newnham invented the composite
piezoelectric transducer, which has had exciting applications in the
fields of underwater acoustics, medical ultrasound, wireless
communications, and chemistry. He is considered one of the pioneers in
the field of electronic composites and acknowledged as the “Father of
Unified Nomenclature of Piezocomposites”.
The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering goes to Roger
Bacon for his fundamental research on the production of graphite
whiskers and the determination of their microstructure and properties,
for his pioneering development efforts in the production of the
world’s first continuously processed carbon fibers and the world’s
first high modulus, high strength carbon fibers using rayon
precursors, and for his contributions to the development of carbon
fibers from alternative starting materials. So many of today’s
products and technologies rely on high strength composites. From
sports equipment to aerospace advancements, high strength graphite is
an integral part of today’s world — a world made possible by Roger
Bacon.
The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics goes to Robert B. Meyer for his
creative synthesis of theory and experiment demonstrating that tilted,
layered liquid crystal phases of chiral molecules are ferroelectric,
thus launching both fundamental scientific advancement in the field of
soft condensed matter physics and in the development of liquid crystal
displays that meet the demands of current technology. The application
of his work has been instrumental in the development of new
technologies including flat panel displays and optical switches
important to the modern computer and optical communication industries.
The Story of the Franklin Institute Awards Program
The long, distinguished history of The Franklin Institute Awards
Program dates back to 1824, when the Institute was founded by a group
of leading Philadelphians to train artisans and mechanics in the
fundamentals of science. Philadelphia — then the largest city in the
United States — was the nation’s innovation and manufacturing
center. In 1824, the Institute arranged the first of what became a
series of annual exhibitions of manufactured goods.
With the exhibitions came the presentation of awards — first
certificates and later endowed medals — for achievement in science
and technology. Recipients were selected by the Institute’s venerable
Committee on Science and the Arts, established in 1824 as the
Committee on Inventions. The Institute’s all-volunteer Committee still
nominates recipients of The Franklin Institute Medals. Committee
members represent academia, corporate America, and government. They
evaluate the work of nominated individuals for its uncommon insight,
skill, or creativity, as well as for its impact on future research or
application to serve humankind.
Widely regarded as the American Nobel Prizes, these awards reflect
upon the spirit of discovery embodied by Benjamin Franklin, as well as
the power of science to inspire lives and encourage future innovation
and discovery. The list of Franklin Institute medal winners reads like
a “Who’s Who” of notable Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-First
Century scientists. The list includes Alexander Graham Bell, Marie
Curie, Rudolf Diesel, Thomas Edison, Niels Bohr, Max Planck, Albert
Einstein, Jane Goodall, and Herbert Kelleher to name but a few. To
date, 101 Franklin Institute Laureates also have been honored with 103
Nobel Prizes.
The newest awards — the Bower Award for Business Leadership and the
Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science — are made possible
by a $7.5 million bequest in 1988 from Henry Bower, a Philadelphia
chemical manufacturer. The Bower Science Award carries a cash prize of
$250,000, making it one of the richest science prizes in America.
Today, The Franklin Institute continues its dedication to education
and science literacy, creating a passion for science through its
museum, outreach programs, and curatorial work. Recognizing leading
individuals from around the world is one important way that the
Institute preserves Franklin’s legacy.
Awards Week
In addition to the formal Awards Ceremony on Thursday evening,
Laureates will participate in a series of symposia to be held at local
universities during Awards Week. This year’s symposia are scheduled at
the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Villanova
University, and the University of Delaware.
Laureates will also take part in a Meet the Scientist session on
Tuesday of Awards Week, during which hundreds of students from city
schools are invited to meet the scientists and join in a question and
answer session with them. This lively and exciting discussion presents
a rare opportunity for students to interact with some of the most
exceptional scientists in the world. Moderating the event and
interacting with these world-renowned scientists are students from
Partnerships for Achieving Careers in Technology and Science (PACTS) –
a Philadelphia-based program for minority middle- and high-school
students.
Also scheduled for Tuesday is an interactive Celebration of Science,
wherein demonstrations geared to young museum visitors highlight the
scientific concepts behind the work of this year’s Laureates.
The 2004 Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony and Dinner is generously
presented by Fleet Bank. Fleet’s lead sponsorship helps to underwrite
the extraordinary costs associated with staging the April 29, 2004
Awards Ceremony, which will be attended by more than 700 business,
civic, governmental, and education leaders. This support also provides
funds for free or reduced admissions for the 300,000 or more
schoolchildren who visit the museum each year.
Also providing support are Associate Sponsors, Centocor, Inc.;
Cephalon, Inc.; Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and the Four Seasons
Hotel. In addition to their support of the formal Awards program on
Thursday evening, Cephalon, Inc. will generously underwrite the
Laureates’ Symposia and the Meet the Scientist program during Awards
Week.
For more information on the 2004 Franklin Institute Awards Program,
please call Donna Dickerson, Awards Program Director, at 215.448.1329,
or check the Institute’s web site at ,
For tickets, please call Barbara Cowan,
Director of Development Events, at 215.448.0984. To arrange for
interviews or to receive additional Laureate information and
photographs, kindly contact Evan Welsh, Public Relations Director, at
The Franklin Institute at 215.448.1176 or [email protected]; or Emily
Reynolds, Communications Manager, at 215.448.1175 or [email protected].

CONTACT: The Franklin Institute
Evan Welsh, Public Relations Director
(215) 448-1176
[email protected]
Emily Reynolds, Communications Manager
(215) 448-1175
[email protected]
© 2003 PrimeZone Media Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Star, South Africa
World briefs – February 24, 2004
February 24, 2004
Museum waxing lyrical
Paris – The city’s famous Grevin wax museum is to add a figure of
79-year-old crooner Charles Aznavour to its collection of French icons
next month. Aznavour – 80 years old in May – is a veteran entertainer
who got his start with help from singer Edith Piaf. He was to be
featured next to portraits of actors Gerard Depardieu and Alain Delon,
among others, the museum said yesterday.

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

Turner Adds Three to Raiders’ Staff
.c The Associated Press
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) – The Oakland Raiders added three assistant
coaches to complete Norv Turner’s staff on Saturday, including USC
quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian.
Sarkisian, a 29-year-old former BYU quarterback, will coach Oakland’s
quarterbacks in his first NFL job. Martin Bayless was hired as a
special teams assistant and Jeff Fish was named the Raiders’ strength
and conditioning coach.
Bayless was a defensive assistant for the Carolina Panthers last
season. Fish was a strength and conditioning coach at Missouri.
Turner also said John Morton, the Raiders’ senior offensive assistant,
will coach the tight ends next season.
02/28/04 15:22 EST

Le Figaro, France
19 Mars 2004
Au Musée des arts de la mode et du textile à Paris, 173 robes mettent
en scène la plus célèbre couturière des années 30
HISTOIRE
Elsa Schiaparelli inventa la couture spectacle
En accueillant Elsa Schiaparelli, le Musée de la mode et du textile
ne lui a pas offert un de ces catafalques devant lesquels on
s’incline en parlant bas. L’exposition est une course aux trésors à
travers 250 vêtements, accessoires, dessins, photos dont 173 robes
créées de 1927 à 1954 qui témoignent, dans une mise en scène de
Jacques Grange, d’une créativité aussi fastueuse qu’insolente.
Janie Samet
[18 mars 2004]

Elsa Schiaparelli. Un nom qui, dans les années 30, retentira comme un
coup de cymbales à vous réveiller la mode. Amortie par Poiret,
assagie par Chanel, vouée au beige et noir avant qu’elle, l’Italienne
tumultueuse, ne débarque à Paris avec son rose shocking et ses
mariages d’orange et jaune. Schiaparelli. Un nom trop long dont elle
fera son prénom en l’abrégeant de moitié pour qu’il claque comme un
coup de fouet. «Appelez-moi Schiap», disait-elle. A ses amis –
Cocteau, Bérard, Dali, Dufy, Leonor Fini -, qui trouvèrent normal de
faire de leur art sa valeur ajoutée aux robes. Aux artisans, dont
elle pliera la créativité à la sienne : le brodeur Lesage, le bottier
Perugia, le joaillier Jean Schlumberger, qui oubliait les diamants
pour lui ciseler des bijoux de pacotille et des boutons pour rire, le
parurier Jean Clément, qui, en 1936, mettra au point avec elle son
fameux rose shocking, le soyeux Paul Colcombet avec qui elle
inventera l’imprimé «coupures de presse». A ses clientes aussi, et
quelles clientes ! Wallis Simpson, Helena Rubinstein, Joan Crawford,
Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Arletty, qui eussent été mortifiées à
l’idée de rater leur entrée dans un salon en n’aimantant pas tous les
regards sur leurs robes.
La femme Schiap ? Insolente, tape-à-l’oeil, libérée, dont la
personnalité est assez forte pour s’autoriser toutes les
extravagances. Comme la duchesse de Windsor, qui commandera pour son
trousseau de mariage dix-sept modèles, dont une robe au homard géant
dessiné par Salvador Dali. «Terriblement errro tique», commentera le
maître en roulant les «r».
Elsa naquit en 1890 à Rome, au palais Corsini, dans une famille
d’aristocrates intellos. Son père était un spécialiste des langues
orientales, son oncle astronome. Sa curiosité pour l’art fut intense.
Alors pourquoi la mode ?
Elle avait tout contre elle, Elsa Schiaparelli pour entrer en couture
à Paris. Elle ne savait ni coudre, ni manier des ciseaux, encore
moins draper une robe sur un corps comme le faisait Madeleine
Vionnet. Ses armes : de l’humour, des idées, le mépris des
conventions et cette autorité qui mettait tout le monde au
garde-à-vous devant elle. Dont son état-major : Dali, Cocteau,
Bérard, Giacometti. Leur folie était sa folie. Leur surréalisme
devint son réalisme.
En 1937, Cocteau créera pour son défilé un tailleur bleu brodé d’une
chevelure pailletée d’or qui s’enroulait autour de la manche. L’art
et la mode à fleur de peau déclenchaient la passion des
collectionneuses et nourrissaient tous les snobismes. En 1947, Hubert
de Givenchy débuta chez Schiap où il avait en charge sa boutique. Il
avait 20 ans. On ne devient pas grand à l’ombre d’un grand chêne mais
on apprend. Sévère apprentissage, Elsa n’était pas une tendre. Mais
ses inventions enchantaient le jeune homme comme «ses trouvailles
avaient fait les délices d’un cénacle de clientes triées sur le
volet. Tailleurs rose shocking à boutons cadenas, collier cachets
d’aspirine imaginés par Aragon, chapeau côtelette d’agneau et sac
téléphone inspirés par Dali». En osant mettre un certain mauvais goût
au goût du jour – les gants aux ongles de cuir rouge, la robe aux
déchirures sanglantes, le voile de mariée noir brodé d’une chevelure
de Gorgone -, Elsa architecte ornementaliste se révélera un
formidable moteur pour la création. Elle fut le Galliano des années
30, par qui le scandale arrive à la même vitesse que le succès.
Coco Chanel détestait cette protégée de Paul Poiret dont Cocteau dira
: «Elle immortalise l’éphémère.» Elsa considérait la mode comme un
art, Coco comme un métier.
Cocteau qui nourrissait pour l’une et l’autre une amitié égale, était
un aigle entre deux têtes. Il croquait rue Cambon, dessinait place
Vendôme et s’arrangeait pour que ces deux sacrés monstres ne se
croisent jamais.
L’histoire d’amour entre Paris et Schiap commence avec un divorce. Le
sien. En 1919, son mari l’abandonne à New York avec sa fille Gogo,
qui deviendra la mère de Marisa Berenson. En 1922, Gabrielle et
Francis Picabia, le père du dadaïsme, l’encouragent à regagner Paris
avec eux. Elle apprend le dessin et entre comme styliste dans une
maison de confection. Jusqu’au jour où elle rencontre l’acheteur d’un
grand magasin américain qui s’enthousiasme pour son pull. Noir à
cravate blanche en trompe l’oeil, tricoté sur ses instructions par sa
concierge arménienne. «J’en veux 40», dit l’Américain. «Vous les
aurez», promet Elsa qui file aux Galeries Lafayette acheter la laine,
les aiguilles et embauche dare-dare une trentaine de copines de sa
concierge. Les Arméniennes possédaient une technique particulière
pour le tricotage. Elsa est lancée. Elle s’installe rue de la Paix,
grignote un à un les étages et, pendant quatre ans, se consacre au
sportswear. Pulls, maillots de bain, pantalons de plage. Première
robe en 1931. En 1935, elle investit le rez-de-chaussée du 21, place
Vendôme, un hôtel particulier dont elle finira par occuper les six
étages et les cent pièces qu’elle fera décorer par Jean-Michel Franck
et Alberto Giacometti. Parallèlement, elle ouvre sa maison à Londres
où accourent la cour et la gentry. A Paris, Schiap a 800 ouvrières en
1939 et sera la première Française de la couture à signer des
contrats de licence en Amérique : quarante contrats pour des bas de
soie joliment emballés.
Schiaparelli en haute couture innove avec des collections à thèmes
éblouissants d’imprévu. «Cosmique», «Musique», «Cirque»,
«Botticelli», «Commedia dell’ar te», elle y associe ses chers
artistes qui constituent sa famille spirituelle. Avec eux, Elsa,
retrouve l’ambiance familiale de ses jeunes années nourries au lait
de la culture. Elle rayonne. On la voit à tous les bals dans ses
robes qui font sensation. Rien ne l’arrête. Si, la guerre!
En 1940, elle refuse de mettre la clé sous la porte, réduit sa
voilure, fait passer ses ateliers de 800 à 150 ouvrières et laisse sa
maison à sa directrice des salons. A chacun sa Résistance. Fermer la
place Vendôme eût été pour elle une capitulation, s’en aller lui
apparaît comme un devoir. Elle s’exile en Amérique où l’avaient
précédée les grandes signatures du surréalisme. Elle y restera
jusqu’en 1945 sans toucher une étoffe. Faire de la mode aux
Etats-Unis serait, disait-elle, une trahison vis-à-vis de la couture
française, mais elle entreprend une tournée de conférences à travers
le territoire américain où, devant 3 000 à 4 000 personnes, cette
grandissime Italienne, parle de la haute couture française.
La guerre finie, Schiap regagne la France. Tout a changé mais elle ne
s’en doute pas. Même si le magazine Elle lui offre la couverture de
son premier numéro (un ensemble rouge sur un mannequin tenant dans
les bras un bébé tigre), le déclin est en marche. En 1947, l’arrivée
de Christian Dior et du new-look change la donne. La femme-objet
corsetée, juponnée, au décolleté roucoulant sonne l’hallali des
femmes décoratives à l’ornementation anecdotique. Schiap essaie de
rectifier le tir. En 1952 et 1953, elle présentera quatre garde-robes
pour quatre budgets différents afin d’aider la femme moderne à
s’habiller selon sa fortune. L’erreur est monumentale : les années 50
étaient l’ge d’or de la couture, les femmes avaient l’argent facile.
Elle a beau inventer de nouveaux volumes, ses robes ne plaisent plus
qu’à ses clientes vieillissantes. Les autres partent ailleurs.
Résignée, Elsa garde sa boutique mais ferme sa maison. C’était en
1954, quelques jours avant le retour, après 15 ans d’absence, de Coco
Chanel rue Cambon. Elle s’éteindra en 1973. Le comte Guido Sassoli di
Bianchi rachète alors le nom de Schiaparelli mais, hormis quelques
contrats de licence en Australie, n’en fera rien. Il est mort en
janvier dernier. Un des plus beaux noms de la couture française est
peut-être à vendre…

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH(LONDON)
March 19, 2004, Friday
Kasparov matched with boy wonder
By Malcolm Pein
THE line-up for the Reykjavik Rapid is now complete after the Open
tournament ended in a six-way tie for first place at the Reykjavik
City Hall. Five players qualified to join the 11 invited to take
part, who include the former world champions Garry Kasparov and
Anatoly Karpov, and England’s Nigel Short.
Of the eight players tied in the open on 6.5/9, Vladimir Epishin of
Russia, Igor Nataf of France, Jan Timman of Holland and Levon Aronian
of Armenia qualified, and Stefan Kristjansson of the host nation also
made it through to the main event.
A blitz tournament held to determine seeding saw Kasparov placed
second after losing to the Armenian Levon Aronian. The 13-year-old
sensation from Norway, IM Magnus Carlsen finishes in 15th place to
produce the dream first-round pairing between the world number one
and the world’s most precocious talent – Carlsen is already a
GM-strength player.
The full line-up (in world ranking order) is: 1 GM Garry Kasparov
2831 Russia; 2 GM Nigel Short 2702 England; 3 GM Anatoly Karpov 2682
Russia; 4 GM Alexey Dreev 2682 Russia; 5 GM Emil Sutovsky 2666
Israel; 6 GM Levon Aronian 2648 Armenia; 7 GM Johann Hjartarson 2640
Iceland; 8 GM Peter Heine Nielsen 2638 Denmark; 9 GM Vladimir Epishin
2633 Russia; 10 GM Jan Timman 2578 Holland; 11 GM Hannes Stefansson
2572 Iceland; 13 GM Margeir Petursson 2540 Iceland; 14 GM Helgi
Olafsson 2504 Iceland; 15 IM Magnus Carlsen 2484 Norway; 16 IM Stefan
Kristjansson 2404 Iceland.
Most of the Icelandic players have given up full-time chess and gone
into such fields as banking and law, but they are still a threat.
Johann Hjartarson is a former WCC Candidate.
Nataf got through by winning his last two games in the Open. The
Frenchman is a King’s Indian aficionado and does not fear the loss of
the dark squared bishop because of the closed nature of the position
after 15f4.
After 19g5 threat of g4 is imminent and the Black attack is clearly
quicker, hence the response 20.g4 but that does not solve all White’s
problems. 27.Be1 was an error because 27.Bg1 would have kept both f2
and e3 under control.
With Rf8 coming, White panics and gives up a pawn, but this only
serves to improve the Black position. 28.Rh4 would have been better.
R Pogorelov – I Nataf
21st Open Reykjavik (8)
King’s Indian Classical
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 d4 0-0 6 Be2 e5 7 0-0 Nc6 8 d5
Ne7 9 b4 Nh5 10 Re1 f5 11 Ng5 Nf6 12 f3 Kh8 13 Be3 Bh6 14 Nf7+ Rxf7
15 Bxh6 f4 16 c5 Neg8 17 Bg5 h6 18 Bh4 Rg7 19 Bf2 g5 20 g4 fxg3 21
hxg3 Nh5 22 Kh2 g4 23 Rh1 Qg5 24 fxg4 Nhf6 25 Qc1 Nxg4+ 26 Kg2 Qg6 27
Be1? Bd7 28 c6 bxc6 29 dxc6 Bxc6 30 Bxg4 Qxg4 31 Qe3 Rf8 32 Bd2 Rf4
33 Rae1 Qg6 34 Qd3 Rg4 35 Rh3 h5 36 Reh1 Nf6 37 Kf1 Rxg3 38 Rxg3 Qxg3
39 Qxg3 Rxg3 40 Rh4 Rg4 41 Rxg4 hxg4 42 Bg5 Kg7 43 Kf2 Kg6 44 Be3 a6
45 Kg3 Bxe4 46 Ba7 Kf5 47 Bb8 d5 48 Bxc7 d4 49 Nd1 Nh5+ 50 Kf2 g3+ 51
Kg1 Nf4 0-1
Nataf
p p p p p 8 p p c p p p p p p o ) p n o – m p p p p o b p p p p p p ‘
p d
Pogorelov
Final position after 51Nf4

Agence France Presse
March 19, 2004 Friday 9:25 AM Eastern Time
Armenia files protest over British refusal to recognize ‘genocide’
MOSCOW
Armenia said on Friday that it had lodged an official protest after
Britain’s ambassador denied that “genocide” was committed when the
Ottoman Empire killed up 1.5 million Armenians, according to
Armenia’s count, at the end of World War I.
The issue of whether various nations recognize that “genocide” was
committed is one of the most sensitive in Armenia.
The episode also remains one of the most controversial in Turkish
history. Turkey recognizes that 300,000 Armenians had died along with
a large number of Turks at the end of the war.
“We regret the position,” taken by British ambassador Thorda
Abbott-Watt, foreign ministry spokesman Hamlet Gasparyan told AFP.
“Every country has a right to make up its own mind on this, based on
their own strategic interests. But on Armenian soil, the ambassadors
have to be more sensitive and delicate.”
Abbott-Watt recently told the California Courier, an English-language
weekly run by the Armenian diaspora in the United States, that “the
British government had condemned the massacre as an atrocity at the
time.
“But the evidence was not sufficiently unequivocal that what took
place could be categorized as genocide under the 1948 United Nations
Convention on Genocide.”
She added that Armenia and Turkey had to “look into the future” and
stop squabbling over the one word.
One Armenian newspaper ran a series of letters from its readers
demanding that the British ambassador make a public apology for her
remarks.

The Associated Press State & Local Wire
March 19, 2004, Friday, BC cycle
Church’s former priest admits tax fraud
ALBANY, N.Y.
The former priest of an upstate church has pleaded guilty to tax
fraud, admitting he failed to report to the Internal Revenue Service
the church funds that he deposited in a private account for his own
use.
Megerdich Megerdichian, 47, of Cranston, R.I., faces up to three
years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 and restitution to the IRS of
the $9,442 tax underpayment, according to U.S. Attorney Glenn
Suddaby. Sentencing is scheduled July 14 in federal court
Megerdichian was the priest at Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church
in Troy for about 16 years until his removal in 1998, according to
Suddaby. Two years later, he repaid the church funds, which had come
from various sources including congregation members.

The New York Times
March 19, 2004, Friday, Late Edition – Final
Georgian Leader to Lift Economic Blockade of Province
By SETH MYDANS
TBILISI, Georgia
President Mikhail Saakashvili said Thursday that he had won important
concessions from the leader of the renegade province of Adzharia and
would lift a four-day-old economic blockade.
“The sanctions will be lifted from midnight tonight because we have
resolved all the issues which led to this misunderstanding between
the local administration and the Georgian government,” he said after
meeting with the leader, Aslan Abashidze, in the provincial capital,
Batumi.
“I want to underline that there is no conflict with Adzharia, and
such a conflict cannot be,” Mr. Saakashvili said.
The deal defuses a crisis that was touched off Sunday when armed men
supporting Mr. Abashidze refused to allow the president to enter
Adzharia.
Mr. Saakashvili placed Georgian troops on alert. Mr. Abashidze
declared a state of emergency in his fiefdom and sent armed men into
the streets.
The standoff threatened to have international repercussions as
officials from Russia, which has a military base in Adzharia,
expressed support for Mr. Abashidze.
According to wire service reports from Batumi, Mr. Abashidze will
allow parliamentary elections to proceed on March 28, review the
cases of imprisoned opponents and disarm his paramilitary militias.
Officials from the central government in Tbilisi will be based in
Batumi to ensure that the government receives customs duties that Mr.
Abashidze had withheld in the past, the reports said.
Mr. Abashidze later said, “The meeting showed that there are no
issues that cannot be resolved.”
The specifics of the agreements were not made public, and it was not
clear how much Mr. Abashidze surrendered of the economic and military
control he had exercised for years in the manner of what Mr.
Saakashvili had called “a feudal chief from medieval times.”
Political analysts here said it appeared that the president had
earned at least short-term concessions from Mr. Abashidze that would
allow the election to proceed and supporters of the central
government to campaign.
Mr. Abashidze has harassed and arrested opponents and made it almost
impossible for supporters of the central government to campaign or
move freely.
Mr. Saakashvili has said Mr. Abashidze’s “time is past” and analysts
said it was difficult to see how a compromise could be reached that
would allow him to remain in office. He was one of the last
supporters of the former president, Eduard A. Shevardnadze, who was
driven from office last November in a peaceful uprising led by Mr.
Saakashvili.
Before traveling to Batumi on Thursday morning, Mr. Saakashvili had
sounded a tough note, saying, “I am not going to be horse-trading
with anyone or meeting anyone halfway. The law should be observed
across all of Georgia’s territory. We are not doing any deals.”
He added, “We are speaking here about my subordinate.”
The meeting in Batumi was accompanied by televised scenes of Mr.
Abashidze’s supporters chanting, “Babu! Babu!”, which means
“grandfather,” and other protesters in the distance chanting Mr.
Saakashvili’s nickname, “Misha! Misha!”
The blockade, which began Monday, was causing economic disruption in
neighboring Turkey and Armenia and particularly in Azerbaijan, where
thousands of rail cars carrying oil to the port at Batumi were
stranded.

GRAPHIC: Photo: President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia, center,
addressed supporters yesterday at a rally in Batumi, the provincial
capital of Adzharia. (Photo by Agence France-Presse–Getty Images);

Map of Georgia highlighting Batumi: Georgian officials will monitor
customs collections in Batumi.