Azeri leader says format of Karabakh talks Baku’s “diplomatic success”
Azerbaijani TV Channel One, Baku
31 Jul 06
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that the present format
of peace talks with Armenia on Nagornyy Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s big
diplomatic success, the Azerbaijani state TV channel AzTV reported
in a special coverage on 31 July.
“The talks and the Prague process are a positive approach as a whole
and I believe that it is the success of Azerbaijani diplomacy that
the talks are held within the framework of the Prague process,”
Aliyev told a Cabinet meeting to discuss the socioeconomic results
of the first six months of 2006.
The Prague process entails a stage-by-stage solution to the decade-long
Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Aliyev also said that Azerbaijan would never agree to the secession
of Nagornyy Karabakh from Azerbaijan. The president added that the
country’s military spending had reached 700m dollars and would continue
to rise, the state-owned broadcaster said.

Syria stands to gain from Lebanon’s pain
Brian Whitaker in Damascus
Monday July 31, 2006
The Guardian
Hizbullah’s stock is rising among the Arab public, and the Syrian
regime is making the most of it, reports Brian Whitaker from Damascus
The Bakdash ice-cream parlour is one of the great institutions of old
Damascus, established in 1895 and renowned throughout the city. Among
the more distinguished visitors to have sampled its produce is the
king of Jordan, whose photo hangs prominently on the wall.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, may be too busy just
now to drop in for a pistachio-sprinkled cornet but his photo has
recently joined that of the king. Interspersed between the elegant
chandeliers hanging from Bakdash’s ceiling, meanwhile, are images of
a fist clasping a rifle: the yellow-and-green flags of the Lebanese
Shia movement.
In a street around the corner, the owner of a jewellery shop also sings
the praises of Hizbullah. He’s an Armenian Christian, but that makes
little difference. “It’s the first time that Arabs hit Haifa,” he says.
Reaching for a scrap of paper, he draws a rough map of the
Syrian-Lebanese-Israeli border and points to the Shebaa Farms, the
tiny patch of land claimed by Lebanon but still occupied by Israel.
“Five km, 10km – what does it matter? Give it back, sign an
agreement. Finished!”
Less than three weeks into the war in Lebanon, Hizbullah’s standing is
rising dramatically among the Arab public. The reasoning in Damascus
is that, short of annihilating Lebanon’s Shia population, Hizbullah
cannot be destroyed. At some point, the argument goes, Israel will
have to back off and Hizbullah will claim victory for having survived
the onslaught.
In anticipation of this, the Syrian regime, while trying to stay out
of the conflict itself, is seeking to bask in Hizbullah’s glory.
Posters on sale in the streets, and displayed in the back of car
windows, depict President Bashar al-Assad shoulder to shoulder with
Hassan Nasrallah.
“Syria doesn’t have to do very much to be potentially in a position
to gain,” said one western diplomat in Damascus.
After years of international isolation, the regime is acquiring
leverage again through its ties with Hizbullah, though political
analyst Sami Moubayed doubts Syria can impose its will on the Lebanese
Shia if acting on its own.
“Only with Syrian-Iranian support can this war come to an end,”
he said. “Bringing Syria alone into talks will not end it.”
Damascus would also expect rewards for its help, he added. “The Syrians
need carrots – big carrots.” Among these would be a resumption of
talks about the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the lifting of
US-imposed sanctions.
Internally, meanwhile, after a sticky period following the
assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri and the
reluctant withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon, the Syrian regime
looks far more secure. People have rallied round in support of a
popular cause and reformists are once again in the wilderness.
“The Syrian opposition will be silenced by growing dislike of the
United States,” Damascus-based commentator Joshua Landis wrote in his
blog. “Syrians are less likely to trust the proposals for democratic
or pro-western change being put forward by the opposition. A month
ago there was considerable attention being paid to Assad’s crackdown
on the opposition. Not today.”
Another result of the war is that despite international efforts last
year to end Syrian hegemony over Lebanon, Israeli bombing is driving
the two countries together again.
“Lebanon needs Syria more than ever,” Mr Landis wrote. “It needs
Syria to be kind to the many refugees who have found protection and
safety in Syria. The Lebanese economy will be increasingly vulnerable
to Syrian pressure.”
In the eyes of many Syrians, this simply proves that President Assad
was right all along when he predicted the Lebanese would regret
casting off the protection of their larger neighbour. His prophecy
that without Syrian troops Lebanon would once again descend into
civil war has not yet been fulfilled, though some Lebanese fear it
may if Israeli attacks continue.
Ultimately, the Damascus regime may emerge as the war’s real winner,
but the stakes are high and so are the risks, especially the risk of
being drawn into direct conflict with Israel. In the last few days,
Israeli warplanes have been probing Syrian airspace and Syrian
forces responded – as they always do in such a situation – with
anti-aircraft fire.
A week ago Syria quietly raised its military alert to the highest level
and cancelled all leave. All units are at full strength, contingency
plans are in place, and troops and equipment have been dispersed in
what one diplomat called a defensive posture.
“They are being very careful not to be provocative,” the diplomat said,
though he thought there was still a 20% to 30% chance that unforeseen
events might drag Syria into the war.

Official tolerance to visits to Karabakh aimed at defeatist peace – Azeri daily
Yeni Musavat, Baku
31 Jul 06
The Azerbaijani authorities’ recent tolerance to some visits from
Azerbaijan to Armenia and Nagornyy Karabakh is part of their policy
to prepare the people for defeatist peace, the opposition daily Yeni
Musavat has said.
“Some NGO representatives, human rights activists and journalists have
recently increased their visits to Armenia and Nagornyy Karabakh. The
authorities, which previously organized propaganda against such
cases, have started to show tolerance to such visits. For instance,
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has recently said that such visits
are necessary as it is high time to put an end to mutual hatred. It
seems that a rise in the number of visits to Armenia and Nagornyy
Karabakh is part of the authorities’ policy to prepare the people for
defeatist peace,” the daily said, commenting on the recent visit of
the chairperson of the Azerbaijani National Committee of the Helsinki
Citizens’ Assembly, Arzu Abdullayeva, to Karabakh.
However, the paper also added that Abdullayeva’s position on Karabakh’s
direct participation in the peace talks was against Azerbaijan’s
official stance. The paper quoted Regnum news agency as reporting
that Abdullayeva said this at the meeting with the separatist leader
of Karabakh, Arkadiy Gukasyan, on 30 July.

US mediator, separatist leader discuss Karabakh conflict
Regnum, Moscow
30 Jul 06
[No dateline, as received] “Undoubtedly, one of the main topics of our
discussion was participation of Nagornyy Karabakh in the peace talks
and I think (US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza) Mr
Bryza understands that the conflict cannot be settled without Nagornyy
Karabakh. It is not only him, but all the mediators realize this. Of
course, we discussed a number of other issues, but participation of
the NKR (Nagornyy Karabakh republic) in the talks topped the agenda,”
Arkadiy Gukasyan, president of Nagornyy Karabakh told journalists
after his meeting with the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group,
Matthew Bryza, on 29 July, a Regnum correspondent in Stepanakert
[Xankandi] reports.
Gukasyan said that he had talked about the NKR’s official position
and various aspects of the problem. “I think that it was interesting
for Mr Bryza to listen to us. I would not say that he expressed
serious objections, since our approach was quite logical. Of course,
I cannot reveal all the details of the negotiations because of the
confidentiality of the talks. And it is clear that to certain extent,
our position is different from the mediators’ approach, but I am
saying it again that I have not heard any serious objections,” the
head of the Karabakh state said.
Asked about the importance of the US co-chair’s visit to Stepanakert
in terms of quite a long break in visits by the Karabakh mediators,
the president noted that without visiting the NKR and learning the
situation there, it would be hardly possible for the newly-appointed
co-chair to have a full understanding of what is going on in the
region. I did not expect anything from this visit because I knew that
he was not coming with new suggestions but he was coming to listen
to us. And from this point of view, our expectations were right as
we were able to present our positions in full.
[Passage omitted: Gukasyan said he had been invited to talks held in
Yerevan more than once]
“The atmosphere at the meeting was very constructive and creative. We
exchanged our views and looked for a joint approach in order to make
progress,” Bryza told journalists in Stepanakert after meeting Arkadiy
Gukasyan last evening.
It should be noted that this was his first visit to Nagornyy Karabakh,
both as an OSCE co-chair and in general. He said that he had come to
listen to the opinion of the local leadership. However, he did not
reveal the details of his meeting with the Karabakh president.
“One should not expect any new elements from me now. I have just
arrived to listen to you. This visit was not paid to make any precise
proposal. I will go to Paris to discuss all suggestions and ideas
with other co-chairs. One should not expect a major step now, but it
might be taken in the future,” Bryza said.
The US co-chair declined to answer the question “if it was right to
settle the Karabakh conflict without an involvement of Karabakh?”
But he noted that “the most important thing is to listen to Karabakh’s
representatives. As for the composition of those participating at
the negotiations, both Armenia and Azerbaijan must agree to that,”
Brysza said.
He left Nagornyy Karabakh on 30 July.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

In Wake of Hate Murder, Students Speak Out About Racism
St Petersburg Times, Russia,
Aug 1, 2006
By Ben Judah
Special to St. Petersburg Times
Jacques, is a 19-year old medical student from Senagal who studies
at St. Petersburg State University. He is not somebody who makes
enemies easily. Friendly and easy talk to, Jacques, who like other
foreign students interviewed in the wake of the acquital last week
of suspects in the race-hate murder of a Congolese student, asked
for his full name to not to be published.
Jacques will never forget his first few days in St. Petersburg.
Traveling home late on the metro, a group of skinheads began shouting
racial slurs as he mounted the escalator. Then they physically
assaulted him. Jacques ran for his life. He says this is not the only
time this has happened to him.
Amnesty International has described racism in Russia “as out of
control.” Nineteen people have been killed in racially motivated
attacks this year, according to the Sova Center, a group that
monitors extremist activity, and another 166 people have suffered
serious injuries.
The news that a St. Petersburg jury last week cleared four suspects
of the murder of Congolese student Roland Epassak, the second time in
four months that a court has acquitted suspects of hate crimes, came as
no surprise to Jacques or many other foreign students from Africa and
Asia contacted to this article. For him, “the verdict just shows what
we experience every day. That this is an inherently racist country.”
“Back in [the Senegalese capital] Dakar,” he recalls, “I was thrilled
when I knew I was coming to St. Petersburg. Russia had been a great
friend to Africa in the past and the chance to study in a European
university seemed fantastic. I had no idea that racist feeling was
so strong here.”
Now he wishes he’d never come.
“No black man should come to this country,” he said. “They’d have
to be crazy. I am scared to walk the streets alone, especially after
the recent murders.”
African students at the university dormitory on Korableistratelny
Ulitsa said that they had experienced violent aggression in St.
Petersburg more than once.
Samba, 20, who studies environmental management and is from also from
Senegal puts it bluntly: “Russians look at me like dirt. They talk
to me like a child. The police treat me as if I’m a drug dealer. And
everyone will stab you in the back if you’re black.”
Chatting to Samba in the dormitory lift, it immediately became clear
that discrimination is a a daily occurance for balck people in St.
Petersburg. As the doors opened on the fourth floor, and a group of
young Russian women refused to get in, with one saying loudly “I’m
not getting in a lift with a nigger!”
On the sixth floor two, visibly drunk young men, got in. Turning to
Samba, they spat on the floor before walking straight out again. “You
see? Racism is a fact of life for us,” Samba said.
It is not only black Africans who relate such experiences of life
in St. Petersburg. Jee Rao, 21, a South Korean exchange student and
fluent Russian speaker, has had similar experiences.
“They treat people who look like us differently,” he said. “I have
found it very hard to make Russian friends, though many are very
kind. Still even some young people, look at me with disdain as
an Asian.”
According to Hu Lee from Beijing racist feelings lurk only just below
the surface here.
“Russians do not like people from China. They may be polite, but they
do not treat us with the respect and friendliness they would give us
if we were white,” he said.
Even some Jewish and Armenian students here for a semester from North
America have reported difficulties. Yitzhak, 20, from San Francisco
feels nervous.
“I don’t tell people I’m Jewish. I just don’t feel comfortable. The
atmosphere here is one of intolerance and open xenophobia,” Yitzhak
said.
Pointing at the anti-Semitic graffiti that abounds around
Petrogradskaya metro station, Yitzhak just shrugs.
Talking about the issue with Russian students, reveals a great deal
of antipathy to the issues raised by xenophobia – and denial. Katya,
18, said “racism does not exist here.”
As attacks have becoming increasingly vicious in character according
to the Sova Center, foreign students from Asia and Africa in St.
Petersburg are living on edge.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Toronto to Celebrate Creative Spirit With “Luminato”
CCNMatthews (press release), Canada
July 31, 2006
The Toronto Festival of Arts & Creativity Announces New Name, World
Premiere Programming and Internationally-renowned Arts CEO
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(CCNMatthews – July 31, 2006) – Luminato, the new
Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity, was unveiled today with the
announcement of June 1-10, 2007 as the dates for the first of the
Festival’s annual celebrations.
The Festival, founded and co-chaired by Tony Gagliano, Executive
Chairman and CEO of St. Joseph Communications and David Pecaut,
Senior Partner at The Boston Consulting Group and Chair of the Toronto
City Summit Alliance, will celebrate the creative spirit across all
the arts each year. The Festival will feature the best of Canadian
and international artists in music, theatre, dance, visual arts,
film, design, literature and other disciplines. It will include both
ticketed and free events throughout the city engaging residents and
tourists in what is hoped to become, over time, one of the great arts
festivals in the world.
“Our vision started with the premise that Toronto, one of the most
culturally diverse cities in the world, has the potential to become
one of the most creative cities, as well,” said Gagliano. “Luminato,
in time, will bring the best of the world to Toronto, and the best
of Toronto to the world.”
An original name and brand was chosen to signal the festival’s unique
focus on celebrating creativity. “In choosing the Festival’s new name
– Luminato – we wanted to capture the essence of the creative spirit,
so we chose the notion of light, hence ‘lumina,'” said Pecaut. “It was
also important to capture the spirit of the city of Toronto itself,
which is exemplified by ‘TO.’ We hope ‘Luminato’ will become synonymous
with the power of the arts to enlighten all of us.”
Following on an earlier announcement in July, the founders were
also pleased to formally introduce Luminato’s newly appointed Chief
Executive Officer, Janice Price. A veteran international arts leader,
Ms. Price was most recently President and CEO of The Kimmel Center
for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia and was both the Interim
Executive Director and Vice President of Marketing and Communications
at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Ms. Price began
her career in Toronto, working with the Hummingbird Centre for the
Performing Arts, the Stratford Festival and the Corporation of Massey
Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. She has also served as a board member for
Factory Theatre, the Toronto Dance Theatre, the United Way of Greater
Toronto and the Casey House Foundation of Toronto.
Ms. Price will lead the non profit organization in developing Luminato
into one of the world’s great arts festivals attracting a large local,
national and international audience to Toronto. “I’m looking forward
to reconnecting with Toronto artists and audiences,” said Price. “I’ve
spent many years managing cultural facilities, and know first hand the
positive impact those facilities have in a community. But what drew me
to this amazing opportunity was the chance to come home and create a
truly world-class festival of artistic collaboration and creativity —
one that can expand beyond walls in its engagement with audiences.”
The Festival has received significant support to date, including
generous contributions and backing from governments, as well as
numerous arts, business and civic leaders.
“The Government of Ontario is contributing $2-million in development
funding to help launch the first Luminato Festival,” said The
Honourable Greg Sorbara, Ontario’s Minister of Finance. “This Festival
builds on the many creative investments in Toronto in recent years
and will provide an opportunity for us to invite the world to Toronto
each year to celebrate the creative achievements of both Canadian
and international artists.”
The City of Toronto has also been very supportive in the development of
the Festival. “This festival fits with the City of Toronto’s broader
vision of building on Toronto’s reputation as a city rich in arts
and culture and underscores our desire to have Toronto become known
throughout the world as a creative city,” said Mayor David Miller. “The
City is supportive of initiatives like this one.”
Today’s announcement also provided a tantalizing glimpse of what
Torontonians and visitors can expect in the next year in terms of
the Festival’s programming. Luminato will begin on June 1, 2007 and
run through an exciting 10 day program, including the debut of world
premiere events. A sampling of the programming includes:
Opening Weekend – Royal Ontario Museum
The Festival will launch in conjunction with the opening of the
Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal on June 2, 2007. An
evening outdoor ceremony will feature the public debut of the dazzling
Daniel Libeskind-designed building, outdoor concerts and free museum
access all night long. There will be illuminations, entertainment,
and dancing in the street as the ROM celebrates the opening of the
Lee-Chin Crystal and kicks off a week of festivities for the Toronto
Arts Festival. Plans are also underway for a Luminato street festival
surrounding the ROM throughout the weekend.
“Not the Messiah” – by Spamalot creators Eric Idle and John Du Prez
Luminato and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra have commissioned an
oratorio from Spamalot Tony and Grammy Award winning duo Eric Idle
and John Du Prez to write the music and lyrics of a new work based on
Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The oratorio will be called “Not the
Messiah”. The Festival is proud to present the world premiere. “It
will be funnier than Handel, though not as good,” said Idle. Not the
Messiah will be conducted by Peter Oundjian, Music Director of the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, who is also Eric Idle’s full cousin. It
will be performed by a narrator, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra,
with guest soloists and choir.
Visual Arts Display – Atom Egoyan and Kutlug Ataman –
“Auroras/Testimony”
“Auroras/Tes timony” will be a collaborative multi-media installation
created for the Festival with the Art Gallery of Ontario and exhibited
in a public space in Toronto. It is the world premiere of a co-creation
by two artists, an Armenian-Canada and a Turkish-Argentinean, who found
commonalities in each other’s work when introduced to one another in
New York last year.
Young Centre for the Performing Arts and The Distillery District
Throughout the ten days of the Festival, in the various venues of the
Young Centre for the Performing Arts and throughout the Distillery
District, celebrations will be held in theatre, dance, music, and
visual arts with the remarkable community of artists that live and
work in Toronto. As well as showcasing some of the most inspiring work
the artists have created, the Distillery portion of Luminato will
present original collaborations between disciplines and generations
with a particular emphasis on youth and emerging artists.
Closing Weekend – Waterfront – “Carnivalissima: A Spectacle of
the Senses”
Carnivalissima will be a bold celebration of Carnivals of the World,
including Brazilian, Caribbean, European, Lenten Winter Festivals
(Venice, Switzerland, Brussels, Spain), Latin and Mardi Gras.
Produced by Luminato and Harbourfront Centre, the Carnivalissima
will become a huge celebratory street party of carnivals, parades
and other spectacles, including a bold fusion of local, national and
international spectacle on the streets, on the stages, and in the
water. The Festival will use carnival traditions found in diverse
Toronto communities as a launching point for a carnival “extravaganza.”
Additional information on Luminato can be found at
About Luminato
Luminato is a non-profit organization created to oversee the management
of the city’s most significant multi-disciplinary celebration of
artistic achievement and creativity launching in June 2007. The annual
festival will celebrate the creative spirit across all the arts. It
was formed as an initiative of the Toronto City Summit Alliance and by
leaders of Toronto’s arts and cultural communities. The Toronto City
Summit Alliance is a non-profit corporation dedicated to building
the Toronto region through broad civic leadership. The Alliance is
directed by a Steering Group of 50 leaders from the private, labour,
volunteer and public sectors and can be contacted through its website:
Torontoalliance.ca.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NAGORNO-KARABAKH: U.S. MEDIATOR SAYS ELECTIONS NO OBSTACLE TO ACCORD
EurasiaNet, NY
July 31, 2006
Emil Danielyan 7/31/06
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will not necessarily remain unresolved
even if Armenia and Azerbaijan fail to hammer out a framework peace
accord this year, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew
Bryza told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on July 29.
Bryza is the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is tasked
with facilitating negotiations to resolve the conflict. He insisted
that elections due in the two countries in 2007 and 2008 will not
present an insurmountable obstacle to a solution.
Finish The ‘Heavy Lifting’
“I think it’s possible to work through an election season and
still make progress,” Bryza said. “It’s up to the [Armenian and
Azerbaijani] presidents as to whether or not they have enough good
will and political courage to do so…. It’s just easier, much easier,
if we get the heavy lifting done now.”
Bryza said he hopes that presidents Ilham Aliev and Robert Kocharian
will iron out their differences in the coming months.
“Of course I’m still hopeful,” he said. “If I weren’t hopeful, why
would I even want to put in an effort? This isn’t about theater;
it’s about results.”
Looking For A Breakthrough
Bryza was speaking in Yerevan after what he described as “encouraging”
talks with Kocharian that marked the start of his first tour of the
conflict zone since his appointment as U.S. co-chair. He replaced
fellow State Department official Steven Mann in that position in
early June, following the failure of Kocharian’s last face-to-face
negotiations with Aliev. That failure all but dashed hopes for a
near-term solution to the Karabakh dispute.
In two subsequent statements, the mediating group’s U.S., French,
and Russian co-chairs indicated their frustration. They said they
will initiate no more Armenian-Azerbaijani talks until the two sides
display greater commitment to a lasting peace.
Bryza, who proceeded to the Karabakh capital, Stepanakert, later on
July 29, said he is visiting the region to get “some more guidance
from the presidents themselves to determine how they would like to
take the process further.”
He said he was assured by Kocharian that the Minsk Group plan is
essentially acceptable to Yerevan.
“I enjoyed hearing his account of where things stand and how we got
here,” he said. “I felt a constructive, candid attitude on his part.
He was very open. And he helped me think through what sort of
recommendations I might bring to my fellow co-chairs.”
‘There Is Political Will Here’
Asked whether he found the kind of “political will” for compromise
that was demanded by the mediators, Bryza replied: “I think there is
political will here, definitely, to keep the process going. There have
been public statements that the [Minsk Group’s proposed] framework,
the principles are agreeable [for Armenia].
“What’s never clear is whether or not there is enough will on both
sides to eliminate or to resolve the distance that still stands between
them,” he added. “But I will just say I feel encouraged after today’s
discussions.”
Armenian officials have claimed implicitly that the two rounds of
negotiations between Kocharian and Aliev this year collapsed because
the latter backtracked on his earlier acceptance of the key principles
of the peace plan that were officially disclosed by the Minsk Group
co-chairs last month. Bryza, however, was careful not to blame any
of the parties for the deadlock, saying that they both want to “enact
some changes to the ideas that are on the table.”
“The principles that are on the table don’t constitute an agreement,”
Bryza said. “They are principles, suggestions. So it’s not possible for
anyone to walk away from an agreement, if there isn’t an agreement.”
At the heart of those principles is the idea of holding a
referendum on Karabakh’s status after the liberation of most of the
Armenian-occupied districts in areas of Azerbaijan surrounding the
disputed enclave. Bryza confirmed that the mediators believe the
status should be decided by the “people of Karabakh”
“But the question is how do you define the people of Karabakh? And
there were residents there in 1988 who wish to participate,” he added
in a clear reference to the region’s displaced Azerbaijani minority.
“All these things have still to be worked out as part of a broad
package.”
No Breach Of Territorial Integrity
Aliev and other Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly stated in recent
weeks that they will never accept any deal that could legitimize
Karabakh’s secession from Azerbaijan. Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov was quoted by the day.az news service earlier this week
as indicating that Baku is only ready to let the Karabakh Armenians
decide the extent of their autonomy within Azerbaijan.
“The principle of self-determination does not mean a breach of
territorial integrity,” Mammadyarov said.
This might explain why the leadership of the self-proclaimed
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) has expressed serious misgivings
about the proposed peace formula.
Bryza, who is apparently the highest ranking U.S. official ever
to visit Karabakh, appeared to downplay Stepanakert’s objections,
implying that Baku and Yerevan have the final say in the peace process.
“It’s really up to presidents Kocharian and Aliev whether or not they
will agree to the formula,” he said. “We are just waiting for a sign
from the presidents as to whether or not they would like to restart
a formal process.”
‘Now Is The Time’
Bryza, who traveled to Baku on July 30, also said he will meet the
group’s French and Russian co-chairs in Paris early next week to
brief them on the results of his shuttle diplomacy. The mediators
stressed in their recent statements that “now is the time” to resolve
the Karabakh conflict.
Some of them warned earlier that failure to do so before the end of
this year would keep the peace process deadlocked for at least three
more years. They pointed to parliamentary and presidential elections
due in Armenia in 2007 and 2008, respectively, and an Azerbaijani
presidential ballot scheduled for 2008. Many observers believe that it
will be even more difficult for each side to make painful concessions
to the other in the run-up to the polls.
But in an indication of the mediators’ fading hopes for 2006, Bryza
insisted that a Karabakh settlement will be feasible even during the
election period.
“I don’t necessarily feel that there needs to be a hard deadline
on the peace process,” he said. “It’s better if we have a sense of
what compromises might be suggested before other political events
[in Armenia and Azerbaijan] move forward. But it doesn’t have to be
by the end of this year.”
“I would argue that the elections in Armenia and Azerbaijan don’t pose
an obstacle to reaching an agreement,” he continued. “They just pose
an additional complicating factor. It’s up to the presidents to guide
their populations or societies, their voters in whatever direction they
wish (a) to win the vote for themselves and their political parties,
but (b) to build support for the agreement.
“If the presidents succeed, with our help as mediators, in finalizing
and eliminating the final differences with regard to this framework
agreement and if they come up with an agreement that’s mutually
acceptable, that should be a plus in an election,” Bryza argued.
“That’s a huge achievement that should actually help political
leaders and their parties to win votes. So it could be useful to
have elections. The is question is, though, will the presidents have
decided to take these tough decisions in time?”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

New Python, Egoyan works planned for Toronto festival
CBC Montreal, Canada
July 31, 2006
New works by Spamalot creator Eric Idle and filmmaker Atom Egoyan will
be on the bill during a new festival scheduled for Toronto next June.
The Toronto Festival of Arts, dubbed Luminato, is being planned as a
16-day showcase of arts and creativity with events at cultural venues
around the city.
Some details of the $10-million event were released on Monday.
Idle and John du Prez are creating an oratorio with music and lyrics
based on Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The world premiere of Not the
Messiah will be performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra with a
narrator, soloists and choir.
Grammy winner Idle described the new work as “funnier than Handel,
though not as good.”
Egoyan, director of Where the Truth Lies and The Sweet Hereafter,
will be working with artist Kutlug Ataman on a multimedia installation
at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The Armenian filmmaker and the Turkish artist say they found
“commonalities” in one another’s work when they met last year.
Ontario’s provincial government has pledged $2 million toward the
event, being planned by the Toronto City Summit Alliance.
The city of Toronto also has been supportive of the new festival,
but no money has yet come from Ottawa.
While Toronto is home to dozens of festivals throughout the year,
this festival is seen as a larger event that will draw artists from
Canada and around the world.
Music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film, design and literature will
all be part of the Luminata festival, which coincides with the opening
of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, a massive renovation at the Royal
Ontario Museum.
Atom Egoyan is working on a multimedia installation with Turkish
artist Kutlug Ataman. Festival organizers have hired a high-profile
chief executive with an international reputation to run the event.
Janice Price is former president of the Kimmel Center for the
Performing Arts in Philadelphia and former vice-president of market
at the Lincoln Center in New York.
The festival will take place at the Young Centre, in the Distillery
District, at Harbourfront and at dozens of other cultural institutions
around the city.
It will close with an international carnival featuring parades and
carnival acts from around the world.
Luminata is scheduled for June 1-10, 2007.

Bryza: Elections do not hinder negotiations on Karabakh
Regnum, Russia
July 31, 2006
“I see there is a political will to solve the question; philosophy
laid in the basis of our proposals, is acceptable,” OSCE Minsk Group
US co-Chair Matthew Bryza stated to Radio Liberty after his meeting
with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.
Speaking on proposals’ details, he stressed that there are questions,
connected with Kelbajar and Lachin, as well as conducting a
referendum. Matthew Bryza confirmed that, according to OSCE MG
co-chairs, Nagorno Karabakh people should solve the question of
Karabakh’s status itself. “However, the question is who should be
considered to be Karabakh people. There are people, who lived there
in 1988 and who wish to participate in the referendum too,” Mr. Bryza
stated. “All these questions should be processed as a part of single
package.” “Principles, which are now on the negotiation table, are no
agreement. They are just principles, proposals. Hence, an agreement
is unavoidable, if there is no such yet,” he stressed.
Answering a question, whether there is a chance to reach an agreement
within this year or whether the question will be postponed till 2009,
Mr. Bryza said: “Of course, there is a chance. It would be favorable
for presidents of both countries to appear at the elections with a
settled problem. However, elections do not prevent from negotiations.
Simply, the question is much easier to be solved, when political
processes are not escalated.” At the same time, the US diplomat
stressed that the OSCE MG is ready to act until parties seriously
consider the talks: “We see that our friends in Armenia consider the
question quite seriously.”
Mentioning situation with democracy in Armenia, Mr. Bryza said:
“We hope that Armenia moves in a right direction. The US-Armenian
relations will be the stronger; the Armenian democracy will be
stronger. Armenia’s participation in the Millennium Challenge Program
is the best evidence for the US to be sure that Armenia is moving
forward on a democratic way. Democracy is a process.”