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06/07/2004
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1) ANCA Chairman Calls State Department on Its ‘Disingenuous’ Excuse for
Armenian Genocide Exclusion
2) Ghukassian Presses Lenmarker for Equal Footing
3) Construction of Airport Terminal to Take Zvartnots to New Heights
4) Farewell to Former President Ronald Reagan

1) ANCA Chairman Calls State Department on Its ‘Disingenuous’ Excuse for
Armenian Genocide Exclusion

WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)–In a detailed letter sent last Friday to Secretary of
State Colin Powell, Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken
Hachikian pressed the State Department to end its practice of excluding any
mention of the Armenian Genocide from the history section of its official
website on Armenia.
The State Department website features Background Notes on one hundred
ninety-eight nations. Each entry includes a brief historical review. The
historical section for Armenia makes no mention of Ottoman Turkey’s systematic
destruction of over one and a half million Armenians, or the “demographic
disaster” described by the Library of Congress as having “shifted the
center of
the Armenian population from the heartland of historical Armenia.” The ANCA
issued an action alert on this issue in January of this year.
Hachikian’s letter was written in response to a May 6 State Department letter
to Joe Dagdigian, Chairman of the Merrimack Valley ANC chapter.
In an April 20 letter to the State Department, Dagdidgian documented a series
of serious shortcomings in its website on the history of Armenia, noting, in
part:
“The historical survey of Armenia omits any reference to the Armenian
Genocide
committed by Ottoman Turkey beginning in 1915. To recount nearly 3,000
years of
Armenian history without the inclusion of this cataclysmic and relatively
recent event in the history of the Armenian people is inexcusable. Rather than
contributing to an understanding of the region, it obscures the region’s
history and fails to provide the background necessary for understanding
current
Armenian and regional issues.”
Responding to Dagdidgian, the Director of the Office of Caucasus and Central
Asian Affairs John Fox, wrote:
“Country background notes on the State Department’s web-site were designed to
provide interested readers with concise and up-to-date information regarding
key economic and political issues in the country, as well as travel conditions
and commercial opportunities. Country background notes also provide a very
brief introduction to the country’s history. Typically, each background page
will collapse over 2,000 years of history into 3-4 concise paragraphs.
Consequently, even episodes of great historical importance are often not
treated in our background notes.”
In his sharply critical letter to Secretary Powell, Hachikian spells out the
historical inaccuracy, the basic inconsistency, and the moral bankruptcy of
the
State Department’s position of excluding the Armenian Genocide from its
history
of Armenia:
“Rather than acknowledging and taking steps to correct this obvious error–or
even indicating a willingness to review this flawed document, the State
Department’s letter, signed by John Fox of the Office of Caucasus and Central
Asian Affairs, instead, sought to reduce this issue of profound historical and
contemporary significance to a simple consideration of space.”
Hachikian goes on with an in-depth review of the assertions made in the State
Department letter, concluding that, “we find it plainly disingenuous, if not
outright dishonest, to imply that the exclusion of the Armenian Genocide is
based on space considerations.” He adds, “it is clear that this historically
inaccurate refusal to even acknowledge the premeditated extermination between
1915 and 1923 of fully two thirds of all Armenians by Ottoman Turkey and the
exile of a nation from its historic homeland of more than three thousand
years,
represents another very sad chapter in the State Department’s complicity in
the
Turkish government’s ongoing immoral campaign to deny the Armenian Genocide.”
In closing, Hachikian writes, “How truly regrettable I find it to have to
engage in word-counts to illustrate the ridiculous and reprehensible
lengths to
which the State Department goes to help the government of Turkey to deny the
undeniable–the crime of genocide committed against the Armenian nation. In
the
interest of basic morality, historical accuracy, and the State Department’s
credibility, on behalf of the American-Armenian community, I ask you to
immediately correct this obvious and insulting ‘error.'”

Readers can express their concern about the Armenia Background Notes by
visiting the ANCA website, <;

2) Ghukassian Presses Lenmarker for Equal Footing

STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)–The president of Mountainous Karabagh Republic
(MKR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on the
Karabagh conflict met in the capital of MKR, Stepanakert, on June 4.
Thanking OSCE’s Goran Lennmarker for his visit, MKR President Arkady
Ghukassian said that only immediate interaction between mediators and MKR
representatives, as well as Stepanakert’s equal participation in negotiations,
could end the stalemate to bring about a peaceful resolution.
Ghukassian expressed hope that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s interest in
resolving the conflict, as well as its cooperation and involvement, would help
the establishment of peace in the region.
He, at the same time, stressed that Azerbaijan’s extremism via a concerted
effort to stir anti-Armenian propaganda, especially among its population, is
destructive and stands in the way of progress.
The efforts of international mediators, stressed Ghukassian, would better be
served if they concentrated on creating conditions for a balanced dialogue
between MKR and Azerbaijan, rather than formulating suggestions.
Lennmarker said that the goal of his fact-finding mission to MKR and the
region is to seek a speedy resolution to the conflict, indicating that all of
Europe is interested in accelerating the peace process.
He said that the experience gained in settling past conflicts would be a
valuable tool in expediting the matter, and ruled out a military settlement to
the conflict.

3) Construction of Airport Terminal to Take Zvartnots to New Heights

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Construction of a new terminal at Armenia’s main
international airport began on Monday by the Argentine Corporacion America
Company managing the project.
Representatives of the Argentine company and Armenian government ministers
inaugurated the start of construction, describing it as the first stage of the
reconstruction of Zvartnots airport, which is to conform to international
standards with the completion of the project. The airport’s commercial
director
Juan-Pablo Guechigian, said the project would cost at least $42 million.
Justice Minister David Harutiunian, who oversees project implementation, said
the new three-story building is slated for completion by 2007, and added that
its ground floor, available for passenger use, will be ready at the end of
next
year, as well as construction of the upper floors.
Argentinean Armenian Eduardo Eurnekian, who operates 33 airports across South
America, owns Corporacion America which signed a 30-year management contract
with the Armenian government in December 2001 and took over Zvartnots several
months later.
Officials in Yerevan said earlier that the reconstruction will enable
Zvartnots to handle at least 1.2 million passengers a year. Up to 800,000
people presently arrive at and depart from the airport each year. Eurnekian
reportedly looks to transform the airport into a major transit hub for
long-haul flights between Europe and Asia.

4) Farewell to Former President Ronald Reagan

(VOA)–A week of remembrances for former President Ronald Reagan began on
Monday, when his remains arrived at his presidential library in Simi Valley,
California.
There, the body will lie in repose for two days, while mourners pay last
respects to the 40th US president, who died Saturday at age 93, of pneumonia
after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
On Wednesday, Mr. Reagan’s body will be flown to Washington ahead of a state
funeral on Friday.
President Bush has declared Friday a national day of mourning.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev are among the prominent figures planning to attend Friday’s
state funeral for Ronald Reagan at Washington’s National Cathedral.
The former British leader has given up public speaking after a series of
strokes, but will deliver a videotaped eulogy recorded several months before
Reagan’s death.
Reagan and Thatcher were close friends, politically united by their dislike
for communism.
Gorbachev forged a relationship with the late president during summit
meetings
in the final years of the Cold War.

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Party time under a jazzy moon! – Free shows at the 25th anniversary
of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

Canada Newswire
June 4 2004

MONTREAL, June 3 /CNW Telbec/ – There’s only about three weeks left
until the start of the 25th edition of the Festival International
de Jazz de Montréal, the biggest celebration of music anywhere on
Earth. And more than a few hearts are already fluttering at the
prospect of the good times and great sounds that have been filling
the streets of downtown Montreal every summer since 1980. The Gods of
Music, it seems, are already smiling down on us, judging from this
year’s line-up, which includes not one, but four free mega-shows,
plus a few unprecedented “concept” events, some of them on free outdoor
stages; others in concert halls. We admit it: we deliberately conspired
to spoil everyone during this anniversary year by laying out the most
generous smorgasbord of ear-candy ever. We owe it to you, because
it’s Montrealers’ pride in their festival-and their inexhaustible
party spirit-that have made this annual event such a huge success
over the years, That’s why we promised ourselves that never shall
this “City of Festivals” have lived up to its name so well as this
year. We’re expecting about 2 million visitors, coming from just about
everywhere on the planet, so we’ve added an extra day to the fest,
which will be running for 12 days and 12 nights between June 30 and
July 11, 2004. And we’ve even thrown in a pre-opening show on June 29,
the 25th Anniversary Gala Concert at the Bell Centre, featuring Diana
Krall and a few invited guests, not least of whom is Diana’s husband,
Elvis Costello.

We should mention here that after being named as among the country’s
eight biggest tourist destinations by Attractions Canada, the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal is also being honored this very
week with the issue of a 25th anniversary commemorative stamp by
Canada Post. If nothing else, the stamp attests to the fact that our
distinctively Montreal happening has taken its place as an event as
much part of our national fabric as the maple leaf itself.

Ever grateful for the support of our perennial partners, the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal takes this first opportunity to
thank General Motors of Canada, main sponsor and official presenter of
the event. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Labatt Breweries,
co-presenter and second biggest sponsor, for working so hard to make
our 25th anniversary year what promises to be the very best ever. We’re
also very happy indeed to be welcoming two major new sponsors to
this year’s Festival: Loto Québec and TD Canada Trust. And many,
many thanks to Bell, who has significantly raised its contribution
to the event over the next three years.

Get down in the downtown

It’s any day now that music will be wafting through the downtown
streets like a warm summer’s breeze. And any day now that thousands
of music-makers invited from Canada and 20 countries abroad will be
transforming the quadrangle bordering Place des Arts into a gigantic
laboratory of sound. Altogether, there’ll be no fewer than 380 free
concerts on 10 outdoor stages, divided into 30 distinct series, not
counting the hundreds of street performers, Dixieland bands and the
like who’ll be mingling with the crowds. It’s their job to make sure
that the Festival’s free activities are plenty of fun for everyone,
and that lesser-known musicians get the chance to strut their stuff
to the crowds. All in all, get set for lots of musical surprises and
lots of old friends, when festivalgoers from all walks of life get
together to enjoy the unique international language of music that
transcends all differences between them.

Les Performances General Motors is the focal series of the Festival,
taking place at 9 and 11 p.m. on the Scène General Motors. Among the 10
concerts scheduled, most notable perhaps is the Besh o Drom ensemble
from Hungary, who’ve brought traditional Hungarian music into the
20th Century with a decidedly groove-oriented beat and a flair for
jazz improvisation befitting of the year 2004. Also appearing will be
the Suzie Arioli Band, headed by dynamic Suzie herself and faithful
companion Jordan Officer, serving up a sampler from their latest CD
That’s for Me. A talented and energetic Montrealer of Brazilian origin,
Monica Freire, is back by popular demand, and don’t anyone miss the
compelling Bettye Lavette, either, an inexplicably overlooked singer
of soul music.

Taking place on the same stage at 6 p.m. will be the Gammes General
Motors series, offering a varied menu of extremely accomplished
artists. Among others, festivalgoers can enjoy the overflowing
imaginations and contagious energy of the Orkestre des Pas perdus,
or perhaps listen in to the Effendi Jazz Lab event, featuring Effendi
recording artists. Also present will be the 2003 winner of the Grand
Prix de Jazz General Motors, Ontario native Nancy Walker, who’s back
with new material imbued with lavish shades of swing, bop and bossa
nova. It’s from among those appearing in this series that the winner
of the cross-Canada Grand Prix de Jazz General Motors contest will be
selected on Saturday, July 10 at 6 p.m, Altogether, it’s a veritable
showcase of Canadian talent, and not to be missed. Another prize up
for grabs is from Radio Canada’s Galaxie network, who’ll be awarding
the Prix Etoiles Galaxie de Radio Canada, as well as a cash prize,
to the composer of the best original song performed by any of the
competing groups. All contestants are clearly identified in your
programming guide, and it’s a great way to find out what’s shaking
on the Canadian jazz scene.

At the ever-popular scène Labatt Bleue in the Parc Fred Barry,
Les soirées Labatt Bleue will be catering to die-hard blues lovers
at 7 and 11 p.m. There will be young rock-blues singer-guitarist
Jonas in his third Festival appearance, as well as Jean Millaire &
Johnny Blue Band, whose leader wrote some of the greatest pages
in Quebec musical history for Offenbach, Corbeau and Marjo. Among
others on the program will be the one-and-only Stephen Barry Band,
whose founder Steve is one of the principal proponents of blues on
the Montreal scene. Come hear the energetic Henry & the Blue Kats,
including terrific harp player Rick L. Blues, whose performance was
truly outstanding last year on the same venue.

Also at the venerable blues oasis, this time at 11 p.m. will be the
Spectacles Labatt Bleue series, spotlighting groups from abroad,
and kicking off with 60s icon Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, but in
21st Century mode. On stage, as well, will be the New York guitarist
and harmonica player Jon Paris (former bass man to Johnny Winter) who
was a major hit at the 2000 fest. An aboriginal group from northern
Ontario, The Pappy John’s Band, will star Murray Porter in his first
festival visit. Old blues hands Johnny Jones & The Groove Dudes will
be warming up the planks too, and, as in previous years, each of the
acts that happen on the scène Labatt Bleue will be repeated just a
bit later, at half-past-midnight, free of charge, in the Spectrum.

All states of the Art of Jazz will be represented at the Carrefour
General Motors on the corner of Jeanne Mance and de Maisonneuve at
6:30 p.m. Be there to hear Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, who’ll
doubtless leave us all gasping for air as he did last year. Come
hear Buster (“machine gun”) B. Jones, the amazing 14-year-old
guitarist Brooksie Robinson, or Don Ross, who some consider to be
THE Canadian guitarist of our time. The extraordinary guitarist from
Madagascar D’Gary will begin with a solo performance and return for
a 9-o’clock show, in trio form on the same stage for the second half
of the evening, which constitutes the Contact General Motors series,
focusing on the international relatives of jazz music. Visitors will
be treated to the astounding sounds of ‘voodoo jazz’ by thrilling
Haitian saxophonist Buyu Ambroise, plus the super-charged world-jazz
sounds of the Hadouk Trio in their first North American performance. It
will also be your chance to hear the uplifting Armenian ensemble of
Souren Baronian’s Taksim and the Canadian singer of Indian origin
Kiran Ahluwalia, whose most recent recording earlier this year won
her the Juno Award for Best Canadian World Music album.

Happening at the Club Jazz TD Canada Trust (ensconced in Parc Hydro
Québec), the Jazz TD Canada Trust series will be sticking to its
double-show format, with 7 o’clock shows reprised at 10 p.m. Several
masters of their trade will appear, including Karl Jannuska, a drummer
from Montreal now living in France, presenting a stage adaptation
of his album Liberating Vines, a jewel of modern jazz-very rhythmic
and served up in quartet form. Pierre de Bethman, accompanied by the
Ilume Quintet is equal parts pianist and groover-in-sweetheart-mode,
a fine interaction of energy and harmony. Also appearing in the series
will be the Bill Mahar Quintet, who’ve played almost every edition of
the Festival since the beginning. On stage with the Streetnix, here’s
an opportunity to see how Bill holds it all together as band-leader.

Rendez-vous Loto Québec is a new series to be presented between 8
and 10 p.m. at the Scène Loto Québec, directly on de Maisonneuve.
Appearing will be Les Moonlight Girls, a terrific female trio from
Montreal who’ll pay musical tribute to the Andrews Sisters, who
dominated popular music from the 30s to the 50s. Ontario native Matt
Dusk renounced what might have been an operatic career to become one
of the most highly visible crooners in the country (and at just 24
years of age!) so this is where to be for standards fans. With a name
like Primitifs du futur, be forewarned when the 5 young Frenchmen
mix up world-musette, Django-esque guitars and old-style renditions
of newer pieces.

The Tropiques Bleue Légère series happens at 7:30 p.m. at the Scène
Bleue Légère (Parc des Festivals, on the corner of Bleury and de
Maisonneuve). International acts will be the order of the day,
including Franck Biyong & Massak, ex-member of the Sawt el Atlas
multinational Afro-beat project that follows in the footsteps of
Fela. Mexican group Los de Abajo is finally making a visit to the
Festival, with a refreshing musical cocktail that combines traditional
Mexican strains with Afro-Latin rhythms and rap: music to dance to. A
Moroccan now living in New York, Hassan Hakmoun was schooled in the
trance gnawa belief system, but sprinkles his music with funk, pop
and electronic. And Kofo the Wonderman lives up to his name. He’s
been banging his talking drum around the Big Apple for years, in
the authentic juju style of King Sunny Adé. He’s also got a way with
Afro-funk and Yoruba traditional chants.

At 10 p.m., once again this year we’ll be presenting the Groove Bleue
Légère series at the Scène Bleue Légère, where fascinating rhythm
takes center stage. Afrodizz, for example are Montrealers who also
take their cue from Fela, bringing Afrobeat to the 21st Century with
a decidedly funky lilt. Their new album Kif Kif is being released by
the British label Freestyle. Come hear Yerba Buena, a vast groove
factory including 9 musicians directed by guitarist Andres Levin
that blends Latin rhythm, Cuban religious music, American soul and
Afro-beat. Buscemi, hailing from Belgium, is known for the trip-hop
of their CDs, but on stage they take on a contagious, super-charged,
up-tempo house beat.

Soirées Jazzy Bell is presented at 8 and 10 p.m. at the new Scène Bell,
just at the entrance of the complexe Desjardins. The series features a
collection of brilliant artists, starting with fabulous Jimmy Bowskill.
Accompanied by harp player Jerome Godboo, Jimmy’s an old soul in the
body of a teenager, who sings blues like he’s actually been around
long enough to live it. (Jimmy riveted crowds in the same locale
last year, so watch out.) Next comes Dessy Di Lauro who’s worked
with Dubmatique, Ginette Reno and Cirque du Soleil. Accompanied by
pianist Ric’Key Pageot, Dessy offers up a synthesis of soul and jazz,
with Brazilian undertones. The ensemble Tortured Soul is rarely heard
in trio form with such an awesome sound and has been compared to the
groove of The New Deal and Jamiroquai. Come for the fine party fare.

The Brunantes series takes place at 8 and 10 p.m. on the Scène
du Festival, directly on the Esplanade of Place des Arts. It’s a
mixed program, featuring acts such as Without Words, whose bassist
Karine Chapdelaine, you may remember, won the Galaxie Award at last
year’s Festival for best original composition, entitled Prisoner of
a Dream. Inspired by the celebrated Hot Club de France that sprung
up just after the war, Hot Club de ma rue recently took Montreal by
storm with a cool blend of easy swing and gypsy-style jazz reminiscent
of Django. Lastly is a South-Korean group, the Jae Chung & Ben Ball
Ensemble. Chung is guitarist and Ball the drummer, for jazz in a
traditional setting.

The Movado Jams Sessions will take place in the Hyatt Regency
Montréal hotel, in the Salon Jeanne Mance, Foyer Level. This one’s
for night owls, because every night at 11 p.m., for the duration of
the Festival, Thuryn von Pranke will take to the ivories, Frédéric
Alarie to his specially designed double bass and Muhammad to his
drum set. Be there for the real thing, because musicians appearing
elsewhere in the Festival will be stopping by for some late-night
improv. Don’t forget that the Friends of the Festival Card gives
you priority access to the Movado Jam Sessions, because seating is
restricted and limited to those 18 years and over.

The Nightcap series is new this year and completely free of charge,
taking place at 11:30 p.m. on stage in the Savoy at the Metropolis.
The series features the Trio Pulse Nu Jazz Session with Dan Thouin
on keyboards, Max Sansalone on drums and Adrian Vedady on double
bass. It’s where to be on a real late-nighter, when these three
veterans jazz up a storm.

It all starts at noon!

They say midnight’s the magic hour, and that’s true, but when
you’ve only got 12 days for your Festival, you’ll want to start
early. Nothing goes better with lunch than jazz, anyway, so stop
by for the always-popular Les midis complexe Desjardins. Jitterbug
Swing is back to inaugurate the series at the Grande-Place du
complexe Desjardins, and make sure to hear the Canadian guitarist of
Brazilian origin, Celso Machado, who uses various parts of his body
and voice to produce guttural sounds that mimic the calls of various
animals. Story-teller and multi-instrumentalist David Amram, 74, has
rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jack Kerouac and Charlie Parker,
and was once guest conductor to no fewer than 17 symphony orchestras at
the same time. The charming, multi-faceted artist will be landing on
Planet Jazz this time though, in the Contact General Motors series at
9 p.m. While you’re there, discover jazz innovator Lubo Alexandrov’s
Kaba Horo, whose leader is of Bulgarian origin and the only guitarist
in Canada to play classical guitar without frets, like a violin.

The Petite Ecole du Jazz is applying the same formula as in previous
years, taking place from July 1 to 11. Come watch the Bande Magnetik,
the musicians of James Gelfand and the inimitable Jacques L’Heureux
apply their technique for teaching music to young people. Gathering
outside the complexe Desjardins at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., be there as
they introduce basic notions of music to children, in an environment
conducive to fun and learning, with our Ste Cat mascot never far away.

Dixieland bands have been a Festival institution right from the
beginning, one of those signature details that gives the site its
particular ambiance and notifies festivalgoers that the party’s
underway. So they’ll be back again, naturally, bringing afternoon
sunshine to the site with summery sounds you can enjoy at the
Terrasse Grand Marnier during the Les midis Grand Marnier, at
noon, 1 p.m and during the 7 à 8 Grand Marnier, from 7 to 10 p.m.
This irresistible music can also be heard at the new scène Bell for
the Les Après midis Jazz, at 4 p.m., or during the Les 5 à 7 series
(at 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.) at the Scène du Festival on the Esplanade at
Place des Arts. You’ll also want to hear some of the young musicians
from various school bands who’ll be appearing in the always-popular
Les découvertes General Motors, at the Scène General Motors.

And that’s still not all!

None of the above includes the approximately 150 interior concerts
or the 113 musical groups who’ll be appearing in surrounding bars
and night clubs as part of the Nuits de Montréal dimension of
the Festival. Nor have we spoken at length about the incredible 4
free outdoor mega-shows we’ve organized for this spectacular 25th
anniversary edition. Starting with the Grande fête d’ouverture,
presented by Loto Québec and Bell to celebrate 10 years since the fall
of apartheid, the mega-show stars some of the greatest acts ever to
emerge from South Africa: Johnny Clegg and Ladysmith Black Mambazo,
joined by Montrealer of South-African origin, Lorraine Klaasen,
and staged by journalist Lucie Pagé. It’s all happening on June
30 on the Scène General Motors. And it’ll be just as hot for the
Evénement spécial Labatt Bleue “Fête du Soul”, celebrating American
Independence Day with the Funk Brothers, Joan Osborne, Sam Moore and
Jacksoul on July 4 at the corner of St. Urbain and de Maisonneuve. The
Soirée commémorative du 25e anniversaire (July 10) will be a perfect
opportunity for a picnic with the family at Place des Nations on
Ile Sainte Hélène. Be there when things start up at 6 p.m., with
performances by the Streetnix, followed at 7 p.m. by Vic Vogel and his
Big Band on stage, right where they were for the very first edition of
the festival in 1980. (The very special evening is being sponsored by
the Québec government in cooperation with the Parc Jean Drapeau.) On
July 11 at the Grand Evénement General Motors, come celebrate the dual
25th & 20th anniversaries of the Festival International de Jazz de
Montréal and the Cirque du Soleil on the main stage of the site. We’re
calling it “Soleil de minuit” (Midnight Sun) and the mega-show will
include Youssou N’Dour, Daniela Mercury, Jorane, les frères Diouf,
les voix du Cirque, I Musici and an Afro Brazilian percussion ensemble.
This entire free and spectacular show will be staged by Michel Lemieux
and Victor Pilon, under the musical direction of Guy Dubuc and Marc
Lessard. The huge street party will begin at 9 p.m. for a deferred
transmission at 9:30 p.m. on CBC Television and the French-language
network of Radio Canada. Giant screens on outdoor stages throughout
the site will make sure everyone gets to see the action.

The moon IS the spotlight at this year’s Festival!

Over the years, the moon has come to symbolize jazz, because both
shine most brilliantly at night. This year, we’ve adopted the moon
itself as the symbol for the 25th anniversary edition of the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal. You’ll find her everywhere, on the
signage that guides visitors from one stage to another, to restaurants,
to the musical park and anywhere else they need to get to in the vast,
downtown pedestrian quadrangle during the Festival’s magical 12 days
and nights. You’ll even find the moon symbol on the pavement! There’ll
be banners, multi-colored lighting and an overall magic to the
site. And if there are so many candles on this year’s cake, we’re
sharing the honour with festival goers in a variety of ways, including
plenty of novelties to keep the site fresh and happening. Be sure to
travel the elevated pedestrian bridge from the Théâtre Maisonneuve,
because at the southern extremity on Ste. Catherine Street, visitors
can stop by the new Radio-Canada Studio to see extracts from the best
moments in the history of the Festival or even participate in a live
broadcast. Travelling north the length of St. Urbain Street, take a
moment to re-live jazz fest memories through the poster collection
we’ve installed there. At the end of the bridge, you’ll find yourself
in the Village du Festival, a civic area with its own Main Street and a
message board strategically located where visitors can leave personal
messages for one another. In the Village you’ll also find benches,
the ever-popular Bistro SAQ and Pub Stella Artois, plus restaurants
and a music kiosk. The Village occupies the north-east corner of
the Esplanade of Place des Arts and is the perfect complement to
the overall festival site – a place for cultural intermingling, and
most probably a good indicator of attendance. Make sure to plan it
so kids can stay awhile at the Musical Park and the make-up booth,
and don’t forget to stop by the Festival’s big souvenir stand.

For the last several years, the Festival has mounted a popular
Louisiana parade on the site. The very first edition even had the
Dejean Olympia Brass Band direct from New Orleans. For this 25th
anniversary, we’re bringing back the tradition of the Parade du
Festival with Swing Tonique, every day at 5:30 p.m., leaving from the
Scène Bell at the entrance to complexe Desjardins and crossing the
site through the Village du Festival to the Scène carrefour GM on de
Maisonneuve. As we’ve mentioned, this year the Festival is welcoming
a new sponsor, TD Canada Trust, who have lent their name to the Club
Jazz in the Parc Hydro Quebec. And we’re also welcoming the arrival
of Loto Québec, whose contribution allowed us to add another stage
behind Place des Arts, on de Maisonneuve boulevard, where the cream
of jazz singers will be featured throughout this year’s fest.

Remember, as well, that our own 25th anniversary edition of the
Festival is concurrent with two other auspicious birthdays. Because
Place des Arts and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal will
both be celebrating the respectable ages of 40 years, we’ve also
taken the opportunity to honor those venerable institutions that
have become so much the pride of Quebeckers over 4 decades. To
underscore the many years of partnership between the Festival and
those other major Quebec cultural institutions, stop by to see the
free exhibition entitled “Collection du Festival,” in the main hall
of the museum, which includes originals of all the works reproduced
for the Festival Gallery. The museum will be keeping its doors open
until 10 p.m. every night, except Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, to make
sure you can enjoy everything else the Musée d’art contemporain de
Montréal has to offer. Entry is just $6. Also, in the main hall of the
Salle Wilfrid Pelletier at Place des Arts, stop by to see a display
of all posters created for the Festival since its very beginnings.
The main corridor leading to Place des Arts will house an exhibition
of the finest photographs taken at the Festival over these last 25
years by the intrepid photographers of the La Presse daily newspaper.

While you’re on the site, make sure to visit the Festival Gallery in
the north-west corner of the esplanade at Place des Arts, specializing
in magnificent, limited-edition silk-screens signed by a number of
fine artists. This year, look out for music does this, which our own
multi-talented Lhasa has contributed to the Festival collection. Only
300 signed and numbered copies will be available, but you’ll also
find a “new” work by world-renowned Quebec artist Jean Paul Riopelle,
acquired by Festival founder Alain Simard in 1997. It’s called Big
Bang, Big Band which Riopelle’s estate has generously allowed us to
reproduce in a series of 75. All works are sold exclusively at the
Festival Gallery, including a number of pieces by Yves Archambault,
official illustrator for the Festival. Yves recently signed and
numbered the 25th anniversary poster, where silhouettes of a singer
and trumpet player together form the 25th anniversary numerals. Please
remember that all proceeds from the sale of posters will go exclusively
to financing the Festival’s hundreds of free outdoor shows, because
the Festival is – and shall remain – a non-profit organisation.

Don’t forget to stop by the Friends Tent, directly on Ste. Catherine
Street, because it’s there that you can pick up your Friends of the
Festival Card to enjoy the many special services offered courtesy of
General Motors. Card-holders will receive an entry form to the draw
for a Grand Prize of a General Motors (first prize: GM vehicles),
plus numerous daily treats, such as a free bottle of cold spring
water, sun lotion, sitting-down massages or the loan of a cushion,
for comfort where it counts during the Festival’s outdoor shows. Also,
if you attend any of the Pleins Feux series at Place des Arts, you’ll
receive a free non-alcoholic beverage while you’re there. And you’ll
always have the satisfaction of knowing that for the mere $15 you paid
for your Friends Card, you contributed directly to the financing of
the Festival’s 380 free shows on exterior stages. Remember: with your
Friends Card, you’ll also receive two $5-coupons redeemable against
the purchases of a Souvenir album and a 25th Festival compilation CD,
only on the festival site. Another distinct advantage of the card
is that you gain priority access to the Movado Jam Sessions in the
Salon Jeanne Mance at the Hyatt Regency Montréal Hotel, provided
you’re over 18 years of age.

Bell Info Jazz Bell information services

Answering all your questions

The official Info-Jazz Bell Program contains just about everything
you’ll need to know to get the most from our gigantic celebration
of jazz. Right there, in the very first pages, you’ll get a concise
grid that sets forth the entirety of this year’s programming, plus a
detailed map of the site. Thereafter follows a description of all the
concerts offered this year, both indoors and out. In all, there are
170 pages offering complete information concerning ticket purchases,
souvenir kiosks and rest areas, the art gallery and the many free
activities available at this year’s fest.

You can find your copy of the official Info-Jazz Bell program starting
today at the Spectrum, in Place des Arts and, over the coming days,
in all concert halls where shows will be taking place. Programs are
also available in many SAQ outlets throughout the metropolitan area. We
printed 200,000 copies, so you’ll find plenty in downtown hotels and
better-known record and bookstores in the downtown area. We’ve also
printed 600,000 copies of the complete Info-Jazz Bell pamphlet in
a practical, compact format, containing a complete schedule of all
concerts. You’ll find the pamphlet at most of the same locations as
your program. Both programs and pamphlets are also readily available
at the five Info Jazz Bell kiosks and at the Carrefour Info-Jazz Bell
on the esplanade at Place des Arts.

Grouped together under the name Info Jazz Bell, all information tools
provided by the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal are easy
to access for anyone who wants to get the most from our huge musical
celebration. You can visit the Info Jazz Bell du Festival internet
site at to print out the entire schedule of
free concerts, if you like, or call the Bell Info-Jazz line at (514)
871 1881 (for the Montreal region) or 1 888 515 0515, from anywhere
else in Canada or the United States.

A tourist service to help visitors organize trips to Montreal
during the Festival is available through our partner Alio. A number
of flexible package tours are also available, including airline
tickets, affordable hotel accommodation and even a complete Festival
Kit. Tourists can also find out about the huge variety of tourist
activities in Montreal and Quebec through representatives of Tourisme
Montréal and Tourisme Québec, who’ve set up tourist information kiosks
throughout the Festival site.

It’s taken a quarter of a century for the Festival International de
Jazz de Montréal to become what it is today, known around the world for
its easy-going pace, party atmosphere and unparalleled programming. So
for this 25th year, we sincerely hope everyone young and old will
find their way to our jewel of a Festival. It’s going to be one for
the history books, and yours to enjoy between June 30 and July 11,
2004. See you there!

For further information: Media Information: Myriam
Achard, Media Relations Director, (514) 523-3378, ext. 535,
[email protected]; Marie Eve Boisvert, Press Attachée,
(514) 523-3378, ext. 666, [email protected];
Alain Des Ruisseaux, Press Attaché, (514) 523-3378, ext. 608,
[email protected]; Public Information: Bell
Info Jazz Line, (514) 871-1881 or toll free 1 (888) 515-0515,
; Source: Festival International de Jazz de
Montréal, (514) 523 3378

Azeris launch criminal cases against Armenian, Karabakh leaders

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
2 Jun 04

[Presenter] An investigation group set up by the Prosecutor-General’s
Office, the National Security and Interior Ministries to look
into crimes committed by the Armenians is trying to establish the
whereabouts of suspects. The head of the group, Mammad Cabbarov,
called on citizens who have evidence of Armenian crimes to help the
investigation.

[Correspondent] Criminal proceedings have been instituted against
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and the president of the
self-styled Nagornyy Karabakh Republic, Arkadiy Gukasyan. The head
of the joint investigation group set up by the Prosecutor-General’s
Office, the National Security and Interior Ministries to investigate
the Armenian crimes, Mammad Cabbarov, said that evidence which
proves the crimes committed by these people is being collected and a
petition will be sent to an international court to select a preventive
punishment for them.

[Mammad Cabbarov] As you know, Kocharyan was one of the leaders of an
organization in Nagornyy Karabakh. He was a member of the council of
people’s deputies and took part in the council’s session which issued
a statement on [Nagornyy Karabakh’s] partition from Azerbaijan.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted into illegal elections in
the self-styled Nagornyy Karabakh [Republic]. Our group is in charge
of the proceedings and is investigating this case. Both Gukasyan and
Kocharyan had taken part in the elections.

[Passage omitted]

KOCHARIAN SETS UP ANTI-CORRUPTION COUNCIL

ArmenPress
June 2 2004

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS: Armenian president Robert Kocharian
decreed today setting up the Council for Struggling Against
Corruption. A press release by Kocharian’s press office said the
Council is set up for full and effective implementation of the
government-designed anti-corruption policy, elimination and prevention
of reasons giving birth to corruption and improvement of anti-graft
measures by the authorized bodies.

The new body, composed of chief minister of government staff, justice
minister, an advisor to president, chief prosecutor, governor of
the Central Bank, chairman of a government commission for protection
of economic competition, chairman of parliament Audit Chamber and a
head of a presidential oversight service is headed by prime minister
Andranik Margarian.

The Council is supposed to develop effective anti-corruption measures,
monitor and coordinate their implementation in line with Armenia’s
international obligations.

UNESCO Supports Development of Armenian Unicode System

noticias.info (press release), Spain
June 2 2004

To commemorate the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the
Armenian alphabet, UNESCO, through its project Initiative B@bel,
and the Matenadaran Institute in Yerevan have launched a project
to enhance access to information in the digital environment for the
Armenian language.

The project will develop a Unicode compatible font to overcome some
current constraints in the use of the Armenian language in fields
such as modern print and digital publishing.

Currently there are many Armenian fonts, which use non-standard
encoding systems which can make information exchange between users,
for example e-mail, unreliable. Many of the available fonts have
only limited styles and do not offer the possibility of recreating
the rich detailed design features of the languages such as can be
seen in older traditional Armenian manuscripts. This poses certain
challenges and limitations for publisher and contemporary digital
graphic artists. The project will therefore seek to address such
esthetic, legal and standardization issues. Particular attention will
also be given to the training of local font designers and working
with local institutions to raise awareness of good practices.

The Armenian alphabet was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop
Mashtots a scholarly monk in the Royal Court. The original alphabet
contained 36 letters but two additional characters were later added
to facilitate the writing of foreign words. The development of this
writing system spurred a cultural a renaissance in Armenia and for
this reason St. Mashtots is credited with starting Armenia’s golden
age of literature.

Today, some 3 million inhabitants of Armenia use the Armenian
language. There is also a culturally aware Armenian diaspora of around
4 million persons many of whom still write and speak Armenian. It is
expected that this initiative will facilitate online information
exchanges and content creation in Armenian and contribute to the
preservation and promotion of the Armenian culture in the digital
environment.

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Bush Points the Way
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

New York Times
May 29 2004

I doff my hat, briefly, to President Bush.

Sudanese peasants will be naming their sons “George Bush” because
he scored a humanitarian victory this week that could be a momentous
event around the globe – although almost nobody noticed. It was Bush
administration diplomacy that led to an accord to end a 20-year civil
war between Sudan’s north and south after two million deaths.

If the peace holds, hundreds of thousands of lives will be saved,
millions of refugees will return home, and a region of Africa may
be revived.

But there’s a larger lesson here as well: messy African wars are
not insoluble, and Western pressure can help save the day. So it’s
all the more shameful that the world is failing to exert pressure on
Sudan to halt genocide in its Darfur region. Darfur is unaffected by
the new peace accords.

I’m still haunted by what I saw when I visited the region in March:
a desert speckled with fresh graves of humans and the corpses of
donkeys, the empty eyes of children who saw their fathers killed,
the guilt of parents fumbling to explain how they had survived while
their children did not.

The refugees tell of sudden attacks by the camel-riding Janjaweed
Arab militia, which is financed by the Sudanese government, then a
panic of shooting and fire. Girls and women are routinely branded
after they are raped, to increase the humiliation.

One million Darfur people are displaced within Sudan, and 200,000
have fled to Chad. Many of those in Sudan are stuck in settlements
like concentration camps.

I’ve obtained a report by a U.N. interagency team documenting
conditions at a concentration camp in the town of Kailek: Eighty
percent of the children are malnourished, there are no toilets,
and girls are taken away each night by the guards to be raped. As
inmates starve, food aid is diverted by guards to feed their camels.

The standard threshold for an “emergency” is one death per 10,000
people per day, but people in Kailek are dying at a staggering 41 per
10,000 per day – and for children under 5, the rate is 147 per 10,000
per day. “Children suffering from malnutrition, diarrhea, dehydration
and other symptoms of the conditions under which they are being held
live in filth, directly exposed to the sun,” the report says.

“The team members, all of whom are experienced experts in humanitarian
affairs, were visibly shaken,” the report declares. It describes
“a strategy of systematic and deliberate starvation being enforced
by the GoS [government of Sudan] and its security forces on the
ground.” (Read the 11-page report here.)

Demographers at the U.S. Agency for International Development estimate
that at best, “only” 100,000 people will die in Darfur this year of
malnutrition and disease. If things go badly, half a million will die.

This is not a natural famine, but a deliberate effort to eliminate
three African tribes in Darfur so Arabs can take their land. The
Genocide Convention defines such behavior as genocide, and it obliges
nations to act to stop it. That is why nobody in the West wants to
talk about Darfur – because of a fear that focusing on the horror
will lead to a deployment in Sudan.

But it’s not a question of sending troops, but of applying pressure –
the same kind that succeeded in getting Sudan to the north-south peace
agreement. If Mr. Bush would step up to the cameras and denounce this
genocide, if he would send Colin Powell to the Chad-Sudan border,
if he would telephone Sudan’s president again to demand humanitarian
access to the concentration camps, he might save hundreds of thousands
of lives.

Yet while Mr. Bush has done far too little, he has at least issued
a written statement, sent aides to speak forcefully at the U.N. and
raised the matter with Sudan’s leaders. That’s more than the Europeans
or the U.N. has done. Where are Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac? Where
are African leaders, like Nelson Mandela? Why isn’t John Kerry speaking
out forcefully? And why are ordinary Americans silent?

Islamic leaders abroad have been particularly shameful in standing
with the Sudanese government oppressors rather than with the Muslim
victims in Darfur. Do they care about dead Muslims only when the
killers are Israelis or Americans?

As for America, we have repeatedly failed to stand up to genocide,
whether of Armenians, Jews, Cambodians or Rwandans. Now we’re letting
it happen again.

EXPULSION AS GLOBAL PROBLEM TO BE THEME OF SUDETENS ASSEMBLY

NUREMBERG, May 27 ; (PVR)

Czech News Agency (CTK)
CTK National News Wire
May 27, 2004

Expulsion as a global problem will be the main issue of this year’s
Sudeten German national assembly scheduled for the forthcoming weekend,
Bernd Posselt, the chairman of the Sudeten German Landsmannschaft
(SL), told the German news agency DPA today.

The meeting will also be attended by representatives of other ethnic
groups which have fallen victim to expulsion and ethnic cleansing
such as Armenians, Kosovo Albanians and Croatians, Posselt said.

The SL leadership wants to set the deportation of Sudeten Germans
in the present-day context of ethnic cleansing in the world, as
evidenced by Posselt pointing to the current situation in Sudan as
a latest problem.

Posselt said he expected the meeting to deal with the Benes decrees,
called by Sudeten Germans as the cause of their deportation.

The meeting is likely to criticise the recent decision of the Czech
Parliament to pass a law saying that Czechoslovak president Edvard
Benes helped build the state.

Posselt said that the law was “unreasonable wilfulness on a part of
the Czech political scene.”

The meeting will culminate by the speech of Bavarian Minister President
Edmund Stoiber on Sunday.

On the basis of the Benes decrees, ethnic Germans and some Hungarians
were transferred from Czechoslovakia after World War Two and their
property was confiscated. The deportees and some politicians in
Germany and Austria as well as Hungary call the decrees incompatible
with Prague and Bratislava’s membership of the EU, and call for
their abolition.

ADJUTANT GENERAL OF THE KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD, MAJOR GENERAL TOD M.
BUNTING, VISITS ARMENIA TO DISCUSS BEGINNING OF STATE PARTNERSHIP
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

ArmenPress
May 25 2004

YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS: Major General Tod M. Bunting, Adjutant
General of the Kansas National Guard, is visiting Armenia from
the 25th to the 29th of May, 2004, to discuss the beginning of
the State Partnership Program (SPP) between Kansas and Armenia,
reported the US Embassy public affairs office. This is Major General
Bunting’s first visit to Armenia. He and his delegation will meet
with Armenian government officials from the ministry of defense,
emergency management administration and the ministry of health to
discuss areas of cooperation, including peacekeeping operations,
health/medical activities, and disaster preparedness and emergency
management as well. The State Partnership Program is initiated with
the National Guard of a given state, with coordination provided by
the Office of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy, and may include
military-to-military, military-to-civilian, and civilian-to-civilian
programs of cooperation.

The National Guard consists of men and women who, though working at
regular civilian jobs in their home state, dedicate a part of their
time to military service. Every state and territory has its own Guard
as provided by the Constitution of the United States. The Guard in
each state is made up of Army National Guard and Air National Guard
units. Guard units may serve to combat natural disasters, to support
regular Army or Air Force units, and, when called upon, to bear arms
against their nation’s enemies. The Guard of a given state is under
the control of the governor during peacetime, yet is available to
the President during national emergencies.

The State Partnership Program links National Guard states and
territories with partner countries for the purpose of fostering
mutual interests and establishing long-term relationships across
all levels of society. The SPP between Kansas and Armenia began
with initial discussions in March 2003. The Kansas-Armenia SPP
was officially inaugurated during the fall of 2003. The Armenian
military has asked Kansas for assistance in the two major areas of
Peacekeeping Operations and Health/Medical. Other areas of concern
and possible cooperation are Emergency Management and Planning, and
Disaster Response. Further programs in different areas are expected
to follow in time as the relationship develops and widens.

CIS def mins to coordinate efforts on non-proliferation of WMDs

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 21, 2004 Friday

YEREVAN, May 21 — The defence ministers of CIS countries backed an
initiative by the Russian Foreign Ministry to coordinate positions
of the Commonwealth countries on non-proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov who chaired the meeting, said
that meeting participants “unanimously backed proposals on concerting
positions of our countries on such a pressing international problem”.

Summing up meeting results, Ivanov noted that much attention was
given to the operation of the CIS United Air Defence System. He said
that “the adoption of a Targeted Programme for ensuring comprehensive
counteraction by armed forces of the Commonwealth countries to forces
and means of an air attack by a potential enermy will be another
important and efficient measure to improve multilateral cooperation
in this sphere. “Its draft was approved today and will be submitted
to the Council of the CIS Heads of Government,” the minister specified.

According to Ivanov, meeting participants adopted important decisions
on joint actions on training CIS armed forces in 2005, organizing
activities of collective peacekeeping forces of the Commonwealth,
raising security of flights of military aviation, creating a United
Communications System and improving cooperation in weather forecast
work.

The meeting was attended by all CIS ministers, apart from Turkmenistan
and Azerbaijan. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan received the
defence ministers on Friday. Ivanov who chaired the meetings, informed
the president of its results. He emphasized that decisions, taken at
the meeting, “will help to consolidate security and stability over
the entire space of the Commonwealth”.

Ivanov who arrived in Yerevan on a working visit, held talks on
Thursday with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan. “We have made
another important and practical step towards deepening Russian-Armenian
strategic partnership, security of our countries as well as maintenance
of peace and stability in Transcaucasia,” the minister said, summing
up the results of the meeting with his colleague.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th Street NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA RENEWS CALL FOR U.S.-ARMENIA TAX TREATY

— Treaty Needed to Address Growing Bilateral Commerce
and Increased Diasporan Economic Involvement in Armenia

WASHINGTON, DC – In a letter to Treasury Secretary John W. Snow and
in correspondence sent today to members of Congress, the Armenian
National Committee Of America (ANCA) renewed its call for the U.S.
government to facilitate the growing levels of U.S.-Armenia trade
and investment by negotiating a comprehensive tax treaty with
Armenia.

“With the expansion of U.S.-Armenia economic ties, it is more
important than ever that our government negotiate a comprehensive
and far-reaching tax treaty that will strengthen the U.S.-Armenia
economic relationship for many decades to come,” said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “The Department of the Treasury
should be working closely with the Armenian government and with
American businesses operating in Armenia – including the growing
number run by Diasporan Armenians – to specifically tailor an
agreement that addresses the needs of Americans who divide their
careers between the U.S. and Armenia – or who plan to retire to
Armenia – in terms of portability of pensions and healthcare and a
variety of other concerns.”

The U.S. has negotiated tax treaties with over forty nations in
order to clarify the taxation of transactions, investments, rents,
royalties, management contracts, dividends, interest and salaries
of companies and employees working in both countries. The U.S. has
recently exchanged instruments of ratification with three new
countries – Ukraine, Luxembourg, and Denmark.

As part of its broader efforts to strengthen U.S.-Armenia bilateral
economic relations, the ANCA has been working for more than four
years to encourage the U.S. to negotiate a tax treaty with Armenia.
Other elements of this effort included helping to secure Armenia’s
membership in the World Trade Organization – which took place in
February of last year – and the granting to Armenia of Permanent
Normal Trade Relations Status (PNTR). Several thousand Armenian
Americans have written to the Social Security Administration using
the ANCA WebFax program to call for a Social Security Agreement
that would help U.S. citizens who work part of the year or plan to
retire in Armenia. At the state level, the ANCA-Western Region
spearheaded the creation of the California-Armenia Trade Office,
which is set to open in Yerevan later this year.

In January of 2002, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe
Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) urged the then Treasury
Secretary, Paul O’Neill, to help expedite a bilateral tax treaty
between the U.S. and Armenia that would effectively eliminate the
“double taxation” of income of citizens working in both countries.
The appeal came on the eve of an inter-agency U.S. Armenia Task
Force meeting, which discussed taxation issues as part of an
overall framework to promote bilateral trade and economic
cooperation between the two countries.

For an overall review of U.S. Tax Treaties

For the full text of most U.S. Tax Treaties:
ind_info/ treaties.html.

For information about Armenia on the website of the U.S. Department
of Commerce:

To learn about USAID’s private sector aid to Armenia:

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