Author: Hakobian Adrine

SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT AND CSTO SECRETARY GENERAL MEET

YEREVAN, APRIL 10. ARMINFO. Armenian Parliamentary Speaker and Secretary
General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay
Bordyuzha, who is on a three-day working visit to Yerevan, meet
today. The Parliamentary Press Service told ARMINFO that Nikolay
Bordyuzha said that the CSTO works in three directions at present:
foreign policy, global security and international policy and the
cooperation in the OSCE. He said that the organization also works to
deepen the cooperation with NATO. CSTO Secretary General said that the
priority of the CSTO’s activity is struggle against terrorism, drugs
and organized crime. In this context, he emphasized the necessity for
establishing a united contractual base under the CSTO and ratifying
the basic conventions with the CSTO member-countries.

Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press
April 7, 2004

SKINHEADS PROSECUTED ON RARELY USED CHARGES. — Incitement of Ethnic
Enmity With the Use of Violence. Kommersant, March 9, 2004, p. 5.
Condensed text:

Editors’ Note. — The St. Petersburg City Prosecutor’s Office has
completed its investigation of the case against Dmitry Bobrov, leader
of a skinhead group known as Schultz-88, and six of his accomplices,
and has forwarded the materials to a court. . . . Andrei Tsyganov has
the details.

* * *

Detectives from the St. Petersburg Administration for Combating
Organized Crime [ACOC] came across Dmitry Bobrov’s group while
investigating one of the city’s increasingly frequent attacks on
people from the Caucasus. In late March 2003, a group of teenagers
with shaved heads brutally beat a native of Armenia in the lobby of
the Pushkin subway station. Two months later, ACOC detectives
detained Aleksei Madyunin, a 21-year-old lathe operator, and a
17-year-old skinhead on suspicion of involvement in the incident. At
first they were both charged with hooliganism. . . . However, during
the investigation the detectives concluded that a more serious crime
had occurred. During searches of the apartments of the detainees and
their friends, the detectives confiscated skinhead paraphernalia and
large amounts of extremist literature. . . . In the opinion of the
ACOC detectives, the authors of the magazine articles did their
utmost to belittle the national dignity of Jews, blacks and people
from the Caucasus, and openly called for violence against them.

In late October of last year, ACOC detectives detained 24-year-old
Dmitry Bobrov (Schultz), who had written many of the aforementioned
articles and, as it turned out, was the unofficial leader of a group
of the same name, Schultz-88. According to the detectives’
information, the Schultz-88 group had existed for about two years,
during which time it had become one of the most well-organized young
people’s groups in Petersburg. The group (Schultz himself called it a
“gang”) numbered between 30 and 40 people (aged 16-20), had its own
store on Liteiny Prospect (where skinhead literature and clothing
were sold), had established ties with unofficial groups in the
capital, and engaged in both “ideological” work and attention-getting
actions: beatings of foreigners. Detectives say the Schultz group was
responsible for at least 10 to 15 such beatings. Only a few of them
could be proved, however; many victims of skinhead attacks do not
file police reports.

After studying the materials assembled by the detectives, the St.
Petersburg Prosecutor’s Office decided to reclassify the actions of
suspects Bobrov, Madyunin and four other arrested Schultz members
from “hooliganism” to the rarely used Art. 282 of the Russian
Federation Criminal Code (“Incitement of Ethnic, Racial or Religious
Enmity”). Part 2 of this article (under which all the detained
Schultz members are being charged) provides for punishment in the
form of three to five years’ incarceration. In addition, Dmitry
Bobrov is being charged under Criminal Code Art. 282 (a) (“Organizing
an Extremist Association”; this is the first time this article has
been used), as well as Art. 280 (“Calling for the Violent Overthrow
of Russia’s Constitutional System”) and Art. 150 (“Involving a Minor
in the Commission of a Crime”). . . .

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

PRESS RELEASE
April 1, 2004

Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Telephone: (202) 775-1918

SEN. KERRY THANKS ANCA SUPPORTERS FOR
SPONSORING MAJOR CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISER

— Discusses Support for Armenian American
issues with ANCA Leaders

LOS ANGELES, CA – Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry
thanked Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken
Hachikian and other leaders and supporters of the ANCA, who
participated as sponsors in a major Beverly Hills campaign
fundraiser that brought an estimated $3 million dollars into the
Kerry campaign.

During a private reception, Hachikian spoke with the Massachusetts
Senator, who noted his long-time support for Armenian American
issues and his close relationship with the Massachusetts Armenian
community. He recalled the 1990 bipartisan Senate battle to adopt
the Armenian Genocide resolution, led by Senate Majority Leader Bob
Dole, noting his commitment to the passage of that and subsequent
legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The 1990 bill was
defeated with a filibuster by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), an outspoken
advocate in the Senate of Turkish Government interests. In a
September, 2003, meeting with ANCA Western Region Executive
Director Ardashes Kassakhian and community activist Mihran
Toumajan, Sen. Kerry commented on the 1990 Genocide recognition
effort, stating “I was incensed when the Turkish lobby and its
allies disrupted the bill in the Senate… It is called justice,
and we will get there together.”

Former Clinton Administration official and leading community
activist Mike Mahdesian, who took part in the event, commented on
the key role of Armenian Americans in the upcoming presidential
race, noting the community presence and activism in key swing
states around the country. “This was a great opportunity to speak
to Senator Kerry and build on his strong twenty-year relationship
with the Armenian American community,” commented Mahdesian
following the function. “Senator Kerry spoke highly of the efforts
of the Armenian National Committee and looks forward to working
closely with the Armenian American community on the road to victory
in November.” Mahdesian served for more than seven years as Deputy
for the Bureau of Humanitarian Response at the State Department and
U.S. Agency for International Development. During this period, he
was integrally involved in the U.S. response to crises in Haiti,
Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Indonesia, and other trouble spots around
the world.

Hachikian and Mahdesian were joined by a leading group of Armenian
American activists at the gala event, including ANCA Western Region
Chairman Raffi Hamparian, Board Members Aida Dimejian and Souzi
Zerounian-Khanzadian, Executive Director Ardashes Kassakian, United
Armenia Fund Executive Director Harout Sassounian, as well as
several other long-time ANC supporters.

The March 30th event was held at the home of noted Los Angeles
businessman Ron Burkle and featured a concert by James Taylor.
Among the notable Hollywood stars present at the event were Barbra
Streisand, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Michael
Keaton, Jason Alexander, Lucy Liu, Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio,
Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Christina Applegate, Oliver Stone,
Dustin Hoffman and Angelica Huston.

Senator Kerry, during his long tenure in the U.S. House and Senate,
has consistently been a leading advocate of issues of concern to
Armenian Americans. As a U.S. Senator, Kerry has forcefully fought
for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide. He is currently a
cosponsor of the Genocide Resolution, S.Res.164, and he voted, in
1990, on the Senate floor for Senator Bob Dole’s (R-KS) Genocide
Resolution.

The Massachusetts Senator has been a vocal and effective champion
of stronger U.S.-Armenia relations and has consistently backed
legislative initiative to increase aid and expand trade with
Armenia. He is currently a cosponsor of legislation, S.1557, which
would grant Armenia permanent normal trade relations status.

Senator Kerry has spearheaded a number of initiatives to lift the
Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades. In 1991, he was the lead
sponsor of legislation, which was later enacted as Section 907 of
the Freedom Support Act that restricted U.S. aid to the government
of Azerbaijan until it lifted its blockades of Armenia and Nagorno
Karabagh. He also worked for the adoption of the Humanitarian Aid
Corridor Act, which called for U.S. aid to Turkey to be cut off
unless Turkey lifted its blockade of Armenia. As recently as this
January, Senator Kerry formally called on President Bush to press
the visiting Prime Minister of Turkey to lift his nation’s illegal
blockade of Armenia.

First elected in 1984 from Massachusetts, Sen. Kerry is currently
serving a fourth term in the US Senate, where he represents one of
the largest Armenian American communities. He serves on the Senate
Finance Committee, the Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the
Subcommittee on Central Asia and South Caucasus.

The ANCA recently released its Armenian American Presidential
Report Card, which gave the Bush Administration generally low marks
on fifteen issues of special concern to Armenian American voters.

#####

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION STOPS BOYCOTT OF PARLIAMENT SESSIONS

Mediamax news agency
30 Mar 04

YEREVAN

Deputies from the Justice and National Unity opposition parliamentary
factions stopped boycotting meetings of the Armenian National Assembly
today.

Deputies representing the Justice and National Unity blocks registered
today for taking part in the National Assembly’s meetings, Mediamax’s
parliamentary correspondent reports.

According to talks in the corridors, the opposition deputies, who
boycotted Armenian parliament meetings in February, decided to return
to the session hall in order to hamper plans of the ruling
coalition. The latter, having majority in the parliament,
intentionally did not secure a quorum in the National Assembly
today. Thus, coalition representatives were going to foil the
parliament meeting during which every Tuesday deputies make
statements. Justice and National Unity faction representatives, who
demand the Armenian president’s resignation, made it clear the day
before that they were going to use the parliament rostrum in order to
call on their adherents to take an action of civil disobedience.

Representatives of the Justice and National Unity opposition factions
declared a boycott of the Armenian parliament’s sessions on 2
February. The opposition walked out of the parliament after the
parliamentary majority rejected the proposal on making amendments and
additions to the law “On referendum”. The opposition intended to
achieve changes to the law in order to initiate a referendum on a vote
of confidence in the country’s current authorities.

After the last year’s presidential elections, opponents of (President)
Robert Kocharyan appealed to the Constitutional Court of Armenia
suggesting that the results of the voting announced by the Central
Electoral Commission (CEC) be declared invalid. The CEC refused to
satisfy the claim of the opposition, and on 16 April 2003 suggested
that the president and the parliament hold a vote of confidence in the
authorities within a year in order to lessen the political tension in
the country.

The Constitutional Court leadership explained earlier this year that
the proposal on the referendum was “not an imperative but of a
non-mandatory nature”, i.e. it was not an obligation but a
recommendation.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/25/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1) The Ararat Wing of the Opposition Seeks Personal Revenge
2) Latest Efforts to Save World’s Historic Armenian Monuments
3) Azerbaijan Cancels Crucial Talks on Karabagh
4) Azerbaijan Warns Against Opening Turkey-Armenian Border
5) Javakhk Council of NGOs Throws Support behind Saakashvili Party

1) The Ararat Wing of the Opposition Seeks Personal Revenge

THE AZG DAILY OF YEREVAN, IN ITS MARCH 25 ISSUE, RAN THE FOLLOWING REPORT
UNDER
THE ABOVE HEADLINE. THE TRANSLATED TEXT OF THAT REPORT FOLLOWS, WITH NO
FURTHER
COMMENT ON OUR PART.

YEREVAN–The home of former Defense Minister Vagharshak Haroutiunian has been
converted into the “Strategic Headquarters” for the realization of regime
change in Armenia, reliable sources have informed Azg.
Leaders of the Armenian opposition–specifically its Ararat wing, led by
former Prime Minister Aram Sargsian–regularly gather there to plan out
scenarios for toppling the administration of Robert Kocharian.
Also active and interested in this matter are the Armenian National Movement,
although for now in a supporting role, and the first President of Armenia,
Levon Ter Petrosian. The undertaking is reportedly receiving financing from
Vatche Manoukian, the London-based millionaire.
The opposition will attempt to take to the streets, rallying crowds to
surround the President’s office and obstruct him from entering his workplace.
The former authorities of the Republic are placing their bets on Aram
Sargsian, taking into account his family’s misfortune: his brother, former
Defense Minister and Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian was the victim of the
October 27, 1999 killings, and his other brother, Armen Sargsian, was
condemned
to 15 years’ imprisonment on charges of contracting the killing of chief of
Armenian State TV Tigran Naghdalian. The strategists of regime change seem to
have made the right choice in Aram Sargsian, who is eager to take revenge on
Robert Kocharian.
The [current] authorities are in a determined mood and are prepared to stifle
the opposition by resorting to forcible means, according to information
available to Azg.
Only a few weeks ago, during his television interview, Kocharian made it
known
to the opposition that maintaining the constitutional order is the purview of
the power structures–the interior and security forces. The response of
Defense
Minister Serzh Sargsian was more clear and unadorned: “We’ll see who
slaughters
whom.” It is plain, notwithstanding the threats directed at the opposition,
that the authorities are becoming upset.

2) Latest Efforts to Save World’s Historic Armenian Monuments

YEREVAN (Armenpress/ArmeniaWeek)–A Non-Governmental Organization that studies
Armenian architecture has located and examined Armenian monuments in the
Republic of Armenia, historic Armenia, the Diaspora, as well on sites of
deportations.
The aim of the organization, Research on Armenian Architecture, has been to
photograph, examine, and register Armenian historical monuments and to publish
corresponding informational documents.
Head of the organization Samvel Karapetian, says that the task at hand is to
“preserve Armenian historic and cultural treasures on paper.”
Examinations of Armenian cultural monuments are being conducted in Georgia,
Azerbaijan, certain regions of Northern Iran, historic Gougark, Barskahayk,
and
Mountainous Karabagh Republic.
Unlike Armenia’s other neighbors, says Karapetian, Iran not only preserves
but
also restores Armenian monuments, allocating funds from its national budget
towards that goal.
Karapetian said he is convinced that the unique Armenian historic and
cultural
treasures prove that Armenia is an equal among other nations and
civilizations.
The town of Jugha was the center of Yerndjak province in the late Middle
Ages.
In 1605, its population was deported to Persia under orders of Shah Abbas I
and
the town was destroyed.
Only Jugha’s cemetery was left unharmed, with gravestones dating back to the
Ninth Century. In 1648, there were 10,000 khachkars (stone crosses) registered
at the cemetery, a number that had shrunk to 2,700 by 1973.
In 1998, eyewitnesses on the Iranian side of the border reported seeing
Azeris
smashing the khachkars with bulldozers and removing the pieces on trucks.
In February 2003, Karapetian announced that the Armenian cemetery in the
Jugha
has been entirely destroyed.
“These acts not only harm those who have created culture, but also all of
modern civilization,” says Karapetian.
To date, Research on Armenian Architecture has published 13 volumes,
including
some in English and Russian. An outline of an additional 30 volumes is ready
for print. The organization’s archives house 56,000 digital images and 140,000
photographs of Armenian cultural and historical monuments.
“We have photographs of the majority of Armenian monuments throughout the
world,” revealed Karapetian.
In Northern Artsakh alone, there are 2,800 monuments and a total of 6,200 in
Mountainous Karabagh Republic, with 1,800 in the liberated lands. Georgia
houses 650 Armenian churches.
Research on Armenian Architecture was founded in Germany in 1983 by Dr. Armen
Hakhnazarian. Branches were established in the United States in 1996 and in
Armenia in 1998.

3) Azerbaijan Cancels Crucial Talks on Karabagh

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev has canceled
his upcoming crucial meeting with his Armenian counterpart. Armenia had hoped
the talks would serve to establish whether the Mountainous Karabagh conflict
could be resolved in the foreseeable future.
The decision was announced late Wednesday amid renewed Azeri criticism of the
American, French, and Russian mediators. President Ilham Aliyev again accused
the three co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe of doing little to achieve a peaceful settlement of the
dispute. He also warned ally Turkey against reopening its border with
Armenia.
Guliyev said that he will not travel to the Czech capital Prague to meet with
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian because the agenda of the talks scheduled for
Monday has not been specified.
There was no immediate reaction from the Minsk Group. Russia’s top Karabagh
negotiator Yuri Merzlyakov, was quoted as only telling an Azeri television
channel that the talks initiated by the mediators will not take place because
“one of the parties” decided so. The Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed the
information on Thursday.
The Foreign Ministry in Yerevan declined a comment, though Hamlet Gasparian,
told RFE/RL that the ministry has received no written notification from the
mediators.
Oskanian said last week that the Prague meeting should clarify whether
Baku is
ready to revive Karabagh agreements reached by the Armenian and Azeri
presidents in Paris and in Key West three years ago. He added that Aliyev
would
have to negotiate only with Karabagh Armenians if he finally backpedals from
those agreements.
Aliyev, however, reiterated Baku’s vehement denial of any peace deals cut by
his late father and predecessor Heydar at the Paris and Key West talks. “There
was and there is no agreement,” he told journalists in Baku. “This is just
another lie circulated by the Armenian side.”
Aliyev went on to attack the Minsk Group, which he said has done “nothing
positive” since being set up in 1992. “When we are told that the presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia should reach and agreement themselves and the co-chairs
will support whatever they decide, that is not mediation,” he said.
Azeri leaders have repeatedly complained that peace proposals put forward by
the mediators in recent years would not return Karabagh to Azeri rule. Aliyev
declared recently that his oil-rich nation is not in a hurry to agree to a
compromise deal because he believes it is the Armenians who suffer more from
the unresolved conflict.

4) Azerbaijan Warns Against Opening Turkey-Armenian Border

BAKU (Armenpress/RFE/RL)–Azeri President Ilham Aliyev warned that a reopening
of the Turkish-Armenian border, not ruled out by the current government in
Ankara, would further complicate the Karabagh peace process because
`Azerbaijan
would lose in that case an important lever.’ `It is no secret that the
European
Union and other influential countries are putting pressure on Turkey to open
its border with Armenia,’ he said. `But I have said many times that if that
happens then the Karabagh conflict will never be resolved.’
Insisting that pressure on Turkey stop if interested parties genuinely seek a
peaceful resolution to the Karabagh conflict, Aliyev confidently said that
Turkey would not give in to this pressure. “The Turkish-Azeri brotherhood is
above everything else both for us and for the people of Turkey.”
Aliyev also criticized the OSCE Minsk Group for its inability to play a
positive role in finding a resolution to the Karabagh conflict.
Reacting to the remarks, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said the lifting of
the
Turkish blockade would, on the contrary, facilitate a Karabagh settlement.
`Turkey could really be an important factor in political and economic
developments in our region if it abandons its one-sided approaches favoring
Azerbaijan,’ a ministry statement said.

5) Javakhk Council of NGOs Throws Support behind Saakashvili Party

AKHALKALAK (A-Info)– During its March 24 general session, the Council of
Armenian non-governmental organizations (NGO) of Javakhk adopted a
statement in
support of the National Movement party in the upcoming parliamentary
elections.

Their support lies in the bloc’s `practical approach to carrying out reforms
in the country,’ reads the statement, stating that the number of Armenian
candidates running on the party’s ballot was also a consideration.
The council stresses the significance of the May 28 elections in deciding the
future of the country. With an interest in the establishment of stability in
Georgia, the council expressed readiness to contribute to the holding of fair
elections, concluding that `constitutional reforms and the establishment of
democratic values will give an opportunity to resolve the problems of the
population of Javakhk.’
Formed by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, the National Movement was
the opposition party during the Shevardnadze administration.

All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.

ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.

Indie Wire
March 24 2004

Diverse Standouts Emerge From Strong New Directors/New Films
Selections

by Howard Feinstein

A scene from Jim McKay’s “Everyday People,” which will open the 33rd
New Directors/New Films series.

The 33rd edition of New Directors/New Films, MoMA and the Film
Society of Lincoln Center’s series that runs today through April 4,
offers the finest selections in recent years. Especially not to be
missed are a feature from Armenia and a short from Peru — and these
are just two of the standouts. The short is called “Porter” (I prefer
the Spanish title, which translates to “Only a Porter”), and it’s
directed by New York-based Peruvian director Juan Alejandro Ramirez.
(It plays with “Kounandi,” a nice feature about village jealousy from
Burkina Faso.) “Porter” feels like a documentary: A peasant, Chuqui
Orozco, who makes his meager living carrying gringos’ gear up and
down the Andes mountains, tells us in voiceover his observations of
those around him of higher rank in such a stratified society, as well
as his acceptance of his lowly place in the hierarchy. Ramirez says
he was inspired by stories he was told in southern Peru, but for
greater veracity, he consolidates them and stages the shoot.

Hiner Saleem is a refugee from Iraqi Kurdistan, now living in France,
who shot “Vodka Lemon” in Armenia. Not surprisingly, his protagonist
is a Kurd, Hamo, a poor widower living in a snowy village. Two of his
sons have moved away in an attempt to further their fortunes; only
his drunken son Dilovan and his beloved granddaughter remain. During
his daily visits to the cemetery where his wife is buried, Hamo
meets, and begins an affair with, an even poorer widow, Nina. Hamo
shleps into town to sell old wardrobes and his tv, while Nina sells a
drink called vodka lemon in a roadside kiosk. An economic cloud hangs
over the entire film, but Saleem’s deft use of magical realism — a
bed and a piano glide along the icy road, horses fly through the
frame — adds an enchanting edge.

Three of the finest films have at their center fully-realized
females. In fact, two of them are directed by women. Sabiha Sumar, a
Pakistani filmmaker residing in Germany, sets her brilliant “Silent
Waters” in the Pakistani Punjab in 1979, just as a nation under
martial law is on the verge of becoming an Islamic state. Ayesha is a
Muslim widow in the village of Charkhi who scrapes by on her
husband’s pension and earnings from teaching the Koran to young
girls. Her 18-year-old son, Saleem, is a nice, well-behaved boy and
the apple of her eye. Once he gets involved with some Muslim
fundamentalists, however, he rejects his girlfriend and even turns
away from his uncomprehending mother. We realize after occasional
striking flashbacks that she had suffered somehow during the nasty
1947 partition that carved up India into Muslim-dominated Pakistan
and predominantly Hindu India. At the time of the fighting, Sikhs and
Muslims were forcing their single women to kill themselves to protect
family honor, and those that got away were abducted. When Sikh
pilgrims come to Charkhi for their annual pilgrimage, Ayesha’s secret
surfaces, with tragic consequences.

Given the general state of moviemaking in Western Europe, the Swiss
film “Strong Shoulders” by the female director Ursula Meier is a
revelation. Although it is formally cinematic, it was, surprisingly,
made for television. Meier focuses on Sabine, a 15-year-old
obsessive, ambitious runner who attends a special school for
athletes. They are preparing for a major track-and-field meet. She
does not get along with her coach, because he frustrates her desire
to run with the boys. She has no qualms about using anyone, her
girlfriends or a young runner named Rudi, to further her ambitions;
she is left almost totally alone. Her self-absorption is so extreme
that her action at the eagerly awaited event is so unexpected that
you are left breathless.

A scene from “Vodka Lemon” by Hiner Saleem, one of the standout
selections at the 33rd New Directors/New Films. Photo courtesy Film
Society of Lincoln Center.

In the Chilean film “B-Happy,” 14-year-old Manuela becomes
increasingly isolated. Director Gonzalo Justiniano emphasizes the
point by surrounding every scene with a slow fade to black, a device
that lovingly softens her youthful existential dilemma. That her
ne’er-do-well father is in prison makes her the black sheep at her
provincial school; only one handsome newcomer shows her any
affection, and even that leads to a one-afternoon stand. Her mother
dies. Her closeted brother leaves town. She goes to work for the same
abusive grocer for whom her mom had worked. It’s all too much, and
she flees to the city, where she searches for her father and, out of
money, becomes a streetwalker.

Some of the most astounding movies take place in the world’s
flashpoints. Jehane Noujaim’s haunting documentary “Control Room,”
which deals with American control of the media during the invasion of
Iraq and offers an inside look at the Arab TV broadcaster Al-Jazeera,
has been written about extensively out of Sundance. The others are
“Fuse,” a fiction film from Bosnia, and “Checkpoint,” an Israeli doc.

In “Fuse,” director Pjer Zalica concocts a fluid political satire
that captures the dark humor and sarcasm that is endemic in the
Balkans. It’s a given that the postwar mixture of Serbs, Muslims, and
Croats is not going smoothly. In the film’s Muslim town of Tesanj,
the mayor calls for a major overhaul: Bill Clinton will be visiting.
Not only does the town leader push what is mostly a fake
rapprochement with a neighboring Serb town (“I need Serbs!”), but he
also calls for an end to corruption. Smugglers and pimps must hide
their wares, or at least turn them into something more palatable.
Zalica foregrounds an elderly, deranged, retired police chief, one of
whose sons died in the war, and another of his sons, a fireman. When
the motorcade arrives, it is the old man who has the last word.

“Checkpoint,” on the other hand, eschews humor. Filmmaker Yoav
Shamir, a former Israeli soldier, shoots Israelis on duty at a
variety of checkpoints in the Occupied Territories, both the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip. He also films the Palestinians who are at
their mercy. Shamir’s access is unbelievable. You see that most of
the combatants are very young and very, very bored. Out of ennui,
hubris, and racism-this is all in the film-you see them wield their
power over the hapless travelers like a sword. “Let them wait,” says
one soldier. People, cars, and trucks often wait for hours, even in
the rain and snow, just to get to their home cities or villages. One
young man at the Kalandia-Ramallah main entrance tells Shamir, “All
of Ramallah are animals: monkeys, dogs. We are human.” Whether these
checkpoints serve much of a purpose is arguable. As one waiting
Palestinian says on camera, “Terrorists don’t come through the
roadblocks.”

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
March 23 2004

ENLARGED MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND UZBEKISTAN
[March 23, 2004, 20:55:08]

After the private meeting on 23 March, at the conference hall of
`Durmen’ residence, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and of
Uzbekistan Islam Karimov held an enlarged meeting, AzerTAj
correspondents reported.

President Islam Karimov said he was pleased with the visit of
Azerbaijan President and that it would be a new phase in development
of the bilateral relations between the two countries. President Islam
Karimov also stressed that he was pleased with continuation of the
policy of the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. Thanks to
the efforts of President Heydar Aliyev, bilateral relations of the
two countries – both political and cultural relations – have reached
a high level, he underlined.

President of Uzbekistan reminded that the economic relations between
the two countries have developed enough, so that goods turnover in
the two months of current year made up $18 million.

This is not satisfactory, but, however, it has exceeded the 2003
figures.

Touching the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, President Islam Karimov
stated that Armenia should release the occupied lands and territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan be restored.

Noting the historical traditions, cultural commonness between the two
countries that set ground for future development of the relations
between the two peoples and states, President Islam Karimov once
again welcomed president of Azerbaijan and wished success in his
state visit.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated that this visit is of
great significance for him and he would not spare himself for further
strengthening of bilateral relations founded by the national leader
of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev and President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov
between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Head of the Azerbaijani state said
that the two countries are friends and brothers, reminded the
successful cooperation of the countries in the frame of international
projects to improve welfare of the two peoples. Evidence to that are
the Great Silk Road and TRACECA projects.

Head of Azerbaijani state stressed the necessity of strengthening of
economic links, increasing volume of goods turnover and expressed his
confidence that Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan would reach greater
achievements in economic cooperation.

Reminding that recently Azerbaijan purchased two aircrafts in
Tashkent said that this is the start of strengthening of economic
cooperation and stated that Azerbaijan stands ready for larger co-op
in joint projects.

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance Tax Center – File online. File on time.

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 22 2004

RUSSIAN, BELARUSSIAN MPS TO MONITOR ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA

MOSCOW, March 22, 2004. (RIA Novosti). Russian and Belarussian MPs
will observe the parliamentary elections in Georgia on March 28,
executive secretary of the Parliamentary Assembly of Russia-Belarus
Union Vladimir Aksenov told journalists on Monday.

According to him, delegations of the Parliamentary Assembly used to
observe presidential and parliamentary elections in Yugoslavia,
Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia.

MPs successfully cooperated with observers from the CIS, OSCE, PACE
and the Council of Europe, Mr. Aksenov noted.

In his words, the results of the parliamentary elections in Georgia
held on November 2, 2003 were acknowledged invalid.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 18, 2004 Thursday

Six Armenians arrested in Equatorial Guinea on state coup charges

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

The Armenian Foreign Ministry has undertaken steps to clarify
information about Armenian citizens who were arrested in Equatorial
Guinea and to render necessary legal assistance to them.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry official spokesman, Gamlet Gasparyan,
said in a statement that six Armenian nationals had been arrested in
Equatorial Guinea on March 8 on state coup charges. A group of
Armenian civil aviation pilots is working in Equatorial Guinea on
contracts with private companies, the Armenian Foreign Ministry went
on to say.

The Armenian ambassadors in New York and Moscow have met their
counterparts from Equatorial Guinea. Given that Armenia has no
diplomatic representations in Equatorial Africa, the Armenian Foreign
Ministry has turned for assistance to friendly countries, which have
certain influence in Equatorial Guinea, the Armenian Foreign Ministry
said in its statement.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 18, 2004 Thursday

Armenia parliament turns down smoking control bill

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

The Armenian parliament has turned down a draft law restricting
smoking. The bill had suggested imposing of ban on sales of tobacco
products to underage persons, as well as smoking at all health,
culture, sports, educational facilities, at other public premises and
at transport.

The author of the bill, Chairwoman of the Permanent Parliamentary
Commission for issues of science and education, culture and youth
Granush Akopyan said the number of smokers is steadily growing in the
republic.

Armenian residents spend 25 million dollars a year for cigarettes and
other tobacco products. The after-effects of this addiction are
manifested in the growth of lung and cardio-vascular diseases and
malignant tumors. The spread of the smoking habit among adolescents
and young people, as well as women is especially disturbing.

Local observers are certain the bill has been voted down by
influential parliamentarians engaged in the import of tobacco or
lobbying the tobacco business.

Incidentally, Akopyan even made certain concessions to her colleagues
who own cafes and restaurants. She proposed to allow smoking in bars
at separate places, but even the softened variant of the bill was
rejected.

In the meantime, there are clouds of smoke at breaks between
parliamentary meetings, as the mps cannot make themselves give up
smoking.