Author: Nanijanian Alex

WWF: Landmark Toxics Treaty Becomes International Law

WASHINGTON, May 17 /U.S. Newswire/ — World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
said today that the entry into force on May 17th of the Stockholm
Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will significantly
reduce toxic threats to wildlife and people throughout the world.

“WWF applauds the initiative and commitment of the 59 countries
that have joined the treaty and we urge the United States and other
governments to get on board quickly,” said Brooks Yeager, vice
president of WWF’s Global Threats Program and formerly the chief
U.S. negotiator for the POPs treaty. “The Stockholm Convention is a
shining example of how the international community can come together
to address a serious environmental and health threat. Whales, polar
bears, birds of prey, and people throughout the world will benefit
from eliminating the toxic chemicals targeted by this progressive,
new global regime.”

The treaty will ban or severely restrict 12 extremely harmful
chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and
several pesticides, with provisions to add additional chemicals in the
future. POPs have four key characteristics: they are toxic; they are
persistent, resisting normal processes that break down contaminants;
they accumulate in the body fat of people, marine mammals and other
animals, and are passed from mother to fetus; and they can travel
great distances on wind and water currents. Even small quantities of
POPs can cause nervous system damage, diseases of the immune system,
reproductive and developmental disorders, and cancers.

France became the 50th party on Feb. 17, 2004, triggering a 90-
day countdown for the treaty to become binding international law
for countries that have ratified it. In the three years since the
treaty has been open for ratification, 59 countries have joined the
Convention. The United States is noticeably absent from the list
of Parties. Although the U.S. signed the treaty in May 2001, there
exists considerable disagreement about how to amend existing laws to
implement the treaty. The first Conference of Parties (COP) is slated
to take place in Uruguay from 2 to 6 May, 2005. To participate as
a party at this crucial first meeting, governments need to join at
least 90 days beforehand — by Feb. 1, 2005.

“WWF wants the United States to become a party to the Stockholm
Convention in time to participate in the first COP, but not if that
requires bad legislation,” said Clifton Curtis, director of WWF’s
Global Toxics Program. “The White House is pushing language that goes
way too far in divorcing the Stockholm new chemicals “adding mechanism”
from the domestic process — and then piles on industry-favored baggage
with controversial cost-benefit and sound-science type requirements,
all of which would make it very difficult to regulate any POP added
to the treaty.”

For further information: Tina Skaar: 202-778-9606, 202-487-1181
(mobile) or tina.skaar(At)wwfus.org; Kerry Zobor: 202-778-9509 or
kerry.zobor(At)wwfus.org

Note:

Additional information about the Stockholm Convention is available
at

The 59 parties to the Stockholm Convention are: Antigua and Barbuda,
Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana,
Canada, Chad, Ctte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji,
Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Iceland, Japan, Lebanon, Lesotho,
Liberia, Luxembourg, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar,
Nauru, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,
Philippines, Republic of Moldova, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United Republic
of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen.

Contact: Tina Skaar, 202-778-9606 or tina.skaar(At)wwfus.org, or
Kerry Zobor, 202-778-9509 or kerry.zobor(At)wwfus.org, both of the
World Wildlife Fund

05/17 12:05

Championnats d’Europe de judo: résultats

Edicom
14 Mai 2004

BUCAREST (AP) – Résultats des épreuves disputées vendredi dans le
cadre de la première journée des championnats d’Europe de judo:

Hommes
60 kilos
Or:
Ludwig Paischer, Autriche, bat Zidiridis Revazi, Grèce
Bronze:
Armen Nazaryan, Arménie, et Evgeni Stanev, Russie

66 kilos
Or:
Bektas Demirel, Turquie, bat Ismaylov Elchin, Azerbaïdjan
Bronze:
Oscar Penas, Espagne et Benjamin Darbelet, France

Femmes
48 kilos
Or:
Alexandra Alina Dumitru, Roumanie, bat Tatiana Moskvina, Belarus
Bronze:
Klopstra Nynke, Pays-Bas, et Frédérique Jossinet, France

52 kilos
Or:
Aluas Dinea Ioana Maria, Roumanie bat Heylen Ilse, Belgique
Bronze:
Petra Nareks, Slovénie, et Telma Monteiro, Portugal

57 kilos
Or:
Isabel Fernandez, Espagne, bat Sophie Cox, GB
Bronze:
Natalia Yukhareva, Russie, et Cinzia Cavazzuti, Italie.

AP
petr/v0

BAKU: Azeri officials comment on BBC reporter’s visit to Karabakh

ANS TV, Baku
15 May 04

[Presenter] Baku is seriously concerned about BBC World Service
employee Steve Eke visiting Nagornyy Karabakh without notifying
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani Speaker has commented on this unpleasant
incident.

[Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov speaking to an ANS microphone] I have
spoken to the foreign minister. He said that he would deal with the
issue. Thank you.

[Presenter] The head of the presidential administration, Ramiz
Mehdiyev, also criticized the actions of BBC journalists who do not
respect Azerbaijan. However, he was more careful in his comments.

[Mehdiyev] In any case, we would like those who go to Nagornyy Karabakh
to know that they should go to Karabakh through Azerbaijani territory
because Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan. It is a positive
thing that they go to Karabakh and make impartial reports. We would
like all those who go to Karabakh to know that Nagornyy Karabakh is
a constituent part of Azerbaijan.

COMIC ACTRESS ANDREA MARTIN TAKES ON TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’S ‘ROSE TATTOO’
By Maureen Dezell, Globe Staff

The Boston Globe
May 14, 2004, Friday ,THIRD EDITION

Andrea Martin pauses to straighten her lipstick and tousle her hair
in a mirror outside the Huntington Theatre Company rehearsal room.
Stepping inside, she slips into a purple sateen robe and talks
animatedly about playwrights, political leaders, and how much coffee
is on hand for the Saturday-morning rehearsal before curling up in
character on a pink velvet couch.

Martin moves languidly in and out of a series of poses, smiling
sweetly, scowling with grief, then training a seductive gaze on a
camera as she assumes the role of Serafina delle Rose, the exotic
flower who blooms at the center of Tennessee Williams’s play “The
Rose Tattoo.”

Known for comic roles that go as far back as “SCTV,” right up to
her recent turn as the cheerily demented Mrs. Siezmagraff in the
Huntington’s 2001 production of “Betty’s Summer Vacation,” she’s not
the first actress many would think of for a Williams heroine.

Martin says she pondered that fact herself, until she realized that
Serafina is a singular figure in an unusual play. Unlike the Williams
heroines Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire” or Cathy in
“Suddenly, Last Summer,” Serafina is stunned – but not destroyed –
when tragedy strikes. She withers but reblooms in “The Rose Tattoo,”
a sprawling tragicomedy that has been called the playwright’s love
poem to the world, and the only Williams play that ends happily. It
opens in previews at the Huntington tonight.

Director Nicholas Martin (no relation) who oversaw “Betty’s Summer
Vacation” and is helming “Rose Tattoo,” harbors no concerns about
Andrea Martin’s first foray into Williams’s work. Indeed, he considers
her perfect for the part – and the play as he perceives it.

The smoldering Italian actress Anna Magnani was Williams’s inspiration
for Serafina, and Magnani immortalized the role when she starred
opposite Burt Lancaster in the 1955 film version.

The black-and-white movie was brooding and naturalistic, its emotions
serious and dark, says the director. “It translated the story Williams
told, without the poetry and heightened theatricality of what he
wrote for the stage,” Martin contends.

Martin hopes to re-create what he thinks Williams wanted: a Serafina
who is “passionate, dramatic – and funny.”

Just like Andrea Martin herself, he says.

Not many people realize just what a range the actress has, her director
points out.

An Emerson College graduate, Martin launched her life in the theater in
a legendary production of “Godspell” in Toronto, where she costarred
with Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, and other Toronto-based performers
she would work with on “SCTV.”

Martin earned a slew of nominations and two Emmy awards in the late
1970s for skits she wrote for “SCTV.” She also created such signature
characters as the leopard-coated TV station manager Edith Prickley,
who snorts at her own jokes.

As “SCTV” wrapped up, Martin won a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in
“My Favorite Year.” She has worked consistently in “straight” plays,
such as “Lips Together/ Teeth Apart,” opposite Nathan Lane, and at the
Williamstown Theatre Festival, where Nicholas Martin directed her in
“The Matchmaker” and “The Royal Family.”

Movie audiences discovered her in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” though
Martin also had small, vivid roles in “Wag the Dog” and “Hedwig and
the Angry Inch.” In addition, she has worked regularly in television
for two decades.

Martin researched, wrote, and performed a one-woman show, “Nude,
Totally Nude,” an autobiographical piece in which she explored her
Armenian heritage, her mother’s alcoholism, her own experiences as
a divorced single mother – and what it is like to be a middle-age
woman who is best known for being funny.

A plum role in Christopher Durang’s “Betty’s Summer Vacation” brought
her to the Huntington stage to work with her close friend and frequent
collaborator Nicholas Martin. Before the final curtain went down
on the play, the Martins promised to work together again on a piece
that would showcase the actress’s rich range of talents. But first
she went exploring.

To the surprise of her friends and colleagues, she took on the role
of Aunt Eller in Trevor Nunn’s revival of “Oklahoma!” Months after
romping through Durang’s hilarious satire, Martin was on Broadway,
spinning butter on a prairie.

“I really believed that if I could play that character, who is grounded
in the earth and the history of the United States – not the kind
of role I usually play – it would help me change the perception out
there and my own perception of what I can accomplish as a performer,”
she says. “And that’s what it did.”

Martin was nominated for a Tony for Aunt Eller. The role, along
with her appearance as Aunt Voula in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,”
significantly raised her public profile. More important, says Martin,
her success in “Oklahoma!” expanded her sense of possibility.

She’s ready, she says, to move beyond the realm of wise aunts and
enter the world of Serafina, one of the most passionate wives, mothers,
and lovers in modern American drama.

Set in an enclave of Italian immigrants on an island off the Gulf
Coast, “The Rose Tattoo” is dedicated to the playwright’s longtime
lover, Frank Merlo, an Italian-American who introduced Williams to
his ancestral home in Sicily, where the writer fell in love with the
place and its people.

Explains Martin: “He transplanted the characters, the sights and
sounds – the music, the folk magic, the passion – to this island near
New Orleans, and he brings it to life in the love story of Serafina.”

Serafina is the local seamstress who sews modern fashions for her
aspiring neighbors in her home. She lives and works surrounded by
talismans of romance, religion, and the proud tradition of the old
country, waiting eagerly each day for her handsome husband to return
from work and share an evening of very contemporary unbridled passion.

When he dies unexpecedly, she cloisters herself in a cottage with his
ashes. Only when her beautiful teenage daughter threatens to leave
is Serafina’s door thrown open to unwelcome visitors – including a
young man named Alvaro, who reminds Serafina of her husband.

It’s a part that calls on a range of experiences and emotions Martin
hasn’t often shown in one place.

“Andrea possesses a comic genius combined with a real acting ability
that you rarely find in someone that funny,” her director says. “I
think Williams might have used Andrea as a model for Serafina if he
had written the play for a later generation.”

Maureen Dezell can be reached [email protected].

Kuchma, Armenian premier call for deeper cooperation in energy sector

Interfax
May 13 2004

Ukraine and Armenia should deepen energy sector cooperation, Ukrainian
President Leonid Kuchma and visiting Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian said on Wednesday.

During a meeting in Kyiv, the two also discussed prospects for further
cooperation between their two countries in the sphere of education,
the presidential press service reported.

Kuchma also thanked the Armenian government for attentively attending
to the needs, and improving conditions at the Yerevan department
of the Ternopil Academy of Agriculture – the only Ukrainian higher
educational institution with a department in the southern Caucasus.

Caucasus foes to discuss Karabakh

BBC News
May 12 2004

Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of the ceasefire Armenian and
Azeri ministers are meeting to discuss the disputed territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

They are expected to discuss Armenia returning some of the Karabakh
regions to Azeri control, in exchange for reopening transport links.

The talks coincide with the 10th anniversary of a ceasefire between the
countries, which ended five years of hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Thousands died in the conflict and a million were forced out of
their homes.

The conflict erupted in 1988, when the majority Armenians in the
mountainous enclave demanded independence from Soviet Azerbaijan.

According to Azeri President Ilham Aliev, the foreign ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia will discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh issue on
Wednesday at a session of the foreign ministers of Council of Europe
member countries.

“We will exchange opinions on the possibility of liberating seven
regions of Azerbaijan in exchange for opening transport communications
with Armenia,” he said.

“The occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the regions around it are
the biggest problem and danger both for Azerbaijan and for the
entire region.”

Impatience

In 1994, the two governments signed a ceasefire ceding Nagorno-Karabakh
and six of the surrounding territories to Armenian control.

Since then the international community has urged the two countries
to find a solution to the conflict, but talks have stalled.

The BBC’s Chloe Arnold in the Azeri capital Baku, says relations
between the two neighbours are as bad today as they have ever been.

She says there is growing impatience with the peace process in
Azerbaijan, where many ordinary people here now say the only way to
resolve the dispute is to go back to war.

Ex-foreign minister says Armenia may join BTE gas project if peace
talks are successful

10/05/2004 11:40

Baku, May 8, AssA-Irada — The statement, made by official Baku
concerning the liberation of seven occupied districts of Azerbaijan
by Armenia following the recent talks, has sparked different opinions.

Former foreign minister of Azerbaijan Tofig Zulfugarov has told
AssA-Irada that a concrete proposal concerning the liberation of
seven occupied districts should be expected after the meeting of the
two countries’ ministers scheduled to be held in Strasbourg on May 12.

Commenting on the absence of any reaction to the proposal by Armenia,
Zulfugarov did not rule out the possibility of applying pressure on
Yerevan, mainly on President Kocharian.

According to some sources, the United States has supported the
idea of liberating occupied territories and thus aspires to achieve
Armenia’s participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) gas pipeline
project. Giving a positive assessment to the idea, Zulfugarov said
that Armenia’s involvement in the BTE project may divert its attention
from the issue on Garabagh status.*

Armenian president meets Lebanese leadership

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
10 May 04

[Presenter] Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is holding a meeting
today [10 May] with the Lebanese leadership in Beirut. Robert
Kocharyan left for Lebanon on a working visit, early this morning at
the invitation of Gen Emile Lahhud. According to official reports
it is expected that they will discuss the present situation of
the Armenian-Lebanese relations and the prospects of deepening of
friendly relations.

[Correspondent Lilit Setrakyan from the Beirut by telephone] The
Armenian president’s plane landed today at 1300, Yerevan time [0800
gmt] at Beirut International airport, where Lebanese President Emile
Lahhud met Robert Kocharyan. The Lebanese first lady, Andrea Lahhud
came to meet the Armenian president’s wife, Bella Kocharyan.

The presidents met warmly as old and best friends. Their mutual
relations have a long history and it was strengthened by the mutual
visits and an active participation in international organizations.

Lebanese President Emile Lahhud’s mother and wife are also Armenians,
which is playing an important role in warm Armenian-Lebanese
relations. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan’s official meetings for
the two-day working visit started today by a face-to-face meeting with
the Lebanese president. Dinner will be held after the official meeting
in honour of Mr and Mrs Kocharyan on behalf of the Lebanese president.

Robert Kocharyan will also pay visits today to historical and cultural
places.

May 10, 2004
CONTACT : Loucia Isaac Seropian
Phone: 961-1-353010 Ext.: 365
Email: [email protected]

Haigazian University-Public Relations Office
PO Box: 11-1748Beirut, Lebanon

HAIGAZIAN UNIVERSITY RECOGNIZES DISTINGUISHED LEBANESE MOTHERS

Haigazian University honored five distinguished women from Lebanon for
being pioneers in the philanthropical, cultural and academic fields. The
event took place on Friday, May 7, 2004 at the Phoenicia Intercontinental
Hotel under the auspices of Lebanese First Lady, Mrs. Andree Lahoud.
Present were almost three hundred women from various regions and
communities in Lebanon, among whom were wives of government ministers and
parliament members.

The honorees of this year were:

Mrs. Rabab Al Sader, for her role of empowering women in society;
Mrs. Hermine’ Aydenian, for her well-recognized academic endeavors;
Mrs. Mounira Al Solh, for supporting the disabled and for involvement in
politics;
Mrs. May Arida, for her cultural contribution to Lebanon, especially the
Baalbeck Festivals.
Mrs. Youser Saab, for being a prominent philanthropist in her region.

After a welcoming word by the Haigazian University Women’s Auxiliary chair
Mrs. Terine Hasserjian, HUWA member Mrs. Silva Libaridian led the audience
in a half hour audio-visual journey “down memory lane” presenting the lives
of the five honorees in mesmerizing detail. In her conclusion, she praised
the women for their dedication to the needs and wants of the less
privileged in their society.

Haigazian University President, the Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian addressed the
audience with a message that identified the image of an “ideal mother” with
that of the “servant” in such a way that the focus is put on responding
properly to the true needs of others in society. He said that the honorees
this year have all had “a special eye and a special hand on society.” He
added, ” Mindless giving is also heartless giving. Love misplaced is the
key to alienation. We often do not know what the real needs of others are
and therefore provide insignificant care and misplaced generosity.”
“Giving to the society and our generation means addressing the true needs
of humans that leads to life. This is a divine calling,” Haidostian
concluded.

Then each of the five honorees received a special plaque from the hand of
Mrs. Lahoud and in return President Haidostian awarded the First Lady with
a silver plaque of appreciation.

The program was concluded with a luncheon of fellowship during which the
attendees had the opportunity to meet the various members of the HUWA, chat
with Mrs. Lahoud, and familiarize themselves with the academic services of
Haigazian University.

In addition to the enjoyment of the event as a whole, the attendees
expressed deep appreciation for the participation of some Haigazian
University students who during the celebration presented a special musical
interlude, and an Armenian traditional dance during the luncheon.

Director of Public Relations Office
Haigazian University

Lebanon

Mailing Address:
Public Relations Office
P.O.Box 11-1748
Riad El Solh, Beirut 1107 2090
Rue Mexique, Kantari, Lebanon
Tel/Fax: 961 1- 349230/1, 961-1- 353010/1/2

PRESS RELEASE
ASSEMBLYMAN STEVE SAMUELIAN’S OFFICE
State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814
Contact: Boghos Patatian
Tel: (559) 243.4192
(626) 818.9004 Cell

May 7, 2004

Genocide Victims Remembered in Ceremony

Sacramento–On Monday April 26 Assemblyman Samuelian helped organize a
special ceremony on the floor of the State Assembly to recognize the
victims of the 1915-1923 Armenian Genocide.

Assemblyman Samuelian spoke on the floor about his Assembly Concurrent
Resolution that he co-authored commemorating the victims of the
Armenian Genocide. Samuelian said, “Today we mark a tragic and
horrific period of history. The victims of the Armenian Genocide must
never be forgotten. I will continue to speak out strongly about this
Genocide in order that the world remembers these tragic events.”

Samuelian organized a delegation of Fresno Armenian-American leaders
to travel to Sacramento and recognized those individuals on the
Assembly floor after his comments.
The leaders attending the special ceremony were:

Dr. Janice Emerzian, Dean at Fresno City College
Les Emerzian, Community leader
Mary Mortanian, Author and daughter of Genocide victim

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