Photo newsline for 26 of October

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Some Press Materials about Miss @ Net World 2002 final

NEW:

Libya crowns UK beauty queen: BBC, 3.11.2002
Beauty contestants don Gadhafi tees: CNN, 3.11.2002

15 Sept. 2002

PANORAMA: In viaggio nel deserto con le zie (10%)

Pageant without borders Although Libya has exhibited a flair for the dramatic in its dealings with the rest of the world, it might just outdo itself this week when it plays host to the Miss Net World beauty pageant, writes Willa Thayer Miss Net USA Tecca Zendik at the site bombed by the US in 1986 (photo: www.missnetworld.tv) The final ceremony of the Miss Net World beauty pageant in Tripoli this week promises to include elements of the sense of drama that the country's leadership has displayed to the outside world. This time, though, Libya seems intent on using that sensibility in a manner that might eventually benefit it. The event, which takes its name from the selection of the winner by an open vote over the Internet at the pageant's Web site, www.missnetworld.tv, is being taken by Libya as an opportunity to tell the world that it is open for business and tourism. Explaining the pageant's concept and the decision to hold the final ceremony in Tripoli, its founder Omar Harfouch told Al-Ahram Weekly by phone from Paris, "I want Miss Net World to be an intelligent contest. As the girls are beautiful, and every human being is sensitive to female beauty, I have given the pageant the slogan 'Beauty will save the world'. For that reason, we decided to hold the event in Libya, which is just coming out of an embargo after 10 years. Libya has definitely chosen to live in peace with all other countries, according to its leader's [Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's] recent speeches." Libya is sparing no effort as it rolls out the red carpet for the event, having sent three private jets to Europe last week to pick up organisers, contestants and their entourages. "The girls, I think, will have the best trip of their lives. They will all be received like ambassadors, or even as though they were the president of their country," Harfouch says. And while part of the interest in the event surely relates to a view that beauty pageants in the Middle East are like a fish out of water, the participation of hopefuls from Turkey, Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco in the penultimate round of the contest should go some way towards dispelling this notion. Only Miss Net Morocco, "Nadia", made the cut from 45 to 25 contestants, and is now awaiting the results in Tripoli of the final round of voting, which closes on 2 November, the day of the final ceremony. Beauty pageants, however, have been no stranger to the region in recent years. During any given week, Beirut seems to host such a spectacle or its sister event, the model search contest. A privately owned Lebanese satellite channel, Future television, leads the way in broadcasting the extravaganzas to regional audiences. Consequently, that Lebanon, from which Omar and his business partner and brother Walid hail, would produce international beauty contest pioneers came as no surprise to my Egyptian colleagues and friends. While the viewer of any of the Beirut contests could be forgiven for thinking that they were staged in a European capital, the Tripoli event will leave its audience with no doubt about the identity of its host country. Foregoing the traditional bathing suit contest, Miss Net World participants will instead parade about in jeans and T- shirts sporting Colonel Gaddafi's face. The T-shirts -- the handiwork of Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli -- are, Harfouch says, to be sold at Cavalli boutiques around the world. The appeal of these items, in Harfouch's words, lies in Gaddafi being a sort of a "romantic, revolutionary symbol". Other sartorial highlights will include contestants sporting the uniform of Libyan army officers as they strut their stuff to a soundtrack proclaiming, "Beauty will save the world." To drive the message home that Libya has chosen to be a peaceful member of the international community, contestants will make a commemorative visit to the site that the US bombed in 1986. There Miss Net USA, whose attendance was confirmed only weeks before the event, will give a speech about the importance of peace. All the contestants will perform a folkloric dance, and release doves into the sky. For all the strangeness of that commemorative visit, with its addition of a distinctly Libyan dimension to beauty queens' traditional concern for "world peace", there is no mistaking the message of conciliation that Libya is trying to send its former enemy. In that respect, Libya's hosting the pageant stands out from other images that the country has recently presented of itself to the outside world. From the colonel's contingent of beautiful female bodyguards, the day-long closure of international communications and airports last week in mourning for the Libyans killed during the Italian occupation, to the government's threat last week to withdraw from the Arab League -- its second this year -- such actions have been a source of wonderment and sometimes vexation in the Arab world and abroad. To ensure that Libya's message is delivered not only to the US, but to the West in general, the commemoration of the 1986 bombing will feature in the screening of a montage of contestants' travels around the country along with 'day in the life' shorts showing Miss Net Germany and Miss Net USA convincing their families to support their decision to travel to a country that has yet to entirely shake off its renegade image. Harfouch called Miss Net USA's visit to Libya "symbolic", however, if we are to take his word for it, he and the Libyans are not the only ones interested in the odyssey of Tecca Zendik from Los Angeles. "Not only has the State Department given her [Miss Net USA] permission [to visit Libya], but the person who she dealt with said, 'all of us will vote for you and we hope you will win.'" The pageant is a public relations coup not only for Libya, but for the Kiev-based Harfouch brothers, who appear to have achieved an impressive measure of 'synergy' among various communications media with their contest. Having sold advertising on their Web site and the rights for coverage of certain aspects of the pageant to a private British company that has, in turn, sold rights to various Western outlets, the event gives every appearance of being a moneymaker. (Viewers in the Arab world will have to wait until after Ramadan to see the event on Future TV.) Beyond the benefits for Libya and the Harfouchs' reputation, Omar eagerly pointed out that the event is an instance of the democratisation of a beauty pageant. Noting that only one of the Middle East entries made it to the final round, he says, "I don't want to do an unfair contest and have a lot of Arabs in the final round just because we are going to an Arab country and I was born in Lebanon." During the penultimate round, some 700,000 people cast votes, while the first 12 hours of voting in the final round drew 135,000 people to the site. Omar says that he expects millions to visit the site during the final round. And with the eyes of net-surfers from around the world watching and selecting from among 25 fetching Miss Nets, it seems unlikely that the winner will receive anything near 100 per cent -- unlike some contenders in other contests in the region. Original page is here: Al-Ahram Weekly: Pageant without borders

IERI E OGGI / Il Colonnello regala all’ospite un moschetto del 1924 e mostra la cicatrice sul braccio: da bambino mi fer? una mina italiana E nella casa bombardata da Reagan ora sfilano le miss DA UNO DEI NOSTRI INVIATI TRIPOLI - Se Ronald Reagan avesse saputo che il suo bombardamento sarebbe stato sfruttato in un secondo momento per uno show all’americana, forse ci avrebbe pensato più volte o avrebbe ordinato di radere l’obiettivo al suolo senza lasciare pietra su pietra. Nella vecchia casa di Muhammar el Gheddafi colpita dall’aviazione statunitense nel 1986, ieri sera era schierato davanti ai fotografi uno stuolo di ragazze simili a quelle che si potrebbero incontrare in una discoteca di Los Angeles o di Chicago, un pot-pourri multietnico radunato di fronte alle lamiere di uno dei missili lanciati allora, e sotto pareti spezzate, sventrate, scheggiate dalle esplosioni. «Miss net world», miss rete mondiale si chiamava il concorso che aveva portato l? le 22 signorine carine, poco più che ventenni e qualcuna anche meno. C’erano una miss Ungheria, una miss Canada, una miss Italia e perfino una miss Stati Uniti, tutte selezionate via Internet da un comitato presieduto da un certo Omar Harfouch, che ha il suo ufficio a Parigi, e composto da libanesi e ucraine, benvisto dalle autorità libiche che non regalano permessi a caso. Per entrare nella caserma di Bab el Azizia, dove si trovano il rudere bombardato e la residenza attuale del Colonnello, si viene sottoposti a ripetute perquisizioni. Non si possono portare accendini. Talvolta, neanche telefonini. A Tripoli gli Internet café nei quali i giovani «chattano», chiacchierano per via elettronica, sono in vorticosa espansione. Allo stesso tempo, non si possono acquistare giornali stranieri. Sono contraddizioni di una fase di cambiamento. E le immagini di ieri sera contribuiscono a dare l’idea. Si parlava di cose più che serie a pochi passi dalla mini-sfilata di ieri, preludio di una selezione finale prevista per i prossimi giorni. Cose serissime. Al di là dell’ulteriore zona riservata ai controlli, a Bab el Azizia erano a cena Silvio Berlusconi e Gheddafi. Al Cavaliere il Colonnello ha regalato un moschetto italiano del 1924. Secondo il presidente del Consiglio, lo avrebbe presentato come «il simbolo della fine dei contrasti» tra i rispettivi Paesi. Non è comunque la prima volta che il Colonnello ricorre a un dono del genere: nel ’99 aveva regalato un moschetto italiano anche all’allora premier Massimo D’Alema (insieme per? a una spada, una sella e un tappeto). E puntualmente, come sempre accade nei rapporti tra il leader della Rivoluzione del 1969 e il nostro Paese, l’ombra dell’era coloniale italiana ha accompagnato i colloqui. Per dar conto di quanto sia arduo chiudere davvero il contenzioso sul passato, Berlusconi è arrivato a farsi portavoce di un aspetto che Gheddafi voleva gli fosse ben chiaro: «Bisogna ricordare - ha sottolineato il presidente del Consiglio - che lui stesso è stato ferito dall’esplosione di una mina che si presume fosse di origine italiana, da piccolo. Ha avuto la morte di un cugino, di uno zio...». Sull’italianità della mina, a dire il vero, il Colonnello non ha dubbi. Scoppi? nel 1948, quando Muhammar era un bambino di 6 anni o giù di l?. L’incertezza deriva dal fatto che l’anno di nascita non è certo, l’anagrafe allora era un’optional. Il futuro leader della Rivoluzione era andato a giocare nel deserto fra relitti della guerra: parti di aerei, carcasse di carrarmati, proiettili vari. «In quell’esplosione sono morti due bimbi, miei cugini. Quel giorno mi sono salvato dalla morte per puro caso» disse il Colonnello ad Angelo Del Boca, autore del ricchissimo libro Gheddafi, una sfida dal deserto , Laterza editore. E vero che è trascorso molto tempo dal 1948, ma è altrettanto vero che la famiglia del Leader ha motivo di ricordarsi di certi aspetti del Ventesimo secolo. Il nonno di Muhammar, Abdusalam Hamid Abominiar, era stato ucciso nel 1911 da un colpo partito da una nave italiana nella battaglia di Merghb. Un suo fratello, nel 1928, è stato fatto prigioniero da Rodolfo Graziani e impiccato nell’oasi di al-Giofra. Perdite che anni fa hanno indotto il Colonnello a dichiarare: «I miei genitori piangevano quando ricordavano gli anni dell’occupazione italiana. Io non ho vissuto quell’epoca, per? ho visto le conseguenze della guerra... io stesso sono rimasto colpito da una mina italiana, qui nel braccio destro». Le ferite del passato non erano svanite quando ieri il Colonnello ha ricevuto il suo ospite nella tenda di Bab el Azizia, prima di continuare la conversazione all’aperto. Alla fine, il governo italiano si è impegnato a dare alla Libia 60 milioni di euro per la costruzione di una strada dal Nord al Sud del Paese. La scelta deriva da un braccio di ferro: prima della visita di ieri, l’Italia offriva l’apertura di un centro medico con ramificazioni fuori Tripoli. In origine, i libici avevano chiesto la costruzione di un’autostrada. L’Italia aveva risposto che avrebbe coinvolto imprese private. Alla fine è spuntato il contributo dello Stato. Maurizio Caprara Corriere della Sera Politica

إطبـــع هــذه الصفحــة   القذافي يمنح الجنسية الليبية لملكة جمال «الإنترنت» الأميركية الزعيم الليبي قال للمتسابقة: قولوا للأميركيين إن القذافي يحبهم ويتمنى لهم الخير لندن: كمال قبيسي قرر الزعيم الليبي، العقيد معمر القذافي، منح الجنسية الليبية لملكة جمال الانترنت الأميركية، تيكا زينديك، التي تزور الجماهيرية مع 25 منافسة لها على لقب «ملكة جمال الانترنت الدولية» التي تجري غدا في الجماهيرية، وفق ما علمته «الشرق الأوسط» من رجل الأعمال اللبناني، عمر حرفوش، المنظم للمسابقة مع شركات ليبية سياحية خاصة. وقال حرفوش إن الزعيم الليبي قرر منح زينديك، البالغ عمرها 18 سنة «صفة سفير سلام لليبيا» في الخارج، بحسب ما أخبرها حين زارته برفقة حرفوش في بيته بعد ظهر اول من أمس، حيث شرح له رجل الأعمال اللبناني تفاصيل المسابقة التي ستجري احتفالاتها مساء غد لاختيار ملكة الانترنت العالمية بأصوات يدلي بها المقترعون عبر شبكة المعلومات الدولية. وذكر حرفوش أن الزعيم الليبي قدم ساعة «رادو» عليها صورته هدية لزينديك، التي ارتدت قميصا مع صورة للقذافي، وعلى عنقها لفت علم بلادها، وأنها بكت حين تمنى أمامها أن تخبر الأميركيين «بأن القذافي يحب الأميركيين ويتمنى لهم كل الخير، واذا كان هناك من خلافات تطرأ أحيانا، فهي بيني وبين الحكومات عندكم». ثم سألها: «أعرف أن الصحف والتلفزيونات ستجري معك مقابلات حين تعودين الى الولايات المتحدة، فهل سترتدين القميص الذي عليه صورتي هناك؟». وأجابت زينديك: «لا أعتقد ذلك، فحين جئت الى ليبيا وزرتك هنا بالبيت لم ارتد قميصا عليه صورة الرئيس بوش»، فضحك الزعيم الليبي وضحكت ملكة جمال الانترنت. Original location: Al-Awsat

Another article at Al-Awsat

بندقية من القذافي لرئيس الوزراء الإيطالي وحمامة سلام لملكة جمال أميركية المتنافسة على لقب «ملكة جمال الإنترنت» في الجماهيرية تلقي كلمة وسط ركام بيت للزعيم الليبي قصفته طائرات بلادها لندن: كمال قبيسي قدم الزعيم الليبي، العقيد معمر القذافي، هديتين متناقضتين اول من أمس لزائرين للجماهيرية: بندقية لرئيس الوزراء الايطالي سيلفيو بيرلسكوني، وحمامة كرمز للسلام لملكة جمال الانترنت الأميركية، تيكا زينديك، الشابة التي لا يزيد عمرها على 18 سنة، وتزور البلاد منذ 5 أيام مع 24 متنافسة يمثلن دولهن سعيا للفوز بلقب «ملكة جمال الانترنت الدولية» التي تجري السبت المقبل في العاصمة الليبية عبر التصويت بالكومبيوترات من مقترعين بالملايين في 5 قارات. وكان بيرلسكوني زار ليبيا ليوم واحد، عقد خلاله اجتماعين مع الزعيم الليبي، وغادر البلاد من بعدها ومعه الهدية الرمزية، فيما بقيت الأميركية زينديك مع منافساتها ومجموعة من الصحافيين، زاروا معها بيتا للزعيم الليبي بطرابلس الغرب دمره قصف أميركي بالطائرات في غارة ليلية قبل 16 سنة، وبين أنقاضه ألقت مساء أول من أمس كلمة اعتذرت فيها عن القصف الذي قتل 37 شخصا، بينهم ابنة بالتبني للقذافي نفسه. وأمس اتصلت «الشرق الأوسط» بزينديك التي ذكرت عبر الهاتف من طرابلس الغرب إنها قالت في خطابها القصير إن معارفها في الولايات المتحدة حذروها من متاعب قد تصادفها وأخطار حين أخبرتهم عن عزمها بالسفر الى ليبيا للمشاركة في المسابقة التي ينظمها رجلا الأعمال اللبنانيان، عمر ووليد حرفوش، بالتعاون مع مؤسسات ليبية سياحية خاصة «لأنهم كانوا يعتقدون أن ليبيا بلاد عنف وارهاب. الا أننا نرى العنف أيضا في مدارسنا، حيث طلابنا يقتلون زملاءهم بجرائم مفاجئة، وحيث عندنا قناص في واشنطن اغتال الكثيرين.. أنا مسرورة لأنني ولدت في أميركا، ومعجبة ببلادي، ولكني الآن فقط فهمت سبب انتفاض الليبيين ضد حكوماتنا أحيانا، فنحن لسنا أبرياء أيضا، لأننا سببنا الكثير من الألم لشعوب عدة في العالم» وفق تعبيرها في الكلمة التي ألقتها وهي تلف العلم الأميركي حول رقبتها وترتدي كزميلاتها قمصانا عليها صور للعقيد القذافي، أعدها مصمم الأزياء الايطالي الشهير ألبرتو كافاللي. وقالت زينديك إنها تحتفظ بالحمامة في غرفتها بفندق تنزل فيه مع زميلاتها المتنافسات على اللقب بطرابلس الغرب، وستحملها الى الولايات المتحدة داخل قفص لتعتني بها هناك «بوصفها هدية سلام من ليبيا الى الشعب الأميركي» على حد تعبيرها.

Libya to host its first beauty pageant By Stephanie Nolen SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE Wednesday, September 18, 2002 Imagine Moammar Gadhafi looking moodily out his office window, musing on how to show the world Libya has changed. Free elections? Too risky. An unfettered press? Messy. Ah, but a beauty pageant; that would say something about progress in the Great Jamahiriya. When Gadhafi's son Seif al Islam suggested that Tripoli host the Miss Net World pageant, the Libyan leader was by all accounts intrigued. "My dad had two questions," the younger Gadhafi explained in a telephone interview from Croatia, where he is on a diving holiday. "Will it be (in keeping with) our traditions and Islamic laws? And I said yes. And will it be good for our economy or not? I told him it's good for our economy, it will promote tourism. And he said okay." It will be the first-ever beauty pageant in Libya. The Oct. 27 telecast of Miss Net World will feature 25 young women culled from Internet beauty contests from South Africa to Slovakia to Singapore. The event was held for the first time last year in France, but went largely unnoticed. Organizer Omar Harfouch could think of no better way to draw attention to the pageant than to hold it in Libya. "If I do it in Milano, so what? I will have one person interested," Harfouch explained in a telephone interview from London. "Now, the first question everybody asks is, 'Why Libya?' " Indeed, those were Gadhafi's first words, too, which is why Harfouch recruited the leader's son to help make the case. Despite the contest's seeming incongruity with Libyan culture, the younger Gadhafi, 30, said he is not worried that the event will spark an Islamist backlash. "The girls will make the show in traditional clothes, nothing extra-sexy or something against Islamic religion," he said, noting that his father is in favor because he is "in favor of women, and thinks they should take a role in society and be equal to men." So as not to offend local custom, however, the pageant will replace the traditional swimsuit contest with a runway walk in jeans and T-shirts bearing each contestant's national flag and a heart-framed picture of the Libyan leader. Harfouch has replaced the traditional panel of pageant judges with electronic voting that will be open to anyone with an Internet connection. "It's new and revolutionary," he said. "With the Internet, there is no need to have old and ugly judges; it's usually men of 60 judging beautiful girls of 16." The voting will be conducted through the pageant's Web site (www.missnetworld.tv), which Harfouch says gets more than one million visitors a month. Voters must register so they can't vote more than once, but he said there wasn't much funny business during the last Miss Net World competition.