OPEN LETTER by Julian Pena-Pai, Romania

Dear Mr. Aydin DOGAN,
 You, as a supporter of world culture, you have the authority to stop the deterioration of the most important international cartoon contest worldwide - (Aydin Dogan Int’l cartoon contest). I am a cartoonist who knows very well the present and the past of this Salon, I have been awarded a few prizes, and I was a member of the 2007 jury.
 If you will permit me, please let me inform you that:
 1. It is not the international jury that is responsible for the decline of your Salon, because the jury are supposed to analyze only the 120 works selected by the Turkish selection committee . And this, out of over 2,000 works received. This is not fair.
 2. I think that Mrs. Candan Fetvaci –very good worker and organisator - is manipulated by the three Turkish cartoonists, members of selection committee, presscartoonists, who are incapable of selecting the best 120 works. (Special Latif Demirci). See their selection this year.
 This selection team has no relation to the high standards of the teams led by master Semih Balcioglu.
 The biggest fan of A.DOGAN international cartoon contest,
 Julian Pena-Pai

www.cartooncenter.net