Armenia pro-president coalition urges opposition negotiate situatn
By Tigran Liloyan
Tass, YEREVAN
April 12, 2004
The Armenian pro-presidential coalition urged the opposition to
discuss the political situation through talks. Head of the Armenian
presidential administration Artashes Tumanyan made the statement in an
interview to the Armenian Public Television.
“Accentuated revolutionary radicalism is the weak chain in the stand
of opposition,” he emphasized. In his view, “such approach extremely
reduces possibilities for negotiations practically leaving no space
for maneuvering.”
Meanwhile several thousands of participants of the rally of the
Armenian opposition who were stopped by police on Bagramyan Avenue 200
metres from the presidential palace in Yerevan resumed the
demonstration. The avenue is blocked by two lines of barbed-tape
obstacles, water jets are ready for using.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is currently in his cabinet in the
presidential palace, and the state authorities are functioning well in
the republic, deputy chief of the presidential press service Armine
Balyan said.
The opposition demands to provide the air to it on all Armenian
television channels and meet with Parliament Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan
and police chief Gaik Arutyunyan. Secretary of the parliamentary
faction Justice Viktor Dallakyan made public these requirements at the
rally.
Meanwhile some Yerevan television channels reported about the meeting
that took place between the speaker and some deputies from the
opposition.
Rally partakers called on the parliament’s speaker “to go out to
people and share the requirement of Robert Kocharyan’s dismissal.”
Police who blocked Bagramyan Avenue do not take any force actions
against the demonstrators.
The opposition blamed Robert Kocharyan for “seizure of power as a
result of the falsified election in 2003.” Meanwhile the Armenian
Constitutional Court confirmed the validity of the official returns of
the election already last year but at the same time recommended to
hold a referendum on trust to authorities in the course of the
year. At present when this term expired the opposition demands to hold
the referendum but the parliament did not support this question.
The ruling majority of the Armenian parliament announced on Monday
that it would not participate in the plenary session of the National
Assembly on April 12-14. This decision is taken “to avoid the
artificial deterioration of the political situation,” Parliament
Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan pointed out.
The Armenian president said Sunday “Armenian authorities have enough
resources to curb political extremism in the country by legal means.”
Meanwhile he noted that police are instructed to show restraint.