POLICE ARREST TWO MEN ON CHARGES OF PLANNING TO STIR UP DISTURBANCES

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS: Armenian authorities announced today
that two Armenians, detained for illegal arms possessions at an April
9 anti-government rally, organized by the Ardarutyun alliance and the
National Unity, were hired by an opposition parliament member to shoot
off their guns in order to cause a panic among demonstrators, but they
did not disclose the lawmaker’s name.

The police said they have found that the two men, Gevork
Mesropianand Arthur Mangasarov, reportedly from Moscow, (both were
said to serve a prison term), agreed to instigate disturbances by
shooting off their guns in return for hefty sums of money. Prosecutors
have opened criminal cases against the two men. The police also said
they have arrested on April 11 evening a senior member of the
Hanrapetutyun party, Aramazd Zakarian, for public announcements
calling for the violent overthrow of the current regime.

The Armenian opposition rallied its supporters for a second
consecutive anti-government demonstration in Yerevan on Saturday
announcing its intention to siege president Kocharian’s official
residence on Monday. Albert Bazeyan, a former Yerevan mayor and one of
opposition leaders, said Monday will be the decisive day of the
struggle to force the incumbent president into resignation.

The opposition plans to start its march towards the presidential
palace after the expiry of an ultimatum to the authorities to hold a
referendum of confidence in Kocharian Meantime parliamentary majority
declared on Monday that it would not attend plenary sittings of the
National Assembly on April12-14.

Parliament leader Artur Bagdasaryan said the decision was made in
order to avoid an artificial exacerbation of the political situation.