OPPOSITION LEADER EMERGES FROM HIDING

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS: Artashes Geghamian, the leader of
the opposition National Unity party, who reportedly went into hiding
after the police dispersed an anti-government rally on early hours of
April 13, staged by his party together with Ardarutyun alliance,
emerged today at a news conferenceto claim that the authorities had
schemed to make him disabled. This accusation was echoed by his
party-fellow who declared that the entire goal of the authorities’
plan was to harm Geghamian, “who stood by people until the end.”

Asked to comment on the United States’ concern about the “sharp
escalation” in tension between Armenia’s government and the
opposition, andits calls on both the authorities and the opposition to
engage in dialogue and avoid any actions that could lead to violence
or infringe on the right to peaceful assembly, Geghamian said “a
dialogue could be started for search of ways tocome out of the
explosive situation,” but he added that he could agree only to a
televised dialogue with president Kocharian and defense minister
Sarkisian.He added the opposition would seek for the change of power
through constitutional ways.