Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep
Jan 24 2005
Armenian Coalition To Mull Proposed Deal With Opposition
Leaders of the Armenian parliament’s pro-government majority promised
on Friday to consider an unexpected opposition offer to reach a
compromise agreement on constitutional amendments put forward by
President Robert Kocharian.
Parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian told a senior opposition
lawmaker, Victor Dallakian, that he will begin `political
consultations’ with fellow majority leaders over three constitutional
changes demanded by the Artarutyun bloc and the National Unity Party
(AMK).
The changes would empower the National Assembly to endorse
prime-ministerial candidates nominated by the president, seriously
limit the latter’s controversial authority to appoint and sack judges
as well as make the mayor of Yerevan an elected official. The two
opposition groups have indicated that they will endorse Kocharian’s
package of draft amendments if their proposals are incorporated into
it.
Dallakian told reporters that Baghdasarian promised to finish the
consultations within ten days. `We put forward a package proposal,’
he said. `If two coalition parties accept but the other rejects them,
we will not participate in this process.’
The opposition has previously rejected Kocharian’s constitutional
amendments as undemocratic and vowed to scuttle his efforts to push
them through a referendum expected this summer. Leaders of the three
parties represented in Kocharian’s government reacted positively to
the softening of the opposition stance.
`We will consider that proposal,’ said Gagik Minasian of the
Republican Party (HHK), the biggest parliamentary force.
`Most of the [opposition] proposals are quite sound ones,’ said Armen
Rustamian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun).
The coalition parties had offered the opposition the right of veto in
the reform process, in an unsuccessful attempt to stave off a
campaign of anti-Kocharian street protests last spring. Both Minasian
and Rustamian told RFE/RL that the offer may no longer be on the
table.
`It is strange that they are reacting to that offer now,’ said the
HHK representative.
`I am glad that our colleagues now accept our offer made at that
time. But there is a problem of missing the right moment,’ said
Rustamian. `The political situation makes some things possible at one
point and problematic at another. The situation has changed a bit. So
has our mood.’