ARMENIA’S DRAFT CONSTITUTION BIG STEP FORWARD

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug 3 2005

YEREVAN, August 3. /ARKA/. The draft amendments to Armenia’s
Constitution are a big step forward compared with the previous drafts,
the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of
Europe to Armenia Boyana Urumova told a press-conference. She agreed
with the conclusion of the Venetian Commission that this draft is
progress and it is a good basis to ensure activity of democratic
institutions in the country. Urumova pointed to the willingness
and efforts of the Armenian authorities to promote the process of
constitutional reforms. She said that the opposition also should
make a compromise. The authorities together with the opposition and
civil society should be consistent in the final discussion of the
draft to reach a political consensus, Urumova said. She said that the
political majority and the opposition parties should do their best
to maintain the constructive political dialogue. In this context she
pointed out the necessity to raise public awareness of the expected
amendments to the Constitution. The RA National Assembly approved
the draft amendments to Constitution in the first reading on May 11,
2005, which was proposed by the ruling coalition. Its adoption in
the second reading is expected at the end of August, 2005. A.A. -0–