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| 12:56:12 | 17-09-2005 | Politics |

IT MAY BE TOO LATE

Majority of extraparliamentary parties are not in a hurry to decide whether
they will take part in the agitation process or in the referendum itself.

National Self-Determination Union headed by Paruyr Hayrikyan will
participate in the process as the initiators of constitutional amendments.
How he is going to do it will be clear on September 21. On the Independence
Day an administrative sitting will be convoked to decide the way the party
will appeal to the citizens. `Our position will be precise’, Paruyr
Hayrikyan said.

Leader of Christian Democratic party Khosrov Harutyunyan does not want to
run before the hounds either. He considers it would be more correct to
outline the position of the party after the adoption of the constitutional
amendments in the third reading. Like the Venice Commission he hold the
opinion that `certain progress has been achieved’. `On the whole we support
the amendments but there are some clauses that can cause tension and
problems. In this view we have issued a package of proposals consisting of
6-7 items’, Khosrov Harutyunyan said.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Armenia also prefers not to reveal its
further plans yet. `We calmly watch this `squabble’. Each leadership wishes
to create its constitution. This is a tradition that originated in the
soviet period. At Stalin, for example, we also had human and perfect laws.
But were they implemented?’ Kh. Harutynyan noted. In his opinion it is
senseless now to give any assessment to the constitutional amendments at
present.