US EMBASSY COMMENTS ON REPORTS OF TALKS WITH ARMENIAN OPPOSITION

Hayots Ashkhar, Armenia
Oct 6 2005

Headlined “The US embassy has replied to questions from Ayots Ashkhar”

Ayots Ashkhar daily has asked the US embassy in Armenia to clarify
the report of a meeting between Armenian opposition leaders and
the head of the council on Eastern Europe and Russia of the Central
Intelligence Agency, Martin Schwartz, [mentioned in previous reports
as head of the Eastern Europe and Russia department of the US National
Intelligence Council] at the US embassy in Armenia.

Yesterday we received a reply from the US embassy which says: “Dr
Martin Schwartz, who visited Armenia on 11-15 September, works as an
analyst in the CIA council which is a well-known organization based
in Washington. Senior analysts, as well as academicians are working
here to provide the US government with information about developments
abroad. Dr Schwartz’s visit was a factfinding one.

“As Ambassador Evans has repeatedly said publicly, the United States
supports the establishment of democratic institutions in Armenia
and the conduct of free and fair elections in the period allocated
for them. The Americans are confident that in a democratic state,
citizens should elect their leaders near ballot boxes by means of a
free and fair election, not in the streets. To support this approach,
the US government has already declared that it will initiate a number
of new developments that will help Armenia to conduct free and fair
parliamentary and presidential elections in 2007 and 2008.”