SUREN ABRAHAMIAN CLAIMS THAT IRRESPECTIVE OF WHO ORDERED VIOLENCE AGAINST HIM, PM IS RESPONSIBLE

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 9 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Irrespective of who ordered the
act of violence committed against him, the prime minister Andranik
Margarian is to blame. Major General Suren Abrahamian, member of the
political board of the Republic Party, former mayor of Yerevan and
former minister of internal affairs, made this statement during the
October 9 press conference convened by the Republic Party.

According to him, on October 8 at about 10 am he was beaten by some
unknown persons at 16 Kievian Street. Having inflicted injuries to him,
these persons took to flight. He said that while delivering blows, one
of the men demanded several times that he should go and appologize to
the prime minister, whom S. Abrahamian accused of being criminalized
at a regular meeting of Anticriminal forces.

According to S. Abrahamian, if this was a provocation organized by
some third force to discredit the prime minister, A. Margarian has all
opportunities to arrest the crime executors and thus clear himsellf of
unreasonable accusations. It was noted that by disclosing this crime,
the prime minister will be able to identify his real enemy because
"not Abrahamian but those standing close to the prime minister are
his enemies."

S. Abrahamian said that in connection with the incident, many members
of the opposition expressed their support for him. The ARF Bureau
member, NA Vice Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian expressed his regret in
connection with what has happened.

The Republic Party consideres the violence committed against
S. Abrahamian as an act of terror and political settling of accounts.

This is said in the statement issued by the party’s political board.

"The incident was an action done on somebody’s instructions, and
those who ordered it should be looked for in the criminal elite of
the Armenian authorities," the statement reads.

According to Aram Z. Sargsian, chairman of the political board of
the Republic Party, this was a political order directed against the
party. In his words, the fact that the notorious cases of the recent
period remain undisclosed shows that the authorities are behind them.

He stated that the party will continue its mode of action, and the
authorities will not succeed into provoking them to illegal reciprocal
actions.

According to Gegham Harutyunian, member of the party’s political board,
the incident is connected with the statements made by S.

Abrahamian recently. As regards the fact that the assaulter mentioned
the prime minister’s name several times, he noted that this might be
an attempt to conceal the name of the real person who ordered this
act of violence.