DRAFT DECISION ON CREATING NA AD HOC COMMISSION FOR DISCUSSING ISSUES OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WITHDRAWN FROM AGENDA

Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Regular NA four-day session
started on October 23. The four-day session agenda was approved only
at the 2nd working sitting as a result of stormy discussions. The
main objections and questions of MPs related to again placing on the
agenda the legislative package submitted by RA government, "On Property
Alienation for Public and State Needs," without any essential changes
and without taking into consideration the objections made during the
parliamentary hearings. The next disputable bill was RA non-partisan
MP Viktor Dallakian’s initiative, which proposed making amendment to RA
Electoral Code, establishing order of NA formation by 100% proportional
system. The opponents’ objection was mainly conditioned by agreement
between political forces, according to which 41-91 correlation of
majoritarian and proportional seats was left unchanged. Another
disputable initiative was withdrawn from draft agenda before voting
at the suggestion of its author, non-partisan MP Tatul Manaserian. It
regarded draft decision to create a NA ad hoc commission for discussing
issues of the Armenian Genocide, which received a positive conclusion
at the October 20 sitting of NA Standing Committee on State and
Legal Issues. The author proposed creating the ad hoc commission
for clarifying the chronology of the Armenian Genocide, preventing
various commentaries, condemning the Armenian Genocide and adopting a
united position on recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The position
of the political forces represented at NA towards this proposal was
negative. In the opponents’ words, the idea of creating a commission
can be first of all used by those denying the Armenian Genocide,
who will say that Armenians themselves have a problem of clarifying
some issues connected with the Genocide. ARFD faction member Spartak
Seyranian considers that commission’s establishment will torpedo the
process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the whole world,
will cast doubt on already adopted decisions of the Supreme Council
and other countries’ parliaments on the Armenian Genocide.