ARMENIAN LEADER’S AIDE NAMES PREMIER FUTURE PRESIDENT

Arminfo
17 May 07

Yerevan, 17 May: Incumbent Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan will
be the next Armenian president, the presidential national security
adviser, Garnik Isagulyan, said at a news conference today.

The confident victory of the RPA [the Republican Party of Armenia]
led by Serzh Sargsyan in the [12 May] parliamentary election is the
basis for such a statement, Isagulyan said.

"I would like to wish the opposition to unite and nominate a single
candidate, otherwise they will again nominate 20 candidates only to
suffer a crucial defeat," Isagulyan said.

Commenting on the recent statement by Orinats Yerkir [Law-Governed
Country] party leader, Artur Baghdasaryan that he will run for
president, Isagulyan said that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
described his actions as "treachery". He added that what the president
had in mind was the very instance of "asking for help from Western
diplomats and not what specifically Baghdasaryan was doing".

"I assure you that none of the state structures recorded anything
at the Marko Polo restaurant [in Yerevan]. The recording was made by
Baghdasaryan himself in order to boast of his high rating in the eyes
of foreigners to other opposition leaders, which was later published
in newspapers," Isagulyan said.

[During the wiretapped conversation, Baghdasaryan reportedly asked
a British diplomat for support in the coming parliamentary election
and suggested that it take a stricter stance towards the Armenian
authorities, see Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in English 0830 gmt
28 Apr 07]