ARARAT ZURABIAN: SERGE SARGSIAN WON’T DARE TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT
By Marieta Khachatrian

AZG Armenian Daily #148
18/08/2007

The leader of the board of the All-Armenian Movement Ararat Zurabyan
stated August 17 at the Pastark club if Levon Ter-Petrosyan is
nominated, Serge Sargsyan will not dare to look Levon Ter-Petrosyan
in the eye and speak up. "However, I also think Serge Sargsyan will
not be nominated because I do not think he may dare to be nominated,"
Ararat Zurabyan says.

He said who participated in the meeting of the opposition leaders
at the Metelitsa Cafe.He added that the club the common candidate of
the opposition is not an end in itself. The purpose of it should be
to offer the society a real alternative. Ararat Zurabyan underlines
the importance of the opposition leaders and says the public and
political circles and the reporters have already talked for more
than 40 hours about this meeting which lasted for 40 minutes. As to
his expectations, Ararat Zurabyan says he has great expectations
from the meetings of leaders of the political opposition. "Every
political process is important, and the meeting of some political
figures, the persons representing the parties, must have certain
importance but similar meetings take place every day. Every day I
meet with the leaders of one or two parties, or political figures,
and I never announce about it in the media or on television because
it is a very natural process," Ararat Zurabyan says.

The notion of public demand is highly conventional, he said, answering
the question of reporters whether the All-Armenian Movement has
measured public demand for the nomination. "When Karen Demirchyan
was named president in 1998, public demand was not mentioned.

Nobody could forecast the developments and the situation," says the
leader of the board of the All-Armenian Movement. Ararat Zurabyan
thinks a similar situation will occur if Levon Ter-Petrosyan
is nominated. Meanwhile, Ararat Zurabyan is all but sure that
Ter-Petrosyan will be nominated. "There is public demand. No candidate
is mentioned definitely by the society but there is public demand for
a change of government, to have another political figure at the wheel
of the government. I think the public demand that exists, and we all
are aware and we all know, the Armenian society does not like this
government and does not think this is the team that should rule Armenia
over the upcoming 5-10 years. And I think, as to Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
this process is underway," Ararat Zurabyan says. He stated that
the All-Armenian Movement will nominate Levon Ter-Petrosyan. As to
Ter-Petrosyan’s personal attitude, it will become known when the time
of registration of candidate comes, says the leader of the board of
the All-Armenian Movement. "As to Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s likelihood
to participate in the political process, I am deeply convinced he
is," Ararat Zurabyan says. He underlines that most political figures
have stated likelihood to run in the election but only the rumors
about Ter-Petrosyan’s nomination aroused a fuss. "And considering
his importance, Levon Ter-Petrosyan must break the silence in the
political sphere, which is happening," Ararat Zurabyan says. As
to Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s visits and meetings in the regions, Ararat
Zurabyan says those are related to the party’s affairs. "The activists
of the regional organizations of the All-Armenian Movement had a few
meetings with Ter-Petrosyan. In the regions of Aragatsotn, Shirak,
Lori, and the meetings will continue. I think it means something,"
Ararat Zurabyan says. According to him, nobody will believe him if
he says Ter-Petrosyan’s meetings had a purpose other than what the
reporters suggest. "It is obvious that with the presidential election
coming up, the members of the team meet, discuss the moods, try to
evaluate the possibilities.

And it is natural," Ararat Zurabyan says. According to Ararat Zurabyan,
during the meetings nobody said that Ter-Petrosyan will not be
nominated. Meanwhile, many spoke for the nomination, Ararat Zurabyan
says. "A number of meetings are expected. The representatives of the
All-Armenian Movement will participate, as well as I think the format
will be enlarged, in a very short period. There is a tendency, and
there will be a number of other meetings," says Ararat Zurabyan. He
says, however, the meetings are not part of an election campaign,
meanwhile, in the period of nomination and the election campaign
Ter-Petrosyan will have broader meetings and rallies. "And so on,
and so forth," Ararat Zurabyan says.