"IS SOMEBODY SAYING SOMETHING TO ME?": KAREN KARAPETYAN

Panorama.am
20:03 07/09/2007

"The Republican party will win convincingly in the upcoming
presidential elections," Karen Karapetyan, leader of the Republican
party advisory committee, said today. Continuing on the theme of the
elections and yesterday’s comment by Dashnaktsutyun, that they would
be the Republican’s main opponent during election time, Karapetyan
brought up a joke now being told in the country: "Is there someone
saying something to me? They say yes, it is me, then they say, is
there someone saying something to me and him?

And they say, no." According to that, Karapetyan says, a person thinks
that when he tries to explain his role, the first thing he does is
meets with those with great capabilities, but added in this case he
doesn’t think Dashnaktsutyun is working with any other political
force. Karapetyan says he is trying to grasp what Dashnaktsutyun
meant in their announcement.

Returning to the common question about the possible candidacy of
Levon Ter Petrosyan, Karapetyan said, "I don’t speak about subjects
that don’t exist. When he announces his candidacy, we will return
to the subject. We have confidence in our strength. In that context,
we think that there is no alternative to Serge Sargsyan."

Concerning news circulating that in the event Serge Sargsyan is
elected president that Karapetyan is the probable candidate for
prime minister, he answered in the following way: "The Constitution
clearly states that the NA president will present the prime minister,
who will present the newly-elected president, which to me is a good
version to me. I only ask to not become emotional," he advised.

In any event, Karapetyan asked the journalists for forgiveness,
on behalf of all members of his party who haven’t behaved correctly
with the press.