OPPOSITION SHOULD NOT ABUSE AUTHORITIES’ PATIENCE – ARMENIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT

Mediamax, Armenia
Feb 29 2008

Armenian Prime Minister and president-elect Serzh Sargsyan has told
EU envoy Peter Semneby that attempts by the opposition to abuse the
authorities’ patience may lead to "bad consequences". Supporters
of opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan have been rallying in
Yerevan for over a week, protesting that the 19 February presidential
election was rigged in Sargsyan’s favour. The following is the text
of a report by Armenian news agency Mediamax on 29 February:

Yerevan, 29 February: Armenian Prime Minister and president-elect Serzh
Sargsyan has said: "We will be exceptionally patient until there are
attempts to abuse this patience, which may have bad consequences."

The government press service told Mediamax that Serzh Sargsyan said
this on 28 February in comments on the post-election situation in
Armenia at a meeting with the European Union’s special representative
for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby.

Sargsyan confirmed his readiness to cooperate with all forces
that are ready to use their potential for the good of Armenia’s
development. Sargsyan said the authorities are doing everything
possible to ensure that post-election processes do not harm the
republic’s citizens or Armenia’s international image.

Semneby congratulated Sargsyan, noting that the recent election [on
19 February] were an important factor on the path of strengthening
democracy. He added that at all his meetings with representatives of
the Armenian opposition and authorities, he had conveyed the message
of the EU high representative for common foreign and security policy,
Javier Solana to avoid steps leading to violence, to act within the
bounds of the law, and to channel political energy into a constructive
course.