ARMENIA OPPOSITION LEADER VOWS PROTESTS NOT OVER

Euronews.net
March 3 2008
France

An uneasy calm has returned to the Armenian capital Yerevan after
violent clashes between opposition supporters and riot police.

Troops are patrolling the streets to enforce a state of emergency,
which will remain until March 20.

Thousands of people have held daily demonstrations since a disputed
presidential election on February 19.

One eyewitness said: "There were masses of people. They were all
dispersed. They gathered in a different place but were dispersed
again. They have isolated the leader who could organise these people
and prevent these actions."

"The situation is horrible," said one resident. "I could not ever
imagine that here in Yerevan such things could happen. I don’t know
how to describe it, everyone just went crazy."

Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Armenia’s first president after independence
from the Soviet Union and the defeated presidential candidate, has
vowed that protests will continue.

He said the election, which was won by Prime Minister Serge Sarkisyan,
was rigged. International observers judged it to be generally fair
but noted some problems with the vote count.

Seven protesters and one police officer were killed in the fighting
on Saturday and more than 100 people were injured.

Two opposition politicians have been arrested, accused of trying to
seize power.