ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT VOTES FOR IMPOSING EMERGENCY RULE IN YEREVAN

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
March 2, 2008 Sunday
Russia

The Armenian National Assembly declared an emergency state in Yerevan
at last night’s special meeting, the Parliament’s department for
public relations told Interfax.

"The National Assembly believes that the Armenian President Robert
Kocharian’s decree of March 1, 2008 imposing emergency rule in Yerevan
is necessary and logical," the parliament said in its resolution.

During the vote after more than six hours of debates all 81 MPs who
were present at the meeting voted in favor of the draft resolution.

There are 131 members in the parliament.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian signed the decree imposing a 20-day
emergency rule in Yerevan on March 1 in order to prevent a threat to
public order and to protect citizens’ rights and legitimate interests.

Kocharian will be in charge of handling urgent matters and eliminating
circumstances which led to the emergency declaration. The legal side
of the emergency rule will be the responsibility of the Armenian
defense ministry and police forces.