ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES VOW TOUGH RESPONSE AFTER CLASHES
by Antoine Lambroschini

Agence France Presse — English
March 3, 2008 Monday 5:15 PM GMT

Armenian authorities vowed Monday to pursue those responsible for
violent clashes that left eight dead, after arresting two lawmakers
accused of attempting to seize power in a coup.

Seven civilians and one police officer were killed in Saturday’s street
battles between riot police and opposition supporters protesting the
result of a presidential election. Dozens were injured, many from
gunshot wounds.

On Monday Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, the official winner of
the February 19 election, vowed to bring those responsible for the
clashes to justice.

"The organisers of these disturbances must answer before the law,
history and future generations," Sarkisian said in a statement.

Police said they had arrested two lawmakers for allegedly attempting
a coup following the clashes.

Deputy Miasnik Malkhasian was arrested for "attempting to seize power,"
the press service of the Armenian police told AFP. A source in the
security services said another lawmaker Hakob Hokopian was arrested
on the same charge.

The opposition immediately denounced the arrests.

"This is a new step in the violence the authorities are using
against the opposition to deprive it of its leadership," said Arman
Musinian, a spokesman for opposition leader and election candidate
Levon Ter-Petrosian.

The two deputies had defected to Ter-Petrosian’s camp after being
elected as members of the ruling Republican Party.

The opposition claims the election was rigged to ensure victory for
Sarkisian, President Robert Kocharian’s hand-picked successor.

On Monday a mediator from the Western-led Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe said he saw little chance of negotiations
in the immediate future.

"In all likeliness, a political dialogue is not possible at the moment
between Ter-Petrosian and the government, but let’s not exclude it
for the future," the mediator, Heikki Talvitie, told journalists.

He called on both sides to assume responsibility for the unrest.

"Everybody has a responsibility and everybody should acknowledge it,"
he said. "Accusing each other is the last thing that should be done.

Now the most important thing is to try to start working for a political
situation."

The violence began early on Saturday when police tried to disperse
between 6,000 and 8,000 demonstrators, after days of mass protests
in the capital.

The protesters fought back with petrol bombs, sticks and stones.

Police used tear gas and fired live ammunition into the air.

Protesters finally left the streets after an appeal by their leaders,
but not before rioters overturned and burned dozens of vehicles and
smashed shop windows.

Kocharian declared a 20-day state of emergency in the capital,
banning rallies and imposing restrictions on the media.

On Monday the police prevented Ter-Petrosian, the runner-up and a
former president, from leaving his home.

Ter-Petrosian, who took 21.5 percent of the vote according to
the official count, has been confined there since Saturday by his
state-assigned security detail, which authorities say is acting out
of concern for his safety.

The capital was relatively calm on Monday but dozens of soldiers and
armoured personnel carriers guarded government buildings.

The state of emergency bans demonstrations and requires the media to
put out only information from government sources.