KOCHARIAN’S SPOKESMAN DOUBTS CHANCES OF DIALOGUE WITH OPPOSITION

ARMENPRESS
March 4, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 4, ARMENPRESS; A spokesman for Armenian president
blamed today the opposition for rejecting all opportunities of
launching dialogue with the authorities to resolve disputes in a
civilized manner.

Speaking at a news conference Viktor Soghomonian said there were such
opportunists both before the February 19 presidential election and
after it.

He cited ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian and his close allies as
ruling out a dialogue or reconciliation with authorities.

Soghomonian said after March 1 unrest in Yerevan it was difficult to
say whether there was now an opportunity for dialogue, especially in
the Ter-Petrosian-authorities format. Soghomonian said he could not
see such an opportunity.

He said he had watched a great deal of amateur and police video images
of the March 1 unrest ‘and when you see 30 people beating one police
officer it is difficult to find a subject of conversation with the
riot’s organizers."

He said all people responsible for the unrest- provokers, masterminds
and participants will be punished with all the severity of the
law. He said Ter-Petrosian and his allies should know that the entire
responsibility for the unrest and the death of eight people is on them.