PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN SEES NO NEED IN PROLONGING OR REDUCING THE TERM OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY

armradio.am
05.03.2008 17:50

RA President Robert Kocharyan declared at a press conference in Yerevan
today that imposing a state of emergency in Yerevan on March 1st was a
"necessity." According to him, otherwise the number of the killed and
wounded would be greater, and the consequences of the unrest would
be heavier.

The President reminded that the state of emergency was declared on
March 1 for the term of 20 days and said he does not see the necessity
of prolonging or reducing the term. Robert Kocharyan underlined that
he will not lift the state of emergency unless he is confident that
the participants of the illegal actions are arrested and the will
not attempt to destabilize the situation once again.

Robert Kocharyan said the law-enforcement bodies have a number of
materials, including videos, and "the picture of events of March 1st
will be restored minute by minute." According to him, the volume of
the initiated criminal case is "huge," and the investigating group
will have to "work day and night." "Upon my order representatives of
the law-enforcement bodies will inform on the process of investigation
every day," Robert Kocharyan stated.

The Armenian President stated that the people included in the criminal
case may be divided into three conditional groups: organizers, members
of groups, who committed attacks on policemen, and participants of
the rally, who participated in the robbery of the shops.

"It is obvious that the level of guilt of the organizers, instigators
of unrest and the ordinary participants is different, and the attitude
of the law-enforcement bodies to them will be different. However, it
will be the greatest unfairness if in the first place the organizers
and the instigators of the unrest are not found and held accountable,"
the Armenian President stated.

"It is natural that special attitude will be demonstrated towards
those who used arms and explosives against policemen," Robert
Kocharyan stated.

President Robert Kocharyan stated today that Levon Ter-Petrosian
repeatedly turned down the proposals of the authorities for a
dialogue. The President stressed that after the unrest organized by
the supporters of Ter-Petrosian on March 1st, "the process passed
from the political framework to the legal one."

Robert Kocharyan reminded that at his rallies Ter-Petrosian rejected
any possibility of a dialogue with the authorities. The President
reminded that right after the elections, President elect Serge Sargsyan
stated his readiness to cooperate with all the political forces, "and
everybody responded to the given proposal, except for Ter-Petrosian."

The Armenian President described as "not corresponding to reality"
the statement of Levon Ter-Petrosian, according to which in the
evening of March 1st he held talks with the authorities, who refused
to fulfill his demands.

"Through the Head of State Protection Service Grigori Sargsyan Levon
Ter-Petrosyan stated that he agreed to go and calm his supporters
down, who had gathered at the square in front of the City Hall,
if we fulfilled his conditions. The conditions included: taking
his supporters through the center of the city to the Opera Square,
continuing the rally and receiving guarantees of unhindered conduct
of the rally for 15 days. That is to say, it was an ultimatum,"
Robert Kocharyan stated.

The President noted that by the time, when Ter-Petrosian voiced his
conditions, the crowd of his supporters had already burnt a few dozens
of cars and attacked policemen.

"Imagine what would happen, if we allowed that crowd to move to the
Opera Square through the center of the city," Robert Kocharyan stated.

The President noted that Ter-Petrosyan was notified that he was
free to join his supporters without any limitations. "His guards are
officers of the State Protection Service, who could not participate
in an illegal event," Robert Kocharyan stated.

The President reminded also that Levon Ter-Petrosyan did not let
the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II into his house late on
March 1st.

"The Catholicos called me and, stating his deep concern, stated that
he intends to pay a visit to Ter-Petrosyan. I said that I could only
welcome such initiative. However, as you know, Ter-Petrosyan did
not let him in. To tell the truth, I can hardly imagine a situation,
when an Armenian, wherever he is, would be able not to allow the Head
of the Armenian Church into his house," Robert Kocharyan stated.

President Robert Kocharyan declared that the authorities did not
plan to disperse the rally of Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters at the Opera
Square on March 1st.

Robert Kocharyan stated that the policemen entered the Square early
in the morning with the request to carry out a search.

According to the President, the decision on emptying the square from
the demonstrators was made as a result of furious resistance of the
rally participants.

"I often ask myself a question: maybe one should hot have tolerated the
illegal rally for ten days? I think that if the square was emptied on
the second day, or the third, we would have avoided the consequences
we have today. However, the authorities did not take that step,
since recount of votes was in process, and actions with the use of
force could have been interpreted as pressure. We planned to take up
active actions only in case the illegal rallies continued after the
verdict of the Constitutional Court," the Armenian President stated.

Commenting on the words of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, according to which
after March 21 he plans to continue the struggle by means of holding
rallies and demonstrations, Robert Kocharyan stated that "in case of
unapproved actions, we will respond strictly and immediately."