ARMENIA PRESIDENT REJECTS TALKS WITH OPPOSITION: SPOKESMAN

Agence France Presse
March 4, 2008 Tuesday

The Armenian president rejected international calls for talks with the
opposition Tuesday as prosecutors in the capital Yerevan announced
the detention of 30 people in connection with violent post-election
clashes.

A state of emergency was declared in the ex-Soviet republic following
eight deaths on Saturday night during protests over February’s disputed
presidential election result.

The parliament Tuesday also approved a request from prosecutors to
arrest four pro-opposition lawmakers, whilst a European envoy called
for the lifting of the state of emergency.

A spokesman for President Robert Kocharian rejected negotiations
with opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, saying the opposition
was responsible for the clashes Saturday that left seven protestors
and a police officer dead. "Currently I don’t see how dialogue could
be possible," presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonian said. "How
can you negotiate with the people responsible for these events? The
wounds are still too fresh."

Prosecutors said they had detained 30 people in connection with the
unrest, which was sparked by police efforts to disperse thousands
of Ter-Petrosian supporters who had rallied for 11 days against the
result of a February 19 presidential election.

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

In parliament, deputies voted to strip the immunity of four
pro-opposition lawmakers and sanction their arrest.

"We have enough evidence to say that these deputies actively
participated in the mass disturbances… and to proceed with their
arrests," Prosecutor General Agavan Hovsepian told deputies before
the vote.

Meanwhile, a mediator from the Western-led Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe said talks to resolve the crisis would be
impossible until the end of emergency rule, which bans protests and
censors the media.

"There needs to be political dialogue to move forward and this dialogue
is impossible as long as the state of emergency remains in place,"
the mediator, Heikki Talvitie, said in a statement.

Emergency rule, which bans public demonstrations in Yerevan and imposes
strict limits on the media, is supposed to be lifted on March 20.

Seven civilians and one police officer were killed in Saturday’s
street battles between riot police and opposition supporters. Dozens
were injured, many from gunshot wounds.

The United States, United Nations and European Union have called for
calm and talks between the government and opposition.