ARMENIA "SHOCKED" BY US STANCE ON RIOTS IN YEREVAN

Mediamax
March 12 2008
Armenia

Armenia’s foreign minister has been "shocked" by the US condemnation of
a recent government crackdown on the opposition in Yerevan, Mediamax
news agency reported.

Vardan Oskanyan dismissed US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Matthew Bryza’s statement that the Armeniangovernment was "harsh and
brutal" against the opposition as "groundless".

"We were shocked that having visited Yerevan and received information
from many official and unofficial sources,the deputy assistant
secretary of state could have made such an arbitrary statement,"
ministry spokesman TigranBalayan quoted Oskanyan as saying. "Such
one-sided accusations are groundless and useless."

Oskanyan said that of the 108 police officers injured during clashes
43 had received gunfire and shrapnel wounds,which demonstrated that
the protesters had been in possession of firearms and explosives.

"Therefore, it is not right to say that the government acted in a
‘harsh and brutal’ manner by’dispersing opposition rallies’. This was
not a police attack on citizens at all," Oskanyan was quoted assaying.

The minister added that statements based on "inaccurate" information
added to political tension in hiscountry.