ARFD ARMENIAN SUPREME BODY PROPOSES CREATING PUBLIC COUNCIL CONSISTING OF FIGURES ENJOYING PEOPLE’S CONFIDENCE

Noyan Tapan
March 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 19, the ARFD Armenian Supreme
Body made a statement, which read:

"The presidential elections obviously showed that a considerable part
of the people exactly needs implementation of serious reforms. However,
unfortunately, the destructive way of confrontation was chosen instead
of protecting and guiding moods of people by political means:

As a result:

– moral-psychological low spirits among the people, the feeling of
despair, bifurcation, mutual intolerance, distrust, vagueness of the
countty development prospect, violation of human rights and basic
freedoms has reached a dangerous extent,

– tendencies of dividing the political forces into foreign ones and
one’s own people, locality differentiations become prevailing in
political life, there are no normal relations and dialogue between
the authorities and the opposition, extremism and maximalism are
leading in political processes,

– the reputation and status of Armenia as a favorable investment
environment, having a developing economy and stable progress,
is endangered,

– an unprecedented growth of threats to RA and NKR security has been
recorded, new foreign challenges emerge.

The further worsening of the situation is fraught with
military-political threats to independence and security of the two
Armenian states.

In the formed situation the country is faced by the necessity to
reaffirm its national-state guideline, to deepen the process of
many-sided democratic reforms, to restore solidarity inside the nation,
to form an atmosphere of national consent.

Prevention of a new migration wave, neutralization of investment
risks, restoration and strengthening of an atmosphere favorable for
progressive development is the first and foremost task in the country.

Under the circumstances the only way out is unreserved subordination
of the faction-party interest for the sake of the fulfilment of the
national-state goals set before the homeland and the Armenians. The
best solution can be formation of a government of national consent
with involving all parliamentary forces.

The ARFD Armenian Supreme Body is ready to make part of the government
of consent aimed at fulfilment of these goals and calls the political
opposition for evaluating the seriousness of the situation, using the
given possibility, and with its participation making the process of
reforms in the country more complete and full-value.

The government of consent should consider its first and foremost
tasks the following things:

– exclusion of the intervention of the executive power into the
judicial system, securing of complete independence and impartiality
of that system,

– liquidation of impunity and arbitrariness, everybody’s equality
before the law, irrespective of the position they take,

– formation of a new, absolutely independent electoral system
guaranteeing public confidence to political processes, excluding
executive power’s intervention,

– establishment of a fair competition order by creation of an efficient
anti-monopoly legislative field excluding economic monopolies,

– full-value plurality, freedom of expression, guaranteeing of
unbiassed and transparent activity of Public TV and Radio Company,

– securing of guarantees of full-value activity in the political
system for the opposition,

– carrying out of social policy on the basis of taking account of
minimum living basket.

In order to lead the country to normal course of life, to successfully
solve the above mentioned problems, to quickly discharge the
post-electoral tension, the ARFD Armenian Supreme Body considers it
necessary to implement a program of urgent events. The creation of a
Public Council under the RA President, consisting of figures enjoying
people’s confidence, representatives of NGOs, extra-parliamentary
forces can contribute to the implementation of that program. The
Council is to promote creation of the atmosphere of confidence
and establishment of permanent contact between the authorities and
society."