Mediamax, Armenia
March 29 2008
Armenian aide accuses opposition of inciting more bloodshed
Yerevan, 29 March: The Armenian president’s press secretary, Viktor
Soghomonyan, said today that "by demanding permission to hold new
rallies and demonstrations, the forces which support [former
president] Levon Ter-Petrosyan are in fact demanding an opportunity
for new clashes and bloodshed".
Soghomonyan said this while commenting in an interview with Mediamax
news agency on a statement by some political forces that supported
the candidacy of former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the
19 February presidential election. The statement said in part that
these political forces have been deprived of an opportunity to hold
rallies and demonstrations and that the lifting of the state of
emergency was "just a formality".
"We should not forget that all the parties which signed the statement
are directly or indirectly accountable for the 1 March events.
Unfortunately, the content of the statement proves that their policy
of inciting hatred and intolerance is still in place, as are their
lies and falsehood. By calling permissiveness ‘civic freedoms’, they
are demanding that the authorities allow them to hold new rallies and
demonstrations, which means demanding an opportunity for new clashes
and bloodshed. The biggest threat to our democracy is this deliberate
frenzy, not the authorities’ caution dictated by security interests,"
Soghomonyan said in his interview with Mediamax.