NEW ARMENIAN LEADER PROMISES TO WORK WITH OPPONENTS
By Hasmik Lazarian

Reuters
April 9 2008

YEREVAN, April 9 (Reuters) – Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan promised
at his inauguration on Wednesday to heal rifts with his opponents, one
month after clashes between police and protesters killed eight people.

After the inauguration Sarksyan, as expected, appointed central bank
chief Tigran Sarksyan to be his replacement as prime minister. The
two men are not related.

With his right hand lying on the Armenian constitution and an
ancient religious text, Serzh Sarksyan was sworn in as president at
Yerevan’s opera house in front of an audience of hundreds including
parliamentarians and foreign guests.

"This ceremony takes place about a month after painful events, which
inflicted wounds that are still fresh," Sarksyan said in a speech.

"These wounds caused pain and bitterness to all of us. Today, I urge
everybody to look forward, together, to seek and find the path of
reconciliation, of development, for the future of Armenia."

Former Soviet Armenia, a Christian state of around 3 million people
which lies on the edge of the volatile Caucasus region, is an important
energy transit route between Asia and Europe.

Anti-government protesters say Sarksyan and his ally, former President
Robert Kocharyan, rigged a Feb. 19 election. Sarkysan was declared
winner of the vote with around 53 percent, beating his nearest
challenger who polled about 21.5 percent.

Armenian security forces broke up a peaceful rally in central Yerevan
on March 1, triggering the worst urban violence in Armenia in a
decade. Rioters smashed and looted shops during clashes with police
in which eight people died.

During the clashes Kocharyan imposed a 20 day state of emergency
which banned public meetings. Armenia’s parliament adopted legislation
tightening restrictions on holding protests, drawing criticism from
rights groups.

On the eve of Sarksyan’s inauguration both the New York-based Human
Rights Watch (HRW) and the Brussels-based International Crisis Group
released reports which strongly condemned the violence and restrictions
on demonstrations.

"The new Armenian leader is facing serious challenges," said Holly
Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at HRW. "He should take
decisive steps to investigate the excessive use of police force and
lift restrictions on freedom of assembly."

Sarksyan, 53, indicated in his inauguration speech he would consider
softening the restrictions.

"For any limitation of rights and freedoms, including the right to
peaceful assembly, we must strike a fair balance between public order
and respect for the rights and freedoms of others, on the one hand,
and the right to peaceful assembly on the other," he said.

During Sarksyan’s inauguration between 1,000 and 1,500 protesters
laid flowers in the central Yerevan square where the eight people
had died in March’s violence.

Police watched on but did not intervene when the crowd started shouting
anti-government slogans. A Reuters reporter said the crowd remained
peaceful and dispersed without incident.