First president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrossyan suggests transforming
Nationwide Movement he leads into Armenian National Congress

2008-05-02 17:23:00

ArmInfo. During the Second Congress of his supporters at the session
hall of the Armenian government, Friday, Levon Ter-Petrossyan, the
first president of Armenia, the leader of the opposition, suggested
transforming the Nationwide Movement he leads into Armenian National
Congress.

According to him, having been formed before the presidential election
for quite specific purposes, now the Nationwide Movement should acquire
new content. The synthesis of public intolerance against the present
regime will become the cornerstone of this movement, he said. "Today we
hold our second congress, and we like this word. Moreover, taking into
account the international experience of national-democratic liberation
movements, I suggest transforming our Nationwide Movement into Armenian
National Congress. At the same time, I want to stress that this is just
a suggestion which needs further discussion during the next meetings",
Ter-Petrossyan said.

Ter-Petrossyan noted that for the time being they were planning to
preserve the structure of the national movement formed in Dec 2007. At
the initial stage, the future Armenian National Congress will not merge
the parties constituting the national movement. They will continue to
be independent political forces. But later the congress may transform
into a centralized structure and even a shadow government. "I am sure
that, based on the people’s support, our movement will play the key
role in the political life of the country," Ter-Petrossyan said.