Mediamax news agency, Armenia
May 23 2008

MPs comment on Armenia’s progress in meeting Council of Europe
requirements

Yerevan, 23 May: Representatives of political forces in parliament
today discussed the process of realization of proposals contained in
the PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe] resolution
on the work of democratic institutions in Armenia.

The secretary of the parliamentary faction from the [opposition]
Heritage party, Stepan Safaryan, stated that many proposals of the
resolution had not been implemented yet. He spoke for the quick change
of preventive punishments for the opposition figures under arrest,
accused of calls for the change of the constitutional order using
violence.

The MP noted the necessity to establish a dialogue between the
authorities and the opposition, expressing regret that the proposal of
Heritage leader Raffi Hovhannisyan on holding a meeting between
representatives of the ruling coalition and ex-President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan did not receive an appropriate response from the sides.

A member of the parliamentary faction of the [pro-government] Orinats
Yerkir [Law-Governed Country] Party, Artashes Avoyan, in his turn,
noted that the process of implementation of PACE resolution proposals
was proceeding normally. "The PACE proposals will be fulfilled, and
there are no perquisites to deprive the Armenian parliamentary
delegation of the right to vote," he stated.

A member of the parliamentary faction of the [member of the governing
coalition] Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), who is also the chairman of
the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration, Avet Adonts, said
that the working group set up on orders of President Serzh Sargsyan,
was carrying out active work on the realization of the provisions of
the PACE resolution.

Avet Adonts said that the post-election situation in Armenia would be
discussed at a session of the PACE Monitoring Committee next week in
Kiev and that PACE rapporteurs are expected to visit Yerevan after 10
June.