RA NA ENVISAGES TO ADOPT STATEMENT CONCERNING FULFILMENT OF SUGGESTIONS OF PACE RESOLUTION 1609

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 16, 2008

YEREVAN, JULY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. At the special session convened on
June 16 on the initiative of the MPs of the RA National Assembly
the parliament started the discussion of the draft statement of the
National Assembly on "The Fulfilment of the Suggestions of Resolution
1609 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe". In the
draft statement it is mentioned, in particular, that "the National
Assembly hopes that the PACE position will be favourable with regard to
the fulfilment of the suggestions of the resolution and the further
normal activities with the Parliamentary Assembly will continue,
as after the adoption of the resolution: within two months, concrete
steps have been taken in Armenia for the purpose of the implementation
of all the suggestions of the resolution, consistent work is being
carried out and time is necessary for the recording of the results."

"Those processes are directed at the preservation of stability,
deepening of democracy, improvement of the national legislation and the
protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in the Republic of Armenia,"
is said in the draft statement composed of 19 points.

Among the steps implemented up to now importance has been attached,
in particular, to the initiative of the creation of the Public Council,
the reforms of the legislation regulating the spheres of the Electoral
Code, TV and Radio, as well as to the creation of a commission in the
direction of the strengthening of the independence of the RA Judicial
system and an NA Ad hoc Commission on the Study of the March 1-2 events
and their reasons. It is also mentioned in the draft statement that
for the purpose of the implementation of Point 2 of Resolution 12,
with which it is suggested that people detained for apparently false
and political motivations should be immediately released, the RA
Prosecutor General’s Office has officially declared that there are
no people detained for political motives. In general, 72 people or
62.6 percent of those detained have been set free, as of this moment.

According to the information provided to a Noyan Tapan correspondent
by Styopa Safarian, the secretary of the only opposition faction of
the National Assembly: Zharangutiun (Heritage), the position of the
faction with regard to the draft statement is very negative. He also
mentioned that the representatives of the political coalition, who
are the authors of the draft statement, could at best apply to the
leadership of the Council of Europe with a letter of such contents
and not adopt a statement.