TEMPORARY COMMITTEE SET UP

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on June 17, 2008
Armenia

During the extraordinary session convened by the initiative of the
MPs, yesterday, the parliament passed the draft decision on "setting
up a temporary committee to investigate the grounds of March 1-2
developments".

93 MPs voted for the draft decision authored by MPs Victor Dallakyan,
Samvel Nikoyan, Naira Zohrabyan, Hovhannes Margaryan and Artashes
Shahbazyan. No against votes and no one abstained.

No one was present from "Heritage". Which means, the only
pro-oppositional faction thus refused to express its stance towards
the initiative aimed at mitigating the post-election tension created
in the country.

For the formation of the NA temporary committee, according to the
decision each parliamentary faction represented two MPs. Thus Samvel
Nikoyan and Hermine Naghdalyan will represent the Republican Party,
Artashes Avoyan and Hovhannes Margaryan – "Orinats Yerkir" Party,
Artashes Shahbazyan and Artsvik Minasyan – ARFD, Aram Safaryan
and Naira Zohrabyan will represent Bargavach Hayastan Party in the
temporary committee.

For the representation of the six MPs not included in the factions
one MP was nominated for each seat. 87 MPs supported the candidacy
of MP Lyova Khachatryan elected by the majority electoral system from
constituency 14.

According to the decision, after the formation NA temporary committee
will elect a chairman and vice chairman from its staff. After which it
will invite Levon Ter-Petrosyan and other extra-parliamentary political
forces to participate in their works, with the right to a consultative
vote. It is up to the committee to decide this list. Only one-one
representatives from those political forces included in the list will
have the right to participate in the session of the committee.

The temporary committee, in essence, will act four months or a bit
more. On October 25, during the plenary session the committee must
report about the results of the activity, represent conclusions about
the violence, the police operation and the death circumstances. As
well as to propose options to exclude the repetition of similar
developments.

It is supposed that NA temporary committee will have 11 members. But
because of the attitude of the members of "Heritage" party most
probably only 9 people will have to implement the before mentioned
huge work.

Chairman of the Standing Committee on State-Legal issues Davit
Harutyunyan said he believes "Heritage" party will participate in
the works of the temporary committee. "Some minutes back the National
Assembly voted for the formation of the temporary committee. "It is
too early to conclude that the faction that didn’t participate in the
voting won’t participate in the activity of the committee. I believe
they will.

It is a part of a political process and I don’t think it is right to
keep them away from the process.

Moreover because Levon Ter-Petrosyan himself expressed readiness
to participate in the works of NA temporary committee, by his
representative.

In my view from the political point of view it is not right to miss
this opportunity given by the Committee.