LEVON TER-PETROSIAN: HENCEFORTH OUR MAIN SLOGAN WILL BE SERZH SARGSYAN’S RESIGNATION

Noyan Tapan

Au g 2, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, NOYAN TAPAN. In the words of the first Armenian
president Levon Ter-Petrosian, since the October 27, 1999 assassination
and especially since the former prime minister Aram Sargsyan was
relieved of his post, the National Assembly (NA) has been turned into a
president’s appendage whose task is to carry out obediently assignments
given to it. As L. Ter-Petrosian said at the August 1 rally, the
current NA has never rejected any bill proposed by the government,
nor has it initiated any debate and made a critical analysis. "Most
of the NA deputies are engaged in entrepreneurial activity, and for
this reason the NA is the support of the robber state," the leader
of People’s Movement said. According to him, under Serzh Sargsyan,
the only job of the parliament has been legalization of political
persecutions, in particular, 4 NA deputies were deprived of their
immunity, and some amendments "convenient" for the authorities were
made in the law on assemblies.

Speaking about the government formed by S. Sargsyan, the first
president said that it does not differ in its essence from the
government of the former head of the country Robert Kocharian as it
has been created not for economic reasons but based on the political
expediency.

The 100-day work during S. Sargsyan’s tenure was, according
to L. Ter-Petrosian, just "a shame": the persecutions went on,
the 24-hour patrol service, which started in downtown Yerevan on
March 1, was kept. He added that today the authorities consider any
participant of opposition ralies as a criminal who can be interrogated
and arrested. In his words, now the people has to do with such a form
of struggle against dissidence that did not exist even under Josef
Stalin. Therefore, as the speaker stated, the national struggle
against the current authorities must continue – with a demand for
S. Sargsyan’s resignation.

The rally was concluded with a march to end in Northern Avenue where
the sit-down strike (it began on July 4) continued. In the words of
representative of People’s Movement Levon Zurabian, the strike will
last until September 5, the day of the next rally of the Armenian
National Congress.