ATTENTION OF PACE TO ARMENIA DECLINES BECAUSE OF GEORGIAN EVENTS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 12, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. A brief dicsussion on Armenia
at the September 11 sitting of the PACE Monitoring Committee was
conditioned by the fact that the attention to Armenia has declined as
a result of the conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia. This was
pointed out by representatives of various political forces of the RA
National Assembly during the September 12 parliamentary briefings.

The member of "Prosperous Armenia" faction Naira Zohrabian said that
Armenian authorities have made progress in the fulfilment of PACE
resolutions 1609 and 1620 which is evident from the fact that the
problem of Armenia will not be discussed by urgent order at the PACE
plenary session scheduled for late September.

In the opinion of the member of "Orinats Yerkir Party" faction
Hovhannes Margarian, some progress has been registered, although
there are numerous unsolved problems. The deputy said that the CE
Commissioner for Human Right spoke about the necessity to create
a fact-finding group of experts to conduct an inquiry into the
March 1 events. The group will be composed of an equal number of
representatives of the ruling coalition, "Heritage" faction and the
Armenian National Congress.

In the words of the member of "Heritage" faction Zaruhi Postanjian,
progress in the fulfilment of the indicated points of PACE resolitons
is out of the question. Moreover, the addition that the parliament
passed yesterday to the Law on Television and Radio was a regress.