ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SUSPENDS PROTEST RALLIES – TER-PETROSYAN

Interfax
Oct 17 2008
Russia

The Armenian opposition is temporarily suspending mass protest rallies
for 2-3 months, said opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

"We are suspending mass protest rallies for a period of 2-3 months,
but it doesn’t mean we will not act again," Ter-Petrosyan said at a
rally on Friday.

"This decision was taken due to a threat to Armenia’s statehood
and also the situation with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and Armenia’s foreign policy," he said.

"I said that, in the event of a threat to Nagorny Karabakh, I
will call on all my supporters to suspend their fight and unite to
deal with the threat faced by Karabakh. It’s an extremely important
decision. You must realize that I must have had good reasons to make
such a decision," said Ter-Petrosyan.

"The activity of the opposition movement will weaken the position of
President Serzh Sargsyan and will at the same time increase pressure
from the West. Consequently, the opposition may find itself being
a tool in the hands of the West. Several months down the road, you
will see that this decision was right," said Ter-Petrosyan.

Ter-Petrosyan also called on the Armenian parliament to recognize
the independence of Nagorny Karabakh.