Haykakan Zhamanak, Armenia
Oct 25 2008

Armenian coalition party member calls for protest at Karabakh
settlement

Dead end

A representative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation –
Dashnaktsutyun [which is a coalition party], Sergey Shahverdyan, has
brushed aside suggestions that any decision by [President] Serzh
Sargsyan [on Karabakh] will be welcomed by Nagornyy Karabakh. He was
speaking at a round table on the Nagornyy Karabakh republic yesterday
[24 October] in Stepanakert [Azeri name Xankandi].

During the discussions, Shahverdyan said: "I am sure that the Armenian
government realizes very well that the situation is a dead-end for
itself, and the people cannot allow the negotiations to end like
this. I am also sure that, if needed, the Armenian president will
resign and will not force the people into such a situation."

Under these circumstances, Shahverdyan said, the most important thing
is the increased human factor. "The public is silent, and state
officials are silent as well. However, it is necessary to change this
situation, which is possible only via staging public protest. The
people who are concerned about the fate of their country should be
able to unite the public," Shahverdyan said.