MONITORING COMMITTEE DID ITS BAD JOB

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
18 Dec 2008
Armenia

In its session convened yesterday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a decision on suspending Armenia’s
right to vote, David Haroutyunyan, Head of the Armenian Delegation
of the Parliamentary Assembly, announced.

Co-rapporteurs John Prescott and Jorge Columbier submitted to the
Committee the draft report on the process of Armenia’s implementation
of Resolutions # 1690 and 1620.

David Haroutyunyan yesterday said that "the report contains quite
a lot of negative shades" in terms of the clauses concerning the
prosecutions.

He also added that Armenia’s steps in the sphere of mass media,
electoral reforms and the formation of the fact-finding group have
been estimated as positive.

"There was a question concerning the political prisoners, i.e. the
fact that there may be political prisoners in Armenia. In principle,
the question needs additional analysis, and because this was the
Monitoring Committee’s last meeting before the January session,
the proposal was advanced. However, the co-rapporteurs are to visit
Armenia in January to introduce relevant amendments to this decision,"
Head of the PACE Armenian Delegation mentioned.

Concretizing the proposals adopted by the Monitoring Committee,
David Haroutyunyan came to the following conclusion, "In general,
they propose to suspend the Armenian delegation’s right to vote."