PACE GIVES TIME TO ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES FOR FULFILLING ITS RESOLUTIONS’ DEMANDS UNTIL SPRING SESSION

Noyan Tapan

Jan 27, 2009

STRASBOURG, JANUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. At the January 27 plenary
session PACE with 141 votes "for," 3 "against," and 5 "abstained"
adopted a resolution on fulfillment process of Resolutions N 1609 and
1620 on activity of democratic institutions in Armenia adopted by the
Assembly in 2008. Thus, no use of sanctions to Armenia is envisaged
and for fulfillment of the above mentioned resolutions’ demands the
Armenian authorities are given time until the PACE spring session.

The Assembly took into account the results of the repeated visit
to Yerevan of Co-rapporteurs on Armenia George Colombier and John
Prescott and the latters’ opinion, according to which, there are
some positive steps by the Armenian authorities in the direction of
fulfilling the demands of Resolutions N 1609 and 1620. Proceeding
from it the Co-rapporteurs proposed delaying the issue of depriving
Armenia of the vote until the April session.

It should be mentioned point 9 of the initial variant of draft
resolution on Armenia adopted at the Monitoring Committee December
17 sitting proposed Assembly suspending Armenian delegation’s vote
until the Armenian authorities show an exact political will in the
direction of giving a solution to the problem of bringing an accusation
and imprisoning people in connection with the March 1-2 events.

It should be mentioned that different opinions were voiced during
the dispute at the sitting on depriving Armenia of the vote or not.

A number of delegates agreed with the Co-rapporteurs stating
that they should not deprive Armenia of the vote but help it to
return to the democratic path. They mentioned that after depriving
Armenia of the vote the democratic situation in the country will not
improve abruptly, and it is not a solution at all. In particular,
representative of Russia Vyacheslav Timchenko categorically spoke
against using sanctions, as according to him, the latest local
self-government elections in Armenia proved that country’s current
authorities stand closer to the people. He even said that he knows
all that not from reports by because his daughter is married to an
Armenian, and he gets information about the situation from his many
friends living in Armenia.

Azerbaijan’s three delegates were for depriving Armenia of the vote,
who in their speeches touched upon dual standards and Azeri agitation
machine’s traditional provisions. Representative of Armenia Naira
Zohrabian replied to the Azeri side saying in her speech that everybody
is well-acquainted with Azeris’ such speeches, and commenting upon
them is needless.

Representative of Sweden Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin was the most
balanced among the delegates, who were for using sanctions. She said
that the Armenian authorities were given a possibility to release
all arrested peole as far back as six months ago, but it has not
taken place so far. She said that she had proposed discussing this
issue as early as in October, but it did not take place and taking the
opportunity, the Armenian authorities just drag out and do not fulfill
Assembly’s demands. Representative of Ukraine Olga Gerasimyuk in her
turn said that she is against depriving Armenia of the vote, but she
considers that Armenia’s opposition should be given a possibility
to have a wider participation in PACE’s working process. She said
that today the opposition has had only one possibility to spread its
opinion in a written form.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress