TASHNAK REJECTS HARIRI’S PROPOSAL, AND CONFIRMS HIS ALLIANCE WITH THE FREE PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT IN ALL DISTRICTS

Al-Tayyar
April 1 2009
Lebanon

The Tashnak party’s central committee issued a statement on Wednesday
confirming its participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections
and declaring its political and electoral alliance with the Free
Patriotic Movement and Agriculture Minister Elias Skaff in the Zahle
district.

The adoption of the 2000 electoral law in the 2005 elections led to an
imbalance in representation, especially in Beirut’s three districts,
the party’s statement read, adding that the party boycotted the
last elections because of the "injustice against the Christian
communities… the Armenian community, and MPs Hagop Pakradounian
and Georges Kasarji," won by only a slight margin.

"During the past four years, Tashnak was communicating with all
Lebanese political parties and also tried to communicate with MP
Saad Hariri, but these attempts did not succeed for unknown reasons,"
the statement read.

Tashnak’s statement also said that it had maintained contact with
the Hanshak and Ramgaphar Armenian parties, and had "proposed the
reactivation of the Armenian bloc, which would include six deputies,
one for each party, and the remaining three will be assigned after
consensus. The parties responded positively and said they will discuss
this issue, but then the two parties changed their mind because they
had commitments to the Future bloc."

He continued: "taken from here the Central Committee of the Party
took its decision to revive the Armenian bloc, which will include
five deputies, due to the existence of an agreement on the division
of the four seats in the second district of Beirut at Doha between
the opposition and pro-government forces, to give an Armenian seat
to the Future movement and another one to the Tashnak party".

"As it is known, Hariri, during a meeting on March 6 with Tashnak
Secretary General Hovig Mekhitarian, in the presence of MP Michel
al-Murr, proposed to exchange four parliamentary seats out of six for
us to vote in favor of the March 14 alliance in the Beirut I district,
Metn, and Zahle."

The party told Hariri during the second meeting on Tuesday night
about the formation of an Armenian bloc to include five deputies,
with a sixth reserved for Armenian parties allied with Hariri, which
would have the freedom to make political decisions, but the future
leader did not respond, according to the statement.

The statement concluded: "We would like to reaffirm our political and
electoral alliance with the Free Patriotic Movement in all circles,
and with His Excellency the Minister Elie Skaff in Zahle, with an
emphasis on the need to communicate with everyone, both before and
after the elections based on the party’s principle of convergence
and dialogue with all the Lebanese parties."