ARF INITIATES MULTI-PARTY ANTI-PROTOCOL ANNOUNCEMENT

Asbarez
10/06/arf-initiates-multi-party-anti-protocol-anno uncement/
Oct 6th, 2009

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)-At the initiative of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, 12 political parties and organizations
Tuesday issued an announcement against the Armenia-Turkey protocols,
calling for changes to ward off the inherent threats in the document.

"The need to join forces and act together is apparent, and this
initiative is aimed at ending the process based on the pre-determined
protocols," said ARF Supreme Council of Armenian chairman Armen
Rustamian He explained that the parties that have already signed the
announcement were initiating a united front to thwart efforts that
will pit Armenia in unwanted and dangerous territory.

Also signing the announcement were the Heritage Party, founded
by Armenia’s former foreign minister Raffi Hovannisian and the
Ramkavar-Azatakan party, whose Western US chapter joined the protocol
protests in the Western US.

The parties said in their statement that Armenia and Turkey
have no mutual treaty, adding that by recognizing the existing
border-effectively the 1921 Kars Treaty-Armenia, for the first time
as an independent state, will ratify the part of the treaty that is
essential to Turkey thereby satisfying one of its key preconditions.

The parties also voiced their concern over the planned establishment
of a Turkish-Armenian intergovernmental sub-commission to conduct
an "impartial scientific examination of historical documents
and archives." The signatories assert that such an agreement will
effectively halt all efforts for the international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide. This has been Turkey’s longstanding precondition
to normalizing relations.

One other major concern voiced by the parties was the evident link
between normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations to the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, especially the clause in the protocols
that emphasizes the principle of territorial integrity and ignores
the principle right to self-determination of nations.

"Thus, Turkey gets [Armenia] to meet another precondition, which
is demanding that Armenia and mediators ensure developments in the
Karabakh resolution process that are suitable to it. And finally, by
registering a bilateral decision to open the border that was closed
by Turkey unilaterally, Turkey in fact shares its responsibility for
keeping the border closed until today with Armenia," the statement
said.

Rustamian called on other political forces for add their signatures
to the announcement.

"The situation is indeed very serious, and the political groups that
put their signatures to this joint statement set the beginning of the
formation of a single front that will make it possible to prevent
developments that are undesirable and damaging for us," Rustamian
told RFE/RL.

Rustamian added that they still hope the Armenian authorities will
not sign the protocols.

"This is an issue of a pan-national significance. This is not a matter
of leadership change. This is an issue of our future, our future
generations… This unity, in its essence, is pure and sincere. I
am confident that all national forces must come to this field,"
emphasized Rustamian.