WHY DO THE AUTHORITIES KEEP SILENCE?
Armine Avetyan

February 9, 2010

The representatives of the Armenian authorities are speaking of the
resolution presented by the head of the Swedish delegation to the
PACE Goran Linbland with ignorance. Generally when any anti-Armenian
statement or documents are generated in the European institutions, the
Armenian government tries to ignore such things, or at least they show
that they are ignoring and such things cannot affect nor have dangerous
results. It seems everyone is governed by Robert Kocharyan’s idea that
the PACE is not a soviet political bureau, which documents are crucial.

However, this draft developed by the Swedish delegation is stricter
than any previous statement. The main content of this document
focuses on the illegality of the involvement of the army in the
events of March 1. Limbland and other 20 delegates, who undersigned
the document, say that the direct involvement of the army in these
events contains components of attempt of a revolution. They find
that the defense minister’s order #0038 dated February 23, 2008,
can be a proof that the army headquarters had received an order to
gather and be mobilized in certain places in Yerevan before March 1.

The resolution requests from the Armenian government to investigate
and discover all the information concerning the involvement of the
army in March 1. The draft calls on the EU states to press on the
Armenian authorities to carry out such investigation, and recommends
the monitoring committee to discuss the issue immediately and include
in the upcoming report. It is worth mentioning that Armenia is still
under monitoring. Four days before that the co-rapporteurs on Armenia
in the PACE, John Prescott and George Colombier, released a statement
requesting from the Armenian government to present a timeline for the
fulfillment of the recommendations presented by the ad hoc looking
into the events of March 1-2. The co-rapporteurs are planning to
visit Armenia in the near future and it is not excluded that they may
include the demands of the daft developed by the Swedish delegation
in their next report.

We tried to find out whether the authorities are worried about
this initiative in the PACE and what scenarios they foresee. Zaruhi
Postanjian, member of the Armenian delegation to the PACE, said this
was not a sensation and there could be three possible scenarios.

First, this document will be sent to the PACE bureau. The bureau can
send it to the monitoring committee for information. According to the
next scenario, the bureau may consider the resolution and send to the
corresponding committee for the purpose of preparing it for discussion
at the plenary session. And according to the third scenario, somehow
the bureau may decide not to consider it. "This resolution can have
two solutions; either it will not be proceeded or will be sent to
the monitoring committee for information. I think there is a small
possibility that based on this draft the bureau may send to the upper
instance for the preparation of the report," said N.Zohrabian. She
says the initiator of the draft G.Libland is sponsored by the Azeri
lobby and is famous with his pro-Azeri activities as a delegate.

Zohrabian, who used to be in the NA ad hoc, said did not know anything
about the minister’s order. "There have been comments on part of the
defense ministry and I have nothing to add," said Zohrabian concerning
the army’s involvement in the events of March 1. By the way, the
minister’s order #0038 was published in the media last year. "I am
ordering the army forces to transform to a ready barrack situation
starting from 6p.m., February 23, and wait for my next order," writes
Mikayel Harutyunyan’s order.

RPA faction deputy chairman Galust Sahakyan thinks that the PACE
delegates have written this draft based on the information received
from Armenia. He believes this information was provided by the
opposition. "The situation is like they can be used by foreigners,
but this is not the case," says G.Sahakyan.

The opposition Heritage and ANC forces have always said that they were
preparing and sending documents to the PACE. Documents have been sent
by the relatives of the March 1 victims as well.

Artyusha Shahbazyan, member of the ARF and NA ad hoc, says he does
not know anything about the mentioned order either. "During our
examination we did not meet any concrete fact showing that the army
was involved in concrete actions. There have been some small things
connected with the uniforms. We examined the situation, visited the
depot and the ministry as well. We discussed the issue in time and
did not find such facts showing that any persons or the army were
involved in concrete actions," says A.Shahbazyan.

Even if our interlocutors make efforts and try not to remember
about the army’s involvement in the events of March, even if the
opposition is sure of that and submits facts and proofs, even if
Linbland is sponsored by Azerbaijan for lobbying, there is a very
small possibility that this draft may become a document in the PACE.

Firstly, the Armenian opposition is not represented in the monitoring
committee discussing the document. As for Armen Rustamyan, who has
received an opposition ticket from the PACE, he will protect not the
opposition’s but the government’s viewpoint. Secondly, it doesn’t
matter how much this institutions has threatened, in practice it
has always ignored the illegalities and inaction on part of the
government. Such initiatives and drafts mainly serve for the purpose
of applying pressure on the Armenian government in connection with
other issues.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress