Armenian PM surprised with dropping 1999 parliamentary shooting case
Aykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
11 Nov 04
Interview with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan.
[Correspondent] Mr Prime Minister, what is your assessment of a
decision by the board of the Armenian Prosecutor-General’s’ Office
to drop an investigation into the selected part of the 27 October
case [on possible organizers of the terrorist act in the Armenian
parliament in 1999]?
[Markaryan] I have learned about this decision from the press and it
surprised me. The board of the Prosecutor-General’s office does not
discuss its decisions with the government. From legal point of view,
they themselves decide whether there are grounds to drop the cases or
not. For this reason, I cannot give the juridical assessment because
I do not have information they have. Only if the Prosecutor-General’s
Office makes this information public, I can say if there are grounds to
drop the case or not. As for my doubts, they have not been dispelled.
[Correspondent] A resignation of the chief of the National Security
Service has become a surprise for many people. Are you aware of the
true reason of his resignation?
[Markaryan] The chief of the National Security Service has tendered
his resignation and the president of the republic has considered and
endorsed it. But Mr General [Karlos Petrosyan] has not told me the
reason of his resignation.
[Correspondent] According to rumours, a reshuffle is expected in some
structures of the government by the end of this week.
[Markaryan] The government never reports reshuffles in advance.
[Correspondent] At the press conference after its supreme body’s
meeting, [ARFD – Armenian Revolutionary Federation] Dashnaktsutyun has
said that the priority issues stipulated in the [ruling] coalition’s
memorandum have not been fulfilled, and if the coalition fails to
fulfil them, the party will leave the coalition.
[Markaryan] I will try to clarify from my Dashnak colleagues what
exactly the coalition government has not fulfilled as the government
consists of not only the Republican Party. It is the first time that
I hear from the ARFD that the priority issues stipulated in the
memorandum have not been fulfilled. The main priority issues have
been fulfilled.
[Correspondent] The ARFD regards as a breach of the memorandum the
fact that the Electoral Code has not been amended in favour of the
proportional representation system.
[Markaryan] As a whole, I do not accept ultimatum suggestions. The
problem raised by them should be resolved jointly, and they should
not present it in the form of an ultimatum.
[Passage omitted: details of disagreements]
[Correspondent] Mr Prime Minister, what can you say about the night
tender conducted by the government commission as a result of which
K-Telekom [subsidiary of Karabakh telecom company] has been recognized
as the second operator of the mobile communications in Armenia?
[Markaryan] The government has not breached any law, everything was
held within the framework of the law because the government has the
right to conduct this type of competition in the urgent situation.
[Passage omitted: Markaryan shied away from commenting on bribery
accusations]