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PPA TO DETERMINE ITS TACTICS IN FORTHCOMING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WITHIN NEXT 2-3 DAYS MARCH 13. The People's Party of Armenia (PPA) will finally determine its tactics in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections in the country within the next 2-3 days, PPA Press Secretary Ruzanna Khachatryan said in her interview to the RFE/RL. She said it is yet unclear whether the PPA will run for the Parliament independently or in a bloc with any political force. It will become known within the following few days. "We are not against uniting with any force, like any other party included in the bloc of 15 opposition forces. However, there are many technical issues needing solution in quite limited terms," Khahatryan said. Touching upon the issue that many ordinaries of the PPA are against of the party's unification with another political force, as, in this case, they will have to yield in favour of the leaders of other parties, Khachatryan said that it is not ruled out. The matter does not concern the protection of the PPA-members' personal interests. Those at the outset of the party are aware of the grave fate of the "Unity" bloc that triumphantly won the previous parliamentary elections and then collapsed in a short period of time. The given experience arises questions of PPA-members, who demand immediate solution to them, Khachatryan said, adding that there are no political figure in the opposition camp who the PPA should refuse to cooperate with for ideological reasons. Just a common solution to several issues should be archived, she said.
PPA's active preparations for the Parliamentary elections does not
mean that the party recognizes the results of the presidential
election. She noted that today the Court of the First Instance of the
Yerevan communities of Center and Nork-Marash will hear the claim of
Stepan Demirchyan's supporters accusing the Armenian CEC of drift. It
should be noted that Stepan Demichryan intends to appeal against the
results of the presidential runoff election in the Constitutional
Court of Armenia. "Our appeal to the CC, in conformity with the Law,
will follow within 7 days after the publication of the final official
results of the runoff election," PPA Press Secretary said.
ARMENIANS ON UKRAINE DEMAND STATE SUPPORT
MARCH 13. 20 Armenians have sent a letter to the
Supreme Rada of the Ukraine on March 10 demanding inclusion of the
Armenian Diaspora of the Ukraine into the list of the national
minorities needing state support and protection.
According to the "Prima" news agency, when entering the Council of
Europe in 1996, the Ukraine pledged to ratify the European Charter
protecting the rights of national minorities. However, the law has
not been ratified so far. A relevant bill was submitted to the
Supreme Rada in March, 2003, proving for protecting 13 languages of
national minorities residing in the Ukraine. Among them are Russians,
Byelorussians, Jews, Germans, Greeks, Polish and others. The
Armenians who applied to the Parliament are of the opinion that the
bill violates the rights of many ethnic groups, as it does not
include Armenians, Tatars, Azeris, Georgians. "Some 100,000 Armenian
are currently live in the Ukraine. The Armenian church in Lvov is 800
years old. We think the Ukraine should support our language and
culture," the letter says.
The Human Rights and National Minorities Committee of the Ukrainian
Supreme Rada said the country cannot ratify the European Charter
having not enough funds to support the local national minorities.
Vice Chairman of the Committee Nver Mkhitaryan said the country
should allocate funds to "minor nations" for publishing newspapers,
elaborating documents and blanks in their home language. In the
meanwhile, the state budget of the Ukraine for 2003 does not provide
any funds for these purposes at all.
ARMENIAN OPPOSITION INTENDS TO PARTICIPATE IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
FIXED FOR MAY 25 IN ARMENIA IN SINGLE BLOC
MARCH 13. The opposition forces of Armenia intend
to participate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia
in a singe bloc, Press Secretary of the People's PArty of Armenia
Ruzanna Khachatryan told ARMINFO today.
She said the bloc's format will be determined at a session of
opposition representatives fixed for March 14. The proportions in the
party lists will be determined through negotiations between the
political forces included in the bloc. The PPA has already decided to
give the 1st place in the list to its Leader Stepan Demirchyan. The
party has not mentioned anything concerning the remaining places in
the list so far.
Ruzanna Khachatryan said at present the party applies for
participation in the parliamentary elections, but if the political
situation in Armenia does not change, the electoral institutions will
stay idle, as it was during the previous presidential election, the
opposition can boykot the parliamentary elections. At the same time,
she expressed confidence that the political situation in the country
will undergo changes by the forthcoming elections, which will allow
the opposition to participate in the voting.-
ARAM SARGSYAN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MURDER OF TIGRAN NAGHDALYAN
MARCH 13. The member of the Political Council of
the Hanrapetoutyun party Aram Sargsyan has nothing to do with the
murder of the well-known Armenian TV journalist Tigran Naghdalyan,
the leader of the party Albert Bazeyan said at a press-conference
today.
The fact that some of Naghdalyan's assassins come from the Ararat
region, the homeland of Aram Sargsyan, or the fact that one of them
is Godfather of Sargsyan's nephew do not mean that Aram Sargsyan is
privy to the murder. "Some of the murderers come from Karabakh, but
this does not mean that the traces of the crime lead to Karabakh."
The authorities deliberately "move the points to" Sargsyan to shake
the will of the opposition after the presidential and before the
parliamentary elections.-
"REPUBLIC" PARTY TO TAKE PART IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AS PART OF
OPPOSITION BLOC
MARCH 13. The "Republic" party will take part in
the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 25 as part of an
opposition bloc, Chairman of the party Albert Bazeyan told a press
conference.
He stressed that if the political situation in Armenia does not
change, and election institutions will be as inactive as they have
been during the presidential election, and membership of election
commissions is not changed, the opposition will boycott the
parliamentary elections. "However, we are sure that the political
situation in the country will change before the parliamentary
elections, and Robert kocharian will not be Armenia's President, or
his power will be so weak that he will not be able to influence the
results of the parliamentary elections by using administrative
resources," Bazeyan said.
ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS INTEND TO RUN IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
INDEPENDENTLY
MARCH 13. The Armenian Communists will not join any
opposition bloc and is going to run in the parliamentary elections
independently, Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia
said at its today's plenary session.
The issue of nonconfidence in its first secretary Vladimir Darbinyan
was raised during the session, but was dismissed just like that of
nonconfidence in the Bureau of the CC CPA.
According to the member of the CC CA Bureau, MP Khoren Sargsyan, the
CPA party list, where he and his colleagues Gagik Tadevossyan and
Norayr Petrossyan figure in the second ten, was made in "the
corridors of power." That's why all the three deputies have withdrawn
their candidacies.
The list is topped by Darbinyan, followed by the second secretary of
the CC CPA Sanatruk Sahakyan and the secretaries of the CPA district
offices.-
COURT VERDICT ON PPA's CLAIM AGAINST CEC TO BE RETURNED TOMORROW
MARCH 13. Armenia's Central Electoral Commission
(CEC) was not entitled to sum up the final results of the
presidential election in Armenia before considering all the
complaints of the district election commissions, the lawyer Ashot
Sargssian, who stands proxy for the presidential candidate, Chairman
of the People's Party of Armenia (PPA) Stepan Demirchian, stated at a
court sitting today.
On February 27, the minor court of Yerevan's Center and Nork Marash
received a complaint from the PPA. The party demanded that the court
put an end to the CEC's inactivity and verify the results of the
first round of the presidential election at dozens of polling
stations, where the voting results were challenged. According to
Sargssian, CEC has not taken any measures, and no illegal decision of
election commissions has not been invalidated. "since the protocols
of election commissions contain considerable arithmetic inaccuracies,
re-counting of ballot papers is needed in conformity with the law,"
Sargssian said.
In her turn, Head of the CEC Department of Legal Affairs Nune
Hovhannessian pointed out that the PPA's complaint does not concern
the CEC's activities, but challenges the election results. Thus,
Hovhannissian said, the complaint has not been lodged with the right
instance and is supposed to be considered by the Constitutional
Court. Besides, all the complaints have been lodged, and, within
their competence, election commission made relevant decisions on
them. Hovhannissian added that the total number of voters in "the
controversial" districts is about 53,000, which cannot have
influenced the election returns with the total number of voters in
Armenia being 1,500,000.
Judge Pargev Oghanian is to return a verdict on March 14.
UNDER COVER OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ROBERT KOCHARIAN SEIZED POWER IN
ARMENIA, OPPOSITION THINKS
MARCH 13. Under cover of the presidential election
Robert Kocharian usurped the power in Armenia. The leader of the
party "Hanrapetoutiun", ex mayor of Yerevan Albert Bazeyan made such
a statement today during a press conference at the National press
club.
According to him, in Armenia the electoral institutes do nothing,
numerous falsifications din the course of the presidential election
are the evidence of it. Sooner or later criminal proceedings will be
instituted against all the authors of the falsifications, as well as
representatives of the Central electoral commission. Bazeyan stressed
that the power of Robert Kocharian will be not long, as the resident,
elected in term of falsifications, will not enjoy the authority of
the international community, will not be able fully to defend the
interests of the Armenian party in the negotiating process for
peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, to secure inflow of
investments for development of the economy. He stated that today
Robert Kocharian is weaker president than the first president Levon
Ter-Petrosian in 1996. The leader of the party stated that in the
nearest future the opposition will appeal to the Constitutional court
for appealing the results of the presidential election. According to
him, the opposition has enough data, which testify about
falsifications during the election. "If the CC doesn't satisfy the
opposition's requirement, then it will appeal to the European court",
the leader of the party "Hanrapetoutiun" pointed out.
ROBERT KOCHARIAN RECEIVES CONGRATULATIONS FROM PRESIDENT OF
KAZAKHSTAN
MARCH 13. President of Kazakhstan Nursultan
Nazarbayev has congratulated Robert Kocharian on his re-election as
Armenia's President.
In his congatulatory message the Kazakh President said: "The
consistent policy of Armenia's authorities aimed at a dynamic
development of the Armenian-Kazakh relations is highly appraised in
Kazakhstan. I am profoundly convinced that the friendly relations
between our states based on mutual confidence and understanding will
further be strengthened and developed for the benefit of our
peoples."
PRESIDENT OF EU COUNCIL CONGRATULATES PRES.KOCHARYAN ON HIS
REELECTION TO SECOND TERM
MARCH 13. The president of the Council of the European Union Javier Solana has congratulated Armenia's President Robert Kocharyan on his reelection to second term. Solana wished Kocharyan success in ensuring Armenia's further development and prosperity. HEADLINES OF 13 MARCH
KARABAKH CONFLICT's SETTLEMENT MAJOR SUBJECT OF MEETINGS OF AZERI MPs
AND British PARLIAMENT
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