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  • Sargsyan hails opposition's decision to join government

    SARGSYAN HAILS OPPOSITION'S DECISION TO JOIN GOVERNMENT

    Interfax News Agency, Russia
    Russia & CIS Presidential Bulletin
    February 29, 2008

    Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, who won the recent presidential
    election, hails the decision of his opponent at the election, leader
    of the opposition party Artur Bagdasarian to become secretary of the
    Armenian Security Council.

    I am glad that Bagdasarian reacted to our appeal to joint govern the
    country, Sargsyan told a news conference after a relevant cooperation
    agreement was signed.

    I offered Orinats Yerkir [party] to join the coalition of the
    government and offered Artur Bagdasarian to become secretary of the
    Security Council. This allows him to be involved in the structure of
    governing the country, Sargsyan said.

    This is the third or the fourth most important office in Armenia,
    the PM said.

    It is important that Bagdasarian will have both information and
    a possibility to take part in all spheres of the country's life,
    Sargsyan said.

    This does not mean that the Dashnaktsutyun party resents taking part
    in the coalition. Probably and I will be very glad, if the coalition
    will be four-sided, he said.

    Bagdasarian noted at the press conference that about one million are
    behind the cooperation agreement. This is about 70% of voters in the
    country, he said. This means that the new president will be able to
    more resolutely react to challenges and conduct positive reforms,
    the Orints Yerkir leader said.

    We shake the extended hand with dignity. We are certain that we have
    begun decent cooperation, he said.

    Bagdasarian also expressed certainty that our joint work will bring
    brilliant results.

    Earlier, Artur Bagdasarian, a centrist opposition leader who lost
    Armenia's February 19 presidential election to Prime Minister Serzh
    Sargsyan, has signed a cooperation pact with the ruling coalition
    and has accepted an offer to head the country's Security Council,
    his party's spokeswoman said.

    "Serzh Sargsyan has proposed that we join the agreement, and we have
    done so. Bagdasarian has been offered the post of secretary of the
    Armenian Security Council, which he has accepted," Susanna Abrahamian,
    a spokeswoman for the Rule of Law Country party, told Interfax.

    "So far no other post has been offered to any member of our party,"
    she said.

    The Security Council's incumbent secretary is Armen Gevorkian, who
    simultaneously heads the president's staff.

    At a recent rally in Yerevan, Sargsyan urged the opposition to
    collaborate with the authorities.

    Bagdasarian came third in the presidential election.

    Supporters of ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian, who was second,
    have been holding rallies in Yerevan since February 20, demanding
    the annulment of the results of what they claim was a rigged election.

    Meanwhile, Dashnaktsutyun earlier stated that it was ready to withdraw
    from the cooperation agreement with the coalition and reject the
    positions offered to it.

    Being committed to the 2007 cooperation agreement, we express our
    readiness to reject the jobs offered to the party and we ask the
    political coalition to stop cooperating, the party said in a statement.

    Multiple violations were registered at the February 19 presidential
    election, it says.

    Summing up the reports on election results received from regions
    and given the final results published by the Central Elections
    Commission (CEC), as well as the generally positive assessment of
    the international community, Dashnaktsutyun does not challenge the
    final results of the presidential election and wish success to newly
    elected Armenian President Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, the
    statement reads.

    An agreement on the creation of a ruling coalition between the
    Republican Party and the Prosperous Armenia party was signed after
    the 2007 parliamentary election. The political coalition then signed
    a cooperation agreement with Dashnaktsutyun.

    In line with the agreement, Dashnaktsutyun secured three ministerial
    posts, as well as the position of deputy parliamentary speaker, which
    was to go to Vaan Ovannisian. Ovannisian, who lost the February 19
    presidential election, has rejected the offer.

    In last Thursday Sargsyan said that the Armenian government will be
    tolerant toward the opposition but will be ready to take measures if
    the latter abuses its patience.

    "The Armenian authorities will demonstrate extreme tolerance until
    attempts are made to abuse it and this may have serious consequences,"
    Sargsyan said at a meeting with EU Special Representative for the South
    Caucasus Peter Semneby discussing the domestic situation in Armenia.

    The government's press service quoted Sargsyan as saying that the
    authorities will do their utmost for the situation following the
    elections not to harm the citizens or the country's reputation.

    He reiterated his readiness to cooperate with all forces ready to use
    their potential for the development and wellbeing of the country and
    people, adding that certain positive comments have already been made.

    In his turn Semneby congratulated Sargsyan on his election. He hailed
    the fact that the election was competitive, which he said demonstrates
    that there is real pluralism in Armenia.

    Semneby also said that he met representatives of the government and
    opposition forces last week. At those meetings, he conveyed to all
    sides the message of EU High Representative for the Common Foreign
    and Security Policy Javier Solana to refrain from steps leading to
    violence, to act in the framework of the law.
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