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AZG Armenian Daily #152, 27/08/2005
Constitution
A TIME FOR RESPONSIBILITY
On August 29 the National Assembly will discuss the proposed amendments to
the Armenian Constitution. This is an extremely important process that
should be taken seriously by all political actors, as well as by all
citizens of Armenia.
A Constitution is the founding law of any land and the document on which the
rule of law is based. It took us Americans thirteen years to arrive at the
first version of the U.S. Constitution. Since then we have amended it
twenty-seven times, most recently in the early 1990s. As we see in Iraq
today, writing a Constitution - like amending one - is properly a lengthy,
weighty process that demands the highest degree of responsibility from all
parties, in order to ensure that the resulting document expresses the will
of the people and provides an appropriate balance of power among the
branches of government.
The United States supports the efforts of all those who have been involved
in the process of attempting to amend the current Armenian Constitution, and
encourages all parties to engage in responsible and constructive debate on
this issue. The constitution of any country establishes the rules of the
political game. Every political party ought to be interested in establishing
those rules. Once the rules are established, then let the political game
begin, and let it be hard-fought, even fierce, but conducted within the
rules that have been agreed.
In addition to political actors, every citizen should be attentive to the
process of amending the Constitution, as this document will be the
fundamental law of the land. The international community, including the
United States, has consistently supported the efforts of the Council of
Europe in helping Armenia arrive at a good package of reforms. In our view
the current package represents a notable step forward, but its approval is
of course a matter for the voters of the Republic of Armenia to decide. I
hope that the necessary steps will be taken to increase public awareness
about this important process so that a well-informed public can express its
will in the referendum scheduled for November.
As the members of the National Assembly prepare to discuss the proposed
constitutional amendments on Monday, we hope that they will recognize the
heavy responsibility they bear before their fellow-countrymen for agreeing
on the best constitutional arrangements for the Republic of Armenia.
Monday's debate and the subsequent process will be taken as an indication of
the level of political development in Armenia.
U.S. Embassy, Yerevan
Constitution
A TIME FOR RESPONSIBILITY
On August 29 the National Assembly will discuss the proposed amendments to
the Armenian Constitution. This is an extremely important process that
should be taken seriously by all political actors, as well as by all
citizens of Armenia.
A Constitution is the founding law of any land and the document on which the
rule of law is based. It took us Americans thirteen years to arrive at the
first version of the U.S. Constitution. Since then we have amended it
twenty-seven times, most recently in the early 1990s. As we see in Iraq
today, writing a Constitution - like amending one - is properly a lengthy,
weighty process that demands the highest degree of responsibility from all
parties, in order to ensure that the resulting document expresses the will
of the people and provides an appropriate balance of power among the
branches of government.
The United States supports the efforts of all those who have been involved
in the process of attempting to amend the current Armenian Constitution, and
encourages all parties to engage in responsible and constructive debate on
this issue. The constitution of any country establishes the rules of the
political game. Every political party ought to be interested in establishing
those rules. Once the rules are established, then let the political game
begin, and let it be hard-fought, even fierce, but conducted within the
rules that have been agreed.
In addition to political actors, every citizen should be attentive to the
process of amending the Constitution, as this document will be the
fundamental law of the land. The international community, including the
United States, has consistently supported the efforts of the Council of
Europe in helping Armenia arrive at a good package of reforms. In our view
the current package represents a notable step forward, but its approval is
of course a matter for the voters of the Republic of Armenia to decide. I
hope that the necessary steps will be taken to increase public awareness
about this important process so that a well-informed public can express its
will in the referendum scheduled for November.
As the members of the National Assembly prepare to discuss the proposed
constitutional amendments on Monday, we hope that they will recognize the
heavy responsibility they bear before their fellow-countrymen for agreeing
on the best constitutional arrangements for the Republic of Armenia.
Monday's debate and the subsequent process will be taken as an indication of
the level of political development in Armenia.
U.S. Embassy, Yerevan