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AZG Armenian Daily #108, 14/06/2005
Region
ARMENIA HAS NO RESOURCE OTHER THAN DEMOCRACY
USA Demands Just Elections From Baku
Inner political situation in Azerbaijan is still in the limelight
of the US. The State Department expressed satisfaction that the
opposition's rally on June 4 passed peacefully.
The American political analysts claim that the Azerbaijani
parliamentary election in fall may turn into a trial for President
Ilham Aliyev once they do not match with international standards. The
Bush administration overlooked rigged presidential elections of 2003
with accompanying violence and arrests. But the US has changed recently
stating now that they are enchanted by democratic revolutions in the
CIS and the Middle East.
Today, Washington demands fair elections from Baku, as it is Azerbaijan
among the non-democratic states that will hold elections. As soon
as Armenia faces elections, America will come down on Yerevan for
fairness.
The possible overthrow of Ilham Aliyev will be a blow on Kocharian
first of all, as the Armenian President will remain the only president
elected through rigged elections. Therefore, the possible regime
change in Azerbaijan should not be desirable for Yerevan. The Armenian
authorities and the Republican Party should stay away from rigging
elections at self-governing bodies, otherwise the revolutionary wave
will wash them away.
The republicans have won in elections of prefectures early this
month. In effect, the parliamentary and presidential elections
of 2007 and 2008 are being rigged today through the lections of
self-governing authorities. Today's elected prefectures, mayors and
village administrators, overwhelmingly republicans, will "pay back"
to the authorities in parliamentary and presidential elections.
If in neighboring Azerbaijan it is the Caspian oil that fills in
the gap of democracy, then Armenia has no resource and has to be
democratic. Certainly the West will have patience to connive at
Armenian authorities that have been rigging elections since 1995. But
one needs to pay for that too. And as Armenia has nothing to offer,
it will have to make serious concessions in Nagorno Karabakh issue,
especially if someone like Saakashvili takes the reins in Azerbaijan.
The West, by the highest standards, is not interested that Saakashvili
is less democratic than Shevardnadze. If most of televisions during
Shevardnadze's tenure were oppositional, then today all of them serve
Saakashvili. The key thing is that Saakashvili is devoted to attend
to the West's interests. They can find such a devotee in Azerbaijan
as well. In that case Armenia will appear in an unenviable position --
firstly in Karabakh issue.
George Bush, Condoleezza Rice and other high-ranking US officials
constantly praise "peaceful revolutions" in CIS and Middle East. Though
they do not openly consider Armenia as "candidate" for a revolution,
the Armenian opposition is obviously excited. Our opposition, that
used to regard Kremlin as a politburo only a few years ago and panted
for Russia-Byelorussia alliance, is interested not in instilling
democracy in Armenia but in seize the power.
The West also is not that interested in democratic Armenia as once
it comes true it will lose its levers of pressure. We, the Armenian
citizens, are the ones who should be interested to see our country
truly democratic, as it is our rights that are violated.
By Tatoul Hakobian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Region
ARMENIA HAS NO RESOURCE OTHER THAN DEMOCRACY
USA Demands Just Elections From Baku
Inner political situation in Azerbaijan is still in the limelight
of the US. The State Department expressed satisfaction that the
opposition's rally on June 4 passed peacefully.
The American political analysts claim that the Azerbaijani
parliamentary election in fall may turn into a trial for President
Ilham Aliyev once they do not match with international standards. The
Bush administration overlooked rigged presidential elections of 2003
with accompanying violence and arrests. But the US has changed recently
stating now that they are enchanted by democratic revolutions in the
CIS and the Middle East.
Today, Washington demands fair elections from Baku, as it is Azerbaijan
among the non-democratic states that will hold elections. As soon
as Armenia faces elections, America will come down on Yerevan for
fairness.
The possible overthrow of Ilham Aliyev will be a blow on Kocharian
first of all, as the Armenian President will remain the only president
elected through rigged elections. Therefore, the possible regime
change in Azerbaijan should not be desirable for Yerevan. The Armenian
authorities and the Republican Party should stay away from rigging
elections at self-governing bodies, otherwise the revolutionary wave
will wash them away.
The republicans have won in elections of prefectures early this
month. In effect, the parliamentary and presidential elections
of 2007 and 2008 are being rigged today through the lections of
self-governing authorities. Today's elected prefectures, mayors and
village administrators, overwhelmingly republicans, will "pay back"
to the authorities in parliamentary and presidential elections.
If in neighboring Azerbaijan it is the Caspian oil that fills in
the gap of democracy, then Armenia has no resource and has to be
democratic. Certainly the West will have patience to connive at
Armenian authorities that have been rigging elections since 1995. But
one needs to pay for that too. And as Armenia has nothing to offer,
it will have to make serious concessions in Nagorno Karabakh issue,
especially if someone like Saakashvili takes the reins in Azerbaijan.
The West, by the highest standards, is not interested that Saakashvili
is less democratic than Shevardnadze. If most of televisions during
Shevardnadze's tenure were oppositional, then today all of them serve
Saakashvili. The key thing is that Saakashvili is devoted to attend
to the West's interests. They can find such a devotee in Azerbaijan
as well. In that case Armenia will appear in an unenviable position --
firstly in Karabakh issue.
George Bush, Condoleezza Rice and other high-ranking US officials
constantly praise "peaceful revolutions" in CIS and Middle East. Though
they do not openly consider Armenia as "candidate" for a revolution,
the Armenian opposition is obviously excited. Our opposition, that
used to regard Kremlin as a politburo only a few years ago and panted
for Russia-Byelorussia alliance, is interested not in instilling
democracy in Armenia but in seize the power.
The West also is not that interested in democratic Armenia as once
it comes true it will lose its levers of pressure. We, the Armenian
citizens, are the ones who should be interested to see our country
truly democratic, as it is our rights that are violated.
By Tatoul Hakobian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress