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Opposition pauses: too early to speak of collaboration

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  • Opposition pauses: too early to speak of collaboration

    Opposition pauses: too early to speak of collaboration

    Yerkir/Arm
    1 July 05

    In a rare case of cooperation, representatives of the authorities and
    opposition in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
    (PACE) held a joint news conference this week. Usually the views of
    the authorities and opposition differ on the issues discussed at PACE
    sessions; this time there seemed to be a consensus.

    The latest PACE plenary session discussed the Armenian constitutional
    amendments, and the Armenian delegation declared a balanced document
    was adopted. Shavarsh Kocharian, opposition member of the National
    Assembly, noted that this would make it possible to bring the country
    out of the internal crisis.

    Speaking at the joint news conference, he said the opposition insists
    that the Constitutional amendments should comply with the memorandum
    of understanding Armenia has signed with the Venice Commission. So, is
    the opposition ready to collaborate with the authorities and
    relinquish its calls for the regime change? "We are ready to
    collaborate as far as the Constitutional amendments are concerned,"
    Shavarsh Kocharian said. "I believe there are issues that more
    important than the relations between the authorities and opposition."
    He added that goal of revolutions is bring about reforms.

    In his turn, Hrant Khachatrian, another opposition member of the
    Natioanl Assembly, said that what happened in Strasbourg was not the
    authorities' achievement, the Council of Europe pressured the Armenian
    authorities to concede. "This is the victory of the Armenian people
    and opposition," he said, adding that unless the authorities take
    steps towards getting rid of the clan system, the opposition may
    consider adopting a relevant tactics.

    Another opposition politician, Hmayak Hovhannisian of the Liberal
    Progressive Party not represented in the NA, mentioned that the
    "upbeat" sentiment has no grounds. "Nothing is clear yet. We will make
    a statement only after the final draft (of the amendments) is ready,"
    he said.
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