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'Decisive' Opposition Action Again Postponed

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  • 'Decisive' Opposition Action Again Postponed

    'Decisive' Opposition Action Again Postponed
    By Emil Danielyan 24/05/2004 11:12

    Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
    May 24 2004

    The Armenian opposition announced late Friday yet another postponement
    of its promised "decisive" offensive against the government,
    effectively admitting its failure so far to boost attendance at its
    rallies and promising to "rethink" its strategy.

    Opposition leaders assured several thousand supporters in Yerevan
    that their two-month campaign against President Robert Kocharian
    will resume with a fresh momentum two weeks later. They also remained
    uncompromising in demanding Kocharian's resignation. "We reaffirm our
    resolve to continue our struggle for the establishment of democracy
    and the rule of law in Armenia," the Artarutyun bloc and the National
    Unity Party (AMK) said in a statement read out to the crowd.

    "During these two weeks we will completely reassess the situation,
    regroup our forces and starting from June 4 will hold permanent
    rallies, marches and sit-ins until Robert Kocharian's resignation,"
    Artarutyun's Albert Bazeyan said.

    The opposition leaders said during their previous unsanctioned rally on
    May 14 that they will stage another march towards Kocharian's official
    residence on the city's Marshal Baghramian Avenue if they mobilize
    "a critical mass of supporters." One of them, Victor Dallakian,
    admitted on Friday that they have yet to achieve that.

    "If all of the people standing here stay [on Marshal Baghramian Avenue]
    throughout the night there will be a critical mass," Dallakian told
    RFE/RL. "But they won't. We must make sure they do. Everything must
    be well prepared."

    "We will go [to the presidential palace] only once," he added.

    The opposition supporters already marched up the avenue but were
    stopped from approaching Kocharian's residence by heavily armed
    riot police on April 12. There were still between 2,000 and 3,000 of
    them on the street in the early hours of April 13 when the protest
    was violently broken up by baton-wielding security forces using
    water cannons, stun grenades and, according to some eyewitnesses,
    electric-shock equipment. Scores of demonstrators were arrested and
    seriously injured.

    Artarutyun and the AMK have since repeatedly promised to lay another
    siege to the presidential palace, but have avoided doing that so far.
    Some local commentators have concluded that their campaign has lost
    momentum. But the opposition leaders disagreed, with Bazeyan claiming
    that the street protests have weakened the ruling regime and Dallakian
    alleging that Kocharian is "widely hated" by the population.

    Another prominent oppositionist, Aram Sarkisian, sounded, as always,
    even more self-confident. "Dear people, I wish you patience. We
    will indeed remove Kocharian with our rallies and his departure is
    imminent," he said.
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