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TOUGH BUT BALANCED
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 18, 2008
Armenia
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) yesterday
passed the Resolution on the Activity of the Democratic Institutions
in Armenia.
The Resolution was introduced by Rapporteur on Armenian Issues George
Columbey and Head of the PACE interim commission John Prescott who
acted as an observer during the Armenian elections.
David Haroutyunyan, Head of the National Assembly delegation in PACE,
estimated the document as "tough but balanced".
"It is balanced inasmuch as it expresses the viewpoints of our
partners, their sincere opinion on the events that took place
in Armenia and their views on the situation of the democratic
institutions. The document should become a serious action plan
for Armenia, and if we compare it with the Memorandum on Political
Cooperation, we'll see that they have much in common," D. Haroutyunyan
mentioned.
However, Head of the delegation finds that all this should not be on
paper only; it should be a serious action plan, and Armenia should
make serious steps because during its session to be convened in June,
PACE is going to assess the process of implementing those steps.
The resolution contains a range of proposals. In particular, with
regard to extending the rights of the opposition, it is mentioned
that the political system should ensure a proper place and rights
for the opposition; in connection with the reforms of the electoral
processes, they single out the issue of forming an independent
electoral commission which should be free from the influence of any
political force. They also propose to introduce changes in the RA
law on "Television and Radio" and the law on "Holding Assemblies,
Rallies, Marches and Demonstrations".
Besides, they indicate the necessity of undertaking steps towards
the accomplishment of an independent judiciary and the formation of a
public trust in the system. It is required to conduct an independent
inquiry into the March 1 events and their causes as well as release
the individuals who are detained by "false" charges or by political
motives - those who haven't committed or orchestrated violent crimes.
As mentioned by D. Haroutyunyan, Armenian delegation submitted
around thirty proposals. They didn't pursue the goal of mitigating
or concealing the events or assessments; this was just an attempt of
introducing precisions.
"We proposed that the clauses which were disputable or did not
correspond to the reality be removed, and the majority of the proposals
were adopted," he mentioned.
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 18, 2008
Armenia
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) yesterday
passed the Resolution on the Activity of the Democratic Institutions
in Armenia.
The Resolution was introduced by Rapporteur on Armenian Issues George
Columbey and Head of the PACE interim commission John Prescott who
acted as an observer during the Armenian elections.
David Haroutyunyan, Head of the National Assembly delegation in PACE,
estimated the document as "tough but balanced".
"It is balanced inasmuch as it expresses the viewpoints of our
partners, their sincere opinion on the events that took place
in Armenia and their views on the situation of the democratic
institutions. The document should become a serious action plan
for Armenia, and if we compare it with the Memorandum on Political
Cooperation, we'll see that they have much in common," D. Haroutyunyan
mentioned.
However, Head of the delegation finds that all this should not be on
paper only; it should be a serious action plan, and Armenia should
make serious steps because during its session to be convened in June,
PACE is going to assess the process of implementing those steps.
The resolution contains a range of proposals. In particular, with
regard to extending the rights of the opposition, it is mentioned
that the political system should ensure a proper place and rights
for the opposition; in connection with the reforms of the electoral
processes, they single out the issue of forming an independent
electoral commission which should be free from the influence of any
political force. They also propose to introduce changes in the RA
law on "Television and Radio" and the law on "Holding Assemblies,
Rallies, Marches and Demonstrations".
Besides, they indicate the necessity of undertaking steps towards
the accomplishment of an independent judiciary and the formation of a
public trust in the system. It is required to conduct an independent
inquiry into the March 1 events and their causes as well as release
the individuals who are detained by "false" charges or by political
motives - those who haven't committed or orchestrated violent crimes.
As mentioned by D. Haroutyunyan, Armenian delegation submitted
around thirty proposals. They didn't pursue the goal of mitigating
or concealing the events or assessments; this was just an attempt of
introducing precisions.
"We proposed that the clauses which were disputable or did not
correspond to the reality be removed, and the majority of the proposals
were adopted," he mentioned.