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  • Armenian Government Lashes Out At Internal And Foreign Opponents To

    ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT LASHES OUT AT INTERNAL AND FOREIGN OPPONENTS TO ITS STANCE
    Grace Annan

    Global Insight
    March 5, 2008

    Yesterday saw a reinforcement of the Armenian state's hard-line
    stance on the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the results of the 19
    February presidential elections. Outgoing President Robert Kocharian
    reiterated his refusal to enter peace talks with the opposition led by
    the scorned Lev Ter-Petrossian, and upheld the state of emergency he
    had imposed following Saturday's violent clashes with the police (see
    Armenia: 3 March 2008: ). Kocharian could count on the support of the
    parliament; the latter approved a request from the State Prosecutor
    for the arrest of four deputies, who support Ter-Petrossian. Police
    forces also arrested 30 suspects in relation to Saturday's riots on
    the same day. To add fat to the fire, the ceasefire with neighbouring
    Azerbaijan over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh was also breached
    yesterday, when a dispute between border controls resulted in the
    death of 12 Armenian soldiers and eight Azerbaijani soldiers.

    Significance:The latest events present the government of incoming
    president Serzh Sargsyan in a negative light. The ongoing conflict
    over Nagorno-Karabakh erupted just when the government was embroiled
    in another fight for supremacy with Ter-Petrossian. The somewhat
    clumsy stance of the Organization for Co-operation and Security in
    Europe (OSCE) only exacerbates the domestic tensions, as the body
    oscillates between cautious support for the election results and harsh
    criticism of the imposed state of emergency. Kocharian and Sargsyan
    can certainly count on their 103-28 majority in parliament to push
    through legislation aimed at Ter-Petrossian's supporters.

    Yet, the arrest of deputies and the killings of protesters do not
    sit well with international observers. Ter-Petrossian has so far
    retained the upper hand in the domestic disputes. His experience with
    public protests in 1996--when he sent tanks to dispel demonstrations
    against his re-election as president--could help him steer through
    these delicate times. However, he must transform himself from a
    scorned opposition candidate to an appealing, inclusive politician
    at the right moment if he wants to rally both his supporters and
    international observers such as the OSCE behind his cause.
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