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EurasiaNet, NY
May 8 2008
ARMENIA: ADMINISTRATION, OPPOSITION TAKE TENTATIVE STEPS TOWARD
OPENING DIALOGUE
Marianna Grigoryan 5/08/08
They may still hate each other, but political necessity is pressuring
two arch foes in Armenian politics, President Serzh Sarkisian and
opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, to start talking to each
other. Even so, significant obstacles stand in the way of the start of
a substantive political dialogue.
The March 1 violence in Yerevan created a political chasm dividing the
opposition and government, with each side blaming the other for the
loss of life. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Since
then, the international community has pressured the Sarkisian
administration to open a dialogue with Ter-Petrosian. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive]. More recently, Armenian politicians
representing varying shades of the political spectrum have started
pressing for the two to negotiate a political truce.
An April 17 resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) warned that Armenia faced expulsion from the
organization if it did not take immediate action to heal the rifts
created by the March 1 violence. Other organizations have also
threatened to punish Yerevan, including the Millennium Challenge
Corporation, which has cautioned that millions of dollars in
assistance could be lost if Sarkisian's administration does not
promote national reconciliation. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. Meanwhile, inside the country, growing concern about
Azerbaijan's intentions regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process
has played a significant role in generating pressure for political
unity in Yerevan. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
"It is necessary that these two major figures should meet each other
face-to-face," Raffi Hovannisian, the leader of the Heritage Party
stated during an April 30 news conference. A few days earlier,
Hovannisian announced that his attempt to arrange a meeting between
Sarkisian and Ter-Petrosian had failed.
On May 2, Ter-Petrosian indicated that he was ready to talk to
Sarkisian, but the offer was conditioned on the government's
compliance with the April 17 PACE resolution. "We are ready to begin a
dialogue with the regime. Such a dialogue, however, cannot be started
with the purpose of bringing one of the sides to its knees,"
Ter-Petrosian said.
The central demand of the PACE resolution is the release of all
opposition activists in government custody. According to the data
published by the Prosecutor-General's Office, there are 58 individuals
in custody in connection with the March 1 events. Officials insist,
however, that the detainees are not political prisoners. Meanwhile,
the Ter-Petrosian camp fixes the number of detainees at 92, and
emphasizes that many of those in custody are high-level opposition
politicians.
Sarkisian aides have indicated that the president is ready to talk. At
the same time, the administration has made no move to release jailed
opposition leaders. Some opposition leaders contend that arrests of
Ter-Petrosian supporters have been continuing in the weeks since PACE
issued its resolution. Administration officials brush off criticism,
insisting the issue is not political, but a matter of law enforcement.
"If people broke law they must be punished within the framework of
law. Law must be equal for all. We have no political prisoners. One
shouldn't make statements in advance, everything will be cleared up as
a result of the investigation," MP and spokesman for the governing
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Eduard Sharmazanov told EurasiaNet.
Sharmazanov hinted that the Ter-Petrosian camp was behaving in a
politically irresponsible way, putting personal interests above those
of the nation. "There should be dialogue in democratic countries, but
obscenities and political nihilism are not part of that," he said. He
also accused Ter-Petrosian of trying to bully the government, saying;
"To go for a dialogue with preconditions is no longer dialogue, but an
ultimatum."
Not surprisingly, pro-government politicians are backing talks without
preconditions, while opposition leaders insist that the PACE
conditions be met. Naira Zohrabian, an MP from the Prosperous Armenia
Party, suggested that Ter-Petrosian, in embracing the PACE resolution,
was trying to create a justifiable reason for avoiding talks. "Setting
forth preconditions is simply an excuse to somehow steer clear of
dialogue," Zohrabian said.
Suren Sureniants, a leader of the opposition Hanrapetutyun Party,
insisted that a dialogue could produce results only if opposition
activists could trust administration officials. The only way to build
such trust, he indicated, would be for the government to release
jailed opposition figures. Sureniants himself spent 52 days in prison
for his role in the organization of anti-government rallies following
Armenia's contentious presidential election in February. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "Speaking figuratively, a
dialogue cannot take place between the prosecutor and the accused,"
Sureniants said.
Richard Giragosian, an independent analyst based in Washington, DC,
suggested that the emphasis on "political dialogue" was missing the
main point of Armenia's domestic crisis.
"What is needed is a `policy debate,' not a political dialogue,"
Giragosian told EurasiaNet. "Such a policy debate is long overdue, and
as Armenia remains under blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, and under
threat from an arms race in Azerbaijan, the time has now come for a
serious re-examination and re-assessment of Armenia's future."
Even if the opposition and administration do not straighten out their
differences soon, Ter-Petrosian insisted during his May 2 news
conference that domestic political divisions would not hamper
Armenia's response to a foreign policy crisis, especially one
connected with the Karabakh issue. "Azerbaijan must realize that
regardless of the political situation in our country, it would meet
with united resistance of the Armenian people in the event of
unleashing military aggression against Karabakh," Ter-Petrosian said.
Editor's Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the ArmeniaNow.com
weekly in Yerevan.
Posted May 8, 2008 © Eurasianet
May 8 2008
ARMENIA: ADMINISTRATION, OPPOSITION TAKE TENTATIVE STEPS TOWARD
OPENING DIALOGUE
Marianna Grigoryan 5/08/08
They may still hate each other, but political necessity is pressuring
two arch foes in Armenian politics, President Serzh Sarkisian and
opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, to start talking to each
other. Even so, significant obstacles stand in the way of the start of
a substantive political dialogue.
The March 1 violence in Yerevan created a political chasm dividing the
opposition and government, with each side blaming the other for the
loss of life. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Since
then, the international community has pressured the Sarkisian
administration to open a dialogue with Ter-Petrosian. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive]. More recently, Armenian politicians
representing varying shades of the political spectrum have started
pressing for the two to negotiate a political truce.
An April 17 resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) warned that Armenia faced expulsion from the
organization if it did not take immediate action to heal the rifts
created by the March 1 violence. Other organizations have also
threatened to punish Yerevan, including the Millennium Challenge
Corporation, which has cautioned that millions of dollars in
assistance could be lost if Sarkisian's administration does not
promote national reconciliation. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. Meanwhile, inside the country, growing concern about
Azerbaijan's intentions regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process
has played a significant role in generating pressure for political
unity in Yerevan. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
"It is necessary that these two major figures should meet each other
face-to-face," Raffi Hovannisian, the leader of the Heritage Party
stated during an April 30 news conference. A few days earlier,
Hovannisian announced that his attempt to arrange a meeting between
Sarkisian and Ter-Petrosian had failed.
On May 2, Ter-Petrosian indicated that he was ready to talk to
Sarkisian, but the offer was conditioned on the government's
compliance with the April 17 PACE resolution. "We are ready to begin a
dialogue with the regime. Such a dialogue, however, cannot be started
with the purpose of bringing one of the sides to its knees,"
Ter-Petrosian said.
The central demand of the PACE resolution is the release of all
opposition activists in government custody. According to the data
published by the Prosecutor-General's Office, there are 58 individuals
in custody in connection with the March 1 events. Officials insist,
however, that the detainees are not political prisoners. Meanwhile,
the Ter-Petrosian camp fixes the number of detainees at 92, and
emphasizes that many of those in custody are high-level opposition
politicians.
Sarkisian aides have indicated that the president is ready to talk. At
the same time, the administration has made no move to release jailed
opposition leaders. Some opposition leaders contend that arrests of
Ter-Petrosian supporters have been continuing in the weeks since PACE
issued its resolution. Administration officials brush off criticism,
insisting the issue is not political, but a matter of law enforcement.
"If people broke law they must be punished within the framework of
law. Law must be equal for all. We have no political prisoners. One
shouldn't make statements in advance, everything will be cleared up as
a result of the investigation," MP and spokesman for the governing
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Eduard Sharmazanov told EurasiaNet.
Sharmazanov hinted that the Ter-Petrosian camp was behaving in a
politically irresponsible way, putting personal interests above those
of the nation. "There should be dialogue in democratic countries, but
obscenities and political nihilism are not part of that," he said. He
also accused Ter-Petrosian of trying to bully the government, saying;
"To go for a dialogue with preconditions is no longer dialogue, but an
ultimatum."
Not surprisingly, pro-government politicians are backing talks without
preconditions, while opposition leaders insist that the PACE
conditions be met. Naira Zohrabian, an MP from the Prosperous Armenia
Party, suggested that Ter-Petrosian, in embracing the PACE resolution,
was trying to create a justifiable reason for avoiding talks. "Setting
forth preconditions is simply an excuse to somehow steer clear of
dialogue," Zohrabian said.
Suren Sureniants, a leader of the opposition Hanrapetutyun Party,
insisted that a dialogue could produce results only if opposition
activists could trust administration officials. The only way to build
such trust, he indicated, would be for the government to release
jailed opposition figures. Sureniants himself spent 52 days in prison
for his role in the organization of anti-government rallies following
Armenia's contentious presidential election in February. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "Speaking figuratively, a
dialogue cannot take place between the prosecutor and the accused,"
Sureniants said.
Richard Giragosian, an independent analyst based in Washington, DC,
suggested that the emphasis on "political dialogue" was missing the
main point of Armenia's domestic crisis.
"What is needed is a `policy debate,' not a political dialogue,"
Giragosian told EurasiaNet. "Such a policy debate is long overdue, and
as Armenia remains under blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, and under
threat from an arms race in Azerbaijan, the time has now come for a
serious re-examination and re-assessment of Armenia's future."
Even if the opposition and administration do not straighten out their
differences soon, Ter-Petrosian insisted during his May 2 news
conference that domestic political divisions would not hamper
Armenia's response to a foreign policy crisis, especially one
connected with the Karabakh issue. "Azerbaijan must realize that
regardless of the political situation in our country, it would meet
with united resistance of the Armenian people in the event of
unleashing military aggression against Karabakh," Ter-Petrosian said.
Editor's Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the ArmeniaNow.com
weekly in Yerevan.
Posted May 8, 2008 © Eurasianet