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ARF Initiates Multi-Party Anti-Protocol Announcement

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  • ARF Initiates Multi-Party Anti-Protocol Announcement

    ARF INITIATES MULTI-PARTY ANTI-PROTOCOL ANNOUNCEMENT

    Asbarez
    http://www.asbarez.com/2009/ 10/06/arf-initiates-multi-party-anti-protocol-anno uncement/
    Oct 6th, 2009

    YEREVAN (Combined Sources)-At the initiative of the Armenian
    Revolutionary Federation, 12 political parties and organizations
    Tuesday issued an announcement against the Armenia-Turkey protocols,
    calling for changes to ward off the inherent threats in the document.

    "The need to join forces and act together is apparent, and this
    initiative is aimed at ending the process based on the pre-determined
    protocols," said ARF Supreme Council of Armenian chairman Armen
    Rustamian He explained that the parties that have already signed the
    announcement were initiating a united front to thwart efforts that
    will pit Armenia in unwanted and dangerous territory.

    Also signing the announcement were the Heritage Party, founded
    by Armenia's former foreign minister Raffi Hovannisian and the
    Ramkavar-Azatakan party, whose Western US chapter joined the protocol
    protests in the Western US.

    The parties said in their statement that Armenia and Turkey
    have no mutual treaty, adding that by recognizing the existing
    border-effectively the 1921 Kars Treaty-Armenia, for the first time
    as an independent state, will ratify the part of the treaty that is
    essential to Turkey thereby satisfying one of its key preconditions.

    The parties also voiced their concern over the planned establishment
    of a Turkish-Armenian intergovernmental sub-commission to conduct
    an "impartial scientific examination of historical documents
    and archives." The signatories assert that such an agreement will
    effectively halt all efforts for the international recognition of the
    Armenian Genocide. This has been Turkey's longstanding precondition
    to normalizing relations.

    One other major concern voiced by the parties was the evident link
    between normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations to the resolution of
    the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, especially the clause in the protocols
    that emphasizes the principle of territorial integrity and ignores
    the principle right to self-determination of nations.

    "Thus, Turkey gets [Armenia] to meet another precondition, which
    is demanding that Armenia and mediators ensure developments in the
    Karabakh resolution process that are suitable to it. And finally, by
    registering a bilateral decision to open the border that was closed
    by Turkey unilaterally, Turkey in fact shares its responsibility for
    keeping the border closed until today with Armenia," the statement
    said.

    Rustamian called on other political forces for add their signatures
    to the announcement.

    "The situation is indeed very serious, and the political groups that
    put their signatures to this joint statement set the beginning of the
    formation of a single front that will make it possible to prevent
    developments that are undesirable and damaging for us," Rustamian
    told RFE/RL.

    Rustamian added that they still hope the Armenian authorities will
    not sign the protocols.

    "This is an issue of a pan-national significance. This is not a matter
    of leadership change. This is an issue of our future, our future
    generations... This unity, in its essence, is pure and sincere. I
    am confident that all national forces must come to this field,"
    emphasized Rustamian.
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