Tweet
TER-PETROSIAN BLOC AGAIN CRITICIZED BY OPPOSITION RIVAL
Karlen Aslanian
Armenialiberty.org
Aug 24, 2011
The Armenian National Congress (HAK) has ceased to represent a
credible alternative to Armenia's current leadership, a leader of
another major opposition force claimed on Wednesday.
Stepan Safarian reaffirmed the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party's strong
criticism of the ongoing negotiations between the HAK and President
Serzh Sarkisian's governing coalition.
"The Armenian National Congress, which was perceived to be an
alternative to these authorities in 2008, today ... cannot be regarded
as such," Safarian told journalists during a public debate with a
pro-government lawmaker. "For alternatives exist in cases where there
are alternative approaches and evaluations on many key issues."
"One side writes up 80 pages [of written HAK arguments,] then the
other asks for two weeks' time to read them," he said, ridiculing
the dialogue. "Then the other side writes up 130 pages [of
counterarguments,] after which they start praising each other."
But Artak Zakarian, a parliament deputy from Sarkisian's Republican
Party of Armenia (HHK), defended the dialogue, saying that it is
"working." He argued that the negotiating parties need time to consider
each other's proposals and come up with counterarguments.
The HAK says that the main purpose of the dialogue is to force the
Sarkisian administration to call fresh presidential and parliamentary
elections. The alliance led by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian
has threatened to launch a campaign of "civil disobedience" if the
authorities continue to reject its key demand.
Zharangutyun as well as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun), the other major opposition party represented in
parliament, dismiss these statements. They claim that the talk of
snap polls is a smokescreen for the HAK's readiness to cut secret
deals with Sarkisian.
Ter-Petrosian has repeatedly condemned these verbal attacks. He and
his associates have also said that the HAK is the country's only
genuine opposition force.
From: Baghdasarian
Karlen Aslanian
Armenialiberty.org
Aug 24, 2011
The Armenian National Congress (HAK) has ceased to represent a
credible alternative to Armenia's current leadership, a leader of
another major opposition force claimed on Wednesday.
Stepan Safarian reaffirmed the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party's strong
criticism of the ongoing negotiations between the HAK and President
Serzh Sarkisian's governing coalition.
"The Armenian National Congress, which was perceived to be an
alternative to these authorities in 2008, today ... cannot be regarded
as such," Safarian told journalists during a public debate with a
pro-government lawmaker. "For alternatives exist in cases where there
are alternative approaches and evaluations on many key issues."
"One side writes up 80 pages [of written HAK arguments,] then the
other asks for two weeks' time to read them," he said, ridiculing
the dialogue. "Then the other side writes up 130 pages [of
counterarguments,] after which they start praising each other."
But Artak Zakarian, a parliament deputy from Sarkisian's Republican
Party of Armenia (HHK), defended the dialogue, saying that it is
"working." He argued that the negotiating parties need time to consider
each other's proposals and come up with counterarguments.
The HAK says that the main purpose of the dialogue is to force the
Sarkisian administration to call fresh presidential and parliamentary
elections. The alliance led by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian
has threatened to launch a campaign of "civil disobedience" if the
authorities continue to reject its key demand.
Zharangutyun as well as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun), the other major opposition party represented in
parliament, dismiss these statements. They claim that the talk of
snap polls is a smokescreen for the HAK's readiness to cut secret
deals with Sarkisian.
Ter-Petrosian has repeatedly condemned these verbal attacks. He and
his associates have also said that the HAK is the country's only
genuine opposition force.
From: Baghdasarian