MJ

You are not entitled to asking me questions. At least, you are not entitled to answers.

quote:Originally posted by vava: quote: Originally posted by MJ: Vava, I don't what you are referring to. I was merely voicing my support for you efforts. Frankly, I didn't think it was very difficult to understand, but nevertheless I edited my post above - maybe it's a little more clear. Congratulations on your successful protest.Thanks, Vava. I think it was indeed a success as a first step. In fact, someone has referenced an article from RFE, above, which to an experienced eye gives the first signal of things in motion.

Thanks again, Azat. We had no problems whatsoever.

quote:Originally posted by MJ: Indz nakhagahi andze chi hetakrkrum ail yerkri iravagan mtnolort@ ev tndesakan mtnolorte. Moratsa asem, naev baroiagan mtnolort@.

Movses, Do indz angap harts es talis ev krknum arden erek angam. Im Hayastan gnal chgnale voch Demirchiani het kab uni voch el Kocharyani. Inch verabervum e "nerkevits skselun," hents da e vor zhoghovurde portsum e anel Hayastanum, baits do glukhd tekum es vor chtesnes. Karg u kanone "hor@ goghmits $3000 gashark chtaluts ch sksvum." Karg u kanone skvum e karg u kanon erashkhavoroghi goghmits erkri Sahmanadrutiune hargeluts ev bashdbaneluts, voch te Sahamanadrutiune arhamarheluts. Inch verabervum e Demirchianin satarelun.... yes voch Demirchianin em satarum, voch Muratsanin voch el Vardan Mamigonianin. Indz nakhagahi andze chi hetakrkrum ail yerkri iravagan mtnolort@ ev tndesakan mtnolorte. Ev, norits, inch verabervum e Hayastan veradarnal-cveradarnalun, aispisi entrutiunneri hetevanke linelu voch te Hayastan veradarnal@ ail evs 500,000 mardu Hayastanits heranal@ arachin isk hnaravorutian depkum.

quote:Originally posted by MosJan: Martin yete Demirjyan@ @entrvi du het HAyastan k@gnas ??? mhtakan bnakutyan ??? Movses Movses, Yes zarmanum em kez vra. Yes khosum em Hayastanum tirogh bedakan terrori, Hayastani Sahmanadrman annakhadep vodnaharman, Hayastani zhoghovrdi kamki dem batsartzak ev sandzartsak votnaharumneri masin, du inaz "Stepani" masin es hartsnum. Inchum e ban@?

Thanks for asking Azat. It was good. At its height, we had 30-40 people come to raise their word in a freazing weather. Large numbers of people let us know that they agree with us, however "they travel to Armenia and don't want to be in the black list." We accomplished what we had in mind. Vava, I don't what you are referring to.

quote:Originally posted by MosJan:MJ jan mer Nairin inch "article" masin e boroqum ??? MosJan, Yes "dzer Nairi" boghoke kam "chboghoke" indz inchkanuv e hetakrkrum? Isk kez?

OK. It is time to go. The following material has already been distributed through various Channels of mass media and has been submitted to the government of Armenia: It is Time for Mr. Kocharyan to Go! We are outraged by the massive scale of vote rigging and widespread repressions, by the violations of Human Rights and Human Dignity in the 2003 Presidential Elections in the Republic of Armenia. The fact that these elections have been conducted with significant violations has already been recognized by the observers of the OSCE and confirmed by John M. Ordway, the Ambassador of USA in Armenia, among others. However, we believe their declarations do not provide necessary details or insights into the scale and depth of violations, which according to eyewitness accounts are overwhelming. Three types of massive violations associated with the entire electoral process have been reported so far in the Republic of Armenia: 1. Pre-election violations The opposition candidates have been put in a disproportionately disadvantageous position at the start of the electoral campaign by not being provided with equal access to mass media, which is contrary to the electoral code of the Republic of Armenia. It is also worthwhile to mention that the only TV Channel not controlled by the State – the A1Plus - has been shut down since April 2002, and its re-registration has been delayed despite the numerous promises of the corresponding state structures to activate the channel prior to the election campaign. Additionally, a number of the highest level state employees - including state ministers - have systematically campaigned for the incumbent president. This is also contrary to the electoral code of the Republic of Armenia. 2. Election-day violations It has been registered by the proxies of the opposition candidates that some of the widespread mechanisms of vote manipulation and falsification process include: ballot stuffing, inaccurate counting of the votes, misattribution of votes cast in favor of the opposition party to the incumbent president, lack of transparency of the counting, removal of the registered trustees of the opposition candidates from the monitoring of the counting process, intimidation and beating of the voters by local criminal groups and pressure by the heads of local police stations. These facts are also confirmed by the international observers. It has also become public knowledge, among other things, that the alleged number of the participated voters significantly exceeds the number of eligible voters in the Republic of Armenia. (see, for example, the February 24th “Lessons of Political Mathematics” by the Political Analyst of the independent local Armenian News Agency Noyan Tapan) 3. Post-election violations In the wake of the observed election-day violations, significant numbers of voters--by some accounts in excess of 100,000 people - have participated in a number of peaceful rallies and demonstrations in Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia, to exercise their most basic Human Right of free speech, as well as to express their indignation with the vote manipulation that they had observed on Election Day. These rallies and demonstrations have been conducted in an orderly manner without any incident or violence. However, according to preliminary information, about 200 participants of the rally – most notably key figures of the opposition party’s electoral campaign - have been arrested and detained for a period of up to 15 days. The arrests are baseless and limit the means of the primary opposition candidate to effectively organize his run-off campaign. Additionally, on February 22nd, the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Armenia has declared the potential use of the Army. As the head of the Defense Ministry is also the head of the incumbent president’s Electoral Campaign, this declaration is clearly made to intimidate and psychologically suppress the free will of the voters on the day of run-off elections, March 5th, 2003. Yet, this list is far from complete, and reports of violations are emerging on a daily basis. The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia is currently paralyzed. The Republic of Armenia is a striving democracy. More importantly, the Republic is the only device which can preserve, enhance and advance the Armenian Nation. Additionally, Armenia is one of the functional anchors for regional stability as well as free-market economy in the entire Caucasian and Middle East regions. She has an important stabilizing role to play there - especially in such volatile times. Moreover, the people of the Republic of Armenia deserve democracy and an atmosphere of respect for Human Rights and Human Dignity. Furthermore, their active participation in the February 19 elections, as well as their civilized manner of expressing their indignation against the blatant election-day violations attest to the fact that they are also ripe for democracy. The Republic of Armenia has been a recipient of significant financial and other US and European aid, World Bank and IMF loans. With the current situation, we should recognize that the economic future of Armenia and her overall investment climate has never been so bleak and the outlook so grim. All of us who are concerned about the future of the Republic of Armenia, those of us who have aspirations for her future, those of us who care about Democracy, Human Rights and Human Dignity everywhere, should not and cannot be indifferent to the plight of the citizens of the Republic, who are in a struggle to uphold and restore their violated civil rights and dignity. While not having any preferences towards any of the candidates, and recognizing that the fair and proper election of the Presidency of Armenia is the prerogative of the Armenian Electorate, we urge all Armenians, all friends of Armenia and all champions of Democracy to raise their voice in defense of the free and fair Electoral Right of the Electors of the Republic of Armenia. Therefore, • I urge all Human Rights organizations to stand up for the unalienable rights of the Armenian Electorate. • I urge the Governments of the Free World to give proper assessment to the ramifications of falsified elections on the whole region, and the consequences of silence or implied assent. • I urge the Armenian Diaspora to recognize that its stance towards the most serious political process in Armenia since her Declaration of Independence is a test of the relevance of the Diaspora for the future of Armenian Nation, and to act accordingly. • I urge the people of Armenia and all who share this feeling, to claim ownership of their homeland and to stand firm against these unfortunate and unprecedented violations, to stand up against the stripping of their basic Human Rights and Dignity, and to uphold the rights which are clearly granted to them by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia. • I urge the Law Enforcement agencies and the Judicial Branch of Power of the Republic of Armenia to release from detention all the activists of opposition. They should remember that the Republic of Armenia was born in similar peaceful rallies and demonstrations of protest, and these are among the best traditions of the expression of Free Will by the Armenian Nation. Detentions of and reprisals against demonstrators are contrary to the very foundations of the Republic. • I urge Mr. Kocharyan, the President of the Republic of Armenia, to resign from his post. Regardless of the development of the events in Armenia in the nearest future, regardless of the outcome of the run-off elections if in fact they are held, Mr. Kocharyan cannot and should not continue to lead Armenia. His credibility as the guarantor of the Constitution of Armenia, as the guarantor of the political and economic stability of Armenia, as the guarantor of the positive outlook for the future of Armenia, has been absolutely and irreversibly destroyed. • In the spirit of the traditions established by the founders of the Republican Party, I urge the Republican Party of Armenia - especially the Prime Minister of the Republic, Mr. Andranik Margaryan, to undertake one more time the role of the guarantors of a stable political transition in the tense political atmosphere of Armenia. I urge them to exercise their influence to expedite the resignation of the current President. I urge the Prime Minister to assume the interim leadership of the country, and to take on the responsibility for organizing new, free and fair elections in Armenia in a timely manner. It is time to recognize the newly emerged realities and to properly assess their ramifications. It is time to speak up for Human Rights, Human Dignity and Democracy in the Republic of Armenia. The delay to raise our voice is pregnant with the reality of elimination of any opposition in Armenia – both politically and physically. On behalf of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Armenia, M. J. Founding Member of the Republican Party of Armenia 26-28 February, 2003 New York, NY

So that to consider replying to you or disagreeing with you to belong to the category of decency, I have to at least take a brat like you a little bit serious. As far as the deleting of materials that I have posted here are concerned, I don't delete things per your request.

quote:Originally posted by MosJan:Martin Arachin@ du - yerkrord@ Sadoyan@ - yerord@ Sarksyan@ ( iys mek@ voch miyayn Kaskatseli iyl nayev Molorvats e) yev mi xumb - minj Qocharyanakan Haytni Bussnesmaner! vor gortsaraner@ ktor ktor parskastan tsaxetsin - lav eli du sranst hreshtaki ter es @endunum - srants mej bavakanin agresiv mardiq kan vro qocharyanits el vat en... Mj ari Qar@ peshitst tap tur Rubikin @entri prtsnenq, mnatsats bolor@ hamadziyn en. Im inchi vra es kaskadzum, MosJan? Erbavanits? "Mnatstats bolere" ovker en?

quote:Originally posted by MosJan: Opozitsyai mej shat kaskatseli demqer kan. Ov? Ham el mi meghk avel mi meghk bakas... Yes mievnuinn e drakht chem gnalu...

quote:Originally posted by MosJan: MJ meka Qocharyana linelu k@tesnes !!! You probably mean Kocharyan is going to declare that he has won? No question about it. However, how long do you think it will require for him to submit his resignation? quote:ok let's make a deal MJ jan No deal. This is only the beginning. "Baykar, Baykar Minchev Verch!"

Just Bizzare.

I think your assumptions are not important nor is your “vision.” Any outstanding issues with Groong would be resolved between Groong, Movses and me. The article posted above does not need comments. The issue of "wasted space" would be resolved between Movses and me. However, you are welcome to contribute in that issue by not wasting space. I am always flattered to receive “attention” form “serious” readers.

Review & Outlook - 03/03/2003 From: Armenian News Network Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 0:09:15 PST -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPPOSITION RALLIES CONTINUE UNABATED By David Petrosyan March 3, 2003 The events after the first round of the presidential elections in Armenia are developing impetuously, with each of the opposed sides playing their political game. As was expected, all opposition candidates (except Artashes Geghamian) and 13 political parties entering the "16" coalition set up last August rallied around Stepan Demirchian, who passed to the runoff. Consolidation of political, human, financial and other resources took place, which is manifested in the multi-thousand rallies in Yerevan. Changes in the tactics of conducting political campaign also become outlined. Taking into account the highly limited term assigned for the whole campaign the opposition brings its actions to the following: - it demands acknowledgment of mass falsifications committed in the first round of voting and punishment of those guilty, revision of the results of the first round and satisfaction of the opposition complaints lodged with the Central Electoral Commission. Naturally, a question arises: how far are the claims of Demirchian and his supporters motivated? The answer to this question was given by one of the OSCE observers in a private conversation with one of my colleagues. The foreign diplomat thinks that the number of violations is extremely high. In his opinion, they constitute at least 30% of the total number of votes cast by voters for candidates, of which 10% during the voting process and 20% during the subsequent vote counting; - it demands creation of normal conditions for the holding of the second round of the presidential elections, which, on the whole, corresponds to the demand of the international community. These demands are brought to: resignation of a number of top officials who organized and patronized falsifications, discontinued political persecutions of the opposition, etc. All these demands were not accepted by the incumbent president, though they were submitted by Demirchian supporters in written form already on February 26. At the same time, President Kocharian and his team are re-grouping their ranks and changing their tactics. In particular: - the manager of the president's campaign headquarters, Defense Minister Serge Sargsian will be engaged only in issues of mobilizing the management of the "administrative resource" for the second round of the voting, and issues of agitation and ideology are completely entrusted to the leadership of ARF-Dashnaktsutiun. Thus, one can state that in the event of Robert Kocharian's retaining his presidential chair, the influence of Serge Sargsian in the future political system will be decreased to a certain degree, and the influence of ARF-Dashnaktsutiun, on the contrary, will increase; - the stake in the runoff will be made on: ARF-Dashnaktsutiun's support; local administrative structures; information terror against Demirchian and his supporters through fully controlled electronic mass media; forceful pressure on the part of law-enforcement bodies and criminal structures; mobile groupings controlled by a number of local oligarchs; mobile force groups of "Haghtanak"/"Victory" party reminiscent of groups of storm-troopers; - out of subtle political moves we'll single out the final winning-over of the presidential candidate Artashes Geghamian, who refused to support both Stepan Demirchian and Robert Kocharian in the second round, demanding that the elections be invalidated. Without disputing Geghamian's position in its form, we'll mention that in essence it fairly suits the incumbent president. We are sure that in the near future, in the event of his re-election, Robert Kocharian will "reward" Artashes Geghamian. We'll have to be patient to see what concrete form the political materialization of this process takes. We do not exclude either that the February 22 meeting of Artashes Geghamian and ARF-Dashnaktsutiun Bureau member Vahan Hovhannissian was only one of the external manifestations of the political deal yet to be clinched. We mentioned the possibility of such a drift of events with Geghamian's participation in our articles published as far back as last September. We think that in the current situation, when the conditions of holding free, fair, democratic and transparent elections have failed to improve and, on the contrary, have become worse by far as compared to the first round, the opposition may urge its supporters to boycott the second round of the elections. There are ample reasons for this, and these reasons will be taken with understanding both by voters and the international community. Let's single out only some of them: - the refusal of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) to satisfy the complaint of the opposition and the absolutely astounding statement by Kocharian that he was against unsealing packages with ballot papers at polling precincts for their verification at the urging of the opposition as in that case it could prove that the runoff would not be needed are the evidence that in reality the electoral process in the country is administered not by the CEC, but by one of the candidates (namely, the incumbent president). Even the leaders of countries with totalitarian regimes try to avoid such frank statements; - mass arrests on obviously trumped-up charges of functionaries of the People's Party (headquarters managers, proxies, and others) and other Demirchian supporters who actively resisted mass riggings during the first round considerably decrease the possibilities of the opposition to control the course of the vote in the runoff. There is also another aspect regarding mass arrests of Demirchian supporters, which shocks the international community - all trials of people charged with administrative violations were conducted without defense lawyers; - the statement of the Board of the RA Ministry of Defense of February 22 in which the actions of the opposition are characterized as disturbance of the internal political balance in the state and in which an appeal to the opponents of the incumbent president to stop "... anti-constitutional and non-conformist actions" is voiced, can be characterized as anti-constitutional and contradicting to the Law "On Defense". It is not incumbent on Armenia's armed forces to perform the function of establishing constitutional order, they are not the guarantor of the Constitution (whose guarantor is the President) and do not have the right to meddle in the internal political processes (unlike, for example, in Turkey). The above-mentioned statement is the proof of the direct interference of the army in the internal political process, which runs counter to a number of articles of the Electoral Code; - the arson of the Demirchian campaign headquarters on February 26-27 overnight is an action of unconcealed terror against the opponents of the incumbent president and very precisely reflects the situation emerging in the country; - the bans on holding rallies and marches of protest, limitation of movement of citizens all over the country (the blocking of transport communications at the approaches to Yerevan on the days of opposition rallies by police is implied) are violation not only of the Constitution, but also of a number of provisions of the international conventions ratified by the Parliament and signed by the president of Armenia, including during the country's joining the Council of Europe. In case of the opposition's boycotting the elections, the very procedure of elections will become a mere formality and, naturally, Robert Kocharian will be proclaimed the country's president. It is another thing that the level of his legitimacy will be extremely low, as the whole world has already fixed that after the February 19 elections the incumbent president does not have the support of 50% of the real electorate. This very circumstance will be taken into account by all the countries of the world, business circles and the Diaspora in determining their policies towards Armenia and its leadership. If the opposition participates in the second round, which is unlikely to be different from the first round under the circumstances, then there is a high likelihood that the elections may be recognized as falling short of the OSCE standards with all the ensuing consequences. "The Noyan Tapan Highlights" N8, March, 2003

Raffi, One comment that I would like to make w.r.t. your material above is that Turks have established a process of free and fair election in Turkey. Apparently, we are in the same category with Azerbaijan, as the demonstrated by the events of the latest period.

Alpha, Much like you, I also shared (with limited enthusiasm, though) the short-lived optimism in 96 (though not in 98). However, not because I thought the end of corruption had arrived to Armenian – I am too well familiar with the playing field there. One of the greatest misrepresentations of the time was that Der-Bedrosian’s clan (by the way Der-Bedrosyan was the most positive representative of that clan) was replaced. In fact, one wing of Der-Bedrosyans’ clan was replaced by another wing of his clan – only this time, the less educated and the more merciless. When we speak of Der-Bedrosyan’s clan, I think this is where we have to start from. Otherwise, the separation of Kocharayan from Der-Bedrosyan is ridiculous. Kocharyan is Der-Bedrosyan most loyal pupil. I can well recognize some of the names who you call revanchists. Those, who I believe you call such, are on this side of the fence only for one reason – they hold Kocharyan responsible for the assasination of their leader – Vazgen Sarkisyan, who is considered to be an Armenian hero (he has never been my hero, btw.) You particularly mention Aram Sarkisyan’s and Albert Bezeyan’s names. Both are leaders of the once Yergrabah Union. I have never appreciated military units turned into political organizations. In 1996, together with Vazgen Sarkisyan, they stole the Republican Party from the genuine Republicans due to the late Republican leader’s poor health. None of those who have established the Republican Party with Ashot Navasardyan, are active with the party or alive, anymore. Those who are alive have the bitter feeling that the genuine and once crystal clean organization has been hijacked. The Republican Party, which was established in 1990 had its core the so-called “angakhagans.” Much of the first part of your arguments is accurate, except the one associated with Vazgen Manukyan. He is also a representative of the same clan mentioned above. One still can argue whether it has to be called "Der-Bedrosyan clan" or "Vazgen Manukyan" clan. But this is off the topic. This is why Manukyan is unable to gurner adequate support in any elections. About Demirchyan… As I have mentioned before, he is the only person on the field that I don’t know, personally. From those who I know well and trust, I hear only positive things about him. All the negative things about him, including those in your material above, can be qualified as “guilt by association.” I haven’t heard anyone yet to provide one serious argument against him or the people who he represents. Some say, “he has no program.” From what I have heard and seen, he has a solid program, and he has sufficiently well articulated it. What I hear, however, he is at unease with the microphone and lacks oratorical qualities. The gift of public speech is not given to everyone, however many can learn it. He will do so, I think. However, as one can notice, Kocharyan still has not learned it. He still needs to “shoghuli berel,” in his own words, his language, and has to learn to distinguish the official Armenian language from the street language in Karabagh peripheries . Obviously, currently Albert Bezeyan and Aram Sarkisyan are liabilities for Demirchyan, and this appears to be his guilt. In this regard, few observations have to be made: 1. Aram Sarkisyan was a presidential candidate on his own, and he dropped out of the race at the 11th hour. Then he threw his support behind Demirchyan, who had already emerged as the most formidable opposition candidate; 2. If, whether one likes or not, Albert Bezeyan and Aram Sarkisyan had not thrown their support behind Demirchian, then Demirchian and his supporters would have been literally and ohysically bitten by the Kocharyan clan members like the most helpless dorks in a high school. Demirchian’s support base, the Peoples’ Party, has no capacity to fight against the Kocharyan clan on the street – they don’t have the training of 1988-1991, nor do they have the history of military activities, or the straggle against the Soviet regime, as some others do. I am convinced that this is why Kocharyan clan is most furious against the Yergrabahs … plus, the clear understanding that some in their clan are going to be held responsible for the assassination of Vazgen Sarkisyan; 3. One of the supporting organizations of Demirchayan has become SIM, i e. the Constitution Right Union, under the leadership of Hrant Khachatryan and Haik Babukhanian. Of all early political forces of Armenia, this organization is the only one which has preserved its original purity and its principal stance on the issues. They are the true heroes of today’s resistance. Note that it is Haik Babukhanian, who symbolizes the current resistance against the criminal clan of Kocharyan, since he did not get intimidated while being attacked by the mob representing Kocharyan during the campaign, and with his supporters stood firm even when being stubbed by the mob. Haik demonstrated that the people can stand up and not to be afraid of the bandits. Untill than, the ordinary people where scared of the mob all over Armenia. Like it or not, the second such person, at the cost of repeating myself, was Aram Sarkisyan. If not these two guys and the people behind them, the resistance would have been dead now – psychologically, morally and, perhaps, physically, and Kocharyan would have safely eliminated Demirchyan and his supporters. Now, again, from everything that is apparent, Demirchyan and his base do not have the negative legacy of the past. At least I haven’t seen anyone to make such allegation. This is a very positive thing in Armenia in our days. We can only make guesses as what will happen when or if he comes to power. I don’t know. It is going to be a very difficult process. As I have mentioned once (in this forum), Armenia is going through a severe “post-Vietnam” syndrome. It takes time to get rid of it. Obviously, it requires also determination, and emergence of new people. It is time for new people to take over the process in Armenia. Apparently, Demirchyan's base consists, largely, from new people. Moreover, one thing is apparent. Demicrchyan is the chosen candidate of the overwhelming majority of the Armenian Electorate. Will he manage to bring together a good administration, under the relevant circumstances? I would like to hope so, and I would want to thing that he would be under tremendous pressure from all healthy sides to do so. In any case, it is not my place to campaign for him, so I would like to end my speech, here. [ March 02, 2003, 12:35 AM: Message edited by: MJ ]

quote:Originally posted by Sasun: For those who might be confused about this demonstration, it does not have a purpose of antagonizing or insulting the personnel of the Mission. These people are honorable and intelligent people, they just happen to represent crooks and bandits terrorizing Armenia. The demonstration in front of the Mission is a way of expressing solidarity with our compatriots who are holding high the torch of freedom in Armenia, and is our way of having the Mission representatives to deliver our message to the government of Armenia. It is the only mean we have at our disposal at this time, given the lack of time till March the 5th. Demonstration will be our first step. We will continue our pressure on the current government of Armenia until the usurpators resign.

Government Based on Lies On February 26, the first Commander of the Karabagh Army Arkadi Karapetian also was participating in the rally in front of the Matenadaran. Q: Aren't you afraid of being arrested for taking part in the rally? A: I am used to it, and I'm with my people. Why should I be afraid? Q: But they say this is a crowd of alcoholics and drug addicts, don't they? A: You don't believe what they say. I love and respect my people very much. We are an intelligent nation. Our people will reach their final goal, which is the truth, in their own manner. They do not have to come here and protest. I believe in our people. I saw them in 1988, 1990 and 1992, in 1996 and 1998 and I see them now. They did everything in the right manner at the right moment. Our people do not accept drug addicts and there are no such people here. Q: Our candidate is accused of not having served in the army. What do you think about it? A: To tell the truth I would like him to have served in the army. But it is very good that the candidate chosen by the people understands what the people, the state and statehood mean. Let us not forget that during Soviet times the students of the Yerevan Engineering Institute were not serving in the army. There was a military chair in the institute and it was enough. Thus it is not really a fault of his. Q: How will this quest end? A: Let everybody not forget that we struggled against the USSR in 1988 and won. It collapsed, because it was based on lies. Today everything is based on lies in our country, and the people are struggling against this. I am a realist and I have to note that most people voted not just for Stepan Demirchian but against Robert Kocharian. They are tired of this regime. And if thieves, alcoholics and homeless people came to this meeting, and if there were thousands of them, we would have to stop everything and leave this country. Melania Barseghian ORRAN Daily" Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 17:04:13 -0800 (PST) From Groong

ARF WRITING ONE OF BLACKEST CHAPTERS OF ITS HISTORY NOW: HAIK BABUKHANIAN MARCH 1. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), which is supporting Robert Kocharian, is writing one of the blackest chapters of its history now, the Vice-chairman of the Constitutional Right Union (CRU), Parliament member Haik Babukhanian told a press conference. Commenting on the harsh statements addressed to the CRU by the ARF Board member Vahan Hovhannissian, Babukhanian called them "showing fists after the fight, as the other ARF member Kim Balayan ingloriously lost the TV debate with the CRU member Hrant Khachatrian. "We supported the ARF when the ANM started persecuting them in mid-90s, but today the ARF rank-and-file members feel ashamed for their leaders,"Babukhanian said, pointing out that a political party having a century-old history must not form its policy only because its members have posts, markets and shops. Commenting on the accusations of cooperation with the Armenian National Movement (ANM) brought against Stepan Demirchian, Babukhanian stressed that such accusations can be brought by the one that struggle against the ANM. Robert Kocharian has made his political career exclusively due to the ANM, and it is he that failed the condemnation of the former ruling party for its crimes, and both the Government and the President entourage include numerous ANM members, so the accusations brought against Stepan Demirchian are just absurd, Babukhanian said. From Groong

Thanks, Azat. I don't think that there will be a huge turnaround, however. It is on Monday, it is going to be a cold day, and I have come up with the idea at noon on Friday. It was a short notice for gathering people. However, the quantity is not going to do much, here. If let's assume we get 100,000 vs. 100 people, what is it going to change? We will be able to deliver our message and break the silence. I hope we will start the chain reaction. ARF is not going to do it for obvious reasons, Ramgavars are in hiding so that not to be labeled as “interfering in Armenia’s internal affairs,” Assembly is trying to maneuver its way out, and so on. Someone has to do it. As I have mentioned before, I have not participated in the Armenian political life for more than 12 years, now, and have not made any statements. The only reason I am coming forward now is my deep conviction that this is the deepest crisis in Armenia since the Declaration of Independence. In the Soviet times, my friends and me have been subjected to police, KGB and other harassment and persecution (more my friends than me). However, I have never witnessed such an unprecedented and outright terror. KGB and the Soviet Police had rules in our times. What the people in Armenia are facing now is an outright mob, which has taken over the state structures. They are much more outrageous. I have also witnessed and am informed about rigged votes and stolen elections in Armenia in Soviet and post-Soviet periods. What we witness now far exceeds in its scale and handwriting anything that I am aware of. Also, I can guarantee you that if the election is won by Kocharyan after all that has evolved so far, the Armenian economy is going to go sharply down, with absolutely zero perspective for any investments and any growth. Finally, to clarify certain things, I need to report to you that I have no interest in speaking in favor of one candidate vs. another. I don't care who gets elected in fair elections - it is up to the Electorate of Armenia. However, I do deeply care about free and fair elections in Armenia, since its alternative is misery for my nation. After all, every nation gets the leadership she deserves. However, the Armenian nation does not deserve Kocharyan, nor Serjik, nor Shvo, Gvo, Schmise, Muk - you name it. I think we can do better than that.

Azat, I don’t think you are quite accurate. I recall talking about the no-fly zone. But I have not changed my mind that I can think of. I do think that the sanction are wrong. As the history shows, they have never yielded results – be it with Cuba, be it with Iran, or be it with the same Iraq. They even help to consolidate the power of the dictators, who become more successful in diverting the attention from internal enemies to external enemies. Meanwhile, the ordinary people suffer immensely. Other than this, I don’t recall what you are referring to. However, I can admit that after 9/11, I have experienced hardening of my position. BUt it is a relative issue. Hope it explains.

Am I supposed to respond to you?

AUTHORITIES RELEASE SOME OPPOSITIONISTS AMID FRESH PROTESTS By Emil Danielyan The Armenian authorities began on Saturday releasing dozens of jailed supporters of presidential candidate Stepan Demirchian amid continuing opposition rallies and international criticism. The Justice Ministry told RFE/RL that 48 persons sentenced to up to 15 days in jail by courts of first instance were set free by late evening after an appeal to the authorities made by the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II. More than 10,000 people, meanwhile, demonstrated outside the ministry building in central Yerevan to demand the release of all detainees. The unsanctioned march through the city center followed yet another anti-government rally held by 13 opposition parties supporting Demirchian’s bid for the Armenian presidency. Addressing the crowd, Demirchian demanded an end to “political persecutions” of his proxies and punishment for “fraudsters” which he claims robbed him of victory in last week’s first round of the presidential election. He accused incumbent President Robert Kocharian of seeking the backing of unnamed “thugs” ahead of the March 5 run-off. More than 150 people, most of them affiliated with Demirchian’s People’s Party of Armenia (HZhK), have been detained over the past week for allegedly committing unspecified “hooligan acts” during the anti-Kocharian demonstrations in Yerevan. At least 86 detainees got short jail sentences in trials held behind the closed doors. The others were fined and set free. The arrests have been denounced by local and international human rights groups as well as the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The OSCE’s current chairman-in-office, Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said bluntly in a statement on Friday that the oppositionists were jailed “because of their involvement in non-violent campaign activities” and urged official Yerevan to honor its OSCE commitments. The New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch issued harsher criticism, accusing Kocharian of “disabling” the opposition ahead of the run-off. The Justice Ministry spokesman, Ara Saghatelian, insisted that the Armenian Review Court began ordering the release of the opposition activists primarily in response to Catholicos Garegin’s call for clemency on “humanitarian grounds.” He also claimed all of the released activists admitted their guilt in written statements. Speaking at the rally earlier in the day, opposition leaders put the number of their freed supporters at less than 20. Albert Bazeyan of the Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party called them “heroes.” The authorities, however, say many of them have a prior criminal record and have published some of their names and pictures in the pro-Kocharian media in recent days. But according to the opposition leaders, none of those men has any connection with the Demirchian campaign. In an interview with RFE/RL, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian admitted that the mounting criticism damages the country’s democratic credentials and said the authorities should stop the crackdown. Demirchian, meanwhile, again sounded supremely confident of his victory. “I was asked today whether we are doomed to go into the second round. I am replying that I am doomed to win,” he declared, prompting “Demirchian! Demirchian!” chants. “I want to warn for the last time all those who intend to resort to fraud and violence. You would be strictly punished,” he added. His top allies shared his optimism. “Robert Kocharian’s days in office are numbered,” claimed Shavarsh Kocharian of the opposition National Democratic Party. “We have already won,” agreed another Hanrapetutyun leader, Aram Sarkisian. “The whole civilized world has already accepted that victory.” Kocharian and his loyalists are equally confident that they will win. The gathering, held in front of a famous museum of ancient Armenian manuscripts, went ahead despite a permission granted by the city authorities to the pro-Kocharian Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) party to rally its supporters in the same venue at about the same time. But Dashnaktsutyun called off its planned action in an apparent bid to avoid an unpredictable confrontation with opposition supporters. Bazeyan claimed though that the nationalist party was not sure that it will pull a large crowd. “Let them come tomorrow and hold their rally. We’ll see how many people will gather,” he said. Tens of thousands of people have attended the Demirchian rallies in the capital over the past two weeks. Earlier on Saturday, the HZhK leader campaigned in the northern city of Vanadzor. Correspondents accompanying him said several thousand people turned out for his rally there. http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor...11D953DE7BB.ASP HAYK BABUKHANYAN THINKS KOCHARYAN DOOMED TO DEFEAT Current situation in the republic poses a threat to the opposition activists’ lives, MP Hayk Babukhanyan, deputy chair of “Constitutional Right” union, said today speaking in Azdak Club adding that even mass arrests don’t frighten them but fill them with determination instead. In his words, the union possesses tremendous evidence of election illegalities and fraud. Babukhanyan condemned the Defence Ministry statement saying it is unacceptable to involve armed forces into home policy. He also blamed state-run Public Television for its failure in fulfilling its functions. The lawmaker expressed his negative judgement about Dashnaktsutyun party’s stance saying it won’t help the party to win public respect. Babukhanyan urged Robert Kocharyan to resign and stand for election merely as a presidential candidate. In his opinion, Kocharyan will lose the election even if his voters come for voting in tanks. http://www.a1plus.am/eng/