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Tuesday, 20 April 2004
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WARNS THAT POLICE WILL MAINTAIN ORDER
By empty (4/20/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)
In an interview for publication in \"Izvestiya\" circulated by his press service, President Robert Kocharian characterized the wave of opposition demonstrations that began earlier this month as \"a temporary phenomenon\" based on the mistaken perception that the so-called Rose Revolution that toppled Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze last November can be repeated in Armenia, RFE/RL\'s Armenian Service reported. Kocharian warned that while the opposition has the right to stage sit-ins and rallies, police will intervene to restore order if future opposition protests block highways or interfere with the work of state institutions. At the same time, Kocharian vowed that the government will \"work more energetically\" to reduce poverty, eradicate corruption, and improve the economic situation.
In an interview for publication in \"Izvestiya\" circulated by his press service, President Robert Kocharian characterized the wave of opposition demonstrations that began earlier this month as \"a temporary phenomenon\" based on the mistaken perception that the so-called Rose Revolution that toppled Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze last November can be repeated in Armenia, RFE/RL\'s Armenian Service reported. Kocharian warned that while the opposition has the right to stage sit-ins and rallies, police will intervene to restore order if future opposition protests block highways or interfere with the work of state institutions. At the same time, Kocharian vowed that the government will \"work more energetically\" to reduce poverty, eradicate corruption, and improve the economic situation. (RFE/RL)