YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Discussions between the government and the Radical opposition cannot be organized in a haphazard manor where the two parties are informed of the initiative at the last moment, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Body Representative Armen Rustamian said on Wednesday.
Rustamian’s statemen’s were in reference to attempts by Opposition Heritage Party Leader Raffi Hovanissian’s attempts to mediate between failed presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian and the governing unity coalition.
Rustamian said that Hovanissian invited the members of the coalition to participate talks with Ter-Petrosian through a letter which was issued a day before the talks were to take place.
According to Rustamian, a mediator must first reach an agreement with all parties that they in fact are ready for discussions, not set up a meeting and then inform the parties of the fact.
Furthermore, Hovanissian cannot serve as a mediator between the government and opposition as he himself had taken sides with Ter-Petrosian during the elections, Rustamian explained.
According to Rustamian, Hovanissian’s motivation to mediate is difficult to understand. Nevertheless, he said it was a good sign to see Hovanissian participate in the working group set up to implement the suggestions of PACE Resolution 1609.
But he could have raised the issue of setting up talks during the group’s session, when all parties were present.
Rustamian explained that the working group is currently developing a document, which addresses all the issues pointed out by Hovhanissian’s letter calling for dialogue.
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