From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Fri Jun 14 2002 - 09:51:37 EDT
Armenian Speaker says parliament standoff was deliberate "political action"
Armenian parliament Speaker Armen Khachatryan has said that the opposition
deputies who blocked the parliament's rostrum for several days recently
were not interested in the truth but in staging a deliberate political
action. Speaking to the pro-government daily Ayastani Anrapetutyun,
Khachatryan described such behaviour as unacceptable. He said that he could
not have afforded to lose his temper at such a crucial moment. The
following is the text of Irina Gulinyan report by Armenian newspaper
Ayastani Anrapetutyun on 13 June entitled "Their aim was not the truth, but
a political action":
Interview with National Assembly Chairman Armen Khachatryan
[Ayastani Anrapetutyun correspondent] Mr Khachatryan, was such a development
of the events in the National Assembly expected?
[Armen Khachatryan] Various developments can be expected in the National
Assembly, but only if we remember that it is a state body and that all
developments should be in the framework of law. If there are disagreements,
which is natural, their regulation must take place only on a legal basis.
[Correspondent] What is the view on the regulation of disagreements on the
president's impeachment?
[Khachatryan] If the settlement of a problem does not satisfy the deputies,
if they think that the law was interpreted wrongly, they can appeal to the
Constitutional Court. In this case the problem is that the said draft was
not included on the agenda of the session, but this is a problem of a legal
nature and does not depend on the wishes of the National Assembly chairman
or his political sympathies. As you can see, the majority of deputies agree
with me that this draft does not have a legal basis. The National Assembly
ordered the Temporary Commission to research one problem, i.e. the
possibility for the terrorists of the 27 October case [Armenian parliament
shooting in 1999] to remain in solitary confinement. They were not given
the task to investigate the activity of the national security structures
before 27 October. Today they say one thing, but make conclusions on quite
another, and make a draft on the basis of that. The problem of including
the draft on the agenda was legal, and I adhered to the letter of the law.
[Correspondent] Those who were boycotting the session were asked to collect
signatures and apply to the Constitutional Court for the settlement of the
problem. Why was that ignored?
[Khachatryan] I think that their aim was not to find out the truth but to
carry out a political action, which is unacceptable in the work of the
National Assembly.
[Correspondent] Nevertheless, it is a fact that the action was carried out
and you did not seem to have had much of a choice of options to avert or
stop it.
[Khachatryan] The problem should be settled on a legal basis, not by force.
But there are no levers for the National Assembly chairman to apply in such
a case. The National Assembly can warn them, deprive them of the right to
speak during one sitting, suspend a sitting for half an hour, but there is
no mechanism to make them leave the central rostrum. A deputy does not have
the right to occupy the National Assembly rostrum, but this is not noted in
a special point in the law.
[Correspondent] Did you try to negotiate with those who boycotted the
session outside the parliament hall, in order to resolve the situation?
[Khachatryan] I told them several times that this was not a form of struggle
or a means to express one's views. If they think there was a violation,
they can appeal to the relevant instance - the Constitutional Court. I am
certain that a correct judicial solution was given on the draft, but if
they want they can appeal to the court, which is considered to be a normal
process.
[Correspondent] President Robert Kocharyan said with regards to the
situation in the National Assembly that if need be he would intervene to
solve the problem. Does he have such a right by law?
[Khachatryan] According to the 45 clause of the Constitution, the president
is the guarantor of the normal functioning of the state structures of the
country, and if this normal functioning is disrupted, the president is
obliged to take measures. In this case there was no need for the
president's intervention, we were able to settle the problem ourselves.
[Correspondent] If we assume for a moment that this was not the last
three-day session of the National Assembly, where could such a development
of events have lead?
[Khachatryan] We would have held an extraordinary session, and I do not
think that such a situation could arise again.
[Correspondent] But what if it did nevertheless?
[Khachatryan] In that case it would be regulated on the basis of the
relevant laws, and parliament would continue its work.
[Correspondent] Deputy Akop Akopyan threw in his mandate in the National
Assembly hall. What will happen to that mandate?
[Khachatryan] He really threw in his deputy mandate, and he should first of
all be made answerable for his swearwords, and then think if he will take
back his deputy mandate or not.
[Correspondent] You held the session despite the rostrum being occupied.
[Khachatryan] I felt only one thing - that I am not only an individual here
and that I cannot make a temperamental outburst, that I have to keep my
cool. I seem calm, but this is not really so. If I do not carry out my
duties the already tense hall will become even more tense.
[Correspondent] Many times the deputies called on each other not to bring
the National Assembly into disrepute with their unbecoming behaviour. Do
you not see a conformity with natural laws here?
[Khachatryan] The elections are coming up, and it is natural that political
passions are running high, that is why they called on each other to behave
properly. One thing should not be forgotten - democracy and culture walk
side by side. Freedom of speech does not mean shouting out swearwords
freely, and freedom of action does not mean that action should be carried
out at the expense of someone else. There were cases in other countries,
such as Japan, Russia, Georgia, when there were arguments and punch-ups and
swearwords in parliament, but I do not remember when a rostrum was
occupied. By the way, the parliaments of some countries have a
parliamentary police subordinated to the chairman of parliament, and they
can eject any deputy from the parliament hall if the need arises.
Source: Ayastani Anrapetutyun, Yerevan, in Armenian 13 Jun 02 p1
BBC Mon TCU 130602 bk/ah
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