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WILL THE OSCE OBSERVERS BE INVITED?

October 25,2006 00:00

Though the authorities give positive answer to this question but the anxieties after referendum are unsettled.

The U.S. Ambassador to OSCE Julie Finley for not meeting with R. Kocharian during her visit to Armenia last week joked: “Perhaps he didn’t meet with me as he thought I had no admiration and was a bad company”. Then she added more seriously: «Perhaps he doesn\’t meet with me supposing I must teach him what and how to do.»

Julie Finley said during the same interview with the journalists that one of the Armenian officials noted during non-official conversation with her «maybe the authorities won\’t invite OSCE observers». And J. Finley called the journalists: «You must make pressure on you government to send the invitation just after determining the day of elections.”

Mrs. Finley expressed the same anxiety during her conversations with the Armenian officials. In particularly, she considered necessary 90-day presence of the OSCE monitoring mission, insisting that the presence of observers before the elections is as important as it is during the elections.

Vladimir Pryakhin, the head of OSCE Yerevan office has noted during his meeting with the NA chairman that the OSCE is ready to send a monitoring mission in case of receiving the invitation from the Armenian authorities in time. He has also asked Tigran Torosian to send invitations till the end of the year for the monitoring mission of international organizations for the coming parliamentary elections.

V. Pryakhin said to «Aravot» yesterday: «I\’m sure, there will be invitations. Only a technical question worries us. It is better to send the invitation beforehand, as there is no time. As sooner we get those invitations as it is better.”

NA chairman Tigran Torosian said to «Aravot»; «There is matter to worry. But as the day of elections isn\’t decided yet, it is meaningless to send invitations». Vahan Hovhannisian, the NA vice chairman, the head of Armenian delegation in the OSCE PA noted during the interview with us: «My personal opinion is that we must provide free, open doors for every observer. I don\’t see any problem here.»

It seems the problem is expired. But the anxieties aren\’t relieved when we remember the debates before constitutional referendum last year. Elsy Hastings, the chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly told «Azatutiun» b/s two weeks before the referendum that they had discussed with the Armenian officials of high rank the question of inviting OSCE monitoring group to follow duration of constitutional referendum. V. Hovhanisian replied to that incident /not inviting the observers/ in the following way: «Referendum is another thing. OSCE had no experience to monitor referendums. They have never sent observers for referendum. Why must Armenia become the first? Elections are another question.” V. Pryakhin said on this occasion: “That\’s right, the OSCE was ready to send observers to monitor the referendum. But the Armenian party didn\’t consider it important. They had right as it is said in the Copenhagen document that the parties are obliged to invite observers for parliamentary and presidential elections. Referendums aren\’t mentioned there.”

We also tried to find out which state body will invite the monitoring group. Tigran Torosian answered; «Our country has sent invitations for several elections, there was no problem. I think we\’ll invite by the same mechanism this year.” CEC press secretary Tsovinar Khachatrian informed us that they don\’t send invitations: «The RA government, National Assembly and Foreign Ministry have the right to send invitations».

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