We have published information in today’s issue of Aravot, according to which representatives of the US Department of State had a rather unpleasant conversation with representatives of the US ARF Hay Dat (Armenian Cause) committee. According to our source, the Americans gave the ARF members to understand that the activities of the ARF organization in Armenia were unacceptable for them. The Americans have serious doubts that a part of the ARF establishment wants Kocharyan to return to politics that will be an unwanted development for them. They threatened the representatives of the Hay Dat committee that if ARF continued to pursue pro-Kocharyan policy, they will not turn a blind eye to “many of their famous facts.” Vahan Hovhannisyan, a member of the ARF Bureau, reflecting on the information, at the request of Aravot.am, said, “I think that you don’t have such a source. It is a fake. Comment on the information of your imaginary source yourself. I think you guess that if such a meeting had taken place, we would have known about that not from your newspaper, but from our friends, with whom as if the Department of State has met. Furthermore, the Department of State has never, ever done such things in its history and doesn’t act, as your newspaper describes. And thirdly and most importantly, it is just nonsense, because ARF does everything possible for its victory in the election, for its parliamentary and presidential victories, and has no project of making anyone president or bringing anyone back to politics and doesn’t take any such steps. If your newspaper doesn’t know that, then it is well-known by the Department of State.” As for the threats of the Department of State to beware of revelations, Mr. Hovhannisyan responded, “What the Department of State knows about us is rather explicitly expressed on WikiLeaks. What in our words was implemented is expressed so well and accurately that we think of publishing the information of the Department of State in a booklet.”
We inquired whether it could be implied from the last observation that ARF would put forward its own candidate for president in 2012. Mr. Hovhannisyan didn’t wish “to deviate from the topic.”
Nelly GRIGORYAN
