GEGHAMIAN PARTY FACES DISSENT AFTER BLASTING TER-PETROSIAN
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Nov 28 2007
At least three leaders of local chapters have resigned their membership
in Artashes Geghamian’s National Accord Party (AMK) after the latter’s
blistering attack on the former president during a party meeting
on Tuesday.
Gurgen Grigorian, who headed the party’s structure in the Yerevan
district of Erebuni, confirmed to RFE/RL the reports that appeared
in the Armenian press about frictions within the party following
Geghamian’s critical remarks about Levon Ter-Petrosian.
He further claimed that 3,500 members of the party in Erebuni were
ready to follow suit and join the opposition movement spearheaded
by Ter-Petrosian.
Grigorian also confirmed that at least two local party leaders,
namely in the northern towns of Gavar and Hrazdan, had also ended
their AMK leadership to join Ter-Petrosian’s movement.
"Enough is enough. I’m not a bird to swallow the bait. People now
realize that you [AMK] are really useless. And I don’t want to bear
the stamp of a betrayer," Grigorian told RFE/RL.
The AMK leadership fiercely attacked Ter-Petrosian on Tuesday as the
party officially nominated Geghamian as its presidential candidate.
Geghamian also significantly toned down his criticism of the Armenian
government. Risking more accusations of secret collaboration with the
authorities, Geghamian revealed that he has met with President Robert
Kocharian and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian recently to discuss the
upcoming election.
Grigorian charged that Geghamian is in fact "working for the
authorities to split the opposition" and said he no longer wanted to
participate in the "dirty games".
"All actions by Geghamian reveal him as an ‘oppositionist’ closely
connected with the authorities. He’s been doing everything to loosen
the opposition," Grigorian continued. "I have made sure that he wants
to improve his own well-being rather than change the system."
Grigorian also claims that Geghamian effectively refused to back
another opposition leader Stepan Demirchian, who faced a runoff with
Robert Kocharian in the 2003 presidential election, and warned them
not to participate in the opposition rallies then.
Geghamian brushed aside these accusations and downplayed the extent of
the frictions inside the party. He said they have 411 local chapters
and that no one except Gurgen Grigorian has so far informed them
about their plans to quit the party.
"If he decided to quit, so be it. I cannot miss the opportunity to
congratulate Levon Ter-Petrosian on getting such a ‘strong’ supporter,"
Geghamian said with irony.