ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR RESTRAINT AMID ELECTION DISPUTES

Xinhua

March 2 2008
China

MOSCOW, March 2 (Xinhua) — Armenian President Robert Kocharianon
Sunday called on citizens in the Caucasus state’s capital Yerevan
to show restraint and understanding at a time when clashes erupted
between police and opposition protesters.

"Shots were fired at police, and weapons and grenades…were used
(in the conflicts)," Kocharian told a press conference early on Sunday
after declaring a 20-day state of emergency in Yerevan, according to
reports reaching here.

Kocharian said eight police officers, including a regiment commander,
were seriously wounded in the clashes.

The latest reports cited police sources as saying that eight people
have been killed in the overnight conflict.

Opposition supporters have been rallying in Yerevan to protest the
outcome of the Feb. 19 presidential election, in which Prime Minister
Serzh Sargsyan won with 52.8 percent of the vote.

Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who got 21.5 percent of the
vote, claimed the vote was rigged and demanded a rerun of the election.

The Armenian government has moved more troops into the capital in
the hope of putting situations under control, Itar-Tass news agency
reported.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress