PACE PRESIDENT APPEALS FOR CALM IN YEREVAN, CALLS FOR DIALOGUE
TREND News Agency
March 3 2008
Azerbaijan
( ) – "I appeal for calm in Yerevan, and I call on all
sides to do everything in their power to prevent further violence,"
said the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) Lluis Maria de Puig, reacting to events in the
Armenian capital.
"I deeply regret the deaths and injuries that have already occurred,
and repeat that the authorities must show the utmost restraint and
respect the principle of proportionality. The state of emergency
that has been declared is an extreme measure and should be lifted
as soon as possible: round-ups of peaceful demonstrators and gagging
the media is not the response of real democrats to differing views.
Whatever disagreements there are over the fairness of the election,
they should be worked out through the election appeals process and
the Constitutional Court and not through clashes on the streets.
Talking, not shooting, is the way forward. PACE stands ready to do
all it can to help achieve this, and is following events extremely
closely."