GOAM MOVING TO RATIFY REVISED "ARTICLE 98"

UNCLAS YEREVAN 002493 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN ESIDEREAS, FOR T JCORBETT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PARM PGOV AM SUBJECT: GOAM MOVING TO RATIFY REVISED "ARTICLE 98" AGREEMENT "BY DECEMBER" ¶1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) Foreign Minister Oskanian's senior advisor told us November 17 that the GOAM is moving to ratify the revised "Article 98" agreement. The interagency review process is complete and the signed agreement is with President Kocharian, who is expected to forward the revised version to the Constitutional Court for consideration within the next two weeks. (Note: President Kocharian is currently on a four-day trip to Germany. End Note.) The MFA expects smooth sailing and anticipates that the National Assembly will ratify the agreement by mid-December, but certainly no later than the end of the year. EVANS