BOYCOTT OVER? OPPOSITION PARTICIPATES IN

UNCLAS YEREVAN 002786

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL AM
SUBJECT: BOYCOTT OVER? OPPOSITION PARTICIPATES IN
DEBATE ON IRAQ CONTINGENT


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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) Armenian parliamentary opposition members
participated in the December 24 National Assembly
debates over the dispatch of non-combat troops to Iraq,
ending their months-long boycott of the sessions of the
parliament. Opposition parties, however, were divided
on the decision: while the Justice Bloc strongly
opposed sending GOAM troops to Iraq, members of the
National Accord faction voted in favor. It is still
too early to say whether the opposition's boycott is
really completely over. One of the most vocal
opposition members, MP Viktor Dallakian, announced that
the opposition only participated in the session due to
the implications of the decision to dispatch troops to
Iraq for the country and the Armenian Diaspora and said
that the opposition would continue to boycott the
parliament. End Summary.

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OPPOSITION ENGAGES IN NA SESSION
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2. (SBU) The December 24 extraordinary session of the
National Assembly (NA) was unusually long and well
attended since the opposition had chosen to suspend
their months-long boycott of the parliamentary sessions
and engage in the debates over dispatching non-combat
Armenian troops to Iraq. Closed-door parliamentary
debates continued for more than seven hours, and the
vote was technically secret. Opposition parties,
however, split on the decision: members of the
National Accord (NA) parliamentary faction voted for
the dispatch, while MPs from the Justice bloc opposed
the decision.


3. (SBU) MPs from the Justice bloc promptly left the
session hall immediately after the vote. Opposition MP
Artashes Geghamian, along with six other deputies from
the National Accord faction, however, stayed for the
budget debates and even delivered an emotional speech
on possible return of Soviet-era savings' deposits to
the population. Opposition members stated several
times that their "second coming" to the National
Assembly was explained only by the utmost importance
for the country and the Armenian Diaspora of the
decision to dispatch a non-combat contingent to Iraq;
they said that they would continue to boycott the
parliament. Nevertheless, the word in Yerevan is that
this move may well indicate the final chapter of a
boycott that the opposition has been looking for a face-
saving way to end. We predict that the opposition will
engage -- at least part-time -- in the upcoming spring
legislative session as it considers electoral and
constitutional reform.
EVANS