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TERRY DEVIS CONCERNED

Politics

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Devis is concerned over the recent events in Armenia following the Presidential election of February 19, 2008. He is also concerned about freedom of expression and the right to rallies in the country.

He voices hope that the opposition will start a dialogue with the President for the sake of Armenia and Armenian people.

In reply to A1+'s question whether a dialogue is possible between the opposition and authorities if most oppositionists are under arrest, the CoE Secretary General said, “It is really concerning. But today we must find out the grounds for the arrests.” Terry Devis cannot say for sure whether there are any political prisoners in Armenia unless he gets acquainted with the details.

With regard to Azerbaijan's proposal to renounce the OCSE Minsk group format Mr. Devis said it might be resulted by a loss of patience. “We should be armed with patience,” he noted. He added that the Minsk group might be dissolved after the Karabakh conflict is settled.

As of Azerbaijan's militarist announcements the Secretary General said the resolution of the conflict should be reached at the table.

Karine Asatrian

Strasbourg