YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–At a roundtable discussion on the political situation in Armenia–prominent intellectuals agreed that dialogue is the only means to resolve the existing conflict between the authorities and the opposition. In saying so–they were quick to note that the opposition–and some of the public–would misconstrue their appeal as siding with the president and the authorities. They even speculated that certain representatives of the Armenian press would–in fact–spin the story in that direction the next day.
As a group–they conveyed that intellectuals refuse to surrender to any political force or decision; however–stressing the possible threat to the Armenian nation–and its already achieved successes–as small as they may be–they stood firm in calling for dialogue to avoid impending conflicts.
Organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF) Supreme Body of Armenia–the Thursday roundtable attracted prominent intellectuals–including the chairman of the Armenian Writers Union Levon Ananian–who warned that the deepening standoff has placed Armenia "on the brink of an abyss," and called for a compromise deal between Kocharian and the opposition.
ARF Supreme Body representative Armen Rustamian noted that in the life of each nation–and peoples–similar conflicts exist.
"We must avoid those developmen’s that take conflict resolution outside of the political arena," said Rustamyan–noting that the current political discord in Armenia has reached a stalemate–and both sides must moderate their views.
