President Robert Kocharian and his leading allies were meeting late Monday to
discuss harsh criticism of their draft amendments to Armenia’s constitution
which has been voiced by a key Council of Europe body.



The so-called Venice Commission, which monitors legislative reform in the human
rights organization’s member states, expressed on Friday its “deep
dissatisfaction” with the latest version of those amendments. It warned that the
Armenian authorities should put more significant curbs on Kocharian’s sweeping
powers if they want to forge closer links with Europe.



“The members of the Venice Commission's Working Group on constitutional reform
in Armenia expressed their deep dissatisfaction with this text, as most of the
Commission's comments have not been taken into consideration,” the commission
said in a statement.



The statement quoted one of the members of the group, Kaarlo Tuori, as saying:
"The draft constitutional amendments need to be drastically revised before they
undergo the second reading."



The constitutional package was approved by the Armenian parliament, dominated by
Kocharian’s loyalists, in the first reading on May 11. It is a slightly revised
version of the draft amendments that were unveiled by Kocharian and his
three-party governing coalition last November.



In a report last December, Venice Commission experts said "more significant
amendments" are needed for putting in place an effective system of checks and
balances between the government branches in Armenia.



Their recommendations would in particular give more powers to the National
Assembly, seriously limit the president’s controversial authority to appoint and
sack virtually all judges and make the mayor of Yerevan an elected official. The
Armenian authorities have so far been reluctant to embrace such changes.



The Venice Commission warned that if their recommendations are not “fully”
accepted by the authorities “the whole constitutional reform process would fail
to bring Armenia closer to European values and attain the aim of further
European integration.”



The issue apparently topped the agenda Kocharian’s meeting on Monday with
leaders of the three parties represented in his government. One of them, deputy
parliament speaker Tigran Torosian, strongly criticized the Council of Europe
body. “While accepting their questioning, I think that their reaction is not
adequate,” he told RFE/RL before the meeting.



Torosian argued that Venice Commission experts should have reserved judgment on
the issue until after their visit to Yerevan which is scheduled to start on
Thursday. He said the parliament has yet to debate the amendments in the second
and final reading and could change them as a result.



Torosian, who has personally dealt with the Venice Commission, went on to accuse
the Council of Europe of trying to “equate” Armenia with Azerbaijan. “I am
certain that this statement can be used for political aims by other
organizations,” he said without elaborating.



Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian was far more cautious in his reaction to the
embarrassing criticism. “I think a lot has been that in that direction,” he told
reporters, referring to constitutional reform. “We are still not where the
Europeans would like us to be. That is why we have to work.”



Constitutional reform was one of the conditions for Armenia’s hard-won accession
to the Council of Europe in January 2001. In a resolution adopted last
September, the organization’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) gave Yerevan until
June to hold the repeatedly delayed constitutional referendum. Armenian
officials reportedly told PACE leaders in April that the vote will likely take
place in late July or early August.

By Ruzanna Khachatrian