A special parliamentary commission investigating the bloody aftermath of
Armenia’s last presidential election has asked the National Assembly to extend
its mandate by two months to allow for a Western-backed change in the format of
the probe.

The commission dominated by pro-government lawmakers was formed earlier this
year as the Armenian authorities faced strong international pressure to allow an
independent investigation into the March 1 clashes in Yerevan between opposition
protesters and security forces. An opposition of the ad hoc body led the Council
of Europe and other international bodies to question its ability to paint an
objective picture of the post-election unrest that left ten people dead and more
than 100 others wounded.

The Armenian authorities recently accepted a Council of Europe proposal to set
up a smaller and more independent body tasked with collecting information that
would shed more light on the causes and circumstances of the worst street
violence in the country’s history. The parliamentary commission, which was
supposed to finish its work by the end of this month, would then assess those
facts in its final report.

Artyusha Shahbazian, a parliament deputy from the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation sitting on the commission, said on Monday that it expects the
National Assembly to give it at least two more months to accomplish its mission.
He said that fact-finding group needs that time to conduct an in-depth probe of
the unrest.

“The fact-finding group must be able to … have access to all the documents and
facts relating those events,” Shahbazian told reporters.

According to Shahbazian and other officials, the group will be set up by
President Serzh Sarkisian and will comprise two representatives of the governing
coalition, two representatives of the opposition as well as an expert from the
office of human rights ombudsman Armen Harutiunian.

The Armenian authorities say they have also asked foreign governments and
international organizers to name their representatives to the body. Shahbazian
said only the U.S. government has responded to the request so far.

Three American experts, who participated in an independent inquiry into the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, already visited
Yerevan last week to advise Armenian officials on how to conduct the fresh
probe. The U.S. embassy in Armenia made clear that they “will not directly
assist in any inquiry or investigation.”

By Karine Kalantarian