Yesterday President Robert Kocharyan held a meeting with the participation of the Heads of the National Security Service and the Police, the Prosecutor General, Heads of the Police and National Security Departments of the town of Yerevan and the marzes, as well as the Prosecutors of the marzes. Yesterday the President’s Press Service informed, “The pre-election process is entering an extremely responsible stage. Our objective is to hold legitimate elections and you, as well as the departments you lead, have a crucial role in the process. Understandably, the internal political situation becomes somewhat tense during the elections; candidates and parties hold large-scale events. All your activities should be in harmony with the situation, and your workload should increase in this period.” The President also added that, “different candidates and political forces are trying to involve you in different political processes; public accusations and provocations are being made. Everybody must know that the law enforcement agencies and the state structures in general perform their duties in a proper, effective and resolute manner. We all, including the other candidates and political forces participating in the campaign, must be very patient in this period. When the situation is heated, and mutual accusations are being made, when there is a candidate whose campaign constitutes an entire chain of provocations, there is a great temptation for making responses and being involved in processes. Therefore, we must be much more patient, restrained and self-possessed and respond to such attempts within the law and by force of the law.” “During this period everyone including the candidates and participants of rallies must be more patient. When the situation is tense mutual accusations are made. When there is a candidate, whose campaign is a huge chair of provocations there is a great chance of temptation. Therefore it is necessary to be patient, moderate and coldhearted. We should all try to resist them in the framework of the law and rule of law. You are speaking in the name of the state, wear uniforms, have titles. Therefore you have to be more moderate, alert and at the same time decisive.”
