khosq.com

In my Khosq article "LTP 20th June Meeting - A
success?" I gave my opinion that LTP's administration needed to perform
considerably better if it was to give him a chance of ousting Armenia's present
tyrannical regime.

On the 4th of July LTP held a second post March 1st
meeting at the Matenadaran Museum.

LTP’s opposition movement needed to build a momentum to
demonstrate continued dissatisfaction with Sargsyan’s regime and to show his
and the Armenian people’s determination to force an early election. But the size
of the crowd was significantly smaller than on the 20th, although no
less enthusiastic. This time a group of young lady cheerleaders had been
organized and whilst waiting for the 7.30 arrival of LTP, they occasionally broke
out with chants in his support, which was an encouraging sign.

The representation from the authorities was at a lower level
than on the 20th, and the military was noticeable in its absence. (Although
they were on standby near to the election committee building). The police lined
the lower boundary of the gathering, as they did on the 20th, and again they conducted
themselves with restraint. The press was well represented, a few internationals
mingled among the crowd, presumably some observers, and there was no third party
provocation.

At 7.15 pm teams of young helpers lugged the heavy
loudspeakers and other audio equipment through the crowd to the speaker’s
platform, and at about 7.30 LTP wended his way up the cobbled causeway,
accompanied by Stepan Demerchian and Aram Sarkissian, met by hearty clapping
and cheering from the crowd.

A few minutes later the audio system came to life, but
unlike on the 20th, when LTP and his colleagues could be heard
several blocks away, this time the system was insufficiently powerful to send
the message out to those at the back of the crowd (probably the light breeze
was in the wrong direction?) .

The meetings will not of course oust the authoritarian regime
the Armenian people through their years of indifference have landed themselves
with. But the meetings are important to send a message to the international
community. The Council of Europe and PACE have decided that taking a stance
against tyranny in a member state is too arduous, and John Prescott and Georges
Colombier are now lounging back in their armchairs by their firesides, slippers
apouf and cringing on their pipes. It now seems Armenia’s best hope is that Russia’s
President Medvedev will see that Armenia will not tolerate the present status
quo, and as Russia now owns most of Armenia, hopefully he will have sufficient concern
to intervene. But he will need to see continuing and growing discontent, rather
than a movement that is destined to quickly develop into yet another opposition
failure.

LTP’s 4th of July meeting was no particular cause
for celebration for the masses in Armenia who oppose the present regime and who
have demonstrated their determination to fight through the tyranny barrier and
regularly come out in support of Levon and his colleagues. The people have demonstrated
their determination, but unfortunately the LTP administration has not.

 So my assessment of
LTP’s 4th July meeting is therefore unfortunately a 3 minus.

I am however informed that the meeting was followed by a
procession, which picked up massive support, and a round-the clock sit-in is to
take place on the North prospect, which again shows good determination.