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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 - 10 November 1999 Issue No. 454 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 - 10 November 1999 Issue No. 454
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Armenian tragedy
By Thomas GorguissianLast Sunday, Armenians buried their slain prime minister along with seven other officials who died when five gunmen burst into the parliament building on 27 October and opened fire. This was a new sort of trauma for the land of major earthquakes, the most recent of which was in 1988. Two of the state's three most senior figures were murdered in a matter of minutes.
The assassinated prime minister, Vasgen Sarkissian, was widely viewed as the most powerful man in Armenia. As defence minister in the early years of the newly-independent republic, he had taken on responsibility for creating a national army and played a major role in the Karabakh struggle. The other top official who was killed in the shooting was Karen Demirchian, speaker of the parliament and a popular figure, best known as leader of the Armenian Communist Party between 1974 and 1988. Five deputies and one government official were also killed in the shooting.
The five gunmen who attacked the parliament building have been described as a "gang", led by radical nationalist former journalist Nairi Hunanian, 34 years old. Following their arrest, they were charged with terrorism, though officials and commentators say it is not yet known what motivated them, or whether they were operating on their own.
Hunanian was a member of Dashnaktsutyun -- the Armenian Revolutionary Federation -- in 1991-92, before he was expelled from the organisation. He was described by party leaders and by others as "radical", "unbalanced", "ultranationalist" and a "schizophrenic who needs treatment". The lead gunman, according to reports, told Sarkissian, "You've drunk enough of our blood." As the massacre unfolded, the deputies were told that this was a coup aimed at removing national leaders "who sucked the blood of the people for too long" and who had plunged the country into poverty. The assailants have been promised a fair trial.
"This is an irretrievable loss to Armenia," President Robert Kocharian said at the funeral of the victims. He added, "Those who carried out this crime will answer not only before the law, but before the nation and future generations."
Now that the tragedy is past, the country is trying to come to terms with the consequences. The general mood among Armenians is simply uncertainty. Everyone is worried about what is coming next. If the most powerful person in the country could be the victim of such an attack, then the average citizen must now undoubtedly feel more vulnerable than ever. It is hard to run over potential scenarios without making them worse.
For many years, Armenians had only to look at their neighbours in Georgia and Azerbaijan to feel somehow blessed, because they had been spared the experience of civil strife and war. As many Armenians sought to express their thoughts and fears last week, they noted that although many may have felt anger at the country's current situation, to see their leaders killed not by an enemy, but by a fellow countryman, was as incredible as it was painful.
The task now facing President Kocharian is to maintain the political stability of the nation. In a press conference, US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, who had just held talks with the president, said, "There is no doubt in my mind that once again the forces of democracy, rule of law and humanity will prevail over the forces that briefly and horribly were unleashed in the parliament the other day." He added, "My colleagues and I were deeply impressed by [Kocharian's] strength and determination. I am also impressed by the resilience and strength of the Armenian people and state and the government."
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was also in Yerevan last weekend, told reporters that Moscow is standing by the Armenian president. Kocharian is expected to meet Russian President Boris Yeltsin soon.
In his joint press conference with Putin, Kocharian denied reports of interference by the Defence Ministry. According to the local press, Kocharian has been under pressure from the military establishment to appoint its preferred candidate as the new prime minister, though he is also said to have rejected their "ultimatums". After the shooting, the army called for the resignation of the interior and security ministers, as well as the chief prosecutor.
The Armenian president announced that he will consult with the majority Miasnutyun (Unity) bloc in parliament before making any decision about the appointment of a new prime minister. Miasnutyun, at the time of the last elections in May, was jointly headed by Sarkissian and Demirchian. Observers agree that the loss of both men has created a power vacuum, which could endanger not only the stability of Armenia, but also of the region in general. Kocharian's success in maintaining the delicate balance of power will decide both his own political fate and Armenia's future.
Some commentators now expect to see further confrontation and deal-making between Moscow and Washington in the Armenian arena. The US is very concerned to see a definitive peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh. But many observers think that this week's massacre, regardless of the motives of the perpetrators, will inevitably put a break on recent diplomatic efforts to reach agreement on the Karabakh issue, if it does not halt them altogether.
Fear of the peace talks coming unstuck has been the major concern voiced in the American media, which reported that a deal was very close to being closed in time for the next summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is due to be held in Istanbul this month.
"I think that the search for peace in this region will continue," Strobe Talbott told the press. "It is in the interests of everybody."
Talbott was in fact in Yerevan on the day of the bloodshed, but had departed less than an hour before the shooting. Sarkissian had seen him off at the airport, following a meeting held at Kocharian's office where the main topic was Karabakh. Talbott returned to the region at President Bill Clinton's request, to express America's "deepest sense of shock, horror, outrage and support for Armenia".
