US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN1994

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001994 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EUR/CACEN-JDEHART AND KWITMER 
 
E.O. 12958; N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, AM 
SUBJECT: CONGRESSMAN HASTINGS URGES ARMENIA TO INVITE OSCE 
OBSERVERS TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM 
 
 
Sensitive but unclassified, please treat accordingly. 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1. (SBU) During a November 7-9 visit to Armenia, Rep. Alcee 
Hastings, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, made 
a strong case to top Armenian officials to reconsider their 
decision not to invite OSCE observers to monitor the 
constitutional referendum scheduled for November 27.  In a 
series of meetings and in a press interview, Rep. Hastings 
explained that an OSCE monitoring mission will lend 
legitimacy to the referendum and stated that, even at this 
late date, the OSCE should be able to send a small 
monitoring team if it receives a formal invitation.  All of 
the parliamentarians and civil society leaders who met with 
Hastings agreed that OSCE should be invited.  FM Oskanian 
defended the original GOAM decision in legalistic terms, as 
Armenia's OSCE obligation to invite observers does not 
technically extend to referenda.  He agreed, however, that 
the GOAM would reconsider the decision.  Should efforts in 
Yerevan, Vienna and Washington prove successful, OSCE's 
ODIHR may need to be persuaded to send a team to Armenia at 
this late date.  End Summary. 
 
Rep. Hastings Presses for OSCE Observers 
---------------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Representative Alcee Hastings visited Armenia from 
November 7-9 as part of an extended visit to Central Asia 
and the South Caucasus.  Together with other issues (covered 
septel) Rep Hastings urged the GOAM to invite the OSCE ODIHR 
to send an observer mission to monitor the November 27 
constitutional referendum.  Although the Congressman noted 
that it is late to send an invitation, the OSCE should still 
manage to send a small team of observers.  Hastings 
acknowledged that although Armenia is technically not 
required to invite OSCE observers to referenda, as the 
organization most qualified to judge elections, Armenia 
should seek the legitimacy which a positive ODIHR assessment 
would add to the ballot.  He also stressed that the 
observers would not simply criticize the referendum, but 
would be useful to the GOA by identifying the areas in which 
the voting system needs to be improved. 
 
Parliamentarians Agree, but MFA has Decision Authority 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
3.  (SBU) Hastings was successful in convincing Parliament 
Speaker Artur Baghdasarian and other leading MP's that 
Armenia should have invited ODIHR observers.  Baghdassarian 
said he had sent the invitation to the Council of Europe to 
observe the vote, but it was the MFA which had 
responsibility for inviting OSCE.  Baghdasarian agreed to 
speak to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the issue 
since the OSCE ODIHR is not Parliament's counterpart. 
 
Oskanian Promises to Pursue the Issue 
------------------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian claimed 
that he does not think the GOA made an intentional decision 
not to invite OSCE observers to the constitutional 
referendum.  Oskanian explained that the GOA did not receive 
a letter requesting that it invite OSCE observers, and that 
he has heard different information about whether the OSCE 
even sends observers to referenda.  In the end, however, 
Oskanian agreed to reconsider the matter. 
 
OSCE Office in Yerevan Hopes MFA Will Reconsider 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
5. (SBU) Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office in 
Yerevan, stated that he hopes Congressman Hastings's visit 
will persuade the GOAM to change its position.  He disputed 
Oskanian's assertion that there was no specific decision not 
to invite OSCE as he was present during discussions when 
Armenia's Permrep in Vienna rejected the idea of OSCE 
observers. 
 
6.  Congressman Hastings has reviewed this telegram. 
 
EVANS