This is the declaration made by Levon Ter-Petrosyan today, February 28th, at Freedom Square, on the eighth day of public rallies.

Mr. Ter-Petrosyan, disillusioned with the conclusions reached by international and particularly European monitoring organizations, noted that, “Their posture is a purely formalistic one. They are merely engaged in number counting and don’t view the election as part of an entire system; a system that was put into operation on October 23 with physical attacks against my supporters and which continues today.” In order not to damage their authority Mr. Ter-Petrosyan made the following suggestion to the international, and particularly, European monitoring missions: “Within the next ten days, the forces, countries, organizations that I’ve pointed out have the possibility to create in Armenia a legal, civilized, democratic government and a free market economy, or a government similar to the most regressive ones to be found in the Middle East or Central Asia. The only thing demanded of the West is that it respects the integrity of this people.”

At 5:20 P.M. rally participants at Freedom Square started to march up Teryan Street in the thousands. They passed in front of the OSCE Office that had been cordoned off by police. The march made its way along Koryun Street and then turned into Abovyan Street. Curious on-lookers and people watching the march from apartment windows were urged to join in with chants of ‘Levon...Levon’ and ‘Serzh must go’.

The marchers then followed Tumanyan Street back to Freedom Square.