YEREVAN. - In connection with Armenian Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Karen Andreasyan’s proposal to act as mediator between the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and the ruling coalition, the ANC issued a statement, which reads:

1. The Human Rights Defender misunderstood the essence of the dialogue. It is not the ANC’s planned dialogue with the parliamentary coalition, but the ANC’s dialogue with the executive power.

2. In the context of direct dialogue with the authorities, there is no need for either an internal or external mediator.

3. If the authorities consider it advisable to include the Ombudsman in their delegation during such negotiations, the ANC has no objections.

Armenian Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan is willing to act as mediator between the Armenian authorities and the Opposition. According to a message posted on his official website, the Ombudsman has restricted or no rights to defend the ones involved in the March 1 case. The Ombudsman has the right to perform an observer mission, which is performed by a number of local and international agencies.

Any mediators` task is to bring the sides` positions closer to each other and resolve the disagreements, says the message.