ANN/GROONG - Slain premier's brother named new Armenia PM



By Hasmik Mkrtchyan


YEREVAN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Armenia's president on Wednesday named the
brother of Prime Minister Vazgen Sarksyan, killed by gunmen in a raid
on parliament last week, to succeed him as premier of the former
Soviet state.

A spokesman said President Robert Kocharyan, who had vowed quickly to
rebuild the country's shattered leadership, had appointed little-known
Aram Sarksyan, 38, as prime minister.

A member of the ruling Unity bloc, which put foward the candidature,
described the new premier as ``decisive'' and enjoying the support of
a majority in the parliament.

Elder brother Vazgen Sarksyan was gunned down with seven other
officials during the raid last week, when gunmen unleashed a hail of
bullets around the parliament chamber. The shooting was seen as a
grudge attack rather than a coup attempt.

Although his brother was a leading public figure in Armenia for much
of the past decade, Aram Sarksyan is little known and has previously
played no major role in politics.

He is the director of a cement factory in his home town of Ararat, 50
km (30 miles) from Yerevan. He holds a degree in architecture and
construction from a polytechnical institute.

A political commentator said Aram's appointment as prime minister
underlined a wide political consensus.

``The aim of the appointment is to guarantee stability and this shows
the agreement that exists between the president, the army and the
Unity bloc,'' said Hakob Avedikyan, editor-in-chief of the influential
Azg (Nation) newspaper.

He said that while some Armenians might be unhappy that appointing a
brother created the impression of an hereditary leadership, it
maintained balance within the ruling Unity bloc.

Unity won control of parliament in a May election, largely due to its
two leaders, Vazgen Sarksyan and Karen Demirchyan, the parliamentary
speaker also killed last week.

Vazgen Sarksyan had been defence minister and was widely popular,
especially with the powerful military.

Demirchyan was a charismatic Soviet-era communist boss in Armenia. The
two men were widely viewed as wielding more power than Kocharyan.

A new parliamentary speaker and two new deputy speakers were named at
a special session of parliament on Tuesday.

Russian news agencies said Kocharyan would on Friday travel to Moscow
to meet President Boris Yeltsin. Russia and Armenia have enjoyed good
relations since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

11:54 11-03-99