Armenia declares state of emergency

The Armenian government declared a state of emergency following demonstrations in the capital Yerevan (1 March) in which eight people were reported killed. Supporters of opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian were protesting against his defeat by Serzh Sargsyan, the current prime minister, in the 19 February presidential election. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged dialogue and dispatched Peter Semneby, the EU's special representative for the South Caucasus, to Yerevan.