OSCE sends envoy to Armenia following post-election unrest

HELSINKI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent a special envoy to Armenia on Sunday to try to resolve the political crisis there, Finland's Foreign Ministry said.

"I have sent my special envoy to try to bring both sides to the negotiating table and to find a way out of this crisis through political dialogue," said Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, whose country currently holds the OSCE'S rotating chairmanship, in a statement.

Heikki Talvitie, a veteran diplomat with long experience in the region, will hold separate talks with Armenian outgoing president Robert Kocharian, outgoing prime minister, president-elect Serzh Sargsyan and opposition leaders, said the statement.

"The OSCE considers dialogue central to stability, and stability is vital in the South Caucasus. Everything should be done to avoid further casualties and any further escalation of tension," said Kanerva.

Kanerva condemned the use of force against peaceful demonstrators in the capital city Yerevan Saturday, said the statement.

Armenian opposition supporters have been rallying in Yerevan to protest the outcome of the Feb. 19 presidential election, in which Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan won with 52.8 percent of the vote.

Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who got 21.5 percent of the vote, claimed the vote was rigged and demanded a rerun of the elections.

According to local media reports, police said eight people had been killed in the overnight conflict.

The Armenian parliament approved a presidential decree on Sunday introducing a 20-day state of emergency in the Caucasus nation after the clash between police and opposition protesters.