In his speech at Thursday’s rally Ter-Petrosian claimed to have secured the backing of Manvel Grigorian and Gagik Melkonian, two top army generals serving as Armenia’s deputy defense ministers. Grigorian is also the chairman of the influential Yerkrapah Union of veterans of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Manvel Grigorian and Gagik Melkonian are saying that they will not allow the army to meddle in politics and be used against their people,” said Ter-Petrosian. “Manvel Grigorian and Gagik Melkonian consider themselves the guarantors of the security of the Armenian people.”

“I am confident that the entire army command will join them,” he added.

Yerkrapah declined to deny or confirm the information. The organization did not officially support any of the presidential candidates, even though some of its senior members openly endorsed Ter-Petrosian.

The Armenian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, denied Ter-Petrosian’s claims later in the day. “I officially refute that information,” the ministry spokesman, Seyran Shahsuvarian, told RFE/RL.

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2008/02/33FDA5E0-D727-4261-9BA3-00910C725CB4.ASP