Armenian protest leader says only ready to discuss PM's 'departure'

Armenia's political crisis deepened Saturday as demonstrations continued and protest leader Nikol Pashinyan said he was only prepared to discuss the exit of the country's newly elected prime minister, former president Serzh Sarkissian.
"We are only ready to discuss the conditions of his departure," news agencies quoted Pashinyan as saying after Sarkissian called on the opposition to enter into talks with authorities. "This won't be a dialogue, as I already said, we do not want vendetta and we wish to secure the transfer of power to the people while avoiding shock as much as possible," Pashinyan was quoted as saying. Protests against Sarkissian's rule entered their ninth day on Saturday as several thousand people flocked to Republic Square in the city centre of the capital Yerevan.
President Armen Sarkissian - no relation to Serzh - on Saturday afternoon met Pashinyan at the demonstration, an AFP journalist said. Flanked by bodyguards President Sarkissian shook hands with the opposition leader and the pair spoke for around ten minutes. Demonstrators waved Armenian flags and blocked streets, disrupting traffic in the capital. Police said they made 84 arrests so far on Saturday afternoon, and more than 230 people were arrested on Friday.
Rallies were also planned in other cities such as Gyumri, Ararat and Artashat.
Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minsiter Serzh Sarkissian sought a "political dialogue" with the protest leader. "I am deeply concerned about the unfolding internal political events. In order to avoid irreversible consequences, I call on deputy Nikol Pashinyan to sit at the table of political dialogue and negotiation," the 63-year-old leader said in a statement. Opposition supporters denounce Serzh Sarkissian's efforts to remain in power as prime minister after a decade serving as president.
At a 30,000 strong rally in Yerevan on Friday evening, Pashinyan laid out his demands for the authorities. "First, Sarkissian resigns. Second, parliament elects a new prime minister that represents the people. Third, it forms a temporary government. Fourth, they schedule parliamentary elections. We will enter negotiations around these demands," he said, calling Serzh Sarkissian a "political corpse".