By Margarita Antidze
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Most of the opposition supporterslocked in a standoff with police in Armenia's capital endedtheir protest on Sunday but a group of around 60 refused to gohome and set fire to abandoned police vehicles.
Most of the crowd, which numbered about 2,000, headed awayfrom a square in the Armenian capital where they had beendemonstrating after a message was read out from oppositionleader Levon Ter-Petrosyan urging them to go home.
Armenian leader Robert Kocharyan had declared a state ofemergency late on Saturday and said he would send in the armyto end the standoff with opposition supporters, who earlier inthe day fought pitched battles with police.
In a message read out by one of his supporters,Ter-Petrosyan told the demonstrators to go home until the20-day state of emergency had expired.
"I do not want any victims and clashes between police andinnocent people. That is why I am asking you to leave," saidthe message from Ter-Petrosyan, who has been barred by policefrom leaving his home.
His supporters had been staging daily protests since aFebruary 19 election they said had been rigged to hand victoryto Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan, a close Kocharyan ally.
A Reuters reporter at the scene of the protest said about60 people refused to go, with some accusing Ter-Petrosyan ofbeing a traitor. They set fire to police jeeps left therefollowing the clashes on Saturday.
Armenia is an ex-Soviet republic of 3.2 million people in aCaucasus mountains region that is emerging as a key transitroute for oil and gas supplies from the Caspian Sea.
(Writing by Christian Lowe; editing by Keith Weir)
