US STATE DEPARTMENT AGAIN REFUSES TO DIRECTLY COMMENT ON REPORTS OF AMB. EVANS
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 15 2006
— Spokesperson Continues to Evade Journalists’ Questions; Issues
Non-Responsive Answer to Repeated Inquiries WASHINGTON, DC – For
the fourth time in the last week, the State Department’s official
spokesperson has failed to directly respond to questions raised by
journalists during the Department’s daily press briefing about reports
that the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, has been
recalled due to his truthful statements on the Armenian Genocide,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“It’s certainly disappointing seeing State Department officials
hiding behind their spokesperson to avoid directly answering questions
about whether Ambassador Evans is being recalled because he had the
courage to stand up against what effectively amounts to a ‘gag-rule’
preventing our nation’s diplomats from speaking truthfully about the
Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in a March 8th letter to Secretary Rice,
wrote that, “If, in fact, the State Department has taken punitive
steps against Ambassador Evans, you should fully and openly explain
your policies and actions to the American people.
If, on the other hand, the Department has not taken any such steps,
you owe it to the American people to affirm that it is not the policy
of the United States of America to punish its diplomats for speaking
the truth about the Armenian Genocide.” Questions concerning Ambassador
Evans were raised on March 8th and March 10th and again on March 13th
and 14th. Each time journalists asked for official comments about
Ambassador Evans’ reported recall. Reflecting the growing frustration
among journalists over the lack of a clear response to their inquiries,
a member of the State Department press corps publicly described the
answers provided by the official spokesperson as “a bit of a dodge.”
The growing controversy surrounding reports of Amb. Evans’ recal
has resulted in separate letters being sent to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice from ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian and Rep. Frank
Pallone (D-NJ), the Co-Chairman of the Armenian Issues Caucus, as
well as formal Congressional inquiries by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
and Grace Napolitano (D-CA).
Speaking last year to an Armenian American gathering at the University
of California at Berkeley, Amb. Evans said, “I will today call it
the Armenian Genocide. . . I informed myself in depth about it. I
think we, the U.S. government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a more
frank and honest way of discussing this problem. Today, as someone
who has studied it. there’s no doubt in my mind [as to] what happened
. . . I think it is unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play word games
here. I believe in calling things by their name.” Referring to the
Armenian Genocide as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” he said:
“I pledge to you, we are going to do a better job at addressing this
issue.” Amb. Evans also disclosed that he had consulted with a legal
advisor at the State Department who had confirmed that the events of
1915 were “genocide by definition.”
Within days after his remarks and the conclusion of a speaking tour
of Armenian American communities, Ambassador Evans was apparently
forced to issue a statement clarifying that his references to the
Armenian Genocide were his personal views and did not represent
a change in U.S. policy. He subsequently issued a correction to
this statement, replacing a reference to the Genocide with the word
“tragedy.” Later last year, the American Foreign Service Association
(AFSA), in recognition of his honesty and commitment to principle,
decided to honor Ambassador Evans with the “Christian A. Herter
Award,” recognizing creative thinking and intellectual courage within
the Foreign Service. AFSA states, “The purpose of the [award] is
to encourage Foreign Service career employees to speak out frankly
and honestly.” Sadly, as Washington Post staff writer Glenn Kessler
revealed on June 9th, AFSA withdrew its award following pressure from
“very serious people from the State Department” just days before
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Washington,
D.C. to meet with President George W. Bush.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
