CQ Transcriptions
Congressional Quarterly
June 30 2006

STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING

JUNE 30, 2006

SPEAKER: J. ADAM ERELI, STATE DEPARTMENT DEPUTY SPOKESMAN

[parts omitted]

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) Why are DOS officials prohibited to use the
word, quote/unquote, "genocide" and speak truthfully when discussing
the Armenian genocide as happened yesterday in the Congress, during
the testimony of a new U.S. ambassador to Armenia?

Senator Norm Coleman, Republican from Minnesota, stated, quote, "I am
not sure how we can continue to have ambassador to Armenia who can be
effective unless they give recognition to the genocide," end quote.

And the veteran Senator Joseph Biden against Senate approval of new
ambassador until the Department of State responds to questions on
Ambassador Evans’ recall.

ERELI: And what’s the question?

QUESTION: The question: Any comment, since you know very, very well
the reason?

ERELI: I don’t have any comment.

I think that as far as the senator’s questions go, we will respond as
we normally do, in formal channels to the members of Congress should
they ask for that.

And as far as our stand on this issue, there’s no change. And if
you’d like a restatement of it, I’d refer you to the record.

QUESTION: Why any U.S. ambassador to Israel would have not had
credibility if refused to talk about the Holocaust by then-Nazi
German and in the case of Armenia, it’s happened exactly the
opposite?

ERELI: I reject the premise of the question.

QUESTION: Why?

ERELI: Because I think it’s fallacious.

QUESTION: And one more.

May we have a copy of the Department of State’s, quote/unquote,
"background papers" on the Armenian’s genocide that Ambassador
Hoagland stated the other day he studied in preparation for his
possible post to Armenia?

ERELI: No, I think that what is available in the public record is
what we can provide.
From: Baghdasarian