State Department misled Senate on Turkish communications about Ambassador Evans

ArmRadio.am
25.07.2006 15:24

In yet another troubling development concerning the controversial
nomination of Richard Hoagland to serve as US Ambassador to Armenia,
Department of Justice records have revealed that the State Department
has misled the US Senate regarding its communications with the Turkish
government concerning the February 2005 public affirmation of the
Armenian Genocide by US Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a letter, dated June 28, 2005 written on behalf of Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice to Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), the
Ranking Democrat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
the State Department denied that the Turkish government had even
approached the Administration on this issue. However, official
Foreign Agent Registration filings by the Turkish government’s
registered foreign agent, the Livingston Group, document that, in
the days following Ambassador Evans’ February 19, 2005 remarks, one
of Turkey’s agents communicated on at least four different occasions
with State Department officials concerning the envoy’s statement and
his subsequent retraction.

Consistent with the pattern of unresponsiveness that has come to
characterize the Administration’s actions on the Hoagland nomination,
the only answer the State Department chose to provide in response
to Senator Biden’s four questions was a misleading one. His other
inquiries – including an official request for an explanation of why
Ambassador Evans was being replaced prematurely – remain unanswered.

On June 23rd, as part of Ambassador Richard Hoagland’s confirmation
process to replace Amb. Evans in Yerevan, Senator Biden wrote a letter
asking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice a series of questions
including the following: "Has the State Department received any
communication – written, electronic, or spoken – from the Turkish
Government concerning Ambassador Evans?"

Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Jeffrey T. Bergner
responded on behalf of Secretary Rice with the following assertion:
"Please be assured that allegations that the U.S. is removing
Ambassador Evans under pressure from the Government of Turkey
are simply untrue. The Government of Turkey has not approached
the Administration on this issue, and the United States and Turkey
engaged in no diplomatic exchanges related to this matter." However,
Justice Department filings by the Livingston Group reveal that a day
after Amb. Evans’ statements on the Armenian Genocide were publicized
in an ANCA-San Francisco press release dated February 24, 2005, a
Turkish agent communicated with the State Department concerning his
statements. On February 28, 2005, one business day after the agent’s
first phone call, Ambassador Evans issued his first public retraction –
noting that his mention of the Armenian Genocide was made in a private
capacity. Later that same day, the Livingston Group reported three
additional calls between one of Turkey’s agents and State Department
officials including the Deputy Chief of Mission-designate at the
US Embassy in Ankara to discuss Ambassador Evans’ retraction. The
very next day on March 1, 2005, Ambassador Evans issued a public
correction of his retraction – removing entirely any mention of the
Armenian Genocide.

In addition to the Justice Department filings, several Turkish
press accounts reported that officials of the Government of Turkey
communicated their concerns to the State Department regarding
statements made by Ambassador Evans.