Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
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PRESS RELEASE
August 1, 2006
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: ckojoian@aaainc.org

BIDEN & KERRY REQUEST HOLDOVER FOR AMBASSADOR DESIGNATE

Senate Vote on Hoagland Delayed Until September

Washington, DC – The nomination of Richard E. Hoagland as America’s
next Ambassador to Armenia was held over by the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee today, following concerns expressed by Ranking
Member Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) to delay
consideration until the Committee’s next business meeting.

The lawmakers communicated their concerns to Committee Chairman
Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN), who announced the holdover. Biden
told Committee Members that "more than one colleague had approached
[him]," suggesting that voting be delayed until the next meeting.
Biden also said that although he does not expect the Administration to
change its position on this issue, he hopes they will find a way to
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Senator George Allen (R-VA), who
questioned Hoagland during his confirmation hearing in June, added
that "there was a Genocide" and that "Ambassador [John] Evans had to
resign for stating the obvious."

Hoagland is slated to replace Ambassador Evans who tendered his
resignation after serving only two years of what is typically a
three-year assignment. Last year, Evans was rebuked by the State
Department after publicly affirming the Armenian Genocide in the
course of his comments in the U.S. when he said "the Armenian Genocide
was the first genocide of the twentieth century."

In making his statements, Evans pointed to the International Center
for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which concluded that the events of
1915 could be properly characterized as Genocide. President Bush
himself has twice referenced the ICTJ study. Additionally, a letter
from the State Department to Biden called it a "significant step
toward reconciliation" (See attached letter).

Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have voiced their
concerns to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over reports that
Ambassador Evans’ premature departure may be due to his public
comments on the Armenian Genocide. To date, the State Department has
provided no additional justification for Evans’ departure other than
to say that all Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the President and
that allegations that Turkey was involved in pressuring for his early
departure are untrue. In addition to Senators Biden and Kerry, several
other Committee Members, including Sens. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Paul
Sarbanes (D-MD), George Allen (R-VA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Russ
Feingold (D-WI) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), have also pressed Hoagland
to clarify U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide and to explain, how,
if confirmed, he plans to speak about the Genocide.

"The Assembly thanks Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
for their leadership on this issue and their steadfast support of
reaffirming the Armenian Genocide," said Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny. "If the United States wants to play a leading role in the
region to help foster peace and democracy, then it should help Turkey
come to terms with its past and also establish normal relations with
its neighbor, Armenia. Speaking the truth should not be a punishable
offense. The Administration should take the next logical step to its
stated position, which provides a textbook definition of the Armenian
Genocide without using the words and, once and for all, reaffirm this
crime against humanity."

The Committee has not set a date for voting on the nomination, which
must take place before it goes to the full Senate for approval. In
the meantime, Ambassador Evans remains in Yerevan.

Hoagland has told Committee Members that if approved, he will
faithfully represent the President’s policy, which neither denies nor
properly acknowledges the attempted annihilation of the Armenian
people as Genocide. Hoagland, a career member of the Senior Foreign
Service, currently serves as United States Ambassador to the Republic
of Tajikistan. Prior to this, he served as Director of the Office of
Caucasus and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State.
Earlier in his career, he served as Director of the Office of Public
Diplomacy in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs.

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Ambassador Hoagland completed his
graduate degrees at the University of Virginia and earned a
certificate in French from the University of Grenoble, France. Before
joining the Foreign Service in 1985, Ambassador Hoagland taught
English as a foreign language in the then-Zaire (1974-1976) and
African literature at the University of Virginia’s Carter-Woodson
Institute of African and Afro-American Studies.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

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NR#2006-072

Editor ‘s Note: Attached is the full text of the State Department’s
letter to Senator Biden.

United States Department of State Washington, D.C. 20520

June 28, 2006

Dear Senator Biden:

Thank you for your letter of June 23 concerning Ambassador John Evans.

Ambassador Evans recently tendered his resignation as Ambassador to
the Republic of Armenia, but currently remains in charge of our
Embassy in Yerevan. We continue to work closely with him and his
capable team. 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.

All U.S. Ambassadors, both career and non-career, serve at the
pleasure of the President and as advocates of the President’s
policies. President Bush has expressed his policy regarding the tragic
events of 1915 each year of his Presidency with his personal statement
on Armenian Remembrance Day, April 24. In those statements, the
President has called on all concerned parties to engage in thoughtful
introspection on the forced exile and mass killing of as many as 1.5
million Armenians by Ottoman troops. We share the profound sorrow of
Armenian communities around the world regarding these horrific
events. We believe this tragedy is of such enormous human significance
that its characterization should be determined through heartfelt
dialogue, not through diplomatic or political proclamations.

We are encouraging all concerned parties to advance such dialogue. One
such effort produced the analysis of the International Center for
Transitional Justice (ICTJ). This study of the legal character of the
horrors of 1915 marked a significant step toward reconciliation and
restoration of the spirit of tolerance and cultural richness that has
connected the people of the Caucasus and Anatolia for centuries.

Please let us know if we can be of assistance on this or any other
matter.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey T. Bergner
Assistant Secretary
Legislative Affairs