SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER HARRY REID SAYS HE IS EXTREMELY CONCERNED WITH RELUCTANCE OF RICHARD HOAGLAND TO ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Armenpress
Aug 14 2006

WASHINGTON, AUGUST 14, ARMENPRESS: Senate Democratic Leader Harry
Reid (D-NV), in a letter to the Armenian National Committee of Nevada
(ANC-NV), reported that he is "extremely concerned" by the reluctance
of Richard Hoagland, the Administration’s nominee to serve as the
next ambassador to Armenia, to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

Senator Reid’s public stand follows the August 2nd announcement by
Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) that he will vote against the Hoagland
nomination because of the nominee’s refusal to properly recognize
the Armenian Genocide as a "genocide."

Responding to grassroots concerns raised by Nevada’s growing and
increasingly active Armenian American community, Senator Reid noted
that this refusal is "particularly troubling in light of the State
Department’s dismissal of the last ambassador to Armenia, John
Evans following comments he made during a February 2005 tour of
Armenian-American communities in which he recognized the Armenian
Genocide. As you may know, the State Department has offered no
explanation for Evans’ dismissal."

On August 1st, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed
consideration of ambassador Hoagland’s nomination, following a
request by the Committee’s Ranking Democrat Joseph Biden (D-DE) and
Senator John Kerry (D-MA). Also voicing support for the delay were
Senators George Allen (R-VA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA). The Committee
is set to consider the matter during its regular business meeting on
September 7th.