Turkish Daily News
September 14, 2006 Thursday

US SENATOR BLOCKS VOTE ON ‘GENOCIDE DENIER’ ENVOY NOMINEE TO ARMENIA

A pro-Armenian senator on Tuesday put a hold on the nomination of
U.S. President George W. Bush’s pick for ambassador to Yerevan, who
has refused to recognize the "Armenian genocide," in protest of what
he called the administration’s policy to deny the genocide

Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey said the United
States must recognize that last century’s Armenian killings in the
Ottoman Empire amounted to genocide

His move came after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week
voted 13-5 to send ambassador nominee Richard Hoagland’s case to the
full Senate for a floor vote

Although U.S. Armenian groups were disappointed by the committee’s
Sept. 7 vote to confirm the "genocide denying" Hoagland, they still
vowed to continue with efforts to block him, urging senators to put a
hold on his nomination

"Mr. Hoagland has declined to acknowledge the mass killings of the
Armenians as genocide, and has said that if confirmed, he would work
to represent the president’s policy," Menendez said, explaining his
hold. "Considering Mr. Hoagland’s refusal to acknowledge the Armenian
genocide as anything more than horrifying events, I do not feel that
his nomination is in the best interest of Armenia and her (its)
diaspora." Menendez’ move came at a time when politicians are vying
for minority votes two months before critical congressional
elections.

Under U.S. law, all senior government officials, including
ambassadors, must win the Senate’s approval, and any senator can
indefinitely block nominations. But such moves are rare, because they
put such dissenting senators under intense pressure

Until Menendez lifts his hold, the Senate cannot vote on Hoagland’s
nomination

But under U.S. law, the president can also appoint senior officials
for two years by bypassing the Senate when Congress is in recess, and
analysts said Bush may use this power for Hoagland. Congress is
expected to go for recess in October to prepare for the November
elections

"I wouldn’t be surprised if Bush opts for a recess appointment of
Hoagland shortly after the elections," said a Washington analyst.
"The administration doesn’t want to leave the embassy in Yerevan
without an ambassador for a long time." Bush in May fired the
previous envoy to Armenia, John Evans, after the latter classified
the Armenian killings as genocide. Armenian groups have strongly
protested against the decision and have pledged to block Hoagland’s
confirmation process

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), a key U.S.
Armenian group, welcomed the hold placed by Menendez

"We join with Armenians from New Jersey and throughout the United
States in thanking Senator Menendez for his principled stand in
blocking the Hoagland nomination," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian.
"The senator’s hold represents a victory for our nation’s standing on
human rights and genocide-prevention." Addressing an Armenian
audience in the United States last year, Evans said that the World
War I killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire amounted to
genocide. Warned by his superiors at the State Department, he then
issued a "clarification" where he said his remarks reflected his own
views. Still pressed by the State Department, Evans later issued a
further "correction," admitting that his statement misrepresented the
U.S. policy.

But Bush fired Evans after the latter continued to deviate from the
official U.S. policy, according to administration sources. Bush then
nominated Hoagland, a former ambassador to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to
replace Evans.

During his confirmation hearing at the committee in June, Hoagland
declined to use the word "genocide" despite pressure by pro-Armenian
senators. He tried to eschew insistent questions over how he would
qualify the Armenian killings during his planned tenure in Yerevan.
Recalling that in the latest April 24 statement Bush referred to the
Armenian killings as "a tragedy the world must not forget," Hoagland
said, "I represent the president."

He also said that "instead of getting stuck in the past and
vocabulary, I would like to move forward," angering the Armenian
groups.
From: Baghdasarian