ROBERT MENENDEZ AGAIN BLOCKED HOAGLAND’S NOMINATION AS US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.01.2007 13:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Democrat Senator Robert Menendez took advantage of
his veto power on January 10 blocking Richard Hoagland’s nomination
as US ambassador to Armenia, the Associated Press reports.

It’s worth mentioning that when the new 110th US Congress started its
work, President George Bush for the second time proposed R. Hoagland’s
candidacy for US ambassador post to Armenia. It’s worth reminding
the strong negative attitude towards Richard Hoagland’s nomination is
connected with his public denial of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in
Ottoman Empire. Despite the protests, R. Hoagland’s nominations was
examined and confirmed. As Robert Menendez stated, many politicians,
including the US president, avoid to call the crimes at the beginning
of 20th century in Turkey as ‘Genocide’, and Richard Hoagland’s
nomination can become a step back, which does not proceed nether
from the interests of Armenia nor the Armenian Diaspora. It is worth
mentioning that after elections to the Congress at the end of the
last year, US Senate, according to the order, returned Hoagland’s
candidacy to the president. Simultaneously Senators Robert Menendez
and Harry Reid called upon the president to propose a new candidacy,
IA Regnum reports.