Armenian National Committee of America
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Tel. (202) 775-1918
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PRESS RELEASE
May 3, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

REPS. PALLONE, KNOLLENBERG AND CROWLEY URGE STATE DEPARTMENT
TO CLARIFY MISREPRESENTATION OF NAGORNO KARABAGH

— State Department Report Reverts Back to
Incorrect Language Following Azerbaijani Pressure

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank
Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) were joined by House
Foreign Affairs Committee Member Joe Crowley (D-NY) this week in
urging the State Department to clarify inaccurate language in its
2006 human rights report that dramatically mischaracterizes the
fundamental realities of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, reported
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

"Armenian Americans appreciate the leadership of Armenian Caucus
Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg and Frank Pallone and Congressman Joe
Crowley in seeking clarification from the Department of State
concerning its patently inaccurate and entirely unprecedented
misrepresentation of Armenia as an occupier of Nagorno Karabagh and
Azerbaijani territory," said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. "We look forward to the State Department’s timely
response to their questions and to learning of the steps that the
Secretary intends to take to rectify the damage that this ill-
advised and destructive misrepresentation has already caused to the
peace process."

The controversy began earlier this year with the inclusion, for the
first time, of language in the Armenia and Azerbaijan sections of
the State Department’s 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices, which asserted that Armenia is occupying Nagorno
Karabagh and Azerbaijani territory. While the State Department
initially made a correction to this text, albeit not a fully
accurate one, it later reverted to its original wording following
public threats by Azerbaijan to cancel bilateral security talks in
Washington, DC.

During a May 2nd House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on the
human rights report, Congressman Crowley, a senior and well-
respected member of the panel, submitted the following question to
the State Department’s witness, Assistant Secretary for Human
Rights Barry Lowenkron: "The statement that ‘Armenia continues to
occupy the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven
surrounding Azerbaijani territories’ in the 2006 State Department
Human Rights report on Armenia has created significant controversy
among the U.S., Azerbaijan, Armenia and NK. Can you confirm that
the references to Armenia’s forces and NK’s status do not reflect
the facts on the ground and are contrary to current U.S. policy?"

Rep. Crowley went on to "urge that this factually incorrect
statement be removed forthwith" from the report in an effort to
preserve its integrity.

In a separate letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, issued
on Thursday, May 3rd, Reps. Pallone and Knollenberg expressed
"strong concerns regarding inaccuracies in the recent series of
changes to the Armenia section of the 2006 Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices." They argued that, "in addition to the troubling
precedent set by allowing a foreign state to shape the assessments
of our human rights report, we are deeply disturbed that the State
Department’s mischaracterization of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict
is inaccurate, unprecedented, and counter-productive to our
government’s goal of actively promoting constructive engagement in
the peace negotiations in the region."

The Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs specifically called on Secretary Rice
to publicly clarify that:

1) The report’s language describing Armenia as an occupier of
Azerbaijani territory and Nagorno Karabagh is inaccurate and does
not reflect US foreign policy;

2) The United States views the Nagorno Karabagh conflict as
fundamentally about the self-determination of the people of Nagorno
Karabagh; and

3) This misrepresentation would not appear in future reports or
other official documents.

The text of the complete letter is provided below.

ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in an April 3, 2007 letter to
Secretary Rice, expressed the Armenian American community’s
profound concern that, "such statements fundamentally misrepresent
the well-documented reality in the region, contradict the
Department’s previous human rights reports, and undermine the
credibility of the United States as an impartial arbiter destined
to a leadership role in the OSCE Minsk Group peace process." He
added that, "These unprecedented assertions are both factually
inaccurate and counter-productive to our government’s aim of
reaching a durable resolution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. To
say that Nagorno Karabagh is an Azerbaijani territory and that
Armenia occupies Nagorno Karabagh and other territories is to
ignore the very fundamentals of this conflict. These statements
only serve to send the wrong message to the Azerbaijani side and
further complicate the peace negotiations."

The Armenia report can be viewed online at:
9.htm

The Azerbaijan report can be viewed online at:
1.htm

#####

Text of Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Letter
to Secretary Rice Regarding Erroneous Statements in the
2006 State Department Human Rights Report

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

We are writing to express our strong concerns regarding
inaccuracies in the recent series of changes to the Armenia section
of the 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

Over the course of the past several weeks, the Department of State
has issued erroneous language about Armenia being an occupier of
Azerbaijani territory and Nagorno Karabagh. The report was
subsequently revised with more balanced, although still not fully
accurate, wording and then revised again to restore the original
language. These changes were made following widely reported
threats and pressure by the Azerbaijani government, including its
public declaration that it had postponed planned bilateral security
talks in Washington, DC.

In addition to the troubling precedent set by allowing a foreign
state to shape the assessments of our human rights report, we are
deeply disturbed that the State Department’s mischaracterization of
the Nagorno Karabagh conflict is inaccurate, unprecedented, and
counter-productive to our government’s goal of actively promoting
constructive engagement in the peace negotiations in the region.

It is simply wrong to assert that Nagorno Karabagh is Azerbaijani
territory or that Armenia occupies Nagorno Karabagh and other
territories. This formulation frames the conflict solely in terms
of land, ignoring the reality that the current conflict is about
the self-determination of the people of Nagorno Karabagh.
Furthermore, the State Department has never made similar assertions
in previous reports.

We are concerned that such misrepresentations, rather than bringing
the parties together, will undermine our nation’s credibility as an
impartial mediator and jeopardize prospects for successful
negotiations. It could also have an impact on US-Armenia
relations.

Therefore, we call upon you to publicly clarify that:

1) the report’s language describing Armenia as an occupier of
Azerbaijani territory and Nagorno Karabagh is inaccurate and does
not reflect US foreign policy;

2) the United States views the Nagorno Karabagh conflict as
fundamentally about the self-determination of the people of Nagorno
Karabagh; and

3) this misrepresentation would not appear in future reports or
other official documents.

Our common aim should be to focus on workable diplomacy that brings
the parties together in the spirit of conflict resolution, not to
cause additional tension by introducing new and controversial
elements into an already complex negotiating process.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. We look
forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress

JOE KNOLLENBERG
Member of Congress