SENIOR OFFICIAL DEMANDED EARLY RETURN OF EVANS LEADING TO VACANCY IN KEY AMBASSADORIAL POST

Arminfo Agency News
2007-05-09 14:59:00

Internal State Department documents, released this week to the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) [Ho. He. Dashnaktsutyan
Washington-ee Hai Tahd-ee Krasenyag] under the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA), reveal that a senior State Department official forced
the return to the U.S. of former Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall
Evans, prior to U.S. Senate’s approval of his replacement, effectively
ensuring that this key foreign post would remain vacant.

The key document released by the Department was an August 8, 2006
"Sensitive-Eyes Only for Amb. Evans" memo from Assistant Secretary of
State Daniel Fried to Ambassador Evans. In the note, the Assistant
Secretary acknowledged Ambassador Evans’ willingness to remain in
Yerevan until the Senate had confirmed Richard Hoagland, the career
Foreign Service officer who had been nominated by President Bush to
fill the Yerevan ambassadorial post after the Evans firing.

The relevant section of the cable reads as follows:

"John [Evans], Thank you for your offer to remain in Yerevan in light
of the SFRC (Senate Foreign Relations Committee) postponement of its
consideration of Dick’s [Richard Hoagland’s] nomination. I appreciate
that you are willing to serve the President as needed. However,
I think it is best to continue with your previous plan, and for you
to depart post by the end of the first week in September."

Early return of John Evans is connected with his February 2005
public comments to Armenian American audiences in which he properly
characterized Ottoman Turkey’s campaign to exterminate its Armenian
population as a genocide.