ADMINISTRATION OF WHITE HOUSE DID NOT IDENTIFY ITS CHOICE FOR NEXT NOMINEE FOR AMBASSADORSHIP TO ARMENIA, BUT IT DID NOT CHANGE POSITION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AS WELL
arminfo
2007-08-06 16:45:00
The administration did not identify its choice for the next
nominee. But officials said they had not shifted their position on
the genocide issue, raising the possibility that the impasse between
the administration and Congress would continue.
The White House on Friday formally withdrew its nominee for
ambassadorship to Armenia, yielding to senators who opposed the
candidate because he refused to call World War I-era killings of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks a genocide. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.),
who had used a parliamentary tactic called a "hold" to block the
nomination, said, "We’re obviously pleased that the administration
came to understand that I had no intention of withdrawing my hold."
Los Angeles Times He said he hoped the new nominee would be
"somebody who understands the reality of the Armenian genocide and
can express himself or herself when the time comes for a nomination
hearing." U.S. officials said they expected Hoagland to be nominated
for another post soon. Bush believes Hoagland "would have done
a wonderful job, and thanks him for his willingness to serve his
country," said Emily A. Lawrimore, a White House spokeswoman.