THE NEW US AMBASSADOR MAY BE SENT TO YEREVAN "TOMORROW OR MAYBE AFTER TOMORROW"
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.03.2008 GMT+04:00
Armenia, which is not of least importance to the US in its policy
in South Caucasus, has been left without the highest diplomatic
representative for almost two years.
George Bush’s Administration declared the name of the candidate of the
US Ambassador to Armenia. As Harut Sasunyan writes in The California
Courier, it has become clear from some reliable American and Armenian
sources that the head of the US diplomatic mission in Yerevan may
become the present US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Maria Iovanovich. Thus,
the first step has been taken. After receiving Armenia’s agreement,
President Bush will officially introduce the candidacy in the
commission on foreign affairs of the US Senate, and in case it is
approved by the entire Senate, the Ambassador will be sent to Yerevan.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The story with the appointment of the US Ambassador
to Yerevan has been a hot topic for already 18 months. After the
dismissal of the Ambassador John Evans in 2006 for using the term
"the Armenian Genocide" in his speech to the Armenian Diaspora,
the acting head of the diplomatic mission has been the temporary
charge d’affaires. There are definitely some anomalies here, moreover
if taking into consideration the fact that the candidacy of Richard
Hoagland failed twice during the hearings of the commission on foreign
affairs of the US Senate.
Both times the veto belonged to the Senator from New Jersey Robert
Menendez, who thought that the USA should be introduced in Yerevan by
an Ambassador who has a distinct opinion about the Armenian Genocide,
i.e. must qualify the mass killings of the Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915 – 1923 as Genocide.
Naturally, no candidate recognizes this, since it is not recognized
by the official Washington. The truth is though, that there is a hope
that this time the Armenian Community will become more tolerant and
will not insist on it.
In fact, not allowing the confirmation of the Ambassador, the
Armenians in America, pursuing their interests, risk the interests of
America. And this, unfortunately, is not the first time that this has
happened. It is quite clear that among the set tasks of the US foreign
policy is the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
but in no country other country of the world does the Diaspora
display as much pressure on the legislators in this issue as it
does in the USA. Unwillingly there is this question rising in one;
does the Armenian lobby in Washington indeed promote the Armenian
interests? Yes, in the issue of helping and preserving parity with
Azerbaijan the Armenian National Committee in America (ANCA) and the
Armenian Assembly in America (AAA) act very considerably. But what
concerns the Ambassador in the USA. perhaps it would be smarter to
leave this question to the Senate and the White House. Otherwise it
means that Armenia, Armenia, which is not of least importance to the
US in its policy in South Caucasus, has been left without the highest
diplomatic representative for almost two years.
In his article "Here we go again!" Arthur Sasunyan raises a very
good question: why did Bush’s Administration have to wait for 18
months and very suddenly, when it doesn’t have much left to go with,
decided to declare the name of the new Ambassador.
"Where is the guarantee, that the Senator Menendez will not bring
forward the issue of the Armenian Genocide? And what was the
reason for the State Department to wait with this announcement
till the parliamentary and presidential elections in Armenia were
held? Could they possibly have any importance for the appointment
of the Ambassador?" asks Sasunyan, and then adds that the State
Department is making the same mistake and doesn’t ask for the
opinion of the Armenian Community in the USA about the candidacy
of the Ambassador. Most probably the elections were indeed of some
importance. In this aspect the USA has a bitter experience: "colorful
revolutions" in the CIS is associated with the US Ambassadors. Maybe
the US State Department needs to know the public opinion, however here
it would be more reasonable to know the opinion of RA authorities. Yet,
the most important thing now is that the ice is now broken and it is
quite possible that by autumn, or maybe even earlier the US Ambassador
to Armenia will already be here.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
