PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung), Austria
March 29 2008
Bush nominates envoy to Armenia, after block of earlier choice
2008-03-28 22:22:04 –
WASHINGTON (AP) – President George W. Bush has nominated a career
diplomat to be U.S. ambassador to Armenia after the last nominee was
blocked by Democrats because of a refusal to call the World War I-era
killings of Armenians a genocide.
Bush announced on Friday the nomination of Marie Yovanovitch, who is
currently ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic.
In August, the White House withdrew its nomination of another career
diplomat, Richard Hoagland, after Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez
held up confirmation hearings.
Menendez could not be reached Friday and his staff did not
immediately comment on the new nomination.
Hoagland’s predecessor, John Evans, reportedly had his tour of duty
in Armenia cut short by the administration because, in a social
setting, he referred to the killings as genocide.
The administration has warned that even a congressional debate on the
genocide question could damage relations with Turkey, a moderate
Muslim nation that is a NATO member and an important strategic ally.
Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey however denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying
the toll has been inflated, and that those killed were victims of
civil war and unrest.
Armenian-American groups had sought to prevent Hoagland’s nomination
unless he made a clear statement affirming the genocide.
One group said Friday, they expect that lawmakers will raise the
issue with Yovanovitch.
«It’s important to have an ambassador in Yerevan, but its also
important to have the right ambassador,» said Aram Hamparian,
executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America.
«Being able to speak truthfully about what we all acknowledge is the
historical record, is an important part of a U.S. ambassador’s
ability to effectively represent our nation’s values and interests in
Yerevan.
It is not clear when the Senate will hold hearings on the nomination.
(AP)