US 9/11 COMMISSION STAFF TO VISIT ARMENIA

armradio.am
02.10.2008 15:57

Three distinguished American experts who formerly participated in
the U.S. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United
States (more commonly known as the 9/11 Commission) will visit Armenia
October 5-11. The visiting experts will consult with relevant Armenian
officials examining the March 1-2 events in Yerevan, and especially
the National Assembly’s Ad Hoc Commission of Inquiry into March 1-2
Events. The idea for such a visit was first proposed to Armenian
officials by Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer during his
June 2008 visit to Yerevan. The visit is sponsored by the United
States Embassy and is funded by USAID. The three visiting experts
will be Christopher Kojm, John Farmer, and Michael Hurley.

The purpose of this visit is for the U.S. experts to share with their
Armenian counterparts the experiences and lessons learned from the
U.S. 9/11 Commission experience. The experts will share their knowledge
about the management, operations, successes, and difficulties that the
9/11 Commission faced, and provide these insights both to the Ad Hoc
Commission and to officials involved in organizing the independent
experts group that will supplement the parliamentary inquiry. The
delegation will also consult with the Prosecutor General of the
Republic of Armenia about the criminal investigation work.

The visiting U.S. 9/11 Commission experts will not directly assist
in any inquiry or investigation concerning events in Armenia. They
will not conduct an assessment or report about the efforts underway
in Armenia. The sole purpose of this visit is to convey information
and insights about the lessons learned from the U.S. experience with
the 9/11 Commission.

The 9/11 Commission was created as an independent, bipartisan special
commission of inquiry into the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
against the United States. Many Americans believed at that time that
U.S. Government agencies might have been negligent or incompetent
in failing to anticipate, detect, and prevent the attacks. The
U.S. public demanded that a special commission be established to
examine all evidence to assess this allegation.

The 9/11 Commission had ten members, five Republicans and five
Democrats — all of whom were retired senior officials of U.S. federal
and state government. The 9/11 Commission reviewed thousands of pages
of government records and other evidence and interviewed hundreds of
government officials and other witnesses. The ten Commissioners were
assisted in this massive work by 75 professional staff members. The
delegation visiting Armenia is comprised of three of the most senior
of these staff members. They are distinguished experts in law,
legislative oversight, and national security matters.

The delegation will comprise Christopher Kojm, Michael Hurley and
John Farmer.