SECTION 907 STRENGTHENED BY THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
24.06.2009 13:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act was
strengthened by the House Committee on Appropriations when it approved
the Fiscal Year 2010 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act,
reported the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA).

The strengthening of Section 907 directs "that the Department of
State consult with the Committees on Appropriations before exercising
waiver for fiscal year 2010 to ensure that all conditions under the
waiver are being fully met." The same bill also provides $48 million
in assistance for Armenia and $10 million for Nagorno Karabakh.

The Assembly’s efforts garnered results in Congress and the Committee
has validated the importance of Section 907 by calling on all parties
to "refrain from threats, incitement to the use of force, or other
inflammatory rhetoric." The new language comes as cease-fire
violations by Azerbaijan have increased in recent months. In
testimony presented before the House Appropriations Subcommittee
on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs in March of this
year, Assembly Board of Trustees Member and Counselor Van Krikorian
outlined the importance of Section 907 and expressed the Assembly’s
strong concerns regarding Azerbaijan’s continued war rhetoric.

"As the Subcommittee is aware, in the aftermath of September 11th,
pursuant to then-Secretary of State Colin Powell’s request for
flexibility to counter terrorist elements and organizations operating
in Azerbaijan, Congress granted a conditional and limited waiver to
Section 907. The conditional waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM
Support Act makes it clear that any assistance provided shall not
"undermine or hamper" the Karabakh peace process or "be used for
offensive purposes against Armenia" or any "Armenian community in
the Caucasus region."

While safeguards were built into the waiver, especially to
safeguard against U.S. security assistance being used in a new
Azeri ethnic cleansing campaign such as the one it began to start
the war, the Assembly remains deeply troubled by the continued war
rhetoric emanating from senior Azerbaijani officials, including its
President. In addition, Azerbaijan has rejected Armenia’s numerous
proposals for economic and regional confidence-building measures,
and has instead dramatically increased its military spending to levels
equivalent to Armenia’s entire national budget."

"Having initiated Section 907 and championed it since its inception,
the Assembly welcomes the strengthening of this important provision
and applauds the Committee for sending a strong message in the face of
Azerbaijan’s continued warmongering," stated Assembly Board of Trustees
Chairman Hirair Hovnanian. "By insisting that Turkey continue its
blockade to force concessions in the Nagorno Karabakh peace process,
Azerbaijan has taken a counter-productive stance with respect to the
announced roadmap between Armenia and Turkey. This latest Congressional
action helps restore the integrity of the peace process supported by
U.S. mediators."

The report language also reaffirms the Committee’s support for the
policy of parity in military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan,
as well as support for confidence building measures among the parties
to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. A vote in the House is expected as
early as next week.