Washington Times, DC
March 31 2006
Embassy Row
By James Morrison
March 30, 2006
Recall from Armenia?
Armenian-Americans and their allies in Congress are angered over
reports that the U.S. ambassador to Armenia will be recalled or fired
for referring to the killings of Armenians in 1915 as genocide and
upsetting established U.S. policy that avoids using that word.
Ambassador John Evans, a career Foreign Service officer,
deliberately referred to the “Armenian genocide” in a speech last
year in San Francisco, and rumors of official retaliation have
persisted for the past 12 months.
The State Department officially refers to the “massacre” of
Armenians under the Ottoman Turkish Empire but has never described
the conflict as a deliberate attempt to eliminate an entire race of
people. The delicate subject also complicates U.S. relations with
Turkey, a key NATO ally that insists no genocide occurred. Turkey
says Armenians were killed in an uprising against the Ottomans and
rejects demands for an apology from the modern Turkish state.
Reps. Frank Pallone Jr., New Jersey Democrat and co-chairman of
the Congressional Caucus on Armenia, Grace F. Napolitano and Adam B.
Schiff, both California Democrats, have demanded an answer about Mr.
Evans’ future from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
In a March 11 letter to Miss Rice, Mr. Pallone expressed his
“outrage that the State Department is recalling Ambassador Evans as
retaliation for statements he made in recognition of the Armenian
genocide. It is simply wrong for the State Department to punish
Ambassador Evans for statements he made that are factually correct.”
Mrs. Napolitano, a senior member of the House International
Relations Committee, asked, “Have State Department employees been
directed not to use the word ‘genocide’ when discussing the
extermination of 1.5 million Armenians starting in 1915?”
Earlier this month, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack
said he has no information about Mr. Evans’ future. The ambassador
has been in Armenia for nearly two years.
“I’m not aware that we have recalled anybody,” he said. “I
believe that he’s still serving as ambassador in Armenia.”
The Armenian National Committee of America also pressed Miss
Rice.
“The prospect that a U.S. envoy’s posting — and possibly his
career — has been cut short due to his honest and accurate
description of a genocide is profoundly offensive to American
values,” committee Chairman Ken Hachikian said in a March 8 letter to
Miss Rice.
In his Feb. 19, 2005, speech, Mr. Evans told the Bay Area
Armenian-American Community, “I will today call it the Armenian
genocide. I think we, the U.S. government, owe you, our fellow
citizens, a more frank and honest way of discussing the problem.
Embassy Row
By James Morrison
March 30, 2006
Recall from Armenia?
Armenian-Americans and their allies in Congress are angered over
reports that the U.S. ambassador to Armenia will be recalled or fired
for referring to the killings of Armenians in 1915 as genocide and
upsetting established U.S. policy that avoids using that word.
Ambassador John Evans, a career Foreign Service officer,
deliberately referred to the “Armenian genocide” in a speech last
year in San Francisco, and rumors of official retaliation have
persisted for the past 12 months.
The State Department officially refers to the “massacre” of
Armenians under the Ottoman Turkish Empire but has never described
the conflict as a deliberate attempt to eliminate an entire race of
people. The delicate subject also complicates U.S. relations with
Turkey, a key NATO ally that insists no genocide occurred. Turkey
says Armenians were killed in an uprising against the Ottomans and
rejects demands for an apology from the modern Turkish state.
Reps. Frank Pallone Jr., New Jersey Democrat and co-chairman of
the Congressional Caucus on Armenia, Grace F. Napolitano and Adam B.
Schiff, both California Democrats, have demanded an answer about Mr.
Evans’ future from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
In a March 11 letter to Miss Rice, Mr. Pallone expressed his
“outrage that the State Department is recalling Ambassador Evans as
retaliation for statements he made in recognition of the Armenian
genocide. It is simply wrong for the State Department to punish
Ambassador Evans for statements he made that are factually correct.”
Mrs. Napolitano, a senior member of the House International
Relations Committee, asked, “Have State Department employees been
directed not to use the word ‘genocide’ when discussing the
extermination of 1.5 million Armenians starting in 1915?”
Earlier this month, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack
said he has no information about Mr. Evans’ future. The ambassador
has been in Armenia for nearly two years.
“I’m not aware that we have recalled anybody,” he said. “I
believe that he’s still serving as ambassador in Armenia.”
The Armenian National Committee of America also pressed Miss
Rice.
“The prospect that a U.S. envoy’s posting — and possibly his
career — has been cut short due to his honest and accurate
description of a genocide is profoundly offensive to American
values,” committee Chairman Ken Hachikian said in a March 8 letter to
Miss Rice.
In his Feb. 19, 2005, speech, Mr. Evans told the Bay Area
Armenian-American Community, “I will today call it the Armenian
genocide. I think we, the U.S. government, owe you, our fellow
citizens, a more frank and honest way of discussing the problem.
“Today, as someone who has studied it, there’s no doubt in my mind
what happened. I think it is unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play
word games here. I believe in calling things by their name.”
Upon his return to the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, Mr. Evans issued
a correction that led many observers to speculate that he was under
pressure from Washington.
“Although I told my audience that the United States policy on the
Armenian tragedy has not changed, I used the term ‘genocide,’
speaking in what I characterized as my personal capacity,” he said.
“That was inappropriate.”