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ANCA: Senate Confirmation Hearing for U.S. Amb. to Armenia -- June

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  • ANCA: Senate Confirmation Hearing for U.S. Amb. to Armenia -- June

    Armenian National Committee of America
    1711 N Street NW
    Washington, DC 20036
    Tel: (202) 775-1918
    Fax: (202) 775-5648
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Internet: www.anca.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    June 20, 2006
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
    Tel: (202) 775-1918

    ARMENIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY LOOKS
    TO SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING FOR
    ANSWERS TO AMB. EVANS FIRING

    -- Senate Foreign Relations Committee Set to Consider
    New Nominee on June 28th at 2:30pm

    WASHINGTON, DC - Armenian Americans across the U.S. will be closely
    following the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation
    hearings for U.S. Ambassador to Armenia nominee Richard Hoagland,
    in hopes of gaining concrete insight into the exact nature of the
    State Department's policy of complicity in Armenian Genocide denial
    - particularly as it relates to the firing of the current U.S.
    Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, reported the Armenian
    National Committee of America (ANCA).

    The nomination hearing will be held on Wednesday, June 28th at 2:30
    pm in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee room, 419 Dirksen
    Senate Office Building and is open to the public.

    The hearing comes as Armenian American activists across the U.S.
    continue to call on Senators to demand a full explanation for the
    early recall of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans.
    Concerned Americans can join the ANCA Congressional Call-in
    Campaign to urge their Senators to attend the upcoming hearing and
    press for answers by visiting:
    http://capwiz.com/anca/callalert/index.t t?alertid=8836481&type=TA

    Amb. Evans, who first took on his post in August 2004, spoke openly
    and honestly about the Armenian Genocide in community briefings in
    San Francisco, and other cities in February 2005. The Ambassador
    was later forced by State Department leaders to twice recant his
    statement. The American Foreign Service Association, set to award
    Amb. Evans with the Christian A. Herter Award for constructive
    dissent, rescinded the decision, according to the Washington Post,
    following pressure from State Department officials.

    Calls by Members of Congress, the media and activists for answers
    to Amb. Evans' recall have been ignored or sidestepped by State
    Department spokespeople, who have simply repeated the fact that
    ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the U.S. President.

    In recent weeks, Rep. Markey spearheaded a Congressional letter
    with sixty signatories calling for clarification on the recall. In
    the Senate, Massachusetts Democrats Edward Kennedy and John Kerry
    registered a similar letter of concern. In previous months,
    Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), and
    Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) have each publicly
    called for an explanation for the State Department decision. No
    concrete answers have been provided to date.

    On June 9th, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, urged Senate Foreign
    Relations Committee members to demand the truth about the Evans
    firing prior to confirming his replacement. "The U.S. Senate
    cannot, in good conscience, approve the nomination of a new
    ambassador to Armenia until the circumstances of the current
    envoy's highly controversial firing are fully, officially, and
    openly explained to Congress and the American people," stated
    Hachikian. More broadly, the Administration needs to honestly
    explain its policies concerning the Armenian Genocide. This is
    especially true given that serious questions remain unanswered
    concerning the role that the Turkish Government played in
    Ambassador Evans' firing."

    Below find a list of suggested questions that Senators may ask Amb.
    Hoagland.

    #####

    =========================== =====================================
    The Firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans:
    Suggested Questions for the Ambassador to Armenia-Designate
    ================================ ================================

    * What guidance has the Department of State given you concerning
    your public statements on the Armenian Genocide?

    * Has the Department of State instructed you not use the word
    genocide in characterizing the Armenian Genocide?

    * Has the Department of State instructed other Department of State
    employees or government officials not use the word genocide in
    characterizing the Armenian Genocide? If your answer is yes, was
    this instruction given in writing?

    * What instructions do you intend to give your Embassy staff
    concerning statements about the Armenian Genocide?

    * What, in your opinion, is the impact on U.S.-Armenia relations
    of having an Ambassador in Yerevan who fails to properly recognize
    the genocidal crime that destroyed the majority of the Armenian
    people, exiled a nation from its historic homeland, and continues
    to severely impact the future of the Republic of Armenia?

    * What is your understanding about the recall of your predecessor?
    Specifically, can you describe the events, policies, and process
    that led to his recall; explain the reasons for his replacement,
    and; share your views on the implications of this action on the
    U.S. Embassy in Armenia?

    * What training and education have you received from the
    Department of State on the Armenian Genocide?

    * What are your thoughts about the Armenian Genocide - as a
    historical event, a moral issue, a subject of denial, and a matter
    of ongoing geopolitical significance?
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