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OBAMA BYPASSES SENATE TO APPOINT 4 NEW AMBASSADORS TO COUNTRIES INCLUDING SYRIA, TURKEY
MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press
December 29, 2010, 3:06 p.m.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has bypassed the U.S. Senate
and directly appointed four new U.S. ambassadors whose nominations
had been stalled or blocked by lawmakers for months.
The White House announced Wednesday that Obama would use his power
to make recess appointments to fill envoy posts to Azerbaijan, Syria
and NATO allies Turkey and the Czech Republic.
Recess appointments are made when the Senate is not in session and
last only until the end of the next session of Congress. They are
frequently used when Senate confirmation is not possible.
Specific senators had blocked or refused to consider the confirmations
of the nominees for various reasons, including questions about their
qualifications. But in the most high-profile case, that of the new
envoy to Syria, Robert Ford, a number of senators objected because
they believed sending an ambassador to the country would reward it
for bad behavior.
The administration had argued that returning an ambassador to Syria
after a five-year absence would help persuade Syria to change its
policies regarding Israel, Lebanon and Iraq as well as its willingness
to support extremist groups. Syria is designated a "state sponsor of
terrorism" by the State Department.
Former President George W. Bush's administration withdrew a full-time
ambassador from Syria in 2005 after terrorism accusations and to
protest the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri, killed in a Beirut truck bombing that his supporters blamed
on Syria. Syria denied involvement.
Obama nominated Ford, a career diplomat and a former ambassador to
Algeria, to the post in February but his nomination stalled after
his confirmation hearings and was never voted on.
The other Obama nominees announced Wednesday are Matthew Bryza for
Azerbaijan, Norman Eisen for the Czech Republic and Francis Ricciardone
for Turkey.
Bryza, a career diplomat, was opposed by some in the Armenian-American
community because of comments he made in his previous position as
deputy assistant secretary of state for European affairs while trying
to negotiate an end to the Nargorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan.
The nomination of Ricciardone, another career diplomat who served as
ambassador to Egypt during the Bush administration, had been held up by
outgoing Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican from Kansas, who had concerns
about his work in promoting democracy while he was stationed in Cairo.
The nomination of Eisen, a lawyer who has worked in the Obama White
House on ethics and reform, was being held up by Sen. Charles Grassley,
an Iowa Republican who said the nominee had made misrepresentations
to Congress about the firing of a federal official.
From: A. Papazian
MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press
December 29, 2010, 3:06 p.m.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has bypassed the U.S. Senate
and directly appointed four new U.S. ambassadors whose nominations
had been stalled or blocked by lawmakers for months.
The White House announced Wednesday that Obama would use his power
to make recess appointments to fill envoy posts to Azerbaijan, Syria
and NATO allies Turkey and the Czech Republic.
Recess appointments are made when the Senate is not in session and
last only until the end of the next session of Congress. They are
frequently used when Senate confirmation is not possible.
Specific senators had blocked or refused to consider the confirmations
of the nominees for various reasons, including questions about their
qualifications. But in the most high-profile case, that of the new
envoy to Syria, Robert Ford, a number of senators objected because
they believed sending an ambassador to the country would reward it
for bad behavior.
The administration had argued that returning an ambassador to Syria
after a five-year absence would help persuade Syria to change its
policies regarding Israel, Lebanon and Iraq as well as its willingness
to support extremist groups. Syria is designated a "state sponsor of
terrorism" by the State Department.
Former President George W. Bush's administration withdrew a full-time
ambassador from Syria in 2005 after terrorism accusations and to
protest the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri, killed in a Beirut truck bombing that his supporters blamed
on Syria. Syria denied involvement.
Obama nominated Ford, a career diplomat and a former ambassador to
Algeria, to the post in February but his nomination stalled after
his confirmation hearings and was never voted on.
The other Obama nominees announced Wednesday are Matthew Bryza for
Azerbaijan, Norman Eisen for the Czech Republic and Francis Ricciardone
for Turkey.
Bryza, a career diplomat, was opposed by some in the Armenian-American
community because of comments he made in his previous position as
deputy assistant secretary of state for European affairs while trying
to negotiate an end to the Nargorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan.
The nomination of Ricciardone, another career diplomat who served as
ambassador to Egypt during the Bush administration, had been held up by
outgoing Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican from Kansas, who had concerns
about his work in promoting democracy while he was stationed in Cairo.
The nomination of Eisen, a lawyer who has worked in the Obama White
House on ethics and reform, was being held up by Sen. Charles Grassley,
an Iowa Republican who said the nominee had made misrepresentations
to Congress about the firing of a federal official.
From: A. Papazian