Should Armenia Accept Ambassador Hoagland?

[Vako]

ARMINFO News Agency
September 16, 2006 Saturday

SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE HOAGLAND

After a lengthy confirmation process which challenged the Bush
Administration's policy on the Armenian Genocide, the SenateForeign
Relations Committee today approved the nomination of
Ambassador-designate Richard E. Hoagland as America's next Ambassador
to Armenia.

The panel vote, 13-5, clears a major hurdle for Hoagland, who has
been repeatedly questioned by Republican and Democratic lawmakers
over U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide following his nomination by
President Bush to replace Ambassador John M. Evans. "My vote is no,"
Democrat John Kerry told Committee Members. "It is not against the
nominee personally, but against the Administration." Kerry said that
the U.S. must honor history and honor the truth, pointing to
America's own record as documented by U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman
Empire Henry Morgenthau who warned during the time of the killings
that a "campaign of race extermination" was in progress.

Hoagland, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently
serves as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Tajikistan.
Previously, he served as Director of the Office of Caucasus and
Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State and as Director of
the Office of Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs.

The next step in the confirmation process is consideration by the
full Senate.

[Vako]

Re: Should Armenia Accept Ambassador Hoagland?

If you read the below article, you will want to call Sen. Menendez (202-224-4744) and thank him for placing a hold on Hoagland’s nomination.

After Hold on Hoagland, State Dept. Should Take Armenians More Seriously

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

The Turks were a little premature two weeks ago when they were boasting that the Armenian lobby failed to stop the nomination of Richard Hoagland, the Ambassador Designate to Armenia, after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmed him on Sept. 7.

Last week, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) proved the Turks wrong when he placed a hold on Hoagland’s confirmation last week, thus blocking the full Senate from approving his nomination.

“I believe that the United States, Armenia, and all who are committed to human rights should support an ambassador to Armenia who recognizes the genocide that took place there more than 90 years ago,” Sen.Menendez (D-NJ) said. “If the Bush Administration continues to refuse to acknowledge the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide, then there is certainly cause for great alarm, which is why I am placing a hold on this nominee…. I have great concerns that Mr. Hoagland's confirmation would be a step backward. Considering Mr. Hoagland's refusal to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide as anything more than horrifying events, I do not feel that his nomination is in the best interest of Armenia and her Diaspora.”

On the eve of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s vote, and after Amb. John Evans was ordered to leave Armenia, Jeffrey Bergner, the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, in a 3-page letter to Sen. Biden, offered several inducements and tricky arguments desperately trying to secure his as well as the other Senators’ vote for Hoagland.

Bergner falsely claimed that the American grant of $235 million to Armenia to reduce poverty could be jeopardized if the U.S. did not have “an ambassador in Yerevan.” Several Senators parroted this false argument in voting for Hoagland. Bergner also stated that the Armenian Government had not expressed any reservations concerning Hoagland when accepting his nomination last March. He hid from the Senators the fact that the Armenian authorities had delayed giving their agreement for a couple of months, as a sign of protest against the dismissal of Amb. Evans over his use of the term “Armenian Genocide.”

In a further effort to appease Sen. Biden, who was instrumental in delaying an earlier Committee vote on Hoagland, Bergner wrote, “the President’s annual statement on Armenian Remembrance Day makes clear our recognition of those horrible events of that period, and firmly sets the United States apart from those who would deny or minimize these atrocities.”

Bergner then made the incredible claim that “the President’s approach appears to be yielding a new readiness in Turkey to reexamine this horrible chapter of Turkey’s past with greater moral clarity, building on previous efforts, such as the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission.”

Bergner further suggested that if confirmed, Hoagland and Ross Wilson, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, would “work closely together on this issue [genocide recognition].” He wrote that the two envoys “would envision, among other efforts, joint visits to Yerevan and Ankara to bring greater focus on reconciliation, which could lead to a re-opening of the border and enhanced regional integration. Ambassador Wilson and Ambassador-designate Hoagland, if confirmed, will be available to brief Congress on U.S. efforts. We also welcome your suggestion that the State Department and Senate Foreign Relations Committee maintain a dialogue on helping to forge a common Turkish-Armenian understanding of this period.”

Bergner also promised that Amb. Hoagland plans to meet with several Armenian American groups prior to his departure to Yerevan and would “travel back to the United States to meet with the larger community shortly after presenting his credentials in Yerevan, if confirmed.”

After falsely insisting for several months that Turkish officials had no contacts whatsoever with the State Department to protest Amb. Evans’ acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide, Bergner finally admitted that indeed The Livingston Group, a high-powered lobbying firm hired by the Government of Turkey, had contacted three State Department officials within days of Amb. Evans’ statement.

Finally, Bergner sent on Sept. 5 to Sen. Biden “revised versions” of Ambassador-designate Hoagland’s June 28 responses to Senators John Kerry, Barbara Boxer and Paul Sarbanes. Needless to say, Amb. Hoagland was submitting these more accommodating letters that were more in line with what the Senators wanted to hear.

For example, in his June 28 response to Senators Boxer and Sarbanes, Hoagland had specifically mentioned the requirement of “intent” to qualify a mass killing as genocide, implying that such an element was absent in the Armenian case. In the Sept. 5 version of his reply to the same question, he deleted that sentence, thus removing any doubt on whether there was the intent to destroy the Armenians in 1915. Hoagland significantly added to his revised answer to Sen. Boxer that the “historical assessment” of what took place in 1915 should be “consistent with our values and historic truth.”

After the hold was placed by Sen. Menendez, State Dept. spokesman Sean McCormack, reflecting the Bush administration’s frustration and inability to secure Hoagland’s confirmation, claimed that if given a chance in the Senate, the Ambassador-designate would get “the 51 votes required for confirmation.” McCormack is not being fair when he selectively asks for a vote on this nominee, while the administration has been blocking for months Armenian Genocide resolutions both in the House and the Senate from coming to a floor vote, knowing full well that they would pass by an overwhelming majority. Sen. Menendez may consider removing his hold on Hoagland, in return for the administration allowing a vote on the two genocide resolutions!

There are several scenarios as to where Hoagland’s nomination may end up in the coming weeks. After months and months of waiting for his confirmation, Hoagland may end up withdrawing his name and ask the State Dept. to nominate him to another country. A second possibility is that President Bush may make a recess appointment, naming him ambassador to Armenia, while the Senate is not in session. A third option would be for the State Dept. to come back to the Senate and pressure Sen. Menendez to remove his hold.

The best option for the State Department, Ambassador Hoagland, Sen. Menendez, and the Armenian American community would be to get together and see if there are certain inducements that the State Department would offer on one or more Armenian issues which might convince Sen. Menendez to remove his hold.

The Armenian American community should call Sen. Menendez (202-224-4744) and thank him for placing a hold on Hoagland’s nomination.

[Illuminator]

Re: Should Armenia Accept Ambassador Hoagland?

If they make that genocide denying fruitcake fairy ambassador to Armenia, it would be a slap in the face to all Armenians.

He should be declared persona no grata in Armenia and his entrance into the country blocked.

[Vako]

Re: Should Armenia Accept Ambassador Hoagland?

Genocide acceptance should be a pre-requisite for any Ambassador in Armenia, either US or other.
Well, that's an ideal situation, the reality is that we should first look for economic, political, cultural, geographical and military survival. Once we secure those, then the rest is easy.

[Siamanto]

Re: Should Armenia Accept Ambassador Hoagland?

LA Times, CA
Aug 4 2007


White House gives in on Armenia envoy
It pulls the nomination of Richard Hoagland. Senate objected because
he wouldn't call mass killings by Turks 'genocide.'
By Paul Richter, Times Staff Writer
August 4, 2007


WASHINGTON - The White House on Friday formally withdrew its nominee
for ambassadorship to Armenia, yielding to senators who opposed the
candidate because he refused to call World War I-era killings of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks a genocide.

The move came after the nominee, Richard E. Hoagland, a career
foreign service officer, asked President Bush in a letter to drop the
effort, saying he believed there was no longer any chance the Senate
would confirm his selection.

The administration submitted Hoagland's nomination to the Senate in
2006, and again in January. But opposition quickly took shape because
in his confirmation hearing Hoagland, following administration
policy, deplored the killings but avoided using the word "genocide."

Turkey, an important U.S. ally, views the word as provocative and
inaccurate and has insisted that the deaths of 1.2 million Armenians
in the last years of the Ottoman Empire were not acts of genocide.

The mass killings are an increasingly contentious issue between
Congress and the Bush administration, and between the United States
and Turkey.

A majority of members of the House is now on record favoring a
pending resolution that would officially recognize the 1915-1923
killings as genocide. But Turkey, whose help the administration needs
in the Middle East, has been lobbying against the measure, warning
that it would further alienate the Turkish public.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who had used a parliamentary tactic
called a "hold" to block the nomination, said, "We're obviously
pleased that the administration came to understand that I had no
intention of withdrawing my hold."

He said he hoped the new nominee would be "somebody who understands
the reality of the Armenian genocide and can express himself or
herself when the time comes for a nomination hearing."

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had been watching the
nomination closely after the administration last year removed the
previous U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John M. Evans, for calling the
killings genocide.

U.S. officials said they expected Hoagland to be nominated for
another post soon. Bush believes Hoagland "would have done a
wonderful job, and thanks him for his willingness to serve his
country," said Emily A. Lawrimore, a White House spokeswoman.

The administration did not identify its choice for the next nominee.
But officials said they had not shifted their position on the
genocide issue, raising the possibility that the impasse between the
administration and Congress would continue.

Hoagland has been in the foreign service for two decades. He was
ambassador to Tajikistan, and he has served in Russia, in several
posts in central and South Asia, and in staff posts in Washington.
The White House nominated Hoagland in the fall to replace Evans, who
left Armenia in September after two years on the job.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena) said the administration had erred badly
in adopting a view of the Armenian killings "to mollify an ally." He
said it was "bad enough" that the administration had evaded the truth
on the deaths of 1.2 million Armenians and "even worse when they
fired a career diplomat for speaking the truth."

Rep. Frank J. Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), co-chairman of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, said Hoagland not only avoided the word
genocide, but "seems to go out of his way to suggest that genocide
never occurred and that we shouldn't speak out against it. Somebody
like that can't effectively serve as ambassador to Armenia; this
issue is such an important part of your task."

In a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, 9% of Turks held a
favorable view of the U.S., a level considerably lower than in other
Muslim areas, including the Palestinian territories.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg198331.html

[Mos]

Re: Should Armenia Accept Ambassador Hoagland?

NO! stupit Bush administration who eats of the paws of the Turks elected the most pro-Turk ambassador, its just like spitting in our face and we should not take the lightly and take it as an offence

[Siamanto]

Re: Should Armenia Accept Ambassador Hoagland?

WAS IT A PYRRHIC VICTORY?
By Edmond Y. Azadian

AZG Armenian Daily
17/08/2007

Richard Hoagland's withdrawal as the next US Ambassador to Armenia
by the administration was hailed by the Armenian news media, the
advocacy groups and friendly legislators. Armenian lobbying power
had scored a victory. But was it a victory against an individual or
against a policy?

By any measure Richard Hoagland cannot be labeled as an anti-Armenian
diplomat. But did the heat generated in the standoff between the
administration and legislators allow the nominee to realize that
there was no personal animosity towards him?

Once Hoagland became aware that the administration can ruin the career
of a diplomat for uttering the single word of genocide - as it happened
to Ambassador John Evans - he was not going to jeopardize his future
by opting for personal integrity versus an ill-conceived policy of
his superiors. That is why he refused to use the word genocide and
stuck to the administration policy line all along.

Armenian advocacy groups launched the campaign admirably in its
initial stages, gradually falling into discordance. Indeed, the
Armenian Assembly at one point decided that it was an uphill and
futile battle and gave up the campaign. The reasoning was that
Armenia's government itself did not oppose the nominee when asked
by the State Department. Of course, it would have been politically
incorrect for one of the tiniest nations on earth to defy a superpower
in the nomination of an ambassador, but at the same time it would
not discourage Armenian advocacy groups in doing their job.

Sacking Ambassador Evans and nominating Hoagland twice for the post
are part and parcel of the same policy regarding the genocide issue.

The media, the advocacy groups, and members of the Armenian Caucus
on the Hill worked hand in hand until Senator Menendez's hold on the
nomination brought to bear the salutary result. The administration
finally withdrew Hoagland's nomination upon the latter's request.

We cannot be naïve to believe that the next nominee, on his own, will
decide to follow Ambassador Evans' path, unless there is a change in
the administration policy. Our fellow columnist, Harout Sassounian,
brings us to the next stage in this campaign by suggesting that the
passage of HR106 resolution will pave the way for a normal nomination
and the confirmation of the next Ambassador to Armenia.

Patience is running out in Armenian circles waiting for House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the bill to a vote, especially since
227 co-sponsors have already signed it.

The timing of the vote is highly sensitive and it is a political
issue. No matter what may be said officially, the voting did not
come earlier because it could have complicated Turkey's parliamentary
elections in July.

No one doubts where the speaker stands on the issue, but the voting
will coincide with a policy coordination; that is when US is ready to
extract a concession from Turkey, or a policy reorientation by the
latter. Then the bill will become a bargaining chip in the hands of
the US administration.

Upon the passage of the resolution Turkey's reaction is
predictable. Turkey lost the battle with a number of countries when
they adopted genocide resolutions.

Its initial reaction was to call its ambassador from the respective
country, yet in time the relations were back to normal with the
same country.

But the United States is not any country. Although the resolution will
remain a benign commemorative act, it still has tremendous bearing
on Turkey's foreign policy. That will signify the beginning of the
end of Turkey's denialist policy.

The next nomination once again will draw the battle lines. In the
meantime, Armenian advocacy groups have become more battle hardened,
the legislators are more aware of what the genocide issue means for
Armenia and Armenians and hopefully all these factors will chip away
the administration's resistance to admit what is already so obvious.

When we ask whether the first stage of this battle ended in a Pyrrhic
victory, we hope history will come to prove that what we have achieved
thus far is more than that.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg199153.html

[Siamanto]

Re: Should Armenia Accept Ambassador Hoagland?

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aaainc.org

PRESS RELEASE
June 19, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ QUESTIONS AMBASSADORIAL NOMINEE YOVANOVITCH ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DURING FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE HEARING

Armenian Assembly of America reserves judgment until it reads nominee's
responses to written questions

Washington, DC - Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) posed a series of
questions to the Administration's nominee to serve as Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the
Republic of Armenia, Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch during today's
Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, reported the Armenian
Assembly of America (Assembly).

In her opening statement, Yovanovitch stated the U.S. government
"acknowledges and mourns the mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and forced
deportations that devastated over one and a half million Armenians at
the end of the Ottoman Empire. The United States recognizes these
events as one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, the Medz
Yeghern or Great Calamity, as Armenians refer to it."

During the question and answer period, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
provided Yovanovitch with several historical documents, including cables
from U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, U.S. Ambassador Abram Elkus, U.S.
Consul Jesse Jackson, U.S. Consul Leslie Davis, as well as Article II of
the UN Genocide Convention and President George Bush's 2004 April 24th
Statement.

Menendez asked her to acknowledge each, to which she replied in the
affirmative. Senator Menendez also asked if she believed that the facts
she presented in her opening statement fit the definition of Article II
of the Genocide Convention. Yovanovitch responded that it was a policy
decision, which she was not authorized to make.

Menendez repeated that he was not looking for policy, but rather he
wanted to know if the 1.5 million Armenians that were exiled and
murdered fell into that category. Yovanovitch again reiterated that "it
is a policy decision."

In closing, Menendez said "it is a shame that career Foreign Service
Officers have to be brought before the committee and find difficulty in
acknowledging historical facts and find difficulty in acknowledging the
realities of what has been internationally recognized, Mr. Chairman....
The International Association of Genocide Scholars, the pre-eminent
authority on genocide, has unanimously, not equivocated, unanimously
declared the Armenian Genocide a genocide and it is amazing to me that
we can talk about a million and a half human beings who were
slaughtered, we can talk about those who were raped, we can talk about
those who were forcibly pushed out of their country and we can have
presidential acknowledgements of that but then we cannot call it what it
is.

"It is a ridiculous stance that the Administration is doing over the use
of the term genocide. It is an attempt to suggest that we don't want to
strain our relationships with Turkey but I have to say the fact that we
are sending off our diplomats in such a manner, that they are not able
to recognize a historical event that is clearly documented by credible,
objective historians, an event that is so tragic, an event that the
recognition of which is so personal for millions of Armenians and
descendants of Armenians, many of whom are Americans, is also something
that I think is detrimental to our foreign policy."

"The Armenian Assembly applauds the continued efforts of Senator
Menendez for ensuring that the facts of the Armenian Genocide are
brought to the forefront and not denied. We concur with the Senator
that the Administration's current policy is fundamentally flawed and
that our long-term interests would be better served by speaking the
truth as opposed to trying to placate a foreign government," said
Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.

At the onset of the hearing, former Senator Robert Dole (R-KS) addressed
the Committee speaking in favor of the nomination of Ambassador
Yovanovitch, whom he described as "an outstanding person who will do an
outstanding job." He ended his remarks by saying, "God Bless America and
God Bless Armenia."

In a recent interview, Armenia's Ambassador to the United States,
Ambassador Tatoul Markarian stated that the Armenian government has
already given its agreement to the official U.S. request on the
Ambassador's candidacy. Ambassador Markarian added that the Armenian
government hopes "that the nominee will be confirmed successfully and
arrive in Armenia shortly" and that they "look forward to having a
full-time American Ambassador in Yerevan."

If confirmed, Yovanovitch pledged to work to open the borders closed by
Turkey and Azerbaijan and resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, as well
as attend the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at the
Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan.

The next step in the confirmation process is to allow Senators to submit
questions in writing to the nominee. It is anticipated that the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee will hold a business committee meeting prior
to the July 4th Congressional recess to vote on the nominees considered
today.

The Ambassadorial position has remained vacant since September 10, 2006,
when then Ambassador John M. Evans's tour of duty was ended as U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia. Evans was recalled after he acknowledged the
Armenian Genocide during a public tour in February 2005, relying on the
International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) report, and other
such impartial works.

The Bush Administration named Ambassador Richard Hoagland as Evans's
replacement in May 2006. After extensive questioning, Hoagland was
approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 13 to 5.
However, in the end, Hoagland was not confirmed as Senator Robert
Menendez (D-NJ) placed a hold on his confirmation stating that the
nominee should properly recognize the Armenian Genocide. When the
Hoagland nomination was withdrawn, the Assembly welcomed it at that time
if it signaled a change in policy.

The Armenian Assembly has a fundamental policy disagreement with the
Bush Administration regarding affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and
has repeatedly urged the Administration to reaffirm the historical truth
as President Ronald Reagan did in 1981.

Similarly, the 1993 court decision in Krikorian v. Department of State
the D.C. Federal Court of Appeals confirmed that U.S. policy recognizes
the Armenian Genocide, which harkens back to the 1951 U.S. filing with
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning the United Nations
Genocide Convention squarely acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.
The document reads in part:

The Genocide Convention resulted from the inhuman and barbarous
practices which prevailed in certain countries prior to and during World
War II, when entire religious, racial and national minority groups were
threatened with and subjected to deliberate extermination. The practice
of genocide has occurred throughout human history. The Roman persecution
of the Christians, the Turkish massacres of Armenians, the extermination
of millions of xxxs and Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of
the crime of genocide.

After decades of denial and cajoling by Turkey and its apologists, the
time has long since come for unequivocal U.S. affirmation.

While strongly pushing for Genocide affirmation to ensure U.S.
affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, the Assembly also believes that
having a U.S. Ambassador to Armenia is critically important for
U.S.-Armenia relations. As the Assembly previously stated:

Democracy in Armenia is still a work in progress and an U.S. Ambassador
can play an important role in strengthening Armenia's democratic process
and ensuring free and fair elections...The Armenian Assembly of America
salutes former Ambassador John Evans for speaking the truth and for his
efforts in working to strengthen Armenia's democratic institutions.

While no U.S. Ambassador has affirmed the Armenian Genocide during
Senate confirmation hearings, the Armenian-American community rightly
expects that any U.S. ambassadorial nominee to Armenia, or anyone in the
U.S. diplomatic service, properly understands and refers to the Armenian
Genocide.

Previous Ambassadors, once they arrived in Armenia and visited the
Armenian Genocide Memorial, would later go on to publicly acknowledge
the Armenia Genocide, as did Evans and former Ambassador Harry J.
Gilmore. As such, the Assembly urges the U.S. not to ignore its proud
record in helping to save the genocide survivors, in what then U.S.
Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Henry Morgenthau described as a
"campaign of race extermination." Senator Menendez made certain today
that the U.S. record was not ignored.

Yovanovitch, a career member of the Foreign Service, currently serves as
Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic. Prior to this, she served as Senior
Advisor to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the Department
of State. Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission
in Kiev. Yovanovitch received her bachelor's degree from Princeton
University and her master's degree from the National War College.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR#2008-055

Editor's Note: Yovanovitch testimony and Senator Statements attached.

Ambassador Marie L Yovanovitch

http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/pdf_2008_new/Ambassador_Hearing/Testimony_of_Marie_Yovanovitch__Amb_Designate_to_Armenia__6.19.08_SFRC.pdf

Senator Barbara Boxer

http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/images/PR_-_2008/May_-_June/Sen_Boxer_Statement_Amb_Yovanovitch.pdf

Senator xxxx Lugar

http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/pdf_2008_new/Ambassador_Hearing/xxxx_Lugar_-_Nominations_Hearing_Statement.pdf

Question and Answer Transcription, Yovanovitch, Menendez

http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/images/PR_-_2008/May_-_June/Yovanovitch_QandA_Menendez.pdf