Bush's Nominee for new ambassador to Armenia has Publicly Denied the Genocide.

[Gavur]

Doesn't look like they are going to nominate anyone soon.

[Joseph]

Armenian-Americans Force The
> D-King of xxxx Hoagland's Candidacy
>
> But Can The Armenian Assembly Use
> xxxx's Dismissal As A Hoag-Wash?
>
> By Appo Jabarian
> Executive Publisher/Managing Editor
> USA Armenian Life Magazine
>
> [email protected]
>
> The months of August and September bring customary
> slowdown of politics in the nation's capital during
> the summer recess by the U.S. Congress. Hence the
> distraction of the American populace by the hot
> season's attractions might have been used as the
> appropriate moment by the Bush administration to
> announce the withdrawal of Richard Hoagland's
> nomination as ambassador to Armenia.
> The news did not go unnoticed. The timing backfired.
> Several major national and international media members
> including The International Herald Tribune and The Los
> Angeles Times promptly reported this most important
> development. Even the geographically very distant
> Turkish and Azeri media echoed with much alarm. The
> Turkish Daily Zaman said in a headline: "Bush gave in
> to demands of Armenian lobby." The Milliyet lamented:
> "[Armenian] lobby forced Bush into submission."
> After having experienced two senatorial blows - in the
> form of "holds" - to its nominee's chances of ever
> being confirmed as ambassador, the Bush administration
> realized that the genocide denier Hoagland would never
> succeed in gaining the U.S. Senate's confirmation.
> The first journalist to break the news on the
> withdrawal of Hoagland's nomination was Harut
> Sassounian, the Publisher of the California Courier.
> Causing much surprise and dismay at the highest
> echelons of the Bush administration, Sassounian had
> made public their intention to quietly replace Evans
> with Hoagland, several months before their decision
> was officially announced by the White House. To
> Sassounian's credit, he had also suggested more than a
> year ago that the Senate place a hold on Hoagland.
> In a July 19 article titled "Bush to Send Amb.
> Hoagland Elsewhere After Nomination to Armenia is
> Blocked," Sassounian wrote: "After languishing for
> more than a year in Washington, D.C., Richard
> Hoagland, U.S. Ambassador Designate to Armenia, is
> about to be reassigned to another country, according
> to several confidential but highly reliable sources."
>
> Sassounian continued: "Since the Turkish Ambassador to
> the U.S. and lobbyists hired by Turkey had protested
> to the Bush administration about Amb. Evans' 'taboo'
> statement on the Armenian Genocide, some wondered
> whether U.S. ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the
> President of Turkey or the President of the United
> States! In response to the disrespect shown by the
> State Department toward the Armenian-American
> community and particularly the critical issue of the
> Armenian Genocide, Armenian-Americans asked that the
> U.S. Senate block the nomination of Amb. Hoagland.
> After lengthy debates in the Senate Foreign Relations
> Committee, Sen. Robert Menendez (Dem.-N.J.) placed a
> hold on Hoagland's nomination, thus blocking his
> assignment as the next ambassador to Armenia. . In
> view of the embarrassment suffered by the State
> Department on this occasion, it is hoped that,
> henceforth, the administration would think long and
> hard before showing any more disrespect toward the
> Armenian-American community on the core issue of the
> Armenian Genocide."
>
> The two-year struggle between the Neo-Cons in the Bush
> administration and the Armenian-Americans ended with
> the latter's clear victory. During the course of that
> period "U.S. officials have been monitoring the
> Armenian-American community's reaction to the
> dismissal of Amb. Evans and the nomination of Amb.
> Hoagland. The Neo-Cons in Washington, goaded by their
> Turkish cronies, completely mismanaged both decisions.
> They did a major disservice to their
> Commander-in-Chief, the President of the United
> States, who has been burdened with many other domestic
> and foreign policy setbacks. Pres. Bush's underlings
> acted vindictively towards Amb. Evans and botched the
> briefing of Amb. Hoagland for his Senate Foreign
> Relations Committee appearance," reported Sassounian
> in a follow-up article on August 9.
>
> To their credit, several Armenian organizations,
> including the Armenian National Committee of America,
> The Armenian Rights Council, and the Armenian
> Democratic League, remained steadfast in their
> opposition of Hoagland's nomination.
>
> Sadly, the lone Armenian organization that chose to
> side with the Neo-Cons and Turkey was the Armenian
> Assembly.
>
> On January 18, Emil Danielyan of Radio Free
> Europe/ArmeniaLiberty.org reported: "The Armenian
> Assembly of America (AAA) said on Wednesday that the
> presence of a U.S. ambassador in Yerevan is 'vitally
> important' for the strengthening of U.S.-Armenian
> relations and democratization of Armenia's political
> system. It also argued that Richard Hoagland, a career
> diplomat nominated for the job, can not be expected to
> publicly call the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in
> Ottoman Turkey a genocide as long as that contradicts
> the Bush administration's position on the issue."
>
> On January 31, The Armenian Mirror Spectator, an
> ARMENIAN DEMOCRATIC LIBERAL Party - Ramgavar Azadagan
> publication, countered the Assembly with an editorial
> titled "Armenian Assembly Misjudges Community Mood."
>
> The Spectator criticized: "We do not fault Hoagland
> for not using the word 'genocide' when it comes to
> describing the horrors that befell us during the
> waning day of the Ottoman Empire. No, indeed, we fault
> him because of his verbal gymnastics in describing the
> events. In fact, how he characterizes them is little
> different from the official Turkish line. . If these
> answers are not good enough for Sen. Charles Schumer
> and Sen. Robert Menendez, among others, why are they
> good enough for the Armenian Assembly?
> Can anyone imagine a new ambassador to Israel
> suggesting that the whole ugly history of Jews in
> Europe be dealt with through 'introspection' by civic
> leaders?"
>
> The Spectator underlined: "On top of everything else,
> Armenians look foolish in front of the legislators
> in the two houses of Congress that have championed the
> Armenian Genocide and opposed Hoagland.
> How are we going to ask them to support us the next
> time we have an issue? If Congress receives mixed
> messages, then we cannot fault them for not supporting
> our cause."
>
> The Spectator concluded: "In light of the fiasco that
> was the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation
> Commission (TARC), it is surprising that the Assembly
> is again sticking its neck out. While the leaders at
> the Assembly thought that TARC was a great idea,
> bringing about dialogue between the Armenians and
> Turks, most Armenians around the world felt in their
> gut that the timing - if not the set-up - was wrong.
> Moorad Mooradian has written an excellent booklet on
> the reasons for the perhaps well-intended yet
> completely wrong-headed TARC, an initiative which was
> backed by the State Department. This further break
> with the larger Armenian-American community is going
> to make it more difficult for the Assembly to reach
> out to its traditional constituency, who might rebel
> against some of its recent positions."
>
> On August 3, the Assembly issued an 11th hour press
> release in an attempt to save face. It claimed:
> "Should this withdrawal indicate that the next nominee
> to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia shall properly
> acknowledge and characterize the Armenian Genocide,
> then this is a positive development. Hoagland was
> nominated by the Administration to replace Ambassador
> John M. Evans, who was rebuked by State Department
> officials, but commended by the Assembly for having
> publicly affirmed the Armenian Genocide."
>
> The fact that the Assembly "honored" Ambassador Evans
> by "commending" him for having "publicly affirmed the
> Armenian Genocide," then turning around urging a green
> light for the nomination of Hoagland, a Genocide
> denier, amounts to inconsistency and hypocrisy!
>
> The Assembly's leaders during the TARC fiasco and the
> Evans-Hoagland episode adopted disturbingly
> anti-Armenian positions that went contrary to the will
> of the majority of the Armenian Americans and the
> Armenian Diaspora.
>
> The leaders of a self-respecting organization must
> first and foremost respect the will of the people that
> it claims to represent and not be misguided by
> self-interest at the expense of the unsuspecting
> members.
>
> As for this latest victory by the Armenians against
> the denialist Turks and their cronies in Washington,
> the experience earned by the Armenian Americans will
> prove to be as invaluable and should serve as the
> bedrock for future valiant efforts for their just
> Cause.

[Gavur]

> Sadly, the lone Armenian organization that chose to
> side with the Neo-Cons and Turkey was the Armenian
> Assembly.


Sad indeed!
(Ready to sell us out at the first opp.)

[Joseph]

> Sadly, the lone Armenian organization that chose to
> side with the Neo-Cons and Turkey was the Armenian
> Assembly.


Sad indeed!
(Ready to sell us out at the first opp.)

I used to be really involved in the Assembly (AAA) and to this day, there are some great people in the organization but it's people like Hrair Hovnanian, Van Krikorian, Aram Kaloosdian, Ani Totah, etc. that are f*cking up the organization and in essence have stunted its growth. They are the old guard. They are more interested in self-promotion and flashing wealth than they are in getting results. Instead of bringing in the youth, getting more young people involved and working passionately on behalf of Armenians, they are being overshadowed by ANCA and now USAPAC.

The ANCA has come a long way but would be wise to open up to non-aligned, non-Dasnak Armenians. I have high hopes for USAPAC as Ross Vartian (former AAA) is a very smart guy. I'm still a paying member of AAA because they do some good things, especially for charities in Armenia but I do not associate myself with them much in DC where I live.

One thing the AAA does have is a lot of strong political ties and money along with an effective track record. In this capacity they are more effective than the ANCA but the ANCA is far more grassroots and active towards day to day issues. I admire Aram Hamparian greatly for his tireless advocacy. The ANCA are fighters but at times they are like bulls in a china shop but then again, where the AAA does not want to rock the boat, the ANCA is not afraid to take people on.

I guarantee USAPAC will grow and get more non-aligned and marginally involved Armenians to get involved and re-invigorated.

[Joseph]

Hey State Department dilittantes...F.U.!!!

U.S. Department of State warns Congress against Armenian Genocide Resolution

http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=23370

15.09.2007 15:16 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The United States condemnation of this tragedy is not at issue; the question is how best to facilitate reconciliation of all concerned parties with each other and with their painful and shared past,” U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said when addressing the Department of State with a report titled “The future of the U.S.-Turkey relations.

“We believe passage of the U.S. House of Representative’s Resolution 106, which would make a political determination that the tragedy of 1915 constituted genocide, would undercut voices emerging in Turkey for dialogue and reconciliations concerning these horrific events. We therefore have recommended to Congress that it not pass such a resolution,” he said.

“We strongly encourage Turkey to normalize its relations and reopen its border with Armenia, steps that will help bring peace, prosperity and cooperation to the Caucasus. Now, in the wake of the AKP’s resounding electoral victories, is the time for Ankara to make a bold opening toward Armenia. And we hope that Armenia will respond in kind.

In conclusion, the United States and Turkey have enjoyed a relationship of Allied friendship for over half a century of enormous complexity, success, and promise. We have weathered a difficult period over the past four years. We now stand at the edge of a potentially new era in Turkish politics that offers a chance to restore a sense of strategic partnership in U.S.-Turkish relations,” Mr Burns said.

[Gavur]

Well they will try to hijack the issue once mo

[Joseph]

Well they will try to hijack the issue once mo

And we will continue to be a thorn in the State Departments side as long as they abet and aid genocide denial. In essence, they continue to stand behind murder.

[Vik311]

Truth is truth no matter how many different things people try to hide it behind. My heart sinks in reading this and I pray that people will just bring out the truth and stop shadowing it behind things like improving ties with other parties or countries. No matter how ugly a truth is, it is the truth, and only until the truth is laid out uncensored and acknowledged, can healing truly begin.

I just read this on yahoo news. The vote takes place Wednesday. I'm praying for the truth to finally be able to come through all of the propaganda and just be known to the entire world.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071009/ts_nm/turkey_usa_armenians_dc;_ylt=AqV8ULasrlNGZk0o5cDrGxms0NUE

[Flora Korkis]

I found this really important, so I forwarded it to everyone on my email list. Thanks, Kharpert!

[Helen]

White House Slashes Armenia Aid, Breaks Military Parity Agreement


WASHINGTON—President George W. Bush, in his last budget proposal to Congress, continued his Administration’s track record of recommending dramatic reductions in U.S. economic aid to Armenia and seeking to tilt the military aid balance in the region in favor of Azerbaijan, reported the ANCA.

The President’s budget recommends cutting U.S. economic aid to Armenia from the FY2008 estimated level of $58 million to a proposed FY2009 level of $24 million—a cut of nearly 60 percent and $11 million less than his FY2008 request. This dramatic reduction to Armenia, a nation economically blockaded by Turkey and Azerbaijan, takes place against the backdrop of assistance proposals to other independent states of the former Soviet Union that are either remaining constant or experiencing increases.

According to the President’s figures, Georgia, for example, would receive $52 million, while Azerbaijan, which is collecting billions in oil revenues, is set to receive $19.5 million. The President’s budget proposal does not include any specific assistance figures for Nagorno-Karabakh.

The President’s budget, in yet another clear breach of the White House’s agreement with Congress in 2001, seeks to tilt the military aid balance toward Azerbaijan. His proposal includes three times as much International Military Education and Training (IMET) aid to Azerbaijan ($900,000) than Armenia ($300,000). Foreign Military Financing is kept constant for both countries at $3 million. No specific dollar amounts are allocated for either Armenia or Azerbaijan in the President’s request for Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Program (NADR) funds.

The President’s budget estimates that, in actual practice, the U.S. government spent three times more IMET assistance in Azerbaijan ($952,000) than Armenia ($286,000) during FY2008, despite the fact that the U.S. House specifically stated that equal amounts of IMET aid ($500,000) should be given to both nations.

“The President, in his last year in office, has unfortunately chosen to leave a legacy of eight straight years of proposing sharp reductions in Freedom Support Act aid to Armenia. Even worse, he is once again seeking to tip the military aid balance in favor of Azerbaijan at a time when leaders in Baku are escalating their threats to renew their aggression against Armenians,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “If the President’s figures are accepted, he will have succeeded, during his time in office, in presiding over the reduction of U.S. economic assistance to Armenia from more than $90 million when he took office to less than $25 million.”

The State-Foreign Operations Subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriation Committees will now review the budget and each draft their own versions of the FY2009 foreign assistance bill.


The agreement to maintain parity in U.S. military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan was struck between the White House and Congress in 2001, in the wake of Congressional action granting the President the authority to waive Section 907 restrictions on aid to Azerbaijan. The ANCA has vigorously defended this principle, stressing that a tilt in military spending toward Azerbaijan would destabilize the region, emboldening the Azerbaijani leadership to continue their threats to impose a military solution to the Karabakh conflict. More broadly, the ANCA has underscored that breaching the parity agreement would reward the leadership of Azerbaijan for obstructing the peace process and undermine the role of the U.S. as an impartial mediator of the Karabakh conflict.

http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/fpg02160801.htm