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NOMINATION DELAYED FOR NEW STATE DEPT. EURASIA POINT MAN
www.asbarez.com/index.html?showarticle=41141_ 4/3/2009_1
Friday, April 3, 2009
Senate vote on State Department nominee will now take place after
president%u219s trip to Turkey
WASHINGTON--The United States Senate has delayed a vote to confirm
the Obama Administration's nomination of a scholar at the Brookings
Institution, Phil Gordon, to a senior State Department posting as
assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) revealed on Friday.
The ANCA said that the delay will allow Senators time to meaningfully
consider both the timing and wisdom of approving an individual whose
record is so markedly at odds with the President's commitment to
bringing about official U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
During his March 31st confirmation hearing before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, and in his extensive writings,
Mr. Gordon frequently argued against U.S. recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. His responses and record placed him directly at odds with
the views of the President, who has consistently argued for U.S.
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, strongly supported full
Congressional commemoration of this crime, and repeatedly pledged,
if elected, to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Gordon's stand on
this human rights issue and also his views on the Turkish occupation
of Cyprus, which are seen by the Greek American community as deeply
troubling, were the subject of questioning, both verbal and written,
during and after his hearing.
The Senate, which approved a slate of other senior Presidential
appointments earlier Friday, went into a two-week recess this afternoon
without acting on his nomination to serve as Assistant Secretary of
State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs. Although the cause for this
delay remains unclear, it is likely the result of a "hold" placed on
his confirmation by a member of the Senate.
"We see this delay as a meaningful opportunity for Senators to
weigh the merits of approving a nominee with a record of arguing
against both Executive Branch and Congressional recognition of the
Armenian Genocide -- a position at direct odds with the strong moral
stand taken by the President that the U.S. should clearly and fully
condemn this crime against humanity," said Aram Hamparian, Executive
Director of the ANCA. "We look forward, during Genocide Prevention
Month this April, to President Obama honoring his pledge to recognize
the Armenian Genocide."
www.asbarez.com/index.html?showarticle=41141_ 4/3/2009_1
Friday, April 3, 2009
Senate vote on State Department nominee will now take place after
president%u219s trip to Turkey
WASHINGTON--The United States Senate has delayed a vote to confirm
the Obama Administration's nomination of a scholar at the Brookings
Institution, Phil Gordon, to a senior State Department posting as
assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) revealed on Friday.
The ANCA said that the delay will allow Senators time to meaningfully
consider both the timing and wisdom of approving an individual whose
record is so markedly at odds with the President's commitment to
bringing about official U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
During his March 31st confirmation hearing before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, and in his extensive writings,
Mr. Gordon frequently argued against U.S. recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. His responses and record placed him directly at odds with
the views of the President, who has consistently argued for U.S.
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, strongly supported full
Congressional commemoration of this crime, and repeatedly pledged,
if elected, to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Gordon's stand on
this human rights issue and also his views on the Turkish occupation
of Cyprus, which are seen by the Greek American community as deeply
troubling, were the subject of questioning, both verbal and written,
during and after his hearing.
The Senate, which approved a slate of other senior Presidential
appointments earlier Friday, went into a two-week recess this afternoon
without acting on his nomination to serve as Assistant Secretary of
State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs. Although the cause for this
delay remains unclear, it is likely the result of a "hold" placed on
his confirmation by a member of the Senate.
"We see this delay as a meaningful opportunity for Senators to
weigh the merits of approving a nominee with a record of arguing
against both Executive Branch and Congressional recognition of the
Armenian Genocide -- a position at direct odds with the strong moral
stand taken by the President that the U.S. should clearly and fully
condemn this crime against humanity," said Aram Hamparian, Executive
Director of the ANCA. "We look forward, during Genocide Prevention
Month this April, to President Obama honoring his pledge to recognize
the Armenian Genocide."