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ARMENIANS WANT ANSWERS
Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/12/embassy-row-214969729/
July 12 2011
Armenian-Americans are suspicious of President Obama's nominee to serve
as ambassador to Armenia because he once worked for a man described
as "consistently one of the most pro-Turkish and anti-Armenian
representatives to serve in Congress."
The Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee
of America are urging members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
to demand answers on key Armenian issues from John A.
Heffern on Wednesday at a confirmation hearing on his nomination.
"Without prejudging [the] nominee ..., he will have a steep hill to
climb in explaining and distinguishing his views from those of former
Congressman [Douglas] Bereuter," the Armenian Assembly said.
Mr. Bereuter, Nebraska Republican, served in Congress from 1979
to 2004.
Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee,
urged all members of the committee to attend the hearing "to question"
Mr. Heffern "about his qualifications and candidacy for this important
diplomatic posting."
He called for committee members to ask Mr. Heffern about the Obama
administration's views on a "truthful and just resolution of the
Armenian genocide; a free and fair settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh
based on democracy and self-determination; and the promotion of
U.S.-Armenia economic relations ..."
Armenian-Americans have criticized Mr. Obama and Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton for failing to keep campaign promises to
recognize as genocide the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in
the Ottoman Turkish empire during World War I.
Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton even opposed a congressional resolution
commemorating the Armenian genocide, just as former U.S.
administrations have done to avoid angering Turkey, a key NATO ally.
Turkey denies the killings were an attempt to wipe out the Armenian
population and calls the numbers of deaths inflated.
Mr. Hamparian also is seeking a clearer administration position on
the future of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave inside
Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, and
Armenian and Azeri forces fought over the enclave from 1988 to 1994.
The confirmation hearing on Mr. Heffern's nomination begins at 3 p.m.
in Room 419 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The committee also will consider the nominations of Thomas M.
Countryman to serve as assistant secretary of state for international
security and non-proliferation, Jeffrey DeLaurentis to serve as a
deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, William H. Moser as
ambassador to Moldova and Paul D. Wohlers as ambassador to Macedonia.
From: Baghdasarian
Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/12/embassy-row-214969729/
July 12 2011
Armenian-Americans are suspicious of President Obama's nominee to serve
as ambassador to Armenia because he once worked for a man described
as "consistently one of the most pro-Turkish and anti-Armenian
representatives to serve in Congress."
The Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee
of America are urging members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
to demand answers on key Armenian issues from John A.
Heffern on Wednesday at a confirmation hearing on his nomination.
"Without prejudging [the] nominee ..., he will have a steep hill to
climb in explaining and distinguishing his views from those of former
Congressman [Douglas] Bereuter," the Armenian Assembly said.
Mr. Bereuter, Nebraska Republican, served in Congress from 1979
to 2004.
Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee,
urged all members of the committee to attend the hearing "to question"
Mr. Heffern "about his qualifications and candidacy for this important
diplomatic posting."
He called for committee members to ask Mr. Heffern about the Obama
administration's views on a "truthful and just resolution of the
Armenian genocide; a free and fair settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh
based on democracy and self-determination; and the promotion of
U.S.-Armenia economic relations ..."
Armenian-Americans have criticized Mr. Obama and Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton for failing to keep campaign promises to
recognize as genocide the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in
the Ottoman Turkish empire during World War I.
Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton even opposed a congressional resolution
commemorating the Armenian genocide, just as former U.S.
administrations have done to avoid angering Turkey, a key NATO ally.
Turkey denies the killings were an attempt to wipe out the Armenian
population and calls the numbers of deaths inflated.
Mr. Hamparian also is seeking a clearer administration position on
the future of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave inside
Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, and
Armenian and Azeri forces fought over the enclave from 1988 to 1994.
The confirmation hearing on Mr. Heffern's nomination begins at 3 p.m.
in Room 419 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The committee also will consider the nominations of Thomas M.
Countryman to serve as assistant secretary of state for international
security and non-proliferation, Jeffrey DeLaurentis to serve as a
deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, William H. Moser as
ambassador to Moldova and Paul D. Wohlers as ambassador to Macedonia.
From: Baghdasarian