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MEMBERS OF CONGRESS CONDEMN LATEST AZERI ATTACK
Asbarez
Monday, June 4th, 2012
Reps. Schiff, Sherman, Berman and Pallone Join ANCA in Pressing
Secretary Clinton to Criticize Baku's Aggression; Enforce Section
907 Restrictions on Aid to Azerbaijan
Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON-Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA),
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA)
and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Monday issued strong statements condemning a brazen cross-border
Azerbaijani attack against Armenia, waged in the early hours of
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the Caucasus, which
left three Armenian soldiers dead, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
In separate statements issued within hours of the Azerbaijani attacks,
the Members of Congress urged Secretary Clinton to issue a clear and
unequivocal rebuke of Azerbaijani aggression, expressed concern about
pending U.S. arms sales to an increasingly violent Aliyev regime,
called for the strengthening of Section 907 restrictions on U.S.
assistance to Azerbaijan, and offered their condolences to the families
of the slain soldiers.
"This latest outrage by Azerbaijan's military makes it even more
important that Secretary Clinton condemn these belligerent actions
during her visit to Baku later this week," Rep. Schiff explained.
"Azerbaijani provocations along the Line of Contact are a direct
result of the war mongering rhetoric of the Aliyev regime and they
must cease. We should fully apply Section 907 and prohibit the transfer
of any arms or dual use items to Azerbaijan."
Rep. Sherman, long a champion of Artsakh's rights, stressed: "I
strongly and unequivocally condemn Azerbaijan's recent attack on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan border killing three Armenian soldiers. The timing
of this brazen attack - on the same day Secretary of State Clinton
visits Armenia - highlights Baku's utter contempt for its neighbors
and its lack of commitment to the peace process between Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan. I call on the Administration not
only to publicly condemn the attack but to enforce Section 907 of
the FREEDOM Support Act without exercising its waiver provisions. We
cannot provide any type of aid to Azerbaijan as long as Baku blockades
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh and rebukes peace with its neighbors. We
must also block the sale of any arms to Azerbaijan, especially as
these can be used against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh."
Rep. Berman, an enduring ally of Armenian Americans who first rang
alarm bells last week about a pending U.S. sale to Azerbaijan of police
surveillance military hardware for helicopter border patrol purposes,
noted that he is "deeply disturbed by press reports about a brazen,
unwarranted cross-border attack by Azerbaijan that resulted in the
tragic deaths of three Armenian soldiers and the wounding of five
others. This outrageous action underscores the critical importance of
preventing the recently proposed sale of U.S. military equipment to
the Government of Azerbaijan - a sale I recently requested Secretary
Clinton to halt. Aside from the possible military application of
this equipment against Armenia, such a sale would send entirely the
wrong message to Azerbaijan, particularly in light of this horrifying
incident."
Rep. Pallone was emphatic in noting that "this type of aggression
warrants a forceful condemnation of Azerbaijan's actions by the
Administration. It is my hope that Secretary of State Clinton, who
is currently visiting the Caucasus and will meet with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Wednesday, delivers a strong message
that the United States will not tolerate this type of violence and
will hold Azerbaijan accountable."
Earlier in the day, while the Secretary of State was still in Yerevan,
ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian dispatched an urgent letter calling on
Secretary Clinton to forcefully condemn the fatal Azerbaijani attack,
which occurred near the Berdavan and Chinari villages of Tavush. The
Armenian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that three Armenian soldiers
were killed and another five wounded in the attack.
"Azerbaijan's aggression, on the very day of your arrival in the
Caucasus, represents, in addition, of course, to a painful human
tragedy for those young men who were killed and injured, a brazen
attack upon the prospects for a fair and lasting peace in this
region," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian in his letter to Secretary
Clinton. "It is long past time that the Obama Administration abandon
its practice of artificial equivalence - a failed policy whose only
response to Azerbaijani aggression and threats of renewed war has been
to issue generically-formulated and transparently toothless calls on
all parties to refrain from violence."
The full text of the ANCA letter is provided below and can be
viewed at:
http://www.anca.org/assets/pdf/misc/060412_ANCA_Clinton_letter.pdf
Prior to her visit to the region, the ANCA had offered a series of 10
recommendations on how best to enhance U.S. diplomacy in the Caucasus,
including a specific call for a clear denunciation of Azerbaijani
aggression. The link to the ANCA recommendations may be found at:
http://anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=2141
In response to a question from Yerkir Media during a press conference
with Armenia Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian, Secretary Clinton
refrained from properly condemning Azerbaijan's attack. She will have
an opportunity to revisit the issue in Baku on June 6th.
Following her meetings with civil society leaders, Foreign Minister
Nalbandyan, and President Sargsyan, Secretary Clinton departed Yerevan
for meetings in Batoumi, Georgia on Tuesday, June 5th.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Asbarez
Monday, June 4th, 2012
Reps. Schiff, Sherman, Berman and Pallone Join ANCA in Pressing
Secretary Clinton to Criticize Baku's Aggression; Enforce Section
907 Restrictions on Aid to Azerbaijan
Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON-Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA),
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA)
and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Monday issued strong statements condemning a brazen cross-border
Azerbaijani attack against Armenia, waged in the early hours of
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the Caucasus, which
left three Armenian soldiers dead, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
In separate statements issued within hours of the Azerbaijani attacks,
the Members of Congress urged Secretary Clinton to issue a clear and
unequivocal rebuke of Azerbaijani aggression, expressed concern about
pending U.S. arms sales to an increasingly violent Aliyev regime,
called for the strengthening of Section 907 restrictions on U.S.
assistance to Azerbaijan, and offered their condolences to the families
of the slain soldiers.
"This latest outrage by Azerbaijan's military makes it even more
important that Secretary Clinton condemn these belligerent actions
during her visit to Baku later this week," Rep. Schiff explained.
"Azerbaijani provocations along the Line of Contact are a direct
result of the war mongering rhetoric of the Aliyev regime and they
must cease. We should fully apply Section 907 and prohibit the transfer
of any arms or dual use items to Azerbaijan."
Rep. Sherman, long a champion of Artsakh's rights, stressed: "I
strongly and unequivocally condemn Azerbaijan's recent attack on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan border killing three Armenian soldiers. The timing
of this brazen attack - on the same day Secretary of State Clinton
visits Armenia - highlights Baku's utter contempt for its neighbors
and its lack of commitment to the peace process between Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan. I call on the Administration not
only to publicly condemn the attack but to enforce Section 907 of
the FREEDOM Support Act without exercising its waiver provisions. We
cannot provide any type of aid to Azerbaijan as long as Baku blockades
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh and rebukes peace with its neighbors. We
must also block the sale of any arms to Azerbaijan, especially as
these can be used against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh."
Rep. Berman, an enduring ally of Armenian Americans who first rang
alarm bells last week about a pending U.S. sale to Azerbaijan of police
surveillance military hardware for helicopter border patrol purposes,
noted that he is "deeply disturbed by press reports about a brazen,
unwarranted cross-border attack by Azerbaijan that resulted in the
tragic deaths of three Armenian soldiers and the wounding of five
others. This outrageous action underscores the critical importance of
preventing the recently proposed sale of U.S. military equipment to
the Government of Azerbaijan - a sale I recently requested Secretary
Clinton to halt. Aside from the possible military application of
this equipment against Armenia, such a sale would send entirely the
wrong message to Azerbaijan, particularly in light of this horrifying
incident."
Rep. Pallone was emphatic in noting that "this type of aggression
warrants a forceful condemnation of Azerbaijan's actions by the
Administration. It is my hope that Secretary of State Clinton, who
is currently visiting the Caucasus and will meet with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Wednesday, delivers a strong message
that the United States will not tolerate this type of violence and
will hold Azerbaijan accountable."
Earlier in the day, while the Secretary of State was still in Yerevan,
ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian dispatched an urgent letter calling on
Secretary Clinton to forcefully condemn the fatal Azerbaijani attack,
which occurred near the Berdavan and Chinari villages of Tavush. The
Armenian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that three Armenian soldiers
were killed and another five wounded in the attack.
"Azerbaijan's aggression, on the very day of your arrival in the
Caucasus, represents, in addition, of course, to a painful human
tragedy for those young men who were killed and injured, a brazen
attack upon the prospects for a fair and lasting peace in this
region," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian in his letter to Secretary
Clinton. "It is long past time that the Obama Administration abandon
its practice of artificial equivalence - a failed policy whose only
response to Azerbaijani aggression and threats of renewed war has been
to issue generically-formulated and transparently toothless calls on
all parties to refrain from violence."
The full text of the ANCA letter is provided below and can be
viewed at:
http://www.anca.org/assets/pdf/misc/060412_ANCA_Clinton_letter.pdf
Prior to her visit to the region, the ANCA had offered a series of 10
recommendations on how best to enhance U.S. diplomacy in the Caucasus,
including a specific call for a clear denunciation of Azerbaijani
aggression. The link to the ANCA recommendations may be found at:
http://anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=2141
In response to a question from Yerkir Media during a press conference
with Armenia Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian, Secretary Clinton
refrained from properly condemning Azerbaijan's attack. She will have
an opportunity to revisit the issue in Baku on June 6th.
Following her meetings with civil society leaders, Foreign Minister
Nalbandyan, and President Sargsyan, Secretary Clinton departed Yerevan
for meetings in Batoumi, Georgia on Tuesday, June 5th.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress