ACCORDING TO CALIFORNIA COURIER, STATE DEPARTMENT FINALIZES DECISION TO RECALL US AMBASSAFOR TO ARMENIA JOHN EVANS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
GLENDALE, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The US Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia John Evans will be
recalled in the coming months and replaced by Richard E. Hoagland,
the current US Ambassador to Tajiskistan. According to the weekly
“The California Courier”, the US State Deparment recently finalized
its decision about recall of John Evans.
According to reliable Armenian governmental sources, Amb. Evans
informed high-ranking Armenian officilas last week about his
departure in the coming months, pending the Senate approval of his
likely successor.
Knowledgeable US sources in Washington confirmed to Harut Sassounian,
Publisher of “The California Courier” that Amb. Evans was recalled
for publicly aknowledging the Armenian Genocide.
Neither the ambassador not the State Department made any public
comments regarding these developments.
Last year, during a public gathering at the University of California
at Berkeley, Amb. Evans courageously said: “I will today call it the
Armenian G enocide… I informed myself in depth about it. I think
we, the US government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a more frank
and honest way of discussing this problem. Today, as someone who has
studied it … there’s no doubt in my mind [as to] what happened… I
think it is unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play word games here. I
believe in calling things by their name.” Referring to the Armenian
Genocide as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” he said: “I
pledge to you, we are going to do a better job at addressing this
issue.” Amb.
Evans also disclosed that he had consulted with a legal advisor at
the State Department who had confirmed that the events of 1915 were
“genocide by definition.”
Within days of making these statements, Amb. Evans issued “a
clarification” in which he said that “misunderstandings” might have
arisen as a result of his earlier comments. He said that he had used
the term “genocide” in his “personal capacity.”
Several months later the American Foreign Service Association took
the very unusual step of rescinding a “Constructive Dissent” award
that it had decided to grant Amb. Evans during a special ceremony
that was to be held at the State Department on June 17, 2005.
“The California Courier” reminded that during a hearing before the
House International Relations Committee last month, Cong. Adam Schiff
(Democrat of California) asked US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
several pointed questions regarding Amb. Evans. Cong. Schiff asked that
Secretary Rice explain in writing if the State Dept. played any role
in the reversal of the decision to grant Amb. Evans the “dissent”
award. Cong. Schiff also asked the Secretary State to assure the
House Committee that the Department of State has not taken, and will
not take, any punitive actions against Amb. Evans for speaking out
about the Armenian Genocide. Secretary Rice has not yet responded to
these questions.
It is noteworthy that the former US ambassadors to Armenia officiated
for three years each, while Joh Evans has not yet completed the second
year of his 3-year term of office.