Armenian National Committee of America
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PRESS RELEASE
August 11, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER "EXTREMELY CONCERNED"
OVER AMB.-DESIGNATE HOAGLAND’S RELUCTANCE TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
— Sen. Coleman Vows to Vote Against Hoagland Nomination
WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), in a
letter to the Armenian National Committee of Nevada (ANC-NV),
reported that he is "extremely concerned" by the reluctance of
Richard Hoagland, the Administration’s nominee to serve as the next
ambassador to Armenia, to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.
Senator Reid’s public stand follows the August 2nd announcement by
Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) that he will vote against the Hoagland
nomination because of the nominee’s refusal to properly recognize
the Armenian Genocide as a "genocide." Sen. Coleman serves on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"The opposition of Senator Norm Coleman and concerns raised by
Harry Reid – the Senate’s Democratic Leader – reflect the growing
bipartisan opposition to the approval of a U.S. envoy to Yerevan
who refuses to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide," said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We continue to work in
communities around the nation to explain to Senators the damage to
U.S-Armenia relations – and, more broadly, to America’s standing on
genocide prevention efforts worldwide – that will be done by
approving a nominee that has actually denied the genocidal intent
of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide."
Responding to grassroots concerns raised by Nevada’s growing and
increasingly active Armenian American community, Senator Reid noted
that this refusal is "particularly troubling in light of the State
Department’s dismissal of the last Ambassador to Armenia, John M.
Evans following comments he made during a February 2005 tour of
Armenian-American communities in which he recognized the Armenian
Genocide. As you may know, the State Department has offered no
explanation for Evans’ dismissal."
As reported by the Associated Press, Senator Coleman has explained,
"As someone of the Jewish faith, I bring a heightened sensitivity
to the reality of genocide and mass murder, and the importance of
recognizing it for what it is. I was brought up believing you
never forget the Holocaust, never forget what happened. And I could
not imagine how our ambassador to Israel could have any
effectiveness if he couldn’t recognize the Holocaust."
On August 1st, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed
consideration of Ambassador Hoagland’s nomination, following a
request by the Committee’s Ranking Democrat Joseph Biden (D-DE) and
Senator John Kerry (D-MA). Also voicing support for the delay were
Senators George Allen (R-VA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA). The
Committee is set to consider the matter during its regular business
meeting on September 7th.
To date, more than half of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
including Senators George Allen, Joseph Biden, Barbara Boxer,
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Christopher Dodd (D-
CT), Russell Feingold (D-WI), John Kerry and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD),
have contacted Secretary Rice or questioned Ambassador-designate
Hoagland directly regarding the Armenian Genocide. Senators Edward
Kennedy (D-MA) and Jack Reed (D-RI), along with over sixty members
of the U.S. House have also expressed serious concerns to the State
Department on this matter.
For a comprehensive overview of documents regarding the firing of
Ambassador Evans and the Hoagland controversy, visit:
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