Richard Hoagland Is Not The US Representative In Armenia

RICHARD HOAGLAND IS NOT THE US REPRESENTATIVE IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
Analytical Department
04.08.2007 GMT+04:00

US President George Bush has nevertheless made the decision the
Armenian Community in the USA had been expecting from him for a year;
he withdrew Richard Hoagland’s candidacy for the position of the
US Ambassador to Yerevan. Only a few days ago the temporary Charge
D’affaires of the USA to Armenia Rudolf Perina announced, that "The
viewpoint of the White House regarding the issue of the candidacy
of the Ambassador remains unchanged," however on August 3 the White
House withdrew Richard Hoagland’s candidacy.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The US Senate Commission on International Affairs
rejected Richard Hoagland’s candidacy for US Ambassador to Armenia
twice. In both cases the right of veto was used by Senator from New
Jersey Robert Menendez, who announced that the person denying the
Armenian Genocide cannot defend interests of the USA in Armenia. During
the hearings in front of the Commission Hoagland announced, that he
recognizes the events of 1915, but doesn’t qualify them as Genocide. In
fact, Hoagland simply repeated the viewpoint of the US Administration,
which still doesn’t recognize the historical reality of the Armenian
Genocide for the sake of American-Turkish relations. By the way,
the reason why the former Ambassador to Armenia John Evans was called
back was his public recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

"We are satisfied with the fact that the US President’s Administration
finally recognized what the Armenian Community and ANCA had
been expecting for more than a year; Hoagland with his own words
discredited himself as the follower of the American values and US
interests, as well the US Ambassador to Armenia. We would like to
thank Senator Robert Menendez for his fundamental viewpoint, according
to which, a person denying the Armenian Genocide must not represent
the interests of the USA in Armenia," said Executive Director of
ANCA Aram Hambaryan. "This is indeed good news. It was obvious
that Hoagland’s candidacy for the position of the US Ambassador to
Armenia was controversial. I do hope that the next candidate will
approach this issue with understanding, and will have his asset
in creating healthy relationship with our friends in Armenia,"
announced Senator Robert Menendez. According to the author of the
Resolution 106 about the Armenian Genocide Congressman Adam Schiff,
the President acted quite reasonably to withdraw Hoagland. "During
the hearings in the US Congress Hoagland went on denying that the
slaughter of the Armenians during 1915 and 1923 was Genocide, thus
rubbing salt into the Armenians’ wound, especially those few ones who
survived the first Genocide of the XX Century. My hope is, that the
President will soon appoint a new Ambassador, who will be more willing
to discuss the issue of the Armenian Genocide," said Adam Schiff.

It may be assumed that the rejection of Richard Hoagland’s candidacy by
the US Administration was dictated by the willingness of considering
the adoption of the Resolution 106 about the Armenian Genocide by
US Congress, moreover; next year Presidential elections will be held
in the USA. The Republicans obviously lose to the Democrats and the
present step is made to somehow consolidate their positions among
the US Armenian Community, which possesses enough power to have its
influence on the results of the elections. However, these are just
mere hopes, for it will not secure any victory for the Republicans
any way. The majority of the Armenians in the USA give more preference
to the Democrats and not only because of the fact that they speak in
favor of recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States. The
Democrats, as the representatives of the Armenian Community in the
USA think, are "more predictable". However it should be confessed that
the Armenian lobby has achieved noticeable success. George Bush never
made up his mind to appoint an Ambassador against the Senate. Perhaps
this very indecision may soon lead to Turkish Prime Minister Redgep
Erdoghan’s "distancing away from Bush’s lame foreign policy" as the
Turkish Press insures.