SEN. BOXER ENSURES SENATE PANEL HAS TIME TO REVIEW U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA NOMINATION
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25.06.2008 10:49
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today secured a one- month delay in the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s consideration of the confirmation
of U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia nominee Marie Yovanovitch in response to the
State Department’s delay in providing timely written responses to
the eight sets of written questions submitted to her by members of
the panel, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"Senator Boxer not only provided Senators with the opportunity they
would otherwise have been denied to meaningfully review the nominee’s
responses, but also, very significantly, ensured that all Americans
citizens – including Armenian Americans and those who share our
commitment to ending the cycle of genocide – have a chance to study
her answers and take part in the civic discourse over a diplomatic
posting that has been the center of national attention since the
Administration’s firing of Ambassador John Evans over his truthful
remarks on the Armenian Genocide," said ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian.
"Throughout this process, we have been deeply gratified by the
vigorous oversight exercised by so many Senators over a set of
deeply flawed policies toward Armenia and the region, particularly
the excellent line of questions posed by Senator Bob Menendez at
last week’s Foreign Relations Committee hearing, and the extensive
written inquiries that he and his Senate colleagues – panel Chairman
Joe Biden, Barbara Boxer, Robert Casey, Norm Coleman, Russ Feingold,
John Kerry, and Presidential candidate Barack Obama – have submitted
to Ambassador Designate Yovanovitch."
As of close of business the day before the Committee was set tovote on
the nomination, the nominee had yet to respond to all Senate inquiries,
with several responses only being provided hours before the scheduled
vote. The Senate Committee vote will likely be held following the
July 4th Congressional recess. Ambassador Designate Yovanovitch’s
currently available responses are posted on the ANCA website.
On March 28, 2008, President Bush nominated Amb. Marie L. Yovanovitch
to serve as America’s next Ambassador to Armenia. The ANCA has
spoken to Committee members about the value of carefully questioning
Amb. Yovanovitch on the many issues she will face as the U.S. envoy
in Yerevan, among them the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
Turkey and Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockades of Armenia, and the need
for a balanced U.S. role in helping forge a democratic and peaceful
resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. These efforts have
been supported by extensive on-line outreach and a national postcard
campaign to key Senate Foreign Relations Committee members.
Last week, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) sharply criticized the Bush
Administration’s policy of Armenian Genocide denial, dramatically
pressing the Ambassadorial nominee regarding the Administration’s
refusal to properly characterize Ottoman Turkey’s systematic
destruction of its Armenian population as a genocide.
President Bush’s previous nominee as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia,
Richard Hoagland, was subject to two legislative holds by Sen. Menendez
and was ultimately withdrawn by the Administration, following the
nominee’s statements denying the Armenian Genocide.