Ricciardone may lose his post of U.S. ambassador to Turkey by yearend

August 17, 2011 - 13:33 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. President Barack Obama has an endless number of problems these days. Late last year, when Senators blocked several of his ambassadorial nominees, including the one to Turkey, the president resorted to the rarely used tactic of appointing ambassadors without Senate approval, while Congress is in recess.

Unfortunately for Pres. Obama, his unconventional fix could be short-lived. If by the year’s end the Senate does not confirm his “recess appointments,” these ambassadors must abandon their posts and return home in ignominy, Harut Sassounian writes in Asbarez.

Obama’s nominee to Turkey, amb. Francis Ricciardone, was in Washington on August 2, to see if the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would confirm his appointment. During his appearance before the Committee, he antagonized several Senators by making statements that were replete with Turkish propaganda. When confronted with Turkey’s deplorable policies on human rights, its occupation of Cyprus, and denial of the Armenian Genocide, the ambassador gave a series of evasive and dubious answers.

Specifically, in response to a question from Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) as to how many of the more than 2,000 Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 on the territory of present-day Turkey are still operating today as churches amb. Ricciardone said, “Most of the Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 are still operating as churches. Some churches of significance operate as museums. The remaining have fallen into disrepair or were converted to mosques for lack of use.”

This is simply an incredible answer from a seasoned Ambassador who is supposed to be extremely knowledgeable about Turkey, since he has had several postings in that country and speaks fluent Turkish. Ricciardone’s problem is that he identifies himself too closely with Turkey, Sassounian writes.

Amb. Ricciardone has clearly disqualified himself from serving as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. One or more Senators should place a new “hold” on his nomination to keep him away from doing any more harm to U.S. national interests, he concludes.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.