  U.S. still considers Bryza nomination for ambassador to Azerbaijan  December 13, 2011 - 11:01 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Senate has not yet given up Matthew Bryza's nomination for ambassador to Azerbaijan, and is still considering it, State Department's Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said at a press briefing on Monday, December 12. In December 2010, after an 18-month absence of a U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, President Barack Obama appointed Bryza to the post. According to the U.S. Constitution, the candidates nominated by the president must be approved by the Senate. However, as Congress is between sessions, the President may make appointments independently. The presidential decree provides an opportunity to fulfill new duties immediately, without waiting for approval by the Senate. But if the senators do not approve the nomination before the end of the next session of Congress (November-December 2011), this decree ceases to operate. Thus, Bryza's term of office expires this month, his nomination waiting for Senate approval, Trend News reports. Partner news  Top stories Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes. Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander, led Argentina during the bloodiest days of its Dirty War dictatorship. According to the United Nations, April was Iraq's bloodiest month for almost five years, with 712 people killed. Reports suggest the rebel fighters may have tried to blow up the walls of the prison, which holds some 4,000 inmates.   Partner news |  Latest news Brad Pitt’s “World War Z” to open Moscow Film Fest  The fest will feature retrospectives of films by Bernardo Bertolucci and Costa Gavras, as well as a program devoted to Dutch cinema.Wrekin Hill picks up John Malkovich’s “Siberian Education” Based on the novel by Nicolai Lilin, the film is set in the ghetto of Soviet Russia and follows 2 boys who are members of a gang of exiled Siberians.EU says concerned over human rights record in Russia The European Union said it would closely watch developments affecting non-governmental organizations in Russia.John Lennon’s guitar auctioned for $408,000 The custom-made instrument, built in 1966 by the VOX company, was bought by an unidentified U.S. buyer in New York. |
