U.S. Senate approves James Jeffrey as new U.S. ambassador to Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States Senate approved the appointment of James Jeffrey as the new U.S. ambassador to Turkey on Thursday.



"I am pleased that the Senate confirmed Jim Jeffrey to be the United States Ambassador to Turkey. Jim is a man of intellect, integrity, and commitment. His work as my Deputy National Security Advisor, as United States Ambassador to Albania, and in three previous assignments to Turkey make him superbly qualified to represent the United States to our friend and NATO ally. I thank Jim for his continued service to our Nation and congratulate him and his family on today's confirmation," U.S. President George Bush said his statement posted on the White House's website.



James Jeffrey, in response to questions from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman and Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden (D-DE), affirmed that official U.S. diplomatic reports by Ambassadors Morgenthau and Elkus and other Armenian Genocide-era U.S. diplomats in the Ottoman Empire did, in fact, describe the attempted extermination of the Armenian population.



"Although falling far short of a clear and proper recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Ambassador Jeffrey, in his response to Senator Biden's questioning, moved U.S. policy in the right direction by publicly agreeing - after long years of official disregard, disrespect, and dismissal of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau's proud legacy - that our nation's diplomatic representatives to the Ottoman Empire did, in fact, document the Ottoman government's clear intent and systematic campaign to destroy its Armenian population," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We want to thank Chairman Biden for his thoughtful inquiries that led to this reaffirmation of the American record, and to, once again, express our appreciation to Senators Menendez and Kerry for their incisive lines of questioning during the Foreign Relations Committee's confirmation hearing earlier this week."



In questions submitted to the Amb. Jeffrey, Sen. Biden asked: "Do you dispute that U.S. diplomats serving in the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide documented a systematic, government-sponsored campaign 'with intent to destroy, in whole or in part' the Armenian population?"



Ambassador-Designate Jeffrey provided the following response: No. I have read many of the historical records from 1915-1916 related to U.S. diplomatic reporting on these events in Turkey, and I do not dispute that Ambassador Morgenthau, Ambassador Elkus, and other diplomats during that time period reported on what they described as an attempt to exterminate the Armenian population.