Vote on Hoagland Nomination Delayed till September

PanARMENIAN.Net - Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), the Ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, was joined today by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) in forcing a month-long delay in the Committee's vote on the controversial nomination of Richard Hoagland to replace the current U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).



The controversy within the Foreign Relations Committee over the Hoagland nomination began with Senator Biden's June 23rd letter asking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to respond to a series of questions, including specific inquiries about reports that the current Ambassador had been recalled due to his having "accurately described the Armenian Genocide as genocide."



"The ANCA welcomes the leadership of Senators Biden and Kerry in ensuring that the Foreign Relations Committee has the time to more carefully consider the implications - for both our foreign policy and our values as a nation - of confirming a U.S. Ambassador to Armenia who is on record denying the Armenian Genocide," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "We appreciate, as well, the principled efforts of Senators Allen, Boxer, Chafee, Coleman, Dodd, Feingold, Kennedy, Reed, Sarbanes, and others to seek an honest explanation of the firing of Ambassador Evans, to explore the role of the Turkish government in his recall, and to insist that the Administration clearly articulate its stand on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide."