Hearing Provides Platform for Senators to Question U.S. Policy on Armenian Genocide
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has announced that it will hold a confirmation hearing on Tues., July 20 for President Obama’s nominee, Francis Ricciardone, to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Ankara, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“Ambassador Ricciardone’s confirmation process provides members of the Foreign Relations Committee a rare and vital opportunity at a pivotal moment in U.S.-Turkey relations to really explore whether the administration’s seemingly endless willingness to defer to Turkey—on human rights, regional security, and genocide denial—truly serves U.S. interests and American values,” said Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the ANCA.
Ricciardone’s confirmation hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. EST on July 20 and can be watched online at http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8ca59937-5056-a032-524a-c7d238f6ff57.
Activists are encouraged to contact their Senators and urge close scrutiny of U.S. policy toward Turkey and the region. An ANCA Call Alert is provided at www.capwiz.com/anca/callalert/index.tt?alertid=15249851.
The short gap of only two weeks between the president’s July 1 announcement of the Ricciardone nomination and the scheduling of a Senate confirmation hearing would seem to indicate an effort by the White House to expedite this process. Ricciardone was a last-minute addition to the July 20 confirmation hearing announced earlier this week, which is set to be chaired by Sen. John Kerry. The Foreign Relations Committee has yet to announce a date for the confirmation hearing for the president’s nominee to serve as U.S. envoy in Baku, Matt Bryza.
Several neo-conservative groups have voiced their reservations with Ricciardone’s appointment. The Foreign Policy blog, the Cable, has reported that Ricciardone’s “tenure as George W. Bush’s
envoy to Egypt that has provoked the most criticism, particularly among neo-conservatives who are hoping to persuade Republican Senators to torpedo his nomination.” To read the complete blog post, visit http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/07/09/battle_brews_over_nominee_for_ambassador_to_turkey.
Ricciardone, a career member of the Foreign Service, has served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt and the Philippines, and has had two tours of duty in Turkey, most recently, between 1995 and 1999, as deputy chief of mission and charge d’affaires. He speaks Turkish and several other languages. If approved, he would replace Ambassador James Jeffries, whose confirmation hearing to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq will be held the same day.
Guest Contributor
I don’t understand why we need to go through this gyration.
The USSR is gone therefore Turkey’s strategic location is not that important anymore and even if it is then what happened to friendship? when we wanted to enter Northern Iraq through Turkey to defeat Sadam they bluntly didn’t allow us to have a safe passage to Iraq because as they said they will not allow anyone to go against a Muslim brother from their land, their human rights past and current is not bright at all and the near future doesn’t promise any better, they are an integral part of the drug trafficking route from Afghanistan to Europe, their PM despite having historical animosities; returning from Pakistan stopped in Tehran; also most recently they joined Brazil voting in support of them in UN sanctions, their secular mask and their anti-Semitism; which is the attributes of almost all Muslim countries; is getting unveiled and their status of being Israel’s strongest Muslim ally of the region like Shah of Iran is rapidly diminishing and also like most of the Muslim countries of the region are flirting with Russians.
All above said then why do we need to pipeline our tax money to such backward country? isn’t that true that “The enemy of my friend is my enemy too”?
EU being their immediate neighbor has already rejected them; don’t they have close brotherly relationship with that criminal in Darfur? Then what do we need to discover that we already don’t know? Hell with them let’s join EU and stop mingling with such savage people who still keeps massacring their own minority population like they did in 1915.
Hye, Osik, you pictured a Turkey clearly, the nation who is out of step with the rest of the world; regressing in all its foreign relations with the civilized nations of the world… still continuing its Genocide ‘policy’ against the Armenians from the 1890s until today 2010 – unending. Too, currently bullying, still, in pursuit of their Genocide of the Kurds, a people seeking freedom from the tyranny of the Turks. Turks’ mentality is still of the Ottoman mode… bullying, take whatever, wherever, whomever…easy. Just perpetrate another Genocide… blame the victims as ‘terrorists’ or whatever, just perpetrate another Genocide. AND continue to deny that Turkey commits any Genocides… (murders, tortures, kidnappings, burning women/children in churches, hammer horseshoes to the victims feet, toss up into the air the unborn ripped from the mother to catch the fetus on their swords… and worse). Even to this day, the Turk believes they have ‘gotten away with murders’ and more…. so why not another Genocide to offer to the world. Too, the Turkish resurrection of the Holy Cross Church of Aghtamar, they’ve rebuilt the edifice, without it’s Christian cross atop, ‘permitting’ the Armenians to use their ancient church ONLY once a year on a designated day in September. Reality: Turks rebuilt this Armenian church to gain tourists to benefit the Turk – obviously. What this latest Turkish PLOY reveals is that the Turk still seeks to demean and debase the Turkish stance against the Armenians – the victims of the Turkish Genocide of the Armenian nation… beginning 1890s until today, 2010, unending. Manooshag