[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 15814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   AMBASSADOR NOMINEE ROBERT HOAGLAND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to express my concerns 
with the nomination of Robert Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia. 
Many questions remain regarding U.S. policy on the Armenian genocide, 
and they remain unanswered. Key Senate Foreign Relations Committee 
members continue to have serious misgivings about the nomination.
  Two weeks ago, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee considered Mr. 
Hoagland's nomination. During the hearing, Mr. Hoagland failed to 
adequately respond to the questions asked by the Senators, including 
not clarifying the U.S.'s policy in the denial of the Armenian 
genocide. In many instances, he did not respond to specific Senate 
inquires. He diverted his answers by responding with what seemed like 
prepared talking points, and went to great lengths to avoid using the 
term genocide.
  Additionally, in response to a written inquiry from Senator John 
Kerry concerning Turkey's criminal prosecution of journalists for 
writing about the Armenian genocide, Mr. Hoagland referred to these 
writings as allegations.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. has historically taken a leadership role in 
preventing genocide and human rights violations, but the Bush 
administration continues to play word games by not calling evil by its 
proper name. Instead, they refer to the mass killings of 1.5 million 
Armenians as tragic events. This term cannot be substituted for 
genocide. The two words are simply not synonymous.
  Mr. Speaker, there are historical documents that cannot be refuted, 
yet somehow the administration continues to ignore the truth in fear of 
offending another government.
  The Bush administration has not offered a meaningful explanation of 
its reasons for firing the current U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John 
Evans. In fact, the State Department's assertion that it did not 
receive any communications from the Turkish Government concerning 
Ambassador Evans' February 2005 affirmation of the Armenian genocide is 
simply not credible.
  Official Department of Justice filings by the Turkish Government's 
registered foreign agent, the Livingston Group, document that there are 
at least four different occasions of communications with State 
Department officials following Ambassador Evans' remarks affirming the 
Armenian genocide. Still, the State Department refutes these claims.
  Mr. Speaker, this lack of honesty has been an all too common practice 
of the Bush administration. The American people and this Congress 
deserve a full and truthful account of the role of the Turkish 
Government in denying the Armenian genocide. Our Nation's response to 
genocide should not be denigrated to a level acceptable to the Turkish 
Government. It is about time the Bush administration started dictating 
a policy for Americans and not for a foreign government.
  Mr. Speaker, I fear that sending an ambassador to Yerevan who denies 
the Armenian genocide would represent a tragic escalation in the Bush 
administration's ignorance and support in Turkey's campaign of genocide 
denial. The State Department has reported to Senate offices that they 
expect Ambassador Designate Hoagland to be confirmed during a business 
meeting early next week. I would urge the Senate to block his 
nomination until this administration recognizes the Armenian genocide.

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