[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11447-11448]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 STATE DEPARTMENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

  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, each year, the Department of State issues a 
report outlining the human rights practices of various Nations, and I 
object this evening to the inaccuracies in the Armenia section of the 
2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
  Originally, the State Department issued erroneous language about 
Armenia being an occupier of Azerbaijani territory and Nagorno-
Karabakh, the report was substantively revised with more balanced, 
although still not fully accurate, wording and then revised again to 
restore the original inaccurate language.
  I am deeply disturbed by the State Department's mischaracterization 
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is unprecedented and 
counterproductive to our government's goal of actively promoting 
constructive engagement in the peace negotiations of the region. It 
also sets a troubling example by allowing a foreign State, in this case 
Azerbaijan, to shape the assessments of our human rights report.
  To assert that Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory or that 
Armenia occupies Nagorno-Karabakh and other territories is simply 
wrong. This version ignores the reality that the current conflict is 
about the self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
  Like many other ethnic autonomous regions with the status of Oblast 
under the Soviet Constitution, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh declared 
their independence. They then conducted a referendum as set forth in 
the same Soviet Constitution, and they are now an independent republic 
and should be recognized as a Nation, just like Azerbaijan, Armenia and 
any other former Soviet Republic. The situation has absolutely nothing 
to do with Armenia. The only role Armenia plays in this conflict is 
that country's part in peace negotiations.
  Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that Armenia is being characterized as an 
abuser of human rights in the region when it is Azerbaijan who 
continues to maintain a blockade of both Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, 
and regularly threatens a new wave of violence against Nagorno-
Karabakh.
  Such misrepresentations will undermine our Nation's credibility as an 
impartial mediator and jeopardize prospects for successful peace 
negotiations. It could also have a negative impact on U.S.-Armenia 
relations.
  Our common aim as a country should be to focus on workable diplomacy 
that brings parties together in the spirit of conflict resolution, not 
to cause additional tension by introducing new and

[[Page 11448]]

controversial elements into an already complex negotiating process.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States has a long history of supporting 
Nagorno-Karabakh's democracy and its right to live in freedom and 
peace. The State Department has never made assertions in previous 
reports about Armenia being an occupier of Azerbaijani territory and 
Nagorno-Karabakh.
  Last week, I sent a letter to Secretary Rice with my concerns over 
the State Department report's language, and I urged her to quickly 
reverse the State Department's mischaracterization.

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