Opposition To The Renomination Of Robert Hogland

OPPOSITION TO THE RENOMINATION OF ROBERT HOGLAND -- (House of Representatives - January 12, 2007)

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my concern this afternoon and my opposition, indeed, to the renomination of Robert Hogland by the Bush administration as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia. And I also want to take this opportunity to thank my colleague from New Jersey, Senator Menendez, for his continued opposition to the nomination.

This makes no sense, Mr. Speaker. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee reviewed the nomination of Mr. Hogland, had hearings, asked extensive written questions as followup in the last session of Congress, and it was clear that Mr. Hogland's nomination could not pass the Senate. In fact, could not even pass the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It was essentially sent back to the administration at the end of the lame duck session. And I am, frankly, surprised that the President has renominated Mr. Hogland under the circumstances.

The problem continues to be, on the one hand, that the administration has not offered any meaningful explanation of the reasons for firing the last U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John Evans. We all know the reason why Mr. Evans was terminated. It is because he articulated the fact that the Armenia genocide occurred. Historically. The U.S. policy has been to, basically, announce and accept the fact that the tragic events of the Armenian genocide occurred. But when anyone within the administration actually calls it genocide, immediately they are seen as a bad actor, and consequences follow from that.

And Ambassador Evans came to the United States. He was out in California. He was involved one afternoon or evening in a discussion about the tragic events that occurred between 1915 and afterwards, and he used the term ``genocide.' It may sound like no big deal to anybody else, a historical fact that almost every government in the world recognizes, that the U.S. has historically acknowledged. But the very fact that he used that term incurred tremendous opposition from the Turkish Government. And from that day on, his days were numbered as the ambassador to Armenia, and eventually he was terminated and Mr. Hogland was nominated in his place.

Now, last session, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee considered Mr. Hogland's nomination. Mr. Hogland failed to adequately respond to the questions asked by the Senators and, I would add, this is on a bipartisan basis. This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue. This is on a bipartisan basis. The members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asked him a number of questions and Mr. Hogland would not clarify the U.S. policies denial of the Armenian genocide. In many instances he did not respond to specific Senators' questions, and he diverted his answers by responding with what seemed like prepared talking points and went to extreme 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. Hogland referred to these writings as allegations.

Now, let me say, the U.S. has historically taken a leadership role in preventing genocide and human rights. But the Bush administration continues to play word games by not calling evil by its proper name in this case. Instead, they refer to the mass killings of 1.5 million Armenians as tragic events. That term, Mr. Speaker, should not be substituted for genocide. The two words are simply not synonymous. There are historical documents that show that the genocide cannot be refuted. But somehow the Bush administration continues to ignore the truth in fear of offending the Turkish Government.

Now, again, I don't think that our Nation's response to genocide should be denigrated to a level acceptable to the Turkish Government. And it is about time that this administration started dictating a policy for Americans, not for a foreign government like Turkey. This lack of honesty, in my opinion, by the Bush administration is simply not acceptable. The American people and this Congress deserve a full and truthful account of the role of the Turkish Government in denying the Armenian genocide.

Now, let me just say one more thing before I conclude this afternoon, Mr. Speaker. There is no way, in my opinion, that Mr. Hogland is going to be confirmed because of his policy, because of the fact that he continues to articulate a policy of denial. And I fear, myself, that it would make no sense to send an ambassador from this country to Armenia who cannot articulate the genocide. So I simply ask that this nomination be opposed again in the Senate, and the Bush administration realize that it can't submit it, and that they simply withdraw the nomination.

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