On July 20, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was scheduled to
begin confirmation hearings on Ricciardone. The Armenian lobby has already
called on committee members to use the hearings to question Turkey's
relationship with Washington, Middle East Newsline reported.
"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," Armenian National Committee of America executive director
Aram Hamparian said.
The source said Republican senators have accused Ricciardone of defying
the pro-democracy policy when he served as ambassador to Egypt from 2005
through 2008. They said Ricciardone failed to press the regime of President
Hosni Mubarak to ensure free elections, particularly those for parliament in
2005. The Muslim Brotherhood won about 20 percent of the seats in
parliament, which sparked a major crackdown by the regime.
"Especially in 2005 and 2006, Secretary [of State Condoleezza] Rice and
the Bush administration significantly increased American pressure for
greater respect for human rights and progress toward democracy in Egypt,"
former Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams said. "This of course
meant pushing the Mubarak regime, arguing with it in private, and sometimes
criticizing it in public. In all of this we in Washington found ambassador
Ricciardone to be without enthusiasm or energy."
The Washington-based Foreign Policy magazine said Ricciardone, a 32-year
career diplomat, angered both Bush as well as Ms. Rice. After a news
conference by Ms. Rice and her Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Abu Al Gheit,
Ricciardone used an expletive in describing the U.S. Patriot Act, designed
to increase domestic surveillance in wake of the Al Qaida terror air
strikes in 2001.
"Now is not the time for us to have an ambassador in Ankara who is more
interested in serving the interests of the local autocrats and less
interested in serving the interests of his own administration," Danielle
Pletka, vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, said.
Congressional sources said Republican senators plan to grill Ricciardone
on his stints in Cairo as well as in Ankara, Baghdad and Kabul. Ricciardone,
fluent in Turkish, had served as deputy chief of mission in Turkey.
"We need an ambassador who can not only understand what's happening in
Turkey, but can also make clear our concerns regarding that policy," a
congressional aide said. "From his previous experience, he is not the man."
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