AAA's statement fell short of openly calling for Heffern's rejection at the Senate.
The second-largest US Armenian group late expressed concern over President Barack Obama's move to nominate career diplomat John Heffern as ambassador to Yerevan.
The Armenian Assembly of America, or AAA, said in a statement that its concern stemmed from the understanding that in the mid-1990s, Heffern worked for former Congressman Doug Bereuter, a Republican from Nebraska, "who was consistently one of the most pro-Turkish and anti-Armenian representatives to serve in Congress."
Obama on late Thursday nominated Heffern for the Yerevan post. Heffern should replace Marie Yovanovitch, who went to the Armenian capital as US ambassador in 2008. "He (Heffern) will have a steep hill to climb in explaining and distinguishing his views from those of former Congressman Bereuter. For example, in 1995-1996, when Heffern was on the congressman's International Relations Committee staff, Bereuter voted against several measures aimed to promote not only Armenia's interests, but human rights interests around the world," the AAA said.
But the AAA's statement fell short of openly calling for Heffern's rejection at the Senate. Heffern is a career member of the senior Foreign Service, and currently serves as the deputy chief of mission at the US mission to NATO in Brussels. Earlier, Heffern served as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Indonesia. His career also has included overseas assignments to Japan, Malaysia, Ivory Coast and China.
Under US laws, all major administration officials, including ambassadors, need to obtain the Senate's confirmation. Ambassadorial nominees first appear before the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, and if they are approved there, the full Senate floor votes for or against them. But even one single senator has the authority to place a hold on any nominee.
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