WASHINGTON–Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian expressed the concerns of Armenian-Americans about the Administration’s Nagorno-Karabakh policy to President Clinton–his National Security Advisor and senior US Senators today at a White House ceremony marking official United States approval for NATO enlargement.
At the ceremony–held in the Rose Garden–the President signed the instrumen’s of ratification for NATO enlargement–granting official US approval for admitting Hungary–Poland–and the Czech Republic into the 49 year-old alliance. Following the official portion of the 1 p.m. signing ceremony–the President spoke briefly with senior US policy-makers–ethnic community leaders–and foreign diplomats in attendance.
Hamparian addressed the President on the concerns of the Armenian American community over the US negotiating position in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks and expressed similar sentimen’s to his National Security Advisor Sandy Berger. Both Hamparian and Annie Totah of the Armenian Assembly spoke with Senators Joseph Biden (D-Del.)–Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and other senior members of the Foreign Relations Committee–urging them to cast votes in favor of maintaining the ban on aid to Azerbaijan–also known as Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.
