Azernews.Az

BAKU – The Armenian community in the United States has launched a new campaign against US ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza, pledging to block his approval at the US Senate, Arminfo news agency reported.

The Armenian National Committee of America called on Armenians to send appeals to senators urging them not to approve as Azerbaijan envoy Bryza, who is to step down at the end of 2011 if he is not endorsed by the US legislature.

The appointment of Bryza, who was nominated for the post in May 2010, had been stalled by lawmakers for months, as several pro-Armenian senators placed a "hold" on a full Senate vote on the nomination last September. They claimed the White House nominee had failed to address their concerns about his alleged pro-Azerbaijani bias in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. But President Barack Obama in late December bypassed the usual Senate confirmation process to appoint four new envoys whose nominations had been held up, including Matthew Bryza. However, the so-called recess appointment is temporary, lasting only until the Congressional session ends in late 2011.