[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 331 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 331

Expressing the sense of the Senate that Turkey should end its military 
  occupation of the Republic of Cyprus, particularly because Turkey's 
pretext has been refuted by over 13,000,000 crossings of the divide by 
   Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots into each other's communities 
                           without incident.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 25, 2007

   Mr. Menendez (for himself and Ms. Snowe) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Senate that Turkey should end its military 
  occupation of the Republic of Cyprus, particularly because Turkey's 
pretext has been refuted by over 13,000,000 crossings of the divide by 
   Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots into each other's communities 
                           without incident.

Whereas it is in the best interests of the United States, Turkey, Cyprus, the 
        European Union, and NATO for Turkey to adhere to United Nations 
        resolutions and United States and European Union policy and end its 
        military occupation of the Republic of Cyprus;
Whereas 13,000,000 crossings of the divide by Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-
        Cypriots into each other's communities without incident qualifies 
        Cyprus' ethnic community relations to be among the world's safest, 
        regardless of circumstances;
Whereas, unlike age-old ethnic frictions in the region, Cyprus has historically 
        been an oasis of generally peaceful relations among ethnic communities, 
        as is reflected in many Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot emigrants 
        seeking each other as neighbors in places like Great Britain;
Whereas United States interests, regional stability, and relations between 
        United States allies Greece and Turkey will improve with an end to the 
        occupation of Cyprus;
Whereas Turkey's European Union accession prospects, which require approval by 
        each European Union nation, will improve if Turkey ends its hostile 
        occupation of Cyprus, a European Union nation;
Whereas Turkey's image for religious tolerance will improve by removing troops 
        that have allowed, as German Chancellor and European Union President 
        Angela Merkel recently said, ``destruction of churches or other 
        religious sites'' under their control; and
Whereas overlooking Turkey's occupation of Cyprus injures the moral standing of 
        the United States internationally and doesn't help the image of the 
        United States in Turkey, which recently ranked last in a 47-nation Pew 
        survey for favorable views of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) calls on the United States Government to initiate a new 
        effort to help Turkey understand the benefits that will accrue 
        to it as a result of ending its military occupation of Cyprus;
            (2) urges the Government of Turkey to immediately begin the 
        withdrawal of its military occupation forces from the Republic 
        of Cyprus; and
            (3) urges the Government of Turkey to complete the 
        withdrawal of its occupation forces in the near future so that 
        Turkey, Cyprus, the region, and the United States can begin 
        realizing the benefits of the end of that occupation.
                                 <all>