[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 20, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
         THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TURKISH INVASION OF CYPRUS

  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, in this post-cold-war world, we are 
confronted with numerous and difficult foreign policy conflicts. While 
they rightly demand our immediate attention, we must not forget an 
important and tragic conflict which has remained unresolved for 20 
years and which has caused great pain and suffering.
  I am speaking of the island of Cyprus. Today marks the 20th 
anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. As a result of that 
invasion, an estimated 35,000 Turkish troops continue to occupy Cyprus 
illegally. Thousands of people, including 5 Americans, remain missing 
and unaccounted for, and nearly 200,000 Greek Cypriots who were 
forcibly expelled from their homes by Turkish troops are still 
refugees.
  Turkey's pretext for the invasion was an unsuccessful coup by the 
Greek junta in 1974 against the Cypriot Government led by Archbishop 
Makarios. Turkey claimed that a 1960 treaty granted it the right to 
send troops. However, within a week of the coup, constitutional order 
had been restored on Cyprus, eliminating the need for continued Turkish 
intervention. Despite numerous calls for withdrawal from the 
international community, the Turkish occupation continues to this day.
  In fact, Turkish policy on Cyprus has supported the creation of a 
separate and independent Turkish-Cypriot state. Following the 1974 
invasion, Turkey pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing aimed at removing 
Greek Cypriots from the occupied area. Turkey expelled nearly 200,000 
Greek Cypriots from their homes and colonized the territory by sending 
approximately 80,000 Turkish citizens to inhabit the occupied area.
  The number of Turkish troops and settlers on Cyprus is now equal to 
the remaining indigenous Turkish-Cypriot population. Sadly, economic 
devastation and other problems caused by the 1974 Turkish invasion 
caused 40,000 Turkish Cypriots to emigrate.
  In November 1983, the Turkish-Cypriot leadership unilaterally 
declared Turkish-occupied Cyprus an independent state. This illegal act 
was condemned by the U.S. Government and the international community. 
Instead of joining the global community in condemning this illegal act, 
Turkey was the only country in the world to recognize the so-called 
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
  Over the years, the United Nations has repeatedly tried to resolve 
the problem. Because of Turkish-Cypriot intransigence and Turkey's 
unwillingness to cooperate, these efforts have been to no avail.
  During the past year, the United Nations tried to revive negotiations 
with confidence-building measures intended as a first step to 
facilitate the political process toward a final settlement. 
The Government of Cyprus accepted the measures, but the Turkish side 
has blocked this effort through numerous delaying tactics.

  Three months after the confidence-building measures were first 
proposed, the Greek Cypriot side accepted them at a meeting with the 
U.N. Secretary General and Rauf Denktash, leader of the Turkish-Cypriot 
community. Mr. Denktash said he required the approval of his 
``parliament'' to accept them and requested a 15-day adjournment in 
order to secure the approval. Denktash then spoke to his parliament 
against the confidence-building measures, and broke his promise to 
return in 15 days. It took 8 months for Denktash to reply that he would 
accept the measures in principle.
  After lengthy discussions and consultations, a final document was 
submitted to both sides by the Secretary General on March 21, 1994. 
This document was accepted by the Greek-Cypriot community in May 1994 
but was rejected by the Turkish-Cypriot side. Since then, Mr. Denktash 
has insisted on modifications to the final document which are contrary 
to the intent and spirit of the measures. The thwarting of this effort 
by the Turkish-Cypriots led U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-
Ghali to conclude in his May 30, 1994 report to the Security Council 
that: ``The Security Council finds itself faced with an already 
familiar scenario: the absence of agreement due essentially to a lack 
of political will on the Turkish side.''
  Other efforts to move the situation forward have also failed. Last 
December, the Government of Cyprus submitted a bold and innovative 
proposal to the United Nations for the demilitarization of Cyprus. In 
exchange for the withdrawal of Turkish troops, Cyprus would disband its 
National Guard, transfer the Guard's military equipment to the U.N. 
peacekeeping force, fund an enlarged U.N. peacekeeping force, and use 
the defense savings for development projects that benefit both 
communities. The removal of the military presence on Cyprus would ease 
tensions between the communities and facilitate the search for a 
comprehensive solution. Regrettably, Turkey rejected this proposal.
  Negotiations, resolutions, and creative initiatives have done nothing 
for the families of the missing or for the 200,000 Greek Cypriots still 
unable to return to their homes. There is no doubt that Turkey intends 
the continued partition of Cyprus. I urge the administration to make 
every possible effort to bring about the withdrawal of Turkish troops 
from Cyprus. Twenty years of division is too long. The status quo is 
unacceptable.

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