[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 97 (Friday, July 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVASION OF CYPRUS

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, this week marked the 20th anniversary of 
the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, a tragic and brutal event whose legacy 
remains with us to this day. On July 20, 1974, Turkish troops assaulted 
Cyprus, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and villages. 
Less than a month later, after a cease-fire had been accepted and 
negotiations toward peaceful resolution of the conflict were proceeding 
under United Nations auspices, Turkey sent another, even larger 
occupation force of 40,000 troops and 200 tanks, seizing more than a 
third of the island. For the two decades that have followed, until this 
very day, Turkish military forces have illegally occupied the northern 
part of the island, forcibly dividing it, with the north under Turkish 
military domination and control. Communities have been splintered, 
lives shattered, a nation deprived of its cultural heritage and the 
opportunity to live in peace.
  One of the most tragic consequences of the invasion was the 
destruction of families, torn asunder in the terrifying weeks of 
aggression. Husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and 
daughters, sisters and brothers disappeared before each other's very 
eyes, never to be seen or heard from again. Even today, five American 
citizens and 1,614 Greek Cypriots remain missing and unaccounted for. 
In an appeal for an investigation into the disappearances and an end to 
the division of Cyprus, this week five brave Fasters for Freedom 
subjected themselves to tremendous suffering in order to bring public 
attention to this continuing tragedy.
  In other respects, the incalculable toll from 20 years of occupation 
and division continues. Hundreds of thousands of Cypriots who fled 
advancing troops remain refugees in their own land, unable to return to 
the homes and the communities they inhabited for generations. Others 
have been stranded in tiny enclaves, deprived of the ability to travel 
or worship freely. The beautiful coastal resort of Famagusta lies 
empty, bearing silent witness to what once was an economic and cultural 
center of the island. Barbed wire fences run through the capital, 
physically and psychologically severing the island. The historical, 
religious, and cultural heritage of the northern part of the island has 
been plundered, with churches desecrated and icons destroyed. An entire 
generation has grown up in the shadow of military occupation, knowing 
only division and despair.
  Unlike some other longstanding conflicts, there is no lack of 
international consensus on what must be done to resolve the situation 
on Cyprus. The U.N. Security Council has consistently reaffirmed that 
the status quo on Cyprus is unacceptable, and has endorsed a settlement 
based on a state with single international personality, sovereignty and 
citizenship, whose independence and territorial integrity should be 
assured. The Secretary-General has provided his good offices to 
negotiate such a settlement, yet such negotiations have been repeatedly 
frustrated by Turkish Cypriot intransigence. After a full year of 
negotiations on a package of confidence-building measures designed to 
inject new momentum into the talks, we find ourselves--as the May 30, 
1994, report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council 
concludes--``faced with an already familiar scenario: the absence of 
agreement due essentially to a lack of political will on the Turkish 
Cypriot side.''

  This is not the first time there has been a lack of political will on 
the Turkish side. It reflects a pattern of behavior. For example, a 
year ago in June Mr. Denktash refused to return to the negotiating 
table just as agreement on the confidence-building measures was 
imminent. Turkish Cypriot refusals to move toward a settlement have, 
again to quote the Secretary-General's report, ``consistently flouted 
the wishes of the international community, as represented in the 
Security Council.''
  Given continuing Turkish Cypriot intransigence, it is time to begin 
considering alternative options to bring progress toward a just 
resolution of the Cyprus question. In that regard, I would note that 
President Clerides submitted in December 1993, a new proposal for the 
total demilitarization of Cyprus, including disbanding the National 
Guard, handing all its arms and military equipment to the custody of 
the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, and depositing in the United 
Nations account all money saved from disbanding the National Guard and 
from stopping the purchase of arms, coupled with the parallel 
withdrawal and disbanding of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot military 
forces. This is a serious, constructive and thoughtful proposal that 
merits careful consideration.
  Mr. President, for 20 years the people of Cyprus have endured 
profound injustice, working for the day when division and frustration 
would give way to harmony and cooperation. As we commemorate this 
tragic anniversary, let us pledge to redouble our efforts to encourage 
progress toward a just, comprehensive and permanent settlement that 
ends the current injustice and brings long-awaited peace to the people 
of Cyprus.

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