[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 105 (Wednesday, August 3, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        H.R. 2826 IS UNNECESSARY

                                 ______


                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 3, 1994

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, on August 1, 1994, the U.S. House 
of Representatives passed H.R. 2826, a bill which mandates that the 
President undertake ``a thorough investigation of the whereabouts of 
the U.S. citizens and others who have been missing from Cyprus since 
1974.'' Prior to its passage, H.R. 2826 was described by its supporters 
as both just and necessary to overcome Turkish and Turkish Cypriot 
unwillingness in resolving the fates of five missing Americans. In 
reality, H.R. 2826 was neither just nor necessary. Regrettably, it was 
a bill designed to drive a wedge in United States-Turkish relations.
  Mr. Speaker, I personally feel great sympathy for the five American 
families and Greek Cypriot families whose loved ones disappeared during 
the Turkish intervention on Cyprus in 1974. In spite of my sympathy for 
these families, I opposed the passage of H.R. 2826. By mandating an 
investigation of only those persons who became missing after 1974, H.R. 
2826 effectively prohibits an investigation of 803 Turkish Cypriots who 
disappeared between 1963 and 1974. During this time, Greek-sponsored 
violence against Turkish Cypriots was at its peak, and Turkish Cypriots 
suffered greatly. While H.R. 2826 purports to help the families of 
missing Americans and Greek Cypriots, it does little to help Turkish 
Cypriot families.
  We must never forget that Turkey intervened on Cyprus in response to 
an attempt by Greece to annex the island. Prior to the intervention, 
from 1963 to 1974, thousands of Turkish Cypriots were systematically 
killed. H.R. 2826, by design, erases this part of history which the 
bill's supporters would like to forget. It creates the illusion among 
the uninformed that Turkey is somehow to blame for the island's 
division. By so doing, it does a great disservice to the families of 
these missing Turkish Cypriots, who are just as worthy of an 
investigation by our President as the families of Greek Cypriots.
  Mr. Speaker, besides being unjust, H.R. 2826 is also unnecessary. Why 
should we mandate a new Presidential investigation of missing persons 
on Cyprus, when there already exists a U.N. Committee on Missing 
Persons in Cyprus [CMP] which was created for this exact purpose? While 
the U.S. State Department chose neither to support or oppose H.R. 2826, 
it did express strong reservations about the bill in a March 9, 1994 
letter to the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In this 
letter, the State Department explains, ``To conduct a thorough 
investigation of the approximately 2,400 individuals missing is far 
beyond the capacity of the current staff at our Embassy in Cyprus,'' 
and ``Such an investigation would require an additional 12 employees 
and would take three years to conduct.'' It points out, ``a three-
person U.N. Special Commission [CMP] is meeting in Cyprus to 
investigate cases submitted by the two Cypriot communities.'' It 
concludes, ``in our opinion this [CMP] offers the best hope for 
resolution of these cases,'' and recommends ``that Congress defer 
action on this bill.''
  During consideration of H.R. 2826, the bill's supporters claimed that 
the CMP was ineffective and that somehow Turks and Turkish Cypriots 
were responsible. While their first claim has some merit, their second 
claim is absurd. To date, the Greek Cypriots have submitted less than 
half of the 1,600 names which they regularly claim are missing to the 
CMP despite promises to do so by President Clerides. In stark contrast, 
the Turkish Cypriots have submitted the names of 794 of their 803 
missing persons. Why haven't the Greek Cypriots submitted these 
remaining names? According to the State Department, the majority of 
these persons were former soldiers and not civilians. The CMP is 
mandated only to investigate missing civilians, not soldiers. 
Submitting their names would show that Greek Cypriots have inflated the 
number of their missing persons for political purposes. In addition, it 
would further prove that Greece and Greek Cypriots had a large number 
of soldiers on Cyprus prior to the 1974 Turkish intervention.
  The U.N. Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus [CMP] is currently 
composed of a Greek Cypriot, a Turkish Cypriot, and a neutral third 
representative, usually from Switzerland. Before any action can be 
taken by the CMP, the unanimous consent of these three members is 
required. Regrettably, the CMP's work has been paralyzed. The Greek 
Cypriot representative has insisted that an unattainable set of 
criteria for ruling that a missing person is dead, first be accepted, 
before any investigation can begin. Meanwhile, the Swiss and Turkish 
Cypriot representatives have wanted to adopt more reasonable criteria. 
According to the State Department, the Greek Cypriot representative has 
refused to back down from this position for almost every case, and as a 
result, has prevented the CMP from carrying out any investigations.
  Mr. Speaker, contrary to what was said by the supporters of H.R. 
2826, both Turks and Turkish Cypriots have been cooperative on the 
missing persons issue. This cooperation was confirmed in May of 1992, 
when U.S. Ambassador Nelson Ledsky, the former Special Cyprus 
Coordinator, addressed a congressional Human Rights Caucus briefing. He 
told the caucus, ``There is no indifference or lack of concern on the 
Turkish Cypriot side.'' ``The Turkish Government is now extremely 
cooperative,'' said Ledsky. When asked by Representative Ben Gilman, 
the ranking minority member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, if 
there was any evidence to substantiate Turkish insistence that there 
are no prisoners in Turkey, Ambassador Ledsky stated, ``evidence 
supports the Turkish position. Neither the United States nor 
international human rights organizations have found Cypriots in Turkish 
jails, although every single lead has been investigated.'' When 
Ambassador Ledsky was asked why over 800 Greek Cypriots cases had not 
been brought before the CMP, he replied ``that question has to be put 
before the Greek Cypriot government.''
  With respect to the five missing Americans who are the principal 
target of H.R. 2826, only the cases of Christos Libertos and Andreas 
Kassapis have been submitted to the CMP. Except for Andreas Kassapis, 
four of the five Americans, if alive today, would be over 87 years old. 
Christos Libertos would be 91, Socratis Kapsoris would be 92, Kyriakos 
Leontiou would be 88, and Jack Sophocleous would be 87. Mr. Speaker, if 
the supporters of H.R. 2826 choose to argue that the CMP has been 
ineffective, they can only point the finger of blame at the Greek 
Cypriots.
  During debate on H.R. 2826, the bill's supporters made many 
passionate appeals on behalf of the families who lost loved ones on 
Cyprus. Unfortunately, the passage of H.R. 2826 shows little compassion 
for Turkish Cypriot families, who also lost loved ones during ethnic 
strife on Cyprus between 1963 and 1974. Their bill deliberately 
bypasses the CMP which was designed to resolve the missing persons 
issue but rendered ineffective by Greek Cypriot actions. It totally 
disregards Turkish Cypriot and Turkish cooperation on the missing 
person issue, a cooperation which was noted by the United States former 
Special Cyprus Coordinator Nelson Ledsky. Finally, H.R. 2826 ignores a 
State Department warning that it lacks the capability to carry out a 
missing persons investigation and their judgment that the CMP is the 
best place to deal with the issue.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. House of Representatives should never have 
passed H.R. 2826. Both the families of missing Turkish Cypriots, the 
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and Turkey deserve far better 
treatment.

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