[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1595-E1596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     TIME TO BRING PEACE TO CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, August 3, 1998

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, it has been 24 years since the Turkish 
invasion of Cyprus. In 1974, almost 200,000 Greek Cypriots--a third of 
the total Greek Cypriot population--were forced to abandon their homes 
and became refugees overnight. For the past two decades Greek Cypriots 
have been denied one of the most basic of human rights--the right to 
live in the communities that have been home to generations of their 
families.
  The human rights problem also includes the thousands who have 
disappeared since the onset of the conflict. In addition to those who 
were killed and expelled at the time of the invasion, today there are 
still more than 1,600 unaccounted for Greek Cypriots.
  One such case concerns the fate of Andreas Kassapis whose parents 
living in Michigan recently learned of his fate after 23 years of 
searching for him. During the 1974 invasion, Andreas was kidnapped in 
Cyprus by Turkish-Cypriots. In 1994, Congress mandated the President to 
conduct a thorough investigation to determine the whereabouts of 
missing American citizens. This spring, Andreas' parents were informed 
that their son's remains have been found. In June, his remains were 
released to the Kassapis family for a formal burial. This tragedy is 
one of many that continue to occur in divided Cyprus.
  The illegal occupation of 37 percent of Cyprus territory by the 
Turkish troops, as well as the unwillingness of Turkey and the Turkish 
Cypriot leadership to conduct talks have caused the existing 
standstill. In the meantime, a new generation is coming of age amid a 
divided and militarized society within a country that will never be an 
equal free member of the European Community as long as it stands 
divided.
  As a defender of freedom and human rights, we cannot allow ourselves 
to ignore this illegal

[[Page E1596]]

occupation and denial of human rights. As a nation, we must insist that 
turkey withdraw its occupying forces and allow the return of refugees 
to their communities.
  We must send a clear message stating that violations of human rights 
and international law will not be tolerated, especially when 
perpetrated by a nation to which we grant significant amounts of 
foreign aid. A truly democratic foreign policy will seek the 
restoration of a united Greek-Cypriot state and serve as a testament to 
our commitment to democratic self-government and fundamental freedoms.

                          ____________________