[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 103 (Tuesday, July 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1597]]



           ARTICLE ON TURKEY'S INVASION OF REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 20, 1999

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, Harry Moskos, the Editor of the Knoxville 
News-Sentinel and a very good friend of mine, wrote an editorial today 
about the 25th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of the Republic of 
Cyprus.
  Mr. Speaker, today, in fact, marks the 25th anniversary of this 
tragic date for people of Hellenic descent all over the world. On July 
20, 1974, Turkey, a member of NATO, attacked the Mediterranean island.
  Just recently, as we are all well aware, a Country was being 
ethnically cleansed, and the U.S. and other NATO powers rushed in to 
help them. That Country, Kosovo, was the object of several thousand 
NATO bombs. President Clinton authorized the air strikes in large part 
due to the ethnic cleansing that was taking place there.
  Mr. Speaker, what about the ethnic cleansing that took place in 1974 
in Cyprus? Why did the United States and other countries sit back while 
Turkey, a member of NATO, committed atrocities in the northern portion 
of Cyprus? Why has the United States of America turned a blind eye to 
what Turkey has been doing over the years? These are questions that 
deserve to be answered so that Greek people throughout the world know 
this Country really supports them.
  Mr. Speaker, I have included a copy of the editorial that appears in 
today's edition of the Knoxville News-Sentinel and would like to call 
it to the attention of my colleagues and other readers of the Record.

           [From the Knoxville News-Sentinel, July 20, 1999]

  25 Years of Occupation: U.S. Should End Its Tolerance for Turkey's 
                         Illegal Hold on Cyprus

       Today marks the 25th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of 
     the Republic of Cyprus. Since then, Turkey has illegally 
     occupied the northern third of the island nation, roughly the 
     size of Connecticut, despite United Nations Security Council 
     resolutions calling for a return to a single sovereignty.
       This anniversary is particularly poignant because, as U.S. 
     Sen. Joseph Biden Jr. of Delaware observes, it has been ``an 
     entire quarter-century since the Greek inhabitants of 
     northern Cyprus were ethnically cleansed from their homes by 
     the Turkish army.''
       The attack by the Turkish army on July 20, 1974, was a 
     clear-cut case of international aggression by one state 
     against another, and tragically, it was committed by a NATO 
     member.
       That is the same NATO that is undertaking missions to 
     reverse ethnic cleansing in Kosovo but allows one of its 
     members to continue to commit this crime with impunity.
       The framework for a negotiated settlement to resolve the 
     Cyprus issue, including demilitarization of the island, can 
     be found in two resolutions adopted last December by the 
     United Nations Security Council. The resolutions seek a 
     settlement based on a single sovereignty and a single 
     citizenship, with Cyprus' independence and territorial 
     integrity safeguarded.
       While images of ethnic cleansing remained vivid in our 
     thoughts from witnessing the recent atrocities of Kosovo, 
     most Americans have long forgotten that 200,000 Greek 
     Cypriots were evicted from their homes by the Turkish army 
     during July and August of 1974.
       These atrocities, documented by the European Commission of 
     Human Rights, show that 1,618 people, including four 
     Americans, disappeared. To this date, their fate has not been 
     ascertained. Thousands were expelled from their homes, and 
     untold women fell victim to rape.
       Sound familiar? The sad difference is that the world 
     community practices selected intolerance when addressing 
     wrongs. NATO's actions in Kosovo centered on the premise of 
     respect for human rights, including the return of refugees to 
     their homes.
       Cyprus today remains forcibly divided. Although compromises 
     have been offered, Turkey has failed to respond and, in 
     effect, keeps moving the goal posts when efforts to end this 
     stalemate are proposed.
       The Cyprus problem is one of aggression caused by Turkey, 
     which now has a standing army in Cyprus that exceeds 35,000 
     troops armed with hundreds of tanks and other sophisticated 
     weapons supported by American dollars. The United Nations has 
     characterized the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus as one of 
     the most densely militarized zones in the world.
       More stability is needed in the world today. A major way to 
     help achieve the stability is to resolve the issue in Cyprus, 
     an island nation well on its way to becoming a full member of 
     the European Union.
       Serb forces, under international pressure, have left 
     Kosovo, and an international force is there to safeguard the 
     return of the refugees. No less should be done for Cyprus. 
     Turkish occupation troops should be withdrawn, the National 
     Guard disbanded and an international force established to 
     assure compliance.
       In Kosovo, NATO took military action to challenge 
     aggression. In Cyprus, it has looked the other way. Turkey, 
     as a member of NATO and a European Union aspirant, must be 
     held to the highest standards of compliance with 
     international law.
       This is not a call for military action to reverse Turkey's 
     hold on Cyprus. It is a call for the United States to end its 
     toleration of Turkey's illegal behavior.
       The tragedy of just observing this 25th anniversary should 
     be reason enough to spark the United States to get involved 
     decisively to resolve the problem of Cyprus through forceful 
     negotiation.

     

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