[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 110 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1700-E1701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            25TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKEY'S INVASION OF CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 27, 1999

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Florida, 
Mr. Bilirakis, and my colleague from New York, Mrs. Maloney for 
organizing this Special Order. This year the anniversary of the illegal 
Turkish invasion of Cyprus is, tragically, of particular significance. 
It is being called the ``Black Anniversary'' because 25 years--a 
quarter of a century--have now passed since the Turks invaded Cyprus on 
July 20, 1974. So while it is important to remember this date every 
year, this year's remembrance has added meaning.
  The Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus is tragic for so many 
reasons. Innocent lives were lost. Families and friends were torn 
apart, and have been kept apart by an occupation force of 35,000. The 
human suffering that has been caused by the Turkish invasion can never 
be reversed, and we must always remember on this day that a great many 
Cypriots lost their lives for no good reason. None of us here tonight 
can say anything that can reverse the brutality that took place. We can 
only honor the memory of those whose lives were prematurely cut short 
by Turkish aggression.
  In addition to the human suffering, the Cyprus problem is tragic 
because the history of attempts to resolve the situation is one of 
missed opportunities for peace. Since the invasion, hundreds of 
attempts to solve this problem have been made, yet to date, the island 
is divided and remains one of the most militarized places on the face 
of the earth. Recent statements from the Turkish side, moreover, 
indicate their obstinance is only getting worse.
  Following the leading role it played in bringing NATO's war with 
Serbia to an end, the Group of 8 major industrialized nations, the G8, 
agreed to press for a new round of United Nations negotiations on the 
Cyprus issue. The Secretary General of the U.N., Kofi Annan, endorsed 
the G8's plan and subsequently announced he was prepared to invite the 
Greek and Turkish Cypriots to hold comprehensive peace negotiations. 
The Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktash quickly dismissed the 
U.N.'s proposal for a new round of peace talks as ``nonsense''.
  The justification the Turkish leader provided for rejecting a new 
round of peace negotiations is absolute garbage. Denktash said he would 
not attend any negotiations at which the democratically elected 
president of Cyprus, Glafcos Clerides, represented the Cypriot 
government. According to Denktash and his patrons in Ankara, the 
Cypriot government does not have any official jurisdiction or authority 
over the portion of the island that has been illegally occupied by 
Turkish troops for almost 25 years.
  Adding to this absurdity, Denktash and Turkey claimed talks based on 
the bizonal, bi-communal framework that had been earlier accepted by 
the Turkish side and endorsed repeatedly by the international community 
were useless because they have to date failed to acknowledge the 
existence of two separate governments on the island. In other words, 
the Turkish side is now claiming talks are useless unless Cyprus and 
the entire international community accept terms that have for years 
been rejected as absurd.
  Glafcos Clerides is recognized internationally as the President of 
Cyprus. Turkey is alone in its recognition of the so-called Turkish 
Republic of Northern Cyprus. No other country in the world recognizes 
the portion of Cyprus that the Turks have illegally occupied as an 
independent state. The Turkish suggestion that future peace 
negotiations must be between leaders of independent nations was made by 
Denktash for the sole purpose of killing the proposed round of 
negotiations before it has a chance to succeed.
  The international community has reaffirmed its position on the Cyprus 
issue twice in the last seven months. In December of last year, the 
U.N. Security Council passed a number of resolutions on the Cyprus 
situation, including Resolution 1217, which reiterates all previous 
resolutions on the Cyprus problem. Those resolutions state that any 
solution to the Cyprus problem must be based on a State of Cyprus with 
a single sovereignty and international personality and a single 
citizenship, in a bi-communal and bi-zonal federation, with its 
independence and territorial integrity safeguarded.

[[Page E1701]]

That position was again reaffirmed in United Nations Security Council 
Resolution 1250, which was passed just about a month ago on June 29.
  So on the one hand, we have the international community taking steps 
to reaffirm its commitment to a peaceful and just settlement to the 
Cyprus problem, and on the other, the Turks are only hardening their 
position and thumbing their nose at whatever the international 
community suggests. And as I said this is truly tragic; this most 
recent refusal promises to be another chapter in a historical record 
that clearly documents a systematic campaign by the Turkish side to 
undermine proposals for peace no matter where they come from.
  Last year, for example, the Cypriot government again offered to 
demilitarize the island after it decided to cancel the deployment of a 
defensive air-to-surface missile system. The Turks rejected the offer. 
In a separate gesture, the Cypriot government invited the Turkish-
Cypriot community to participate in the Cyprus-EU negotiating team. 
That offer was also rejected. When the United States made an attempt 
last year to restart talks, the Turkish side undermined them before 
they had a chance to begin. In that instance, they insisted on two 
irrational preconditions to negotiations, prompting Ambassador Richard 
Holbrooke, who was leading the United States effort, to publicly rebuke 
the Turkish side for not being seriously interested in resolving the 
problem. And just last month, as I mentioned earlier, the Turkish side 
dismissed the U.N. invitation to start a new round of comprehensive 
talks later this year as nonsense.
  For 25 years now, the Cypriot people have had to endure this 
unconscionable behavior from the Turkish side. It is long, long past 
time to bring this nightmare to an end. In my view, the United States 
needs to stop looking the other way and do more to bring the Turkish 
side to the negotiating table. Twenty-five years of Turkish 
intransigence is more than enough evidence to prove that the strategies 
we have employed to bring Turkey to the table have been, and still are, 
totally ineffective.
  The United States is the most powerful nation in the world. The full 
weight of that power should be employed to move the peace process 
forward. I have said many times before on this floor that we can 
achieve that goal by focusing American efforts to move the peace 
process forward on the Turkish military, which has real and substantial 
influence on decisionmaking in the Turkish government. The United 
States government must convey to Ankara in forceful and unequivocal 
terms that there will be direct consequences in United States-Turkish 
relations if Ankara does not prevail upon the Turks to come to the 
negotiating table in good faith.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in communicating this message 
to the Turks, and to the key decision-makers in the United States 
Government, on this historic day. On the Black Anniversary of the 
Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Cypriot people deserve to know that the 
United States has the utmost respect for their suffering and struggle, 
and will do whatever it takes to help them secure their freedom and 
independence.

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