[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 41 (Monday, March 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2905-S2907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 28--CALLING FOR A UNITED STATES EFFORT TO 
   END RESTRICTIONS ON THE FREEDOMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE ENCLAVED 
                 PEOPLE IN THE OCCUPIED AREA OF CYPRUS

  Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Ms. Mikulski) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations.

                            S. Con. Res. 28

       Whereas respect for fundamental freedoms and 
     internationally recognized human rights is a cornerstone of 
     United States foreign policy;
       Whereas, since the tragic events of 1974, the number of the 
     enclaved people in the occupied area of Cyprus has been 
     reduced from 20,000 to 593 (428 Greek-Cypriots and 165 
     Maronites);
       Whereas the enclaved people continue to be subjected to 
     restrictions on their freedoms and human rights;
       Whereas the representatives of the two communities in 
     Cyprus, who met in Vienna, Austria, in August 1975 under the 
     auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations, 
     reached a humanitarian agreement, known as the Vienna III 
     Agreement, which, inter alia, states that, ``Greek-Cypriots 
     in the north of the island [of Cyprus] are free to stay and 
     they will be given every help to lead a normal life, 
     including facilities for education and for the practice of 
     their religion, as well as medical care by their own doctors 
     and freedom of movement in the north . . . [and] the United 
     Nations will have free and normal access to Greek-Cypriot 
     villages and habitations in the north'';
       Whereas the Secretary General of the United Nations, in his 
     December 10, 1995, report on the United Nations operation in 
     Cyprus, set out the recommendations contained in the 
     humanitarian review of the the United Nations Peacekeeping 
     Force in Cyrus (in this concurrent resolution referred to as 
     ``UNFICYP''), as endorsed by United Nations Security Council 
     Resolution 1032(95), regarding the restrictions on the 
     freedoms and human rights of the enclaved people of Cyprus;
       Whereas the Secretary General of the United Nations, in his 
     June 7, 1996 report on the United Nations Operation in 
     Cyprus, informed the Security Council that the Greek Cypriots 
     and Maronites living in the northern part of the island 
     ``were subjected to severe restrictions and limitations in 
     many basic freedoms, which had the effect of ensuring that 
     inexorably, with the passage of time, the communities would 
     cease to exist'';
       Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 
     1062(96), inter alia, expressed regret that ``the Turkish-
     Cypriot side has not responded more fully to the 
     recommendations made by UNFICYP and calls upon the Turkish-
     Cypriot side to respect more fully the basic freedoms of the 
     Greek-Cypriots and Maronites living in the northern part of 
     the island and to intensify its efforts to improve their 
     daily lives'';
       Whereas, on July 31, 1997, Cyprus President Glafcos 
     Clerides and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash agreed to 
     further address this issue along with other humanitarian 
     issues;
       Whereas those agreements and recommendations are still far 
     from being implemented, despite a number of measures 
     announced in May 2000 by the Turkish side to ease certain 
     restrictions imposed on movement between the two sides, which 
     restrictions largely remain in effect;
       Whereas the measures against the UNFICYP instituted by the 
     Turkish side since June 2000 have further complicated the 
     situation;
       Whereas, on January 22, 1990, Turkey recognized the 
     compulsory jurisdiction of the European Court of Human 
     Rights; and
       Whereas the European Commission of Human Rights, in the 
     case of Cyprus vs. Turkey before the European Court of Human 
     Rights in 1999 found that ``taken as a whole, the daily life 
     of the Greek Cypriots in northern Cyprus is characterized by 
     a multitude of

[[Page S2906]]

     adverse circumstances. The absence of normal means of 
     communication, the unavailability in practice of the Greek 
     Cypriot press, the insufficient number of priests, the 
     difficult choice before which parents and school children are 
     put regarding secondary education, the restrictions and 
     formalities applied to freedom of movement, the impossibility 
     to preserve property rights upon departure or death and the 
     various other restrictions create a feeling among the persons 
     concerned of being compelled to live in a hostile environment 
     in which it is hardly possible to lead a normal private and 
     family life'' and ``are to a large extent the direct result 
     of the official policy conducted by the respondent government 
     [Turkey] and its subordinate local administration": Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) strongly urges the President to undertake efforts to 
     end restrictions on the freedoms and human rights of the 
     enclaved people of Cyprus; and
       (2) expresses its intention to remain actively interested 
     in the matter until the human rights and fundamental freedoms 
     of the enclaved people of Cyprus are restored, respected, and 
     safeguarded.

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I am submitting a concurrent 
resolution, also sponsored by Senator Mikulski, which calls for a 
United States effort to end the restrictions on the freedoms and 
violations of the human rights of the enclaved people in the occupied 
portion of Cyprus. I have introduced this legislation in the past, and 
I regret that these concerns are still with us. In the 106th Congress, 
my resolution garnered 36 cosponsors, more than one-third of the U.S. 
Senate.
  I am aware that developments on Cyprus are not known to most 
Americans. Yet if I were to tell them that a small nation has had part 
of its land illegally occupied by a neighboring state for over a 
quarter of a century, I know they would share my outrage.
  The 26 years since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus have seen the 
end of the cold war, the collapse of the USSR, free elections in South 
Africa and a reunited Germany. Yet while the line through the heart of 
Berlin is gone, the line through the heart of Cyprus remains.
  Over a quarter of a century ago, Turkey's brutal invasion drove more 
than 200,000 Cypriots from their homes. Turkey still controls about 
one-third of the island of Cyprus and maintains about 30,000 troops 
there. There remains, in northern Cyprus, a small remnant of 428 
enclaved Greek-Cypriots and 165 Maronites. The reason they are referred 
to as the enclaved of Cyprus is that during the fighting in 1974 they 
mostly resided in remote enclaves and therefore were not able to flee 
the fighting and thus were not immediately expelled.
  I believe that this resolution is important in serving to bring to 
the attention of the American people and the world community, the 
hardships and restrictions endured by these enclaved individuals.
  In 1975, representatives of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities 
agreed that the Greek-Cypriots in the northern part of the island were 
to be given every help to lead a normal life. Twenty-six years later 
this is still not the case.
  The presence of the Turkish-Cypriot police in the lives of the 
enclaved Greek-Cypriots is constant and represents an aggravated 
interference with their right to respect their private and family life 
and for their home. Human rights violations and deprivations include: 
restrictions and formalities on their freedom of movement; the 
impossibility of preserving their property rights upon their departure 
or death; the unavailability of access to Greek Cypriot press; an 
insufficient number of priests; and the difficulties in continuing 
their children's secondary education.
  What I just cited are the 1999 findings of the European Commission of 
Human Rights in the case of Cyprus against Turkey which is currently 
before the European Court of Human Rights. Overall, the Commission 
found that the enclaved ``have been subjected to discrimination 
amounting to degrading treatment.'' On January 22, 1990, Turkey 
recognized the compulsory jurisdiction of the European Court of Human 
Rights and although there has been no ruling, these findings by the 
Commission illustrate the dire situation which exists.

  Going back to 1995, the situation was studied then too, with equally 
compelling findings. This report on the conditions of the enclaved by 
the UN Secretary General stated that, ``the Review confirmed that those 
communities were the objects of very severe restrictions, which 
curtailed the exercise of many basic freedoms and had the effect on 
ensuring that, inexorably with the passage of time, those communities 
would cease to exist in the northern part of the island.'' The UN 
expressed its concerns and made recommendations for remedial actions by 
the Turkish-Cypriot regime.
  As an example of the situation there, I will state what two of the 
recommendations were. The simplicity of them speaks volumes. They are: 
(1) ``All restrictions on land travel within the northern part of 
Cyprus should be lifted'', and (2) ``Restrictions on hand-carried mail 
and newspapers should be lifted'' These are basic rights to us, but 
something to be desired and wished for by the enclaved. In addition, 
the State Department's Human Rights Report for 2000 recently released 
states that the Turkish-Cypriot regime ``continued to restrict freedom 
of movement''.
  As a result of this review, very minor relaxation of restrictions on 
the freedom of movement of the enclaved were introduced in 1996, but 
all the other recommendations have not been implemented. Some new 
telephone lines were also installed in the Karpas and Kormakiti areas 
but the overseas charges imposed make it impossible to use for 
communication with relatives in the Government controlled area.
  The numbers of the enclaved continue to decrease and education is one 
reason. No Greek language educational facilities for the Greek-Cypriot 
and Maronite children exist beyond the elementary level. Parents are 
forced to choose between keeping their children with them or sending 
them to the south for further education. If a child is sent for further 
education they are no longer permitted to return permanently to their 
homes.
  I am aware that on May 4, 2000, the Turkish occupation regime 
announced measures to ease restrictions in order to improve the living 
conditions of the enclaved. For example, it was announced that Greek-
Cypriots and Maronites who wish to visit their relatives in the 
occupied areas will be allowed to stay for a reasonable length of time 
after obtaining the necessary permit. What was instituted was that the 
relatives of the enclaved when visiting can stay in the occupied areas 
for three days and two nights instead of the two days and one night 
that was the case in the past.
  One restriction that was eased in may was that the enclaved may bring 
their spouses to reside with them and the Greek-Cypriot marriage 
certificates will be recognized as proof of marriage. Amazingly, this 
previously required special permission which was difficult to obtain.
  This situation calls out for justice. By bringing these human rights 
violations to the attention of the American people, it is my hope, that 
we can bring the plight of these people to the World's attention. My 
resolution urges the President to undertake efforts to end the 
restrictions on the freedoms and human rights of the enclaved people. I 
will remain actively involved in this issue until their rights and 
freedoms are restored.
  This is the least we can do for these people. While this resolution 
addresses the plight of the enclaved people of Cyprus, work must not 
cease on efforts to bring about a withdrawal of Turkish forces and a 
restoration of Cyprus' sovereignty over the entire island with the full 
respect of the rights of all Cypriots.
  Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
legislation.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I am proud to join Senator Snowe in 
submitting a resolution calling for action to help the enclaved people 
in the occupied areas of Cyprus. This legislation puts the Congress on 
record in support of human rights and freedom for all the people of 
Cyprus.
  In 1974 Turkish troops invaded Cyprus and divided the island. For 
decades, the people of Cyprus have lived under an immoral and illegal 
occupation. The enclaved people in the northern part of the island have 
suffered most. Their travel is restricted. They may not attend the 
schools of their choice. Their access to the religious sites is 
restricted. They are often harassed and discriminated against.

[[Page S2907]]

  The United Nations and the European Union have documented these human 
rights abuses and have called on the Turkish Cypriots to respect the 
basic freedom of the Greek Cypriots and Maronites living in the 
northern part of the island.
  Our foreign policy must reflect our values. The legislation we are 
introducing urges the President to work to end restrictions on the 
freedom of the enclaved people in the occupied part of Cyprus. It 
states that commitment of Congress to pursue this issue until the human 
rights and fundamental freedoms of the enclaved people of Cyprus are 
restored, respected and safeguarded.
  We all hope peace will come to Cyprus, ending the occupation which 
divides it. But our efforts to improve human rights on the island 
cannot wait. I urge my colleagues to join me supporting this 
legislation.

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