[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 102 (Friday, July 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF THE 27TH BLACK ANNIVERSARY OF CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 20, 2001

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor and 
privilege to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the 1974 illegal 
Turkish invasion of Cyprus. I have commemorated this day each year 
since I have become a Member of Congress and unfortunately, each year 
the occupation continues. The continued presence of Turkish troops 
represents a gross violation of human rights and international law.
  Since their invasion of Cyprus in July of 1974, Turkish troops have 
continued to occupy 37% of Cyprus. This is in direct defiance of 
numerous United Nations resolutions and has been a major source of 
instability in the eastern Mediterranean. Recent events, however, have 
created an atmosphere where there is now no valid excuse to avoid 
resolving this long-standing problem.
  Peace in this region cannot happen without committed and sustained 
U.S. leadership, which is why I am heartened that President Bush, like 
his predecessor President Clinton, is committed to working towards the 
reunification of Cyprus. He recently stated (and I quote): ``I want you 
to know that the United States stands ready to help Greece and Turkey 
as they work to improve their relations. I'm also committed to a just 
and lasting settlement of the Cyprus dispute.''
  I was also encouraged to read last week that the European Union 
considers the status quo in Cyprus unacceptable and has called on the 
Turkish Cypriot side to resume the U.N.-led peace as soon as possible 
with a view to finding a comprehensive settlement.
  Now is the time for a solution. More than twenty years ago, [in 1977 
and 1979] the leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities 
reached two high level agreements which provided for the establishment 
of a bicommunal bizonal federation. Even though these agreements were 
endorsed by the U.N. Security Council Resolution 649 of 1990, there has 
been no action on the Turkish side to fill in the details and reach a 
final agreement. Instead, for the last 27 years, there has been a 
Turkish Cypriot leader presiding over a regime recognized only by 
Turkey and condemned as ``legally invalid'' by the U.N. Security 
Council in resolution 541 (1989) and 550 (1984).
  Cyprus has been divided by the green line--a 113-mile barbed wire 
fence that runs across the island and Greek-Cypriots are prohibited 
from visiting the towns and communities where their families have lived 
for generations. With 35,000 Turkish troops illegally stationed on the 
island, it is one of the most militarized areas in the world. This 
situation has also meant the financial decline of the once rich 
northern part of Cyprus to just one quarter of its former earnings. 
Perhaps the single most destructive element of Turkey's fiscal and 
foreign policy is its nearly 27 year occupation of Cyprus.
  We now have an atmosphere where there is no valid excuse for not 
resolving this long-standing problem. Cyprus is set for accession to 
the European Union in 2004, and I am hopeful that this reality will act 
as a catalyst for a lasting solution of the Cyprus problem.
  EU membership for Cyprus will clearly provide important economic, 
political, and social benefits for all Cypriots, both Greek and Turkish 
alike. This is why both sides must return to the negotiating table 
without any conditions. There is also a new climate of cooperation 
between Turkey's Ismail Cem and Greece's George Pappandreou is a 
positive sign. More has been achieved in a year than what has been 
achieved in the past 40 years, but his cooperation needs to extend to 
the resolution of the Cyprus occupation. While the U.S., the EU, Greece 
and Cyprus have all acted to accommodate Turkish concerns, however, it 
remains to be seen whether Turkey will put pressure on Rauf Denktash to 
bargain in good faith. And make no mistake about it, if Turkey wants 
the Cyprus problem resolved, it will not let Denktash stand in the way.
  Now is the time for a solution to the Cyprus problem. It will take 
diligent work by both sides, but with U.S. support and leadership, I am 
very hopeful that we will reach a peaceful and fair solution soon. 
Twenty-seven years is too long to have a country divided. It is too 
long to be kept from your home. It is too long to be separated from 
family. We have seen many tremendous changes around the world in the 
last several years; it is now time to add Cyprus to the list of places 
where peace and freedom have triumphed.

                          ____________________