[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 107 (Friday, July 27, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TURKEY INVASION OF CYPRUS

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                         HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 27, 2001

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 27th anniversary 
of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus.
  As Greek-Cypriots in America and around the world gathered last week 
to mark a tragic day in their nation's history, it is proper and 
fitting that we in this body join them in the hope that peace will soon 
return to their island nation.
  As we gather on the floor of the House to mark the 27th anniversary 
of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus, 37 percent of that country remains 
occupied by Turkish military forces. It is equally unfortunate that 
five American citizens of Cypriot descent and over 1,600 Greek-Cypriots 
are still unaccounted for as a result of Turkey's 1974 invasion of 
Cyprus.
  We, in this Congress, have passed resolution after resolution urging 
Turkey to withdraw its forces from Cyprus. We have passed measures and 
written letters urging Turkish-Cypriot leaders to renounce 
``declarations of independence'' that they have issued in defiance of 
international law. And in the United Nations, the United States has 
consistently and forcefully urged Turkey to end its military occupation 
of over a third of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Cyprus.
  Yet despite these efforts, today, we remain far from a final 
settlement that will end the artificial division of Cyprus.
  It is my belief that Congress has a solemn obligation to speak out 
and support a just and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem. A 
solution which must follow the precepts laid down in United Nations 
Security Council 1250, which was adopted on June 29, 1999 and which in 
part reads, ``. . . a Cyprus settlement must be based on a State of 
Cyprus with a single sovereignty.'' In short, the U.S. House of 
Representatives should serve as a guiding force in the pursuit of a 
reunified Cyprus, an island nation where all citizens enjoy fundamental 
freedoms.
  Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by saying that I am of the belief that 
the solution to the Cyprus problem resides in the will of the United 
States and the international community to renounce the violence that 
divided Cyprus over a quarter century ago and to affirm that the 
reunification of Cyprus is a priority.
  Mr. Speaker, let me close by thanking the Co-Chairs of the Hellenic 
Caucus, Representatives Michael Bilirakis and Carolyn Maloney for their 
exceptional work. I look forward to working with them in the 107th 
Congress to ensure that some day soon, the unification, not the 
division of Cyprus, will be commemorated in this body.

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