[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 12, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H1782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE BREAKDOWN OF CYPRUS PEACE TALKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, it is with a profound sense of 
disappointment that I rise today to speak about the breakdown of the 
United Nations-sponsored Cyprus peace talks at the Hague this week.
  Responsibility for this unfortunate setback in the peace process 
rests largely with one man, Mr. Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot 
leader who rejected U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan to end the 
29-year division of Cyprus. A large share of the blame also rests with 
the Turkish military and hard-line nationalists in Ankara, who have 
maintained the illegal Turkish military occupation of Cyprus since 
Turkish troops invaded the island in 1974. If the government of Turkey 
were sincere about settling the Cyprus problem, they could have put the 
necessary pressure on Mr. Denktash to say yes to the U.N. plan.
  In sharp contrast to Mr. Denktash, the newly-elected President of the 
Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, said yes to a public 
referendum on the Secretary General's plan. His response is consistent 
with years of efforts by the government of Cyprus to try to negotiate 
in good faith to reunify the country, efforts that have been 
consistently rebuffed by the separatist Turkish Cypriot regime.
  The U.N. peace process, which is strongly supported by the United 
States and the international community has sought to reunite Cyprus as 
a single sovereign bicommunal federation. With Cyprus poised to join 
the European Union in May 2004, Secretary General Annan chose to get 
personally involved in bringing the two sides together, asking the two 
leaders to put the U.N. plan before their people in a referendum. 
President Papadopoulos said he was prepared to do so. But, 
unfortunately, Mr. Denktash was not prepared to agree to put the plan 
to a referendum. It is a shame that the Secretary General's personal 
diplomacy was met by this kind of flat-out rejection.
  In fact, it is the Turkish-Cypriot community which has held 
unprecedented public demonstrations in favor of the U.N. plan who will 
be the major victims of Mr. Denktash's intransigence, cut off from 
benefits of the EU membership that the rest of the island will enjoy.
  Despite this failure, Madam Speaker, I praise President Papadopoulos 
for stressing that the Greek-Cypriot side will continue the efforts for 
reaching a solution to the Cyprus question both before and after Cyprus 
joins the EU.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Andrews), who has just been fantastic on this issue.
  Mr. ANDREWS. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from 
Florida, for his enduring leadership in this very important cause. I 
join him in his expression of dismay that this very hopeful effort has 
apparently been sidetracked, and I would hope this Congress could urge 
Mr. Denktash and his Turkish military sponsors to reconsider this 
decision.

                              {time}  1815

  Madam Speaker, I believe that the principal division between the 
enlightened view of the Greek Cypriots and the regressive view of Mr. 
Denktash is their willingness to let the people decide their own fate.
  In the set of principles articulated by Kofi Annan and the United 
Nations, there were many concessions made by the Greek Cypriots. There 
were many difficult decisions that the Greek Cypriot government would 
have to endure. That regime, because it is democratic, was willing to 
put that question to the people in the Greek part of Cyprus.
  On the other hand, Mr. Denktash and his Turkish military sponsors 
were unwilling to let the voice of the Turkish Cypriot people determine 
their own fate. They have raised their voices on the streets and 
expressed overwhelming popular sentiment for a lawful and humane 
reunification of Cyprus. It is a tragedy that the voices of the Turkish 
Cypriots have been silenced by the short-term decision by Mr. Denktash 
and by his Turkish military sponsors.
  Madam Speaker, I join the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), who 
has led us for so many years in this effort in urging Mr. Denktash and 
the Turkish Government to let the people of the Turkish part of Cyprus 
speak. Let them act for peace; and I believe we will, in fact, achieve 
peace.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.

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