[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1587-E1588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           REGARDING TURKEY'S INVASION OF CYPRUS 29 YEARS AGO

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, twenty-nine years ago--on July 
20, 1974--the Republic of Turkey invaded the independent Republic of 
Cyprus and seized control of more than one third of the island. In 
1983, Turkey declared the seized territory to be the ``Turkish Republic 
of Northern Cyprus.'' For two decades this entity has received 
diplomatic recognition only from its creator and protector the Republic 
of Turkey. United Nations observers are deployed, and the 113-mile 
barbed wire fence known as the ``Green Line'' continues to divide the 
island.
  The United States has supported efforts by the United Nations to 
address the continued division. Though not accepted by both sides, the 
latest plan, the Annan Plan, remains on the table for consideration. 
Both Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders have met trying to resolve their 
differences on this issue.
  Over the last several years, the Helsinki Commission, which I chair, 
has held two briefings focusing on Cyprus. We have heard optimism from 
some witnesses, and skepticism from others. But the common thread 
throughout the testimonies has been that Cyprus has been divided too 
long and must come together to move into the future.
  In April, the Green Line was opened to private individuals and groups 
and their automobiles, and Cypriots flocked across by the thousands 
into areas denied them for over a generation. Although required to 
return home each day, families have been able to visit their pre-war 
homes. In an effort to develop trade between the two areas, the 
Government of Cyprus announced in June that it would permit Turkish 
Cypriot trucks carrying goods from the north to cross into the south. 
The trucks are inspected in accordance with European Union regulations 
and the laws of the Government of Cyprus Transport Department, which 
will issue permits to the drivers for the transport of goods, and 
various fees have been reduced or abolished.
  Thus, while we observe the anniversary of a bleak day in the history 
of Cyprus, we do so in the light of optimism. The people of Cyprus have 
made clear their desire to overcome the legacy of the past and move 
toward some

[[Page E1588]]

sense of normalcy after decades of division. Regrettably, intransigence 
on the Turkish Cypriot side remains a formidable obstacle to ending the 
artificial division of Cyprus. We must encourage and support the 
efforts of open-minded reformers. I am hopeful that negotiations will 
resume under the auspices of the United Nations Good Offices Mission 
for Cyprus and that a new generation of Cypriots will have the 
opportunity to exercise their fundamental freedoms, including freedom 
of movement, and enjoy economic prosperity in their own land.

                          ____________________