[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1597-E1598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              2003 CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, as I have done every year, I rise again 
today to reiterate my fierce objection to the illegal occupation of the 
island of Cyprus by Turkish troops and declare my grave concern for the 
future of the area. The island's twenty nine years of internal division 
make the status quo absolutely unacceptable.
  In July 1974, Turkish troops captured the northern part of Cyprus, 
seizing more than a third of the island. The Turkish troops expelled 
200,000 Greek-Cypriots from their homes and killed 5,000 citizens of 
the once-peaceful island. The Turkish invasion was a conscious and 
deliberate attempt at ethnic cleansing. Turkey proceeded to install 
40,000 military personnel on Cyprus. Today, these troops, in 
conjunction with United Nations peacekeeping forces, make the small 
island of Cyprus one of the most militarized areas in the world. Over a 
quarter of a century later, approximately 1,500 Greek-Cypriots remain 
missing, including four Americans.
  The Green Line, a 113-mile barbed wire fence, separates the Greek-
Cypriot community from its Turkish-Cypriot counterpart. The Turkish 
Northern Republic of Cyprus (TNRC), recognized by no nation in the 
world except for Turkey, prohibits Greek-Cypriots from freely crossing 
the Green Line to visit the towns and communities of their families. 
With control of about 37 percent of the island, Turkey's military 
occupation has had severe consequences, most notably the dislocation of 
the Greek-Cypriot population and the resulting refugees.
  Twenty-nine years later, the forced separation of these two 
communities still exists despite efforts by the United Nations (U.N.) 
and G-8 leadership to mend this rift between north and south. The U.N., 
with the explicit support of the United States, has sponsored several 
rounds of proximity talks between the former President of the Republic 
of Cyprus, Mr. Glafcos Clerides, and Mr. Rauf Denktash, the self-
proclaimed leader of the occupied northern part of the island.
  In March 2003, the United Nations-sponsored Cyprus peace talks at the 
Hague between newly-elected President of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, 
and Mr. Denktash came to an abrupt halt. Responsibility for this 
unfortunate setback in the peace process rests largely with Mr. 
Denktash who rejected U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's Plan to end 
the 29-year division of Cyprus. It is a shame that the Secretary 
General's personal diplomacy was met by this kind of flat-out 
rejection. 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 forces 
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, Mr. 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. 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 European Union (EU).
  In April 2003, the House of Representatives unanimously approved 
House Resolution 165, introduced by Mr. Bereuter and myself, which 
expresses support for a renewed effort to find a peaceful and lasting 
settlement to the Cyprus problem by declaring appreciation for the 
efforts of Kofi Annan. The bill also expresses strong disappointment 
that Mr. Denktash rejected the comprehensive settlement offered by 
Secretary General Annan, thereby denying the Turkish-Cypriot people the 
opportunity to determine their own future.
  A few days later, Cyprus experienced a major historic event on April 
16, 2003, with the signing of the Treaty of Accession to the European 
Union. For the first time, the people of Cyprus have the opportunity to 
seal their future when Cyprus becomes a member of the E.U. next year. 
Upon accession to the European Union, Cyprus will, in its capacity as a 
full member, be firmly anchored to the western political and security 
structures, enhancing both geographically and qualitatively the 
operational capabilities of the Western world.

  Needless to say, it would be in the best interest of Turkey to 
cooperate with the United Nations and the rest of the international 
community on Cyprus in order to advance its own membership in the 
European Union. Northern Cyprus will perhaps be the greatest 
beneficiary of Cypriot membership and resolution of the entire affair. 
It is currently in a state of economic distress that is being 
exacerbated by Turkish intransigence. Sadly, the people living in the 
northern part of the island continue to be mired in poverty as a direct 
result of their leadership's and Turkey's separatist policies. By 
joining the rest of Cyprus, it would become part of an already 
progressive economy, eliminating its financial dependence on Turkey.
  So far we have seen that both Turkey and Mr. Denktash have sought to 
create preconditions on Cyprus' accession by tying that process to the 
resolution of a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus. The United States 
should remind Turkey that any threat against the Republic of Cyprus 
will be met with strong opposition and that Turkey does not possess any 
veto power over European Union membership. Promotion of Cyprus' 
membership will remove what has been a stumbling block in comprehensive 
settlement negotiations, and it will allow Turkey to strive toward the 
laudable goal of its own accession.
  Despite the continued Turkish intransigence, earlier this year the 
Cypriot Government announced a package of measures aimed at assisting 
those Turkish Cypriots residing under the control of the Turkish 
occupation army. This package includes a wide range of political, 
social, humanitarian, educational and economic measures that will 
enhance the ability of the Turkish Cypriots to enjoy many of the 
benefits that the Republic of Cyprus offers to its citizens--as well as 
to share in the benefits of European Union membership. Far beyond a 
merely symbolic gesture, the package is a substantive program to 
integrate the Turkish Cypriot community into the larger Cypriot society 
as the country prepares to join the EU.
  At the same time, the Turkish occupation regime partially lifted 
restrictions on freedom across the artificial line of division created 
by Turkey's military occupation. Since then, hundreds of thousands of 
Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have crossed the line, to visit 
homes and areas of their own country that

[[Page E1598]]

were inaccessible to them for nearly 30 years. It isn't clear whether 
opening the border was just a tactic to ease the frustrations, or a 
sign of a fundamental change of heart. But it has produced rare 
displays of human kinship, exchanges of flowers and pastries, and 
emotional visits to homes abandoned in the mid-1970s.
  Neither the Government's measures for the Turkish Cypriots, nor the 
partial lifting of restrictions by the occupation regime, should be 
seen as a substitute for a comprehensive resolution to end the division 
of Cyprus. We can only hope that the improved climate that has resulted 
from these steps will contribute to a negotiated settlement based on 
the U.N. framework in time for the accession of Cyprus to the European 
Union in May 2004.
  We are all standing at the threshold of a historic opportunity that 
will shape the futures of generations of Cypriots, Greeks, and Turks. 
We have a responsibility to these ensuant generations to secure their 
futures by contributing to the efforts to create a peaceful world. We 
have a moral and ethical obligation to use our influence as Americans--
as defenders of democracy, and as defenders of human rights, to reunify 
Cyprus. There have been twenty-nine years of illegitimate occupation, 
violence, and strife; let's not make it three decades.
  Lastly, I want to bid a fond farewell to Cyprus's Ambassador to the 
United States, Mrs. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, after nearly 5 years of 
service in our nation's capital. I want to praise the Ambassador for 
her tremendous efforts and contributions to accomplishing awareness 
among Members of Congress and Administration officials of Cyprus' 
desire to be reunified. She will be missed.

                          ____________________