[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 97 (Friday, July 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1479-E1480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 32ND ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH ILLEGAL INVASION AND OCCUPATION OF CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 20, 2006

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today, as I have for more 
than two decades, to voice intense objection to the illegal occupation 
of Cyprus by Turkish troops and to declare my grave concern for the 
future of the island. The Turkish incursion into Cyprus, thirty-two 
years ago, has rendered a legacy of internal division, and should worry 
those in this chamber who cherish freedom and espouse the virtues of 
democracy.
  In July 1974, Turkish troops invaded and captured the northern part 
of Cyprus, seizing more than a third of the island. The Turkish 
strategy included ethnic cleansing. Not only did the Turks expel 
200,000 Greek-Cypriots from their homes, but Turkish troops also were 
responsible for the systematic killing of 5,000 innocent civilians. In 
the process, Turkey installed 40,000 military personnel on Cyprus. 
Today, these troops, in conjunction with United Nations (U.N.) 
peacekeeping forces, make the small, once peaceful island of Cyprus one 
of the most militarized areas in the world. Well over a quarter of a 
century later, approximately 1,500 Greek-Cypriots remain missing, 
including four Americans.
  The Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities are separated by a 
113-mile barbed wire fence, called the Green Line. Until 2003, the 
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a government formally 
recognized only by Turkey, prohibited Greek-Cypriots from freely 
crossing the Green Line to visit the towns and communities of their 
families. Controlling 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.
  The Republic of Cyprus has proven to be an ally of this country. An 
ally which, in times of need, stands up to the plate and offers 
assistance, understanding and compassion to our citizens.
  I am sure that most of you have been following the developments in 
Lebanon, and the plight of over 25,000 Americans who are trying to 
leave safely with their families. How many of you know that Cyprus has 
opened its doors to everyone evacuating Lebanon? On July 15, 2006, 
Cyprus declared its readiness to assist efforts for the evacuation of 
U.S. citizens and other nationals fleeing Lebanon. A coordinating 
committee set up by the Cyprus government is in charge of organizing 
the reception and hospitality of foreign nationals arriving in Larnaca 
from Lebanon.
  The U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus Ronald Schlicher said that several 
thousand U.S. citizens were expected to arrive on Cyprus. They will 
stay in hotels or--if there are not enough beds--in schools and an 
exhibition space equipped with tents and prefab housing provided by the 
Cyprus government. Thanking Nicosia, Schlicher said that the Cyprus 
Republic had offered significant assistance and that this could be a 
good opportunity to deepen U.S.-Cyprus cooperation.
  During the U.S. State Department briefing on the Lebanon evacuation 
efforts, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Maura Harty expressed 
gratitude for help offered by the Cyprus Republic. ``We're so grateful 
to them. . . Cypriots have met every helicopter and ship with 
sandwiches and water and juice. They're just being fantastic'' she 
said. ``The Cypriot Civil Defense Force has been very helpful to us in 
what they have provided,'' she added.
  The Cypriot citizens know first-hand what our people are going 
through because they have lived through it. I want to personally 
recognize and thank President Tassos Papadopoulos and the Greek-Cypriot 
people

[[Page E1480]]

for their swift offer of assistance for our citizens and for their 
efforts to alleviate the distress and suffering of our families. I pray 
for their safe return.
  There also have been some other positive developments recently, based 
on Cypriot President Papadopoulos' initiative. He and Turkish Cypriot 
leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed earlier this month to begin a process of 
bi-communal discussions to find a comprehensive settlement to the 
Cyprus problem. The decision, which is part of a set of agreed upon 
principles, was made during a meeting between the two leaders in Cyprus 
with the U.N. Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Ibrahim 
Gambari. The two leaders stressed their commitment to the unification 
of Cyprus, based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, and political 
equality, as set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions.
  President Papadopoulos already has submitted a comprehensive proposal 
for the establishment of two committees on Economic Integration and 
Population Determination. The Government of Cyprus also has proposed 
and is ready for the establishment of additional bi-communal committees 
that will tackle other problems arising from the division of the 
island. Asked about Turkey's EU accession course in relation with the 
developments in the Cyprus problem, President Papadopoulos said they 
were two separate issues, and pointed out that Ankara still had to meet 
its obligations toward the EU. In a conversation with President 
Papadopoulos, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed his 
satisfaction with the result of the meeting and congratulated both 
sides.
  The agreement is the first positive result after the meeting in Paris 
last February between President Papadopoulos and U.N. Secretary General 
Annan, where they had expressed their common hope that these 
discussions would help restore trust between the two communities and 
prepare the way for the earliest full resumption of the negotiating 
process.
  The following is the set of principles agreed to on July 8, 2006:
  1. Commitment to the unification of Cyprus based on a bi-zonal, bi-
communal federation and political equality, as set out in the relevant 
Security Council resolutions.
  2. Recognition of the fact that the status quo is unacceptable and 
that its prolongation would have negative consequences for the Turkish 
and Greek Cypriots.
  3. Commitment to the proposition that a comprehensive settlement is 
both desirable and possible, and should not be further delayed.
  4. Agreement to begin a process immediately, involving bi-communal 
discussion of issues that affect the day-to-day life of the people and 
other substantive issues, both of which will contribute to a 
comprehensive settlement.
  5. Commitment to ensure that the ``right atmosphere'' prevails for 
this process to be successful. In that connection, confidence building 
measures are essential, both in terms of improving the atmosphere and 
improving the life of all Turkish and Greek Cypriots. This requires 
putting an end to the so-called ``blame game.''
  The following are the decisions by Mr. Papadopoulos and Mr. Talat:
  1. The Technical Committees on issues that affect the day-to-day life 
of people will commence by the end of July provided that, at the same 
time, the two Leaders will also have exchanged a list of issues of 
substance and its contents to be studied by expert bi-communal working 
groups and finalized by the Leaders.
  2. The two Leaders will meet further, from time to time as 
appropriate, to give directions to the expert bi-communal working 
groups as well as to review the work of the Technical Committees.
  I would like to stress that the Government of Cyprus continues to 
emphasize that it remains committed to reunify Cyprus as a bi-zonal, 
bi-communal federation with democratic and human rights for all 
Cypriots. The Cypriot Government has announced a series of measures 
aimed at assisting those Turkish-Cypriots residing under the control of 
the occupying Turkish army. The package included a wide range of 
political, social, humanitarian, educational and economic measures that 
would enhance the Turkish-Cypriots' ability to enjoy many of the 
benefits that the Republic of Cyprus offers to its citizens--including 
benefits which result from its 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.
  The Republic of Cyprus and Greek-Cypriots have provided the Turkish-
Cypriot community more than $700 million dollars in aid. In the past 
two years, the Government of Cyprus has paid more than $43 million 
dollars in social insurance pensions to Turkish-Cypriots, and Turkish-
Cypriots working outside the Green Line made $7 million dollars in 
wages last year. Since April 2003, more than 24,000 Turkish-Cypriots 
have received free treatment in hospitals and medical centers inside 
the Republic of Cyprus, the combined cost of which totals more than $9 
million.

  Since the invasion more than three decades ago, Turkish-occupied 
areas have received free electricity from the Cyprus Electricity 
Authority at a cost of nearly $343 million. Also, more than 150,000 
birth certificates, identity cards and passports have been provided to 
Turkish-Cypriots by the Republic of Cyprus, so that Turkish-Cypriots 
could travel and acquire work more efficiently. The Republic of Cyprus 
has begun a program where it pays the full tuition fees of Turkish-
Cypriot pupils in secondary education private schools in the 
government-controlled areas. To date, this program has promised more 
than $5.4 million in tuition fees, and the program added five times as 
many students this year than it did in 2003, its first year.
  The occupying Turkish regime partially relaxed restrictions that 
limited travel across the Green Line. Since then, there have been more 
than ten million incident-free border crossings by Turkish and Greek 
Cypriots to visit areas and homes that were inaccessible to them for 
over 30 years. This has produced rare displays of human kinship, 
exchanges of flowers and pastries, and emotional visits to homes 
abandoned in the mid-1970s. As a result, Greek-Cypriots have infused 
more than $57 million into the impoverished, Turkish-occupied economy 
in the North.
  Still, neither the Government's incomplete, albeit well-intentioned, 
benefit package for Turkish-Cypriots, nor the limited lifting of 
restrictions by Turkey's occupying regime, substitutes for a 
comprehensive resolution to end Cyprus' divide. I urge the Bush 
Administration, the United Nations, the European Union, and this 
honorable body to remain engaged in efforts to resolve the Cyprus 
problem, and to work toward a fair and lasting reunification of Cyprus.
  We should look to correct the wrong that occurred more than thirty 
years ago. We should work to bring about a just resolution to the 
situation. And, at the very least, we must act to halt the continuing 
injustice which the world community allows to continue in Cyprus, our 
proven and strong ally.

                          ____________________