[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S10659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               U.N. SUPPORT OF THE CYPRIOT PEACE PROCESS

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, the country of Cyprus has occupied a 
special place in my heart for many years. My admiration for the island 
and its people grew in recent months as Cypriots opened their arms to 
assist the thousands of American citizens who fled from Lebanon during 
this summer's fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. This exceptional 
display of Hellenic hospitality has reaffirmed Cyprus's importance as a 
safe harbor amid the unsettled waters of the eastern Mediterranean and 
a key partner for the United States.
  For far too long, however, Cyprus has existed as an island divided. 
An invasion by Turkey in 1974 needlessly separated the island's 
ethnically Greek and Turkish citizens--two communities that had 
successfully coexisted for centuries. A generation has now grown to 
adulthood on either side of a Green Line that segregates Cypriots from 
both their peaceful shared history and their promising shared destiny. 
Mr. President, I believe we must correct this wrong before another 
generation endures a similar fate.
  In 2004, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan presented a plan 
to reunite the island's two communities. The Annan plan certainly 
wasn't perfect, but it brought the island closer to reunification than 
any peace initiative in the past three decades. After the plan failed 
to gain the support of the Greek Cypriot community in an April 2004 
referendum, the drive to unify the island largely stagnated, and the 
U.N. closed its ``good offices'' mission in Nicosia that had worked to 
facilitate peace negotiations.
  Over the summer, I have been encouraged by the first real signs of 
movement toward a settlement since the Annan plan was rejected. Ibrahim 
Gambari, the United Nations Under Secretary General for Political 
Affairs, visited Cyprus in July and presided over a joint meeting 
between the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, 
and the head of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mehmet Ali Talat. The 
two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to seek a political settlement 
in an agreement signed on July 8. They are now poised to begin a new 
round of technical talks that I hope will move the peace process 
forward.
  Mr. President, others have rightly stated that Cypriot problems need 
Cypriot solutions, but I am convinced that those solutions won't be 
forthcoming without the forceful support of the international 
community. For years, the United Nations has played a critical role in 
Cyprus, maintaining a ceasefire and facilitating a political 
settlement. Under Secretary Gambari will report to the U.N. Security 
Council in the beginning of December, and the Security Council and 
Secretary General will subsequently decide whether to renew the mandate 
of UNFICYP, the U.N. Peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, and reopen the 
Secretary General's good offices mission in Nicosia.
  Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders should take advantage of this 
window of opportunity and launch the technical talks they committed to 
as part of the July 8 agreement. Once they do, the international 
community should be ready to support them. I am convinced that given 
the right conditions and adequate international backing, a solution in 
Cyprus is both possible and attainable. I hope that members of the 
Security Council will reach the same conclusion and act accordingly 
when the issue is before them, and that the new U.N. Secretary General 
will build on Secretary General Annan's leadership to facilitate a 
peaceful resolution of this long-running conflict.
  When it finally happens, the reunification of Cyprus will have 
significance far beyond the shores of the Mediterranean. A united 
Cyprus will stand as an example to the world of how different ethnic 
groups can overcome past wrongs, bridge differences, and live together 
as neighbors. At a time when too many countries are beset by demons of 
ethnic and sectarian hatred, it is more important than ever to find an 
answer to the Cyprus question. If the United States and other members 
of the international community are willing to act as catalysts for a 
political settlement, I am confident that future generations of 
Cypriots can enjoy the peace they rightly deserve.

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