[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 116 (Thursday, July 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H8175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 33RD ANNIVERSARY OF INVASION OF CYPRUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 33rd year since 
the invasion and subsequent occupation of the Island of Cyprus.
  Since 1974, Turkish military forces have illegally occupied the 
northern part of the island, forcibly dividing communities, and 
depriving a nation of its cultural heritage and peaceful existence.
  The Turkish invasion of Cyprus physically separated the Greek Cypriot 
community and Turkish Cypriot community along ethnic lines for the 
first time in the island nation's history. The unlawful occupation of 
37 percent of the territory of Cyprus continues unabated to this day. 
There are currently 43,000 Turkish troops garrisoned in the occupied 
areas, and Turkey has resettled nearly 100,000 mainland Turkish 
citizens into those areas.
  The continued Turkish occupation of Cyprus stops the Greek and 
Cypriot communities from building national institutions, from building 
intercommunal trust, and from promoting the diversity and uniqueness of 
a truly Cypriot culture. In short, because of Turkey's continued 
occupation and division of the island nation, the people of Cyprus are 
prohibited from reclaiming a true Cypriot national identity.
  Furthermore, thousands of Cypriots continue to be refugees in their 
own land, blocked from the homes and the communities they inhabited for 
generations. Some have been marooned in tiny enclaves, trapped by the 
occupation forces, cut off from the outside world and basic human 
rights. A new generation of Cypriots has inherited the terrible 
dislocation that military occupation brings.
  In the face of all this, the Greek Cypriot inhabitants of the 
Republic of Cyprus have struggled and succeeded in building a strong 
society, one whose economic progress, development of democratic 
institutions and capable governance has led to membership in the 
European Union in May 2004. Sadly, until there is an end to the 
occupation, the reunification of the island under a bi-communal, bi-
zonal federation will be impossible, and the occupied areas of Cyprus 
will be denied the full benefits of EU membership.
  For the United States, there is a clear imperative to resolve the 
situation in Cyprus as a matter of justice and the rule of law, 
principles we hold dear. But beyond that, achieving reunification of 
the island is critical to the strategic interests of the United States.
  The Cyprus problem pits American allies against one another. The 
strategic interest in facilitating a negotiated settlement is 
significant for the region, but also for the world. Cyprus can either 
fester as a potential flashpoint, or become a starting point for 
reconciliation.
  Today, we have a new opportunity. The opportunity for reconciliation 
is real. Since Cyprus' entry into the EU, the borders between the 
occupied areas have been partially opened, and there have been more 
than 12 million crossings of Greek and Turkish Cypriots without serious 
incident. Turkish Cypriots cross into the Republic of Cyprus every day 
to go to work. Approximately 35,000 Turkish Cypriots have applied for 
and received passports from the Republic of Cyprus.
  The people of the island want reunification to occur. The Turkish 
government now must demonstrate a legitimate will to participate with 
good faith in U.S. and U.N. mediated efforts to resolve this conflict. 
Perpetuating the status quo hurts not only Greek and Turkish Cypriots, 
but the nation of Turkey and its relation to the United States and to 
the world.
  Mr. Speaker, we have in place, brokered by the U.N., a workable 
framework for reunification. The so-called ``July 8 Agreement'' reached 
in 2006 calls for an immediate initiation of comprehensive negotiations 
on two different levels; one that addresses everyday issues to build 
confidence and momentum, and the other addressing more serious disputes 
over territorial and power-sharing arrangements in the prospective 
federal state.
  This agreement is a real way forward to the reunification of Cyprus 
within a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. But a year has passed, and 
the process as laid out by the U.N. has yet to be meaningfully engaged 
by the Turkish representatives. It should not stall any longer.
  As my colleague, Mr. Bilirakis, has urged through legislation 
introduced earlier this year, the United States can and should play a 
powerful role in moving forward and pushing for immediate 
implementation of these U.N.-backed negotiations.

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