[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H6801-H6802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE 34TH COMMEMORATION OF THE TURKISH INVASION OF CYPRUS

  (Mr. ROYCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, Sunday, July the 20th marked the 34th 
commemoration of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. That invasion claimed 
the lives of 5,000 Greek Cypriots while an additional 200,000 were 
forced from their homes. Today, nearly 36,000 Turkish soldiers, 1 
soldier for every 2 Turkish Cypriots, are embedded in Cyprus, occupying 
35 percent of the island. It is one of the most militarized areas in 
the world.
  The Turkish and Greek Cypriots, themselves, live in harmony, making 
the occupation all the more unacceptable and unnecessary. There have 
been

[[Page H6802]]

no recent incidents of violence between the two communities. In a show 
of friendship, Ledra Street, which connects Greek and Cypriot Cyprus, 
was recently opened for the first time since 1964. Thirteen million 
Greek and Turkish Cypriots have crossed the border, each time without 
incident.
  In the House, House Resolution 620, which I cosponsored, cites these 
crossings as evidence of the goodwill between the two communities, and 
it refutes the Turkish claim that a military presence is necessary.
  As we remember the invasion to split Cyprus in two, it is important 
to note that there are concrete efforts underway by the heads of the 
communities to reunify.

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