[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H6803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            34TH BLACK ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVASION OF CYPRUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 34th 
anniversary of the invasion of Cyprus, also known as the Black 
Anniversary. The occupation of Cyprus is an injustice that has gone on 
for too long, and the Cyprus question can no longer be ignored.
  I am encouraged by meetings over the last several months between 
President Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Talat. Their 
efforts to implement the July 2006 agreement are helping to lay the 
framework for talks about a final solution to the Cyprus question. With 
the recent establishment of working groups and technical committees to 
discuss substantive and day-to-day issues between the communities, I am 
hopeful that the meeting on July 25 between President Christofias and 
Talat will bring about full negotiations.
  Mr. Speaker, 13 million crossings have taken place between the Greek 
and the Turkish Cypriot communities without incident, and yet, there 
are still 43,000 Turkish troops on the island. That is one Turkish 
troop for every two Turkish Cypriots.
  Last year, I introduced House Resolution 620, expressing the sense of 
the House that Turkey should end its occupation of the Republic of 
Cyprus. I believe this is an occupation that has divided Cyprus and the 
Cypriot people for far too long. This occupation stands in the way of a 
final solution to the Cyprus question, as well as Turkey's accession 
into the European Union.
  Mr. Speaker, last November I led a congressional delegation to Greece 
and Cyprus where I toured the buffer zone in Nicosia. I saw the barbed 
wire, and I saw with my own eyes an area where time has stood still for 
34 years. As we rise today to commemorate the events of July 20, 1974, 
we must remain committed to working together to end the occupation and 
to bring down the 113 miles of barbed wire fence that continue to 
divide Cyprus.

                          ____________________