[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               34TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DIVISION OF CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 1, 2008

  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the unfortunate 
division of the island nation of Cyprus that began 34 years ago this 
July.
  On July 20, 1974, Turkey dispatched thousands of armed forces to the 
island of Cyprus. As a result of this action, Cyprus remains divided to 
this day. 43,000 Turkish troops still occupy a significant portion of 
the island nation, which is enough for one Turkish soldier per each 
Turkish Cypriot. The presence of these troops is in spite of the clear 
preference for a peaceful and mutually acceptable solution demonstrated 
by all inhabitants of Cyprus. Nonetheless, there are positive 
indications for the island's future.
  The willingness of both Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot leaders to pursue 
reunification talks is heartening. We in the U.S. Congress were pleased 
to see that last Friday, July 25, leaders of the Greek-Cypriot and 
Turkish-Cypriot communities jointly announced that they have decided to 
start full-fledged Cyprus settlement negotiations on September 3, 2008, 
under the good offices mission of the U.N. Secretary-General.
  It is essential that these talks result in the reunification of 
Cyprus as a bicommunal and bizonal federation that respects human 
rights and fundamental freedoms for all Cypriots. The removal of 
Turkish forces will allow this process to go forward.
  I join with other proponents of a peaceful solution on Cyprus in 
supporting the recent steps taken by the divided nation's leaders. 
However, an acceptable political solution will only be possible if the 
international community continues to press for more substantive 
reconciliatory actions in the future. While the United Nations has 
passed numerous resolutions condemning the division of Cyprus, Turkey 
continues to maintain more troops on the island than the United States 
has in Afghanistan. This is a clear indication that more must be done 
by the international community to make clear that the militarization of 
Cyprus is unacceptable.
  As the more than 13 million incident-free crossings of the line 
dividing the Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot portions of the island 
attest, the people of Cyprus are hungry for a peaceful reconciliation 
of their island. So am I. The goal of the United States and of the 
international community must be the withdrawal of Turkish troops from 
Cyprus, the institution of democratic institutions and practices there, 
and the peaceful resolution to this decades-old dispute in a manner 
that respects the human and democratic rights of all the people who 
call Cyprus their home.
  As we move into the 35th year since the division of Cyprus, I urge my 
colleagues to remember the tragic events of the past on this small 
island nation. At the same time, I pledge to the people of Cyprus that 
the United States stands with them in their quest for an expeditious 
and peaceful solution to the division of their home island.

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