[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 18 (Friday, February 3, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E132-E133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES OVER THE DEATH OF RAUF DENKTAS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ED WHITFIELD

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 3, 2012

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a co-chair of the 
Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans to speak on the 
recent death of Rauf Denktas, former leader of the Turkish Cypriots.
  Mr. Denktas spent a great deal of his life advocating for a 
resolution to the separation between Greek Cypriots and Turkish 
Cypriots. Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Denktas witnessed the 
independence and divide of Cyprus, and went on to lead bilateral 
negotiations for a resolution to the Cyprus problem. For the Turkish 
and Greek people of Cyprus that have faced decades of turbulence, it is 
essential that a peaceful, unifying solution be found to this matter.
  I send my sincere condolences to Mr. Denktas' family, friends, and 
the Turkish Cypriot community, and I am hopeful that the international 
community will move forward toward a lasting settlement in Cyprus that 
will be agreeable for both the Greek and Turkish communities, 
reflective of the longtime efforts of Rauf Denktas.

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