[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16706-16707]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVASION OF CYPRUS

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, twenty-five years ago on this day, 
Turkish troops began their brutal assault on the people of Cyprus, 
forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and villages. Less 
than a month later, after a cease-fire had been accepted and 
negotiations toward peaceful resolution of the conflict were proceeding 
under United Nations auspices, Turkey sent another, even larger 
occupation force of 40,000 troops and 200 tanks, seizing more than a 
third of the island. For the last quarter of a century, Turkish 
military forces have illegally occupied the northern part of the 
island, forcibly dividing it. Communities have been splintered, lives 
shattered, a nation deprived of its cultural heritage and the 
opportunity to live in peace.
  The events of 1974 took a harsh toll on the people of Cyprus that 
remains with us to this day. Hundreds of thousands of Cypriots who fled 
advancing troops remain refugees in their own land, unable to return to 
the homes and the communities they inhabited for generations. Others 
have been stranded in tiny enclaves, deprived of the most basic human 
rights, forbidden to travel or worship freely. The beautiful coastal 
resort of Famagusta lies emply, bearing silent witness to what once was 
an economic and cultural center of the island. The Green Line runs like 
a jagged scar across the face of Cyprus. An entire generation has grown 
up in the shadow of military occupation, knowing only division and 
despair.
  It is time for the world to recognize, however, that the Cyprus 
problem is more than just a humanitarian tragedy. As we have seen in 
Bosnia and Kosovo, when the suffering of a people puts peace and 
stability at risk, we also have a strategic interest in facilitating a 
negotiated settlement. And as long as the Cyprus problem divides not 
only a country, but two of our key NATO allies, the United States must 
work to help find a solution. The success of the UN peacekeepers should 
not for a minute obscure the real threat of conflict in the region. 
Cyprus can be either a spark to confrontation or the starting point for 
reconciliation, and we have a hard-headed security interest in seeing 
it resolved.
  In one of the tragic ironies of this situation, the man who ordered 
the invasion is once again Prime Minister of Turkey. On this sad 
anniversary, we ask the President to call upon Mr. Ecevit to assume the 
mantle of statesmanship and acknowledge that the status quo is not 
acceptable. The Turkish government must demonstrate its willingness to 
help rectify this continuing injustice and to participate in good faith 
in U.S. and U.N.-mediated efforts to resolve it. The current situation 
hurts not only Greek and Turkish Cypriots but Turkey itself, and its 
relations with the United States and the international community.
  I am pleased to say that the Clinton administration has kept the 
Cyprus issue high on the international agenda, raising it at every 
appropriate opportunity and assigning some of their most capable 
diplomats to work toward a settlement. I would particularly like to 
recognize the work of Dick Holbrooke and Tom Miller in this regard. 
Although Tom has just been sworn in as our new Ambassador to Bosnia-
Herzegovina and Dick, I hope, will soon be confirmed as our Permanent 
Representative to the United Nations, they have played an invaluable 
role in demonstrating the seriousness of this administration in 
bringing peace and justice to this troubled island.
  In recent weeks there has been increased international attention 
focused on the Cyprus problem, and a greater sense of urgency in 
bringing the two sides together. The G-8 for the first time has dealt 
with the Cyprus problem in a direct and substantive way, urging the UN 
Secretary General, in accordance with relevent Security Council 
resolutions, to invite the leaders of the two sides to comprehensive 
negotiations without preconditions in the fall of 1999. Unfortunately, 
thus far, Mr. Denktash, the leader of the Turkish-Cypriot community, 
has sent a negative message on his participation in such talks.
  Less than a month ago the UN Security Council endorsed the G-8 
leaders' appeal and reaffirmed its position that ``a Cyprus settlement 
must be based on a State of Cyprus with a single sovereignty and 
international personality and a single citizenship, with its 
independence and territorial integrity safeguarded, and comprising two 
politically equal communities as described in the relevant Security 
Council resolutions, in a bi-communal and bi-zonal federation, and that 
such a settlement must exclude union in whole or in part with any other 
country or any form of partition or secession.'' Such a resolution, 
according to the G-8, ``would not only benefit all the people of 
Cyprus, but would also have a positive impact on peace and stability in 
the region.''
  Mr. President, the division of Cyprus has gone on far too long. I 
want to take

[[Page 16707]]

this opportunity to commend the thousands of friends and supporters of 
a free and unified Cyprus who joined hands around the Capitol today. As 
we commemorate this tragic anniversary, let us salute their courage and 
redouble our own efforts to help bring an end to this terrible and 
continuing injustice.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, twenty five years ago today, Turkish 
troops invaded and divided the nation of Cyprus. This illegal and 
immoral division of Cyprus continues today--dividing a country and 
creating instability in the Mediterranean.
  During the early days of the Turkish occupation, six thousand Greek-
Cypriots were killed. Over two hundred thousand were driven from their 
homes. Many of the missing, including some Americans, have never been 
accounted for.
  Little has changed in the past quarter century. Today, forty thousand 
Turkish troops remain in Cyprus. The Greek-Cypriots who remain in the 
northern part of the island are denied basic human rights such as the 
right to a free press, freedom to travel, and access to religious 
sites.
  I am disappointed that we have made no progress in ending the 
occupation of Cyprus.
  This year, as we mark this somber anniversary, I urge my colleagues 
to join me in recommitting ourselves to bring peace to Cyprus.
  First of all, we must continue to make the resolution of the Cyprus 
problem a priority. President Clinton and Secretary of State Albright 
have focused more attention on this region that any other 
Administration. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and Ambassador Tom Miller 
have done an excellent job trying to bring both sides together. As 
Ambassador Holbrooke assumes his new responsibilities at the United 
Nations, we must encourage the Administration to replace him with an 
emissary of equal stature.
  The second priority is that we must continue to provide humanitarian 
assistance to the people of Cyprus. Each year, Congress provides 
fifteen million dollars to foster bicommunal cooperation in Cyprus. 
These funds are used for education, health care, and to help both 
communities to solve regional problems--such as to improve water and 
energy supplies.
  These funds are an investment in stability in a strategically 
important region of the world. I'm pleased that the Senate Foreign 
Operations Appropriations bill includes this funding. As a member of 
the Subcommittee, I will continue to fight to ensure that the final 
legislation includes this funding.
  The third priority is that Congress should pass the Enclaved People 
of Cyprus Act. Senator Olympia Snowe and I introduced this legislation 
to call for improved human rights for the Greek Cypriots living under 
Turkish control. I urge my colleagues to join us by cosponsoring this 
legislation.
  Mr. President, the crisis in Cyprus has brought two NATO allies to 
the brink of war. The occupation is also a human tragedy that should 
enrage all of us who care about human rights. We must continue to work 
toward a peaceful and unified Cyprus.
  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate one of the 
most tragic events of the 20th century. 25 years ago today, Turkey 
invaded Cyprus, and it has occupied part of the island ever since. In 
fact, 35,000 Turkish troops continue to occupy almost 40 percent of 
Cyprus' territory. Turkey's invasion forced the relocation of thousands 
of Greek Cypriots, it has led to the brutal treatment of the enclaved 
people in the Karpas, and it has resulted in greater instability in the 
region.
  When Turkey occupied a portion of Cyprus in 1974, almost 200,000 
Greek Cypriots were evicted from their homes and became refugees in 
their own country. 1,618 Greek Cypriots, including four Americans, have 
been missing ever since. After 25 years, the refugees have never been 
allowed to return to their homes in occupied Cyprus, and the missing 
are still unaccounted for. At the same time, Turkey has brought in over 
80,000 settlers to the occupied part of the island. These settlers were 
given the lands and homes belonging to Greek Cypriots, in violation of 
international law.
  For the few Greek Cypriots that were allowed to remain in the 
occupied Karpas Peninsula, the situation has been equally grim. A 1975 
humanitarian agreement allowed 20,000 Greek Cypriots to stay in this 
area, but only 500 live in the Karpas today. These people have been 
subjected to harassment and intimidation despite the terms of the 1975 
agreement. Land travel in the north is heavily restricted, as is 
secondary schooling and access to religious institutions. The United 
Nations itself has observed that the terms of the agreement have not 
been honored.
  As we reflect on the past 25 years, it is clear that the rights of 
the Greek Cypriot population continue to be violated, that tensions 
have not lessened, and that instability has become a greater threat. 
Rather than lose hope, we must make a concerted effort to encourage 
dialogue and discussion among the parties. I have long advocated a just 
and peaceful resolution to the Cyprus conflict, and I hope that we will 
make progress toward a solution before the next anniversary comes to 
pass. Ending this impasse is in the best interests of the Greek Cypriot 
population, the region, and the international community as a whole. I 
urge this Congress and the Administration, as we mark the 25th 
anniversary of the Cyprus occupation, to evaluate the current situation 
and increase our efforts to ensure that a peaceful solution becomes a 
reality for Cyprus.

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