[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 23656-23657]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      INDEPENDENCE DAY FOR CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SAM GEJDENSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 1, 1999

  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Republic of Cyprus on the 39th anniversary of its independence.
  As we celebrate this important day, we are sadly reminded of the 
political impasse which continues to divide the island into two 
communities. However, recent seismic shifts in the region give hope to 
optimists who believe that for the first time in many years we could 
see progress towards a fair and just settlement on this island nation.
  Even before the recent tragic earthquakes that rocked Turkey and 
Greece in August and September, we were seeing fissures in the 
previously frozen relations between the two nations. The far sighted 
leadership of Foreign Ministers Papandreou and Cem brought them 
together to talk in a meaningful way about coordinating policy in the 
wake of the crisis in Kosovo--breaking the silence which had stifled 
dialogue between Athens and Ankara since the invasion of Cyprus.
  Little could they have imagined that serious earthquakes this year 
would take the lives of thousands in the region and elicit such 
profound and heartfelt responses from the peoples of each country 
towards their neighbors in times of crisis. The outpouring of 
assistance and sympathy during these consecutive tragedies demonstrated 
that the citizens of Greece and Turkey were following the lead of their 
respective foreign ministers in acknowledging that no country is an 
island.
  Neither political tremors touched off by Slobodan Milosevic's 
military aggression nor geological tremors caused by tectonic shifts 
stayed confined within international borders. The peoples of Greece and 
Turkey worked together during these crises because there was no other 
feasible option. Now they must work together as must Greek Cypriots and 
Turkish Cypriots to find a solution in Cyprus.
  Both Turkey and the people of Northern Cyprus have much to gain from 
an end to the strife which has divided the island for a quarter of a 
century. The United States, the United Nations, the G-8 nations, and 
the Council of Europe are united in urging a settlement in Cyprus that 
establishes a stable bizonal, bicommunal federation with adequate 
security guarantees for all citizens on the island nation.
  Restarting serious talks in Cyprus without stymying pre-conditions 
would produce enormous progress for Turkey towards solving an 
impediment to its relations with the international community and for 
the people of Northern Cyprus to emerge from their painful isolation 
from the rest of the world.
  Greece has built on ``earthquake diplomacy'' to send signals that it 
would not oppose Turkish entry into the European Union. Ankara could 
build on this momentum by urging Turkish Cypriots to reestablish 
crucial cultural and business exchanges between the two communities and 
restart negotiations immediately. Because of past history, Turkish 
Cypriots have every right to demand strong security guarantees when the 
partition of the island is removed. But this legitimate concern cannot 
be

[[Page 23657]]

a rationalization for preserving the status quo by evading the 
responsibility to find a solution.
  Thirty-nine years ago Cyprus gained its independence from colonial 
status only to find itself torn apart by violence fifteen years later. 
I hope that soon we can stand together in this body and celebrate an 
anniversary of independence for Cyprus that sees its two communities 
reunited and working together towards the future.

                          ____________________