[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23742]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 IN HONOR OF THE CYPRIOT PARTICIPANTS IN THE WORLD MARCH OF WOMEN 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 19, 2000

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the 75 Cypriot women participating in this week's World March of Women 
2000. The World March of Women is an annual event that occurs in my 
district that focuses on ending worldwide poverty and violence against 
women. Women from around the world participated in the march and a 
great number of them were from Cyprus, representing twenty-four Cypriot 
Women's Associations and Labor Syndicates. The march took place in 
front of the United Nations Building where the participants met with 
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. On October 17, 2000, the official 
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, was a time to 
acknowledge the grave disparities in economic prosperity throughout the 
world as well as the disturbing issue of violence against women.
  The Cypriot participants, hoping to bring attention to the twenty-six 
year conflict on their Mediterranean island, urged the U.N. and its 
member states to take concrete measures toward finding a just and 
peaceful resolution to Cyprus.
  Twenty-six years ago, Turkey invaded the northern section of Cyprus. 
Today, there is still a barb-wire fence, known as the Green Line, that 
cuts across the island separating thousands of Greek Cypriots from the 
towns and communities in which they and their families had previously 
lived for generations. The Cypriot women came to New York to raise 
their voices against the years of injustice and seek action toward a 
final resolution to the divided island.
  The Cypriot women also raised the question on many families' minds, 
``Where are the missing Greek Cypriots?'' More than 1600 Cypriots and 
five Americans have been missing since 1974. They have never been seen 
or heard from since their capture 26 years ago. Families have waited 
long enough to hear the truth.
  Throughout my years in Congress, I have ardently supported democratic 
rule of Cyprus. The United Nations has also passed several resolutions 
calling for democracy in Cyprus. However, even after the passage of 
resolutions and international meetings between Cyprus and the Turkish-
Cypriots, peace is still elusive.
  Mr. Speaker, I not only salute these courageous Cypriot women, but I 
also would like to pay tribute to each one of the participants of the 
World March of Women 2000. These brave women recognize the plight of 
women throughout the world. The women participating in the World March 
encourage international solidarity among women and the development of 
unique ideas and real solutions to end the troubling state of women in 
every nation of the globe.
  These women deserve our respect for their courage in bringing their 
concerns before the United Nations and the international community. I 
sincerely hope that the concerns of the Cypriot women, as well as the 
concerns of all the women participating in this important event, are 
addressed by the international community. With a little determination 
and hope, we will all one day live in a world of peace and one where 
poverty and violence against women are creatures of the past.

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