[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 18943]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     42ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to come to the House floor today 
to mark the 42nd anniversary of the independence of the Republican of 
Cyprus. Despite the tragic events that have taken place during the past 
4 decades, the Government of the Republic of Cyprus remains committed 
to the core principles enshrined in the Cyprus constitution 
guaranteeing the basic rights and freedoms of the people of Cyprus, 
Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike.
  Members of this Congress have strongly supported the Republic of 
Cyprus. Resolutions have been introduced in the House and Senate 
expressing the sense of Congress that security, reconciliation, and 
prosperity for all Cypriots can best be achieved within the context of 
membership in the European Union, which will provide significant rights 
and obligations for all Cypriots. The legislation has strong support in 
the House, having been unanimously approved by the Subcommittee on 
Europe of the House Committee on International Relations. The Senate 
has also passed this legislation out of their Committee on Foreign 
Relations unanimously. The House version has 83 bipartisan cosponsors, 
and the legislation echoes longstanding U.S. policy in support of 
Cyprus' accession to the European Union.
  Mr. Speaker, the commemoration of Cyprus' Independence Day this year, 
as in the past 28 years, is complicated significantly by the fact that 
over a third of the island nation's territory continues to be illegally 
occupied by the Turkish military forces, in violations of U.N. Security 
Council resolutions. In spite of this, Cyprus remains committed to 
achieving a resolution of this military problem through peaceful 
negotiations.
  On July 20 of 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus and to this day continues 
to maintain 35,000 heavily armed troops in the occupied territory. 
Nearly 200,000 Greek Cypriots were forcibly evicted from their homes, 
became refugees in their own country, and fell victim to a policy of 
ethnic cleansing. 1,493 Greek Cypriots, including four Americans of 
Cypriot descent, have been missing since 1974.
  In 1983, in flagrant violation of international law and the treaties 
establishing the Republic of Cyprus and guaranteeing its independence 
and territorial integrity, Ankara promoted a ``unilateral declaration 
of independence'' in the area under its military occupation. The U.S. 
Government and the U.N. Security Council condemned the declaration and 
attempted secession. To date, no other country in the world, except 
Turkey, recognized the so-called ``Turkish Republic of Northern 
Cyprus.''
  In 1999, the Security Council reaffirmed 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.'' These parameters have been reiterated 
by the Security Council on several occasions.
  In a landmark decision on May 10 of 2001, the European Court of Human 
Rights found Turkey responsible for continuing violations of human 
rights. The court decision emphasized that the Republic of Cyprus is 
the sole legitimate government of Cyprus, and pointed out Turkey is 
engaged in the policies and actions of the illegal occupation regime.
  In the face of a short, but painful, history of the Republic of 
Cyprus, there has been remarkable economic growth for those individuals 
living in the government-controlled areas. Sadly, the people living in 
the occupied area continue to be mired in poverty as a result of the 
policies pursued by the Turkish leadership and the occupying power. 
These issues would be resolved if Turkey would withdraw their illegal 
occupation and allow the democratic government of the Republic of 
Cyprus to run its own affairs.
  And I hope, Mr. Speaker, that we see that day soon when we see 
democracy and unity for all of Cyprus.

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