[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18845-18846]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   SECRETARY POWELL MEETS WITH TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLAH GUL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Harris). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, this Thursday Turkish Foreign Minister 
Abdullah Gul is scheduled to visit the United States for meetings with 
U.S. Secretary of State Powell. On the eve of his visit, I come to the 
House floor to highlight two serious issues: first, the ongoing 
blockade against Armenia; and, second, the nearly three-decade-long 
occupation of the northern third of the sovereign Island of Cyprus.
  Madam Speaker, for the last 11 years, Turkey has imposed a crippling 
blockade against Armenia. The blockade clearly runs afoul of U.S. and 
international law. In fact, both the U.S. Government and the European 
Community have repeatedly called on Turkey to lift their campaign of 
attempting to starve an entire nation. Turkey's denial of U.S. and 
international assistance to Armenia is in violation of their 
commitments to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 
which they have signed.
  Madam Speaker, Turkey's blockades not only affect Armenia, they 
affect the entire South Caucasus region. By choking off a major 
transportation region across the Caucasus, Turkey is stunting the 
growth of the economies

[[Page 18846]]

of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and even Turkey itself. I urge the 
administration to take an active role in pressing Foreign Minister Gul 
to open the border with Armenia.
  The administration has consistently supported the development of 
normal relations between Armenia and Turkey and should continue to do 
so. A resolution of this dispute will mean stability and further 
economic development of the South Caucasus, and this should be done 
immediately and without preconditions.
  Madam Speaker, Turkey's continuing occupation of the northern third 
of the Island of Cyprus is also one of Turkey's most egregious 
violations of international law. Yesterday marked the 29th anniversary 
of Turkey's illegal military occupation beginning on June 20, 1974.
  This has been a monumental year for the Island of Cyprus. The 
European Union's decision to invite the divided island into the EU has 
placed intense international scrutiny on the reunification talks. The 
EU invitation is for the Republic of Cyprus, which is internationally 
recognized as the legitimate government of the entire island. But EU 
membership would be suspended in the occupied area until the end of the 
Turkish occupation, and the Cypriot parliament has unanimously approved 
the accession to the European Union.
  Recent moves by Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, have 
failed to lessen international pressure. Denktash's move to partially 
lift restrictions on movement across the UN's cease-fire line and give 
the ability of Turkish and Greek Cypriots to briefly visit the other 
side of the island has brought a glimmer of hope, but also renewed 
frustration to the Cypriot people.
  Tens of thousands of Turkish Cypriots in the north have recently 
peacefully protested Denktash's decision to reject the U.N. plan to 
reunify the island, and Turkish Cypriot citizens made this rare public 
rebuff of Denktash's demanding reunification so that the coming 
prosperity of the European Union-Cyprus partnership does not pass them 
by.
  Madam Speaker, when Foreign Minister Gul comes to meet with the Bush 
administration, I would hope these issues would be discussed. Turkey 
has long stated that it is a Western-leaning European democracy, but in 
this country it will no longer be judged solely by its words. Now they 
must fulfill their obligations under international agreements and laws 
by dropping their illegal blockade against Armenia and finally removing 
their troops from the Island of Cyprus.

                          ____________________