[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19833]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF THE 29TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TURKISH INVASION OF THE 
                           REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 29th 
anniversary of the Turkish invasion of the Republic of Cyprus, which 
occurred on July 20, 1974. It is my firm hope that these Turkish 
occupying forces, which are still stationed in the northern third of 
the island, will soon be withdrawn, thus allowing Greek and Turkish 
Cypriot compatriots to live in peace and unity in the absence of this 
needless military presence.
  For the past 29 years, Cyprus has been a nation divided. Despite the 
strong desires of Greek Cypriots to return to the homes that they have 
been barred from since the initial invasion, and the expressed desires 
of an overwhelming majority of Turkish Cypriots to reunify the island 
so that all Cypriots can enjoy the benefits of EU membership, the 
Republic of Cyprus remains torn. There have been recent advancements, 
such as the signing of the EU Accession Treaty, the partial opening of 
the Green Line, and the package of measures that was designed and 
implemented by the Greek Cypriots with the intention of assisting their 
Turkish-Cypriot neighbors, but none of this has led to the ultimate 
goal, which is the peaceful reunification of the island. The United 
Nations, under the leadership of Secretary General Kofi Annan, made a 
sincere effort at encouraging negotiations between the two sides prior 
to the signing of the EU Accession Treaty, but the obdurate leader of 
the Turkish-Cypriots, Rauf Denktash, failed to cooperate. Thus, the 
division remains.
  The failure to reunify the island is certainly not due to a lack of 
interest shown by the people of Cyprus. Compelled by desires to return 
to the lands they have been evicted from since the Turkish invasion of 
1974, Greek-Cypriots continue to support efforts to reach a settlement 
through negotiations. Likewise, Turkish-Cypriots have come out in great 
numbers to demonstrate against their leader's negative approach in 
hopes of someday reuniting their country and gaining all of the 
benefits that come with EU membership. Mr. Speaker, I feel that it is 
vitally important for the United States government to continue its 
strong support and encouragement of the Cypriot community as they 
continue their push towards reunification.
  I recently introduced a resolution into the House, H. Res. 320, which 
calls for the immediate withdrawal of the Turkish troops of occupation 
from the Republic of Cyprus. Given the recent advancements that have 
been made, I feel that the removal of occupational forces would be an 
appropriate and meaningful step to continue the momentum towards 
reunification of the island. With over 30,000 troops currently 
stationed in Cyprus, the island is one of the most militarized 
countries in the world, and this is clearly not conducive to peaceful 
negotiations. I strongly urge each of my colleagues in the House to 
join me in support of this positive step, and to cosponsor this 
resolution.
  It has been 29 long years since the Republic of Cyprus was first 
divided by the illegal occupation of Turkish military forces. For 29 
years Greek-Cypriots have been barred from the northern portion of 
their homeland, and Turkish-Cypriots have lived through economic 
hardships under an illegitimate government. Mr. Speaker, I firmly 
believe that the time has come for the Republic of Cyprus to be 
reunified, and I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in support 
of all efforts towards this end.

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