[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17414]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKEY'S INVASION OF CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the thirtieth 
anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus. This anniversary serves as 
a reminder of three decades of illegal occupation by Turkish military 
forces of over one-third of Cyprus's territory.
  On July 20, 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, forcing nearly 200,000 Greek 
Cypriots from their homes. To this day, in defiance of United Nations 
General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, Turkey maintains 
more than 30,000 troops in the occupied territory.
  The division of Cyprus has gone on for too long. The past year has 
seen great efforts by the Cypriots, the United States, and the U.N. to 
develop a plan for reunification. Unfortunately, the U.N. sponsored 
April 2004 vote on reunification failed to pass.
  Cyprus's recent accession to the European Union presents great 
opportunities to join its European counterparts in strongly supporting 
human rights and fundamental freedoms. These values should lay the 
foundation for a final settlement. On this anniversary, I join my 
colleagues in looking forward to a future where Greek and Turkish 
Cypriots can once again live in peace on one unified island.

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