[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7030-7031]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 CYPRUS

  (Mr. BEREUTER. asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, last summer this House overwhelmingly

[[Page 7031]]

adopted a resolution calling on the citizens of Cyprus to accept a 
U.N.-sponsored plan designed to end 29 years of separation and to unite 
the island. During the floor debate, this Member expressed the sincere 
hope that in 2004 we would be celebrating the first anniversary of a 
united Cyprus, not the 30th anniversary of a divided one.
  Regrettably, this hope may not be realized. Although the U.N. plan is 
scheduled to be voted on in a referendum on April 24, the recent very 
disappointing decision by the president of Cyprus to recommend a ``no'' 
vote to Cypriots may have doomed the best chance to reunify that 
country in a very long time.
  Turkish Cypriots today appear to be strongly in favor of the 
referendum, and Ankara has played a most positive role in moving the 
process forward. Both should be commended for their actions and 
resolve.
  It is unfortunate that, in a reversal of positions, it may now be the 
Greek Cypriots who will block unification.
  In Athens it is believed that both the current government and the 
opposition remain supportive of the U.N. plan. A strong public 
statement of support from Athens would be very helpful in this critical 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe, this Member 
believes there is still a chance that Cyprus may enter the EU on May 1 
as a united country. The U.S. has pledged $400 million to help 
implement the U.N. plan. To the Cypriots, I say do the right thing for 
their own sake.

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