[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15741]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        34TH BLACK ANNIVERSARY OF THE TURKISH INVASION OF CYPRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2008

  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember those 
Cypriots who lost their lives defending the Republic of Cyprus during 
the 1974 military coup against the democratically elected government of 
Archbishop Makarios, who was then President of Cyprus.
  This military coup paved the way for the Turkish invasion of Cyprus 
five days later that resulted in the occupation of 37 percent of the 
Republic's territory. Nearly 200,000 Greek Cypriots were expelled from 
their homes and an estimated 5,000 were killed. More than 1,400 Greek 
Cypriots, including four Americans of Cypriot descent, remain missing 
since the Turkish invasion, their fate still unaccounted for.
  The repercussions of this terrible day are still in play today, 
affecting the lives of every Cypriot, European policy, and the actions 
of the United Nations and international community. The so-called 
``Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus'' is recognized as legitimate by 
no nation other than Turkey. With more than 40,000 Turkish troops 
illegally stationed on the island, it is one of the most militarized 
areas in the world.
  However, on this day when we pause to remember this violent act 
against the people of Cyprus, we also have hope that a genuine and 
long-lasting peace may be restored and families reunited. In 2004, 
Cyprus' accession to the European Union triggered a process of economic 
and social integration between Greek-Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. 
Since the partial lifting of restrictions along the cease-fire line by 
the Turkish forces in April 2003, there have been over 13 million 
incident-free crossings by Greek and Turkish Cypriots. More than 60,000 
Turkish Cypriots have received Cypriot passports or other official 
documents, allowing Turkish Cypriots to travel, work or reside in any 
European Union country.
  More importantly, however, is the commitment of the Cyprus government 
to achieving a solution to healing the division of Cyprus. Such a 
solution should be based on a bi-communal, bi-zonal federal State of 
Cyprus with a single sovereignty and citizenship, with its independence 
and territorial integrity safeguarded, in line with relevant United 
Nations resolutions.
  Since his election in February 2008, the current president of Cyprus, 
Demetris Christofias, has followed through on his promise to make the 
solution of the Cyprus problem his top priority. The day of his 
election, he extended his hand in friendship to Turkish Cypriot leader 
Mehmet Talat, calling for face-to-face meetings. As a result, President 
Christofias and Mr. Talat will meet for the fourth time on July 25th. 
Over the past six months, working groups and technical committees have 
been preparing the ground for direct fully-fledged negotiations, with 
the aim of reaching a settlement of the Cyprus problem. On July 13th, 
in Paris, United Nations Secretary General Bank Ki Moon assured 
President Christofias of the U.N.'s continuing interest to achieve a 
Cyprus settlement through negotiations by Cypriots for Cypriots.
  These are all promising measures, Madam Speaker. So I can only hope 
that before next year's anniversary, the world will finally see a 
negotiated resolution that heals the wounds of the 1974 invasion, 
reunites the Cypriot people once more, and provides a genuine and 
lasting peace to Cyprus.

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