[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16545]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH INVASION OF CYPRUS

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                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2008

  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam Speaker, this year we mark the 34th anniversary of 
the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, a day in which the freedoms and human 
rights of the island's Greek Cypriots were violated. 200,000 Greek 
Cypriots lost their homes and almost 5,000 were killed in the invasion. 
Today, 43,000 Turkish troops maintain an illegal occupation in gross 
violation of international laws. Amazingly, there are more Turkish 
military personnel on the tiny island than U.S. troops serving in 
Afghanistan. Since the beginning of the occupation, thousands of 
Cypriots have been killed and many families were torn apart as a result 
of the invasion. Religious artifacts, many dating back to the 8th 
Century, were stolen, desecrated or destroyed. It is our duty to 
remember this anniversary so that we can move forward in bringing a 
resolution to the Cyprus Problem.
  In 1997, I had the opportunity to travel to Cyprus. I saw the barbed 
wire that divides free Cyprus from occupied Cyprus and hoped for a day 
when Cyprus would be unified. Turkey's violation of international law 
and the United Nations' peace treaties remains an injustice. Free 
Cyprus has been a crucial ally to the United States in the War on 
Terror and has provided million in economic aid to Turkish Cypriots. In 
Congress it is our responsibility to stand up for those Cypriots who 
have stood with us for so many years. It is our duty to speak for the 
hundreds of thousands of silenced Greek Cypriots who are threatened 
with oppression in Turkish occupied Cyprus. There is a reason to feel 
hopeful about a solution to the Cyprus Problem. Preliminary discussions 
have taken place between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to 
hopefully lay the groundwork for official negotiations. It is my hope 
that Turkey allows these discussions to go on undisturbed and for the 
Turkish military to retreat back to its own nation. The next time I 
visit Cyprus, I want that barbed wire to be a distant memory. I want 
Cyprus to be free again. Together, with cooperation from the United 
States and the international community, we will see that day.

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