The 30th Anniversary on Turkey's Invasion of Cyprus

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY ON TURKEY'S INVASION OF CYPRUS -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 22, 2004)

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, this week, the world marked the 30th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus. And so began three decades of Turkey's illegal military occupation of Cyprus. Even as we speak, Turkey maintains 30,000 heavily armed troops in the occupied portions of Cyprus.

For 30 years, Cyprus has been divided by a green line-a 113 mile barbed wire barrier that runs across the width of the island.

For 30 years, Greek Cypriots have experienced 30 years of ethnic cleansing, forcible evictions, and missing persons. Cyprus has endured 30 years of the flouting of its territorial integrity. This includes the occupation authority's attempt to create an independent "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus."

The international community has witnessed 30 years of the flagrant violation of U.N. General Assembly resolutions and Security Council decisions calling for immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from Cyprus, the return of refugees, and respect for the island's sovereignty.

Thirty years is a long time. The occupation of Cyprus has been going on too long. If left to their own wisdom and devices, with firm international support, Greek and Turkish Cypriots could find ways to live in peace and harmony.

The international community can and must play an indispensable role in settling the Cyprus dispute. But, to do this, it must draw the proper conclusions from results of the vote this past April on the reunification plan put forward by the United Nations.

Seventy six percent of the Greek Cypriot electorate opposed the "Annan Plan" because of concerns about security, property restitution, and the structure of the proposed central government, while 65 percent of Turkish Cypriot voters supported it. It is clear from this experience that a workable solution must take the interests and concerns of both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities fully into account.

It is instructive that the split vote has not led to greater tension between the two communities or between Greece and Turkey. During most of the 433 year history of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish Cypriots have coexisted peacefully.

With the notable exception of the period that immediately followed Turkish occupation of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish Cypriot relations have largely been free of inter-communal violence. The hotly debated referendum itself took place overwhelmingly with an absence of conflict. This shows that despite the differences between them, Greek and Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly share a desire for peace.

The leadership of the Republic of Cyprus seeks a bizonal, bicommunal federation under a plan that promotes the genuine reunification of Cypriots and Cypriot society, while enabling each community to retain its own identity and culture.

Cyprus's admission to the European Union on May 1st of this year may have created a new opportunity for resolving the division and occupation with an inclusive democratic system in which human rights are fully respected and the fundamental freedoms on which the European Union is founded, are guaranteed.

Taking all of this into account, the U.N. needs to go back to the drawing board. The United States needs to remain an honest broker. It must not attempt to impose a solution that the overwhelming majority of Greek-Cypriots reject. To do so will make an ultimate solution and final reunification difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

America must at all times remember that a united, peaceful, and prosperous Cyprus is in our national interest and the interest of world peace. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Cyprus was one of the first nations to express its solidarity with the United States. Cyprus has also been a strong ally in the war against terrorism. We must continue to support our friends, who like us, only seek to live in peace.