Gus Bilirakis: “The division of Cyprus, Mr. Speaker, is perhaps most obvious in the divided capital city of Nicosia, located here on a…”

“The division of Cyprus, Mr. Speaker, is perhaps most obvious in the divided capital city of Nicosia, located here on a map about in the international center of the island, a city which after the collapse of the Berlin Wall is the last truly divided city in the world. At checkpoints across the city, armed guards stare at each other across an uneasy no man's land. In the center of the city, bullet holes scar buildings and serve as a powerful reminder of the events of 1974. It is no wonder that the people of Cyprus, both Greek and Turkish, are ready for peace. Nese Yahsin, a Turkish Cypriot poet, was recently featured in the Christian Science Monitor. Her poem ``Which Half?'' captures the spirit of the two people. ``Which Half?'' is the name of her poem. She writes: ``They say a person should love their homeland, that's also what my father often says. My homeland has been divided in two, which of the two pieces should I love?'' I find it symbolic that a popular Greek Cypriot composer, Marios Tokas, put this simple four-line verse to music which is often sung by Turkish and Greek Cypriots.”