Gus Bilirakis: “This past July 20, the very date of the invasion 24 years ago, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz visited the illegally…”

“This past July 20, the very date of the invasion 24 years ago, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz visited the illegally occupied area of Northern Cyprus and declared Turkey's support for Mr. Denktash and his illegal occupation force. He said Turkey intends to stop the missile deployment. The Republic of Cyprus, as we already said, has every right under international law to defend itself from outside aggression. However, Mr. Denktash and opponents of a unified Cyprus have used the issue to divert attention from the illegal occupation and thwart progress towards a Cyprus solution, and, darn it, it is working. It is working. Mr. Speaker, the Republic of Cyprus needs American support and active leadership by our government, as we have said so many times already tonight, to unify itself and stabilize the region. One of the most effective ways to achieve this goal is for the United States to support Cyprus membership in the European Community. This membership would promote stability by permanently linking Cyprus to Europe, both economically and strategically, and, as I have said previously and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) has stated, this would greatly benefit both Greek and Turkish populations on the island. The European parliament indicated its desire for peace on the island. Cyprus has earned its place in the European Union, and now the international community must take steps to move the peace process forward.”