Frank Pallone: “On June 18th, the Turkish Government sent six F-16s to Northern Cyprus and issued a warning to Greece about its military…”

“On June 18th, the Turkish Government sent six F-16s to Northern Cyprus and issued a warning to Greece about its military activity on Cyprus. The movement by Turkey of F-16s is cause for alarm, because in recent months Ankara has stepped up its belligerent rhetoric over the Cyprus problem. Last month, Turkey abruptly changed its position in the Cyprus peace negotiations and began insisting that three new preconditions be met before meaningful negotiations could take place. This unreasonable turnabout prompted a public rebuke of the Turks from Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the President's Special Emissary for Cyprus. With the recent deployment of F-16s to Northern Cyprus, Ankara has edged an already volatile situation that much closer to military confrontation. What I find to be particularly abhorrent is that the Turks are using American weaponry to destabilize this region. I and many of my colleagues here in the House have pointed out time and again on the House floor, in committee proceedings, and with legislation that the Turkish presence on the island of Cyprus with 35,000 troops is illegal.”