Thomas Manton: “this Saturday, July 20, will mark the twenty-second anniversary of Turkey's illegal invasion of Cyprus. I rise today to…”

“this Saturday, July 20, will mark the twenty-second anniversary of Turkey's illegal invasion of Cyprus. I rise today to join my colleagues and thank Mr. Bilirakis for organizing this important special order to commemorate this anniversary. The division of Cyprus has the distinction of being one of the most intractable in the world today. Since Turkey first invaded Cyprus in 1974, 1,619 people, including five Americans, last seen alive in the occupied areas of Cyprus have never been accounted for. We must not let the passage of years weaken our resolve to pressure the Turkish government to provide answers for the families of the missing. We cannot forget their suffering continues. Mr. Speaker, last year, when marking this solemn anniversary, many of us felt hopeful that this conflict would soon be resolved peacefully through the auspices of the United Nations. Unfortunately, the northern portion of Cyprus is still illegally occupied by 35,000 Turkish troops. In December of 1993, in an effort to facilitate a peaceful resolution, President Clerides submitted to the United Nations a thoughtful and innovative proposal calling for the demilitarization of Cyprus.”