Joe Cunningham: “today, on the 26th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus, I rise to voice my concerns regarding that state's…”

“today, on the 26th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus, I rise to voice my concerns regarding that state's current efforts to gain entrance into the European Union. On Friday, the British Broadcasting Company reported that, ``Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Guenter Verheugen, member of the EU commission responsible for enlargement, have said that relations between Turkey and the EU are `developing rapidly' . . . and that a compromise could be reached'' regarding Turkey's entrance into the European Union. Yet, as the EU discusses Turkey's entrance into the European union, I feel that it is necessary to discuss the human rights violations and violations of the Vienna III agreement that are currently taking place in the occupied area of northern Cyprus. Turkey still occupies 37% of the Cyprus territory, which was illegally annexed in the 1974 Turkish invasion. Currently, Turkey maintains 35,000 troops in this territory and there are still 1,400 Greek Cypriots, including four Americans of Cypriot decent, who are unaccounted for. Turkey is the only state in the world that recognizes the northern Turkish Cypriot state. In an attempt to alter the demographic make-up of the northern Cyprus region, Turkey has transplanted over 80,000 Turkish settlers to the area and has illegally distributed land belonging to evicted Cypriots-- actions prohibited by articles 9 and 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set forth in the Geneva Convention of 1949.”