IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 627 

Supporting the removal of Turkish occupation troops from the Republic 

of Cyprus. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 4, 2007 

Mr. BILIRAKIS (for himself, Mr. SIRES, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. ANDREWS, and Mr. SPACE) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the removal of Turkish occupation troops from 

the Republic of Cyprus. 

Whereas Turkish occupation troops have been in Cyprus ever 

since the illegal invasion of July 20, 1974, with the illegal 

use of United States-supplied arms and equipment in violation of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the 

Arms Export Control Act; 

Whereas the number of these troops has increased over the 

last three decades so that there are now more than 

43,000 Turkish troops in the occupied part of Cyprus, 

making this area one of the most militarized in the world; 

Whereas the status quo on Cyprus is unacceptable; 


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•HRES 627 IH 

Whereas the United States has shown consistent interest in 

a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus problem and has 

encouraged every effort in that direction; 

Whereas the Republic of Cyprus has proven itself to be a reliable partner of the United States; 

Whereas the Republic of Cyprus played an exceptional role in 

evacuating 14,000 Americans from Lebanon in the summer of 2006; 

Whereas the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has implemented a package of measures to assist the Turkish 

Cypriots by ensuring that they can enjoy the same rights 

and privileges enjoyed by all other citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, such as free movement of goods, free 

healthcare and education, commerce, and employment opportunities; 

Whereas since the partial lifting of the restrictions along the 

cease-fire line in April 2003 there have been more than 

thirteen million incident-free crossings; 

Whereas thousands of Turkish Cypriots cross every day to 

work in the government-controlled area of the Republic 

of Cyprus; 

Whereas the accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union on May 1, 2004, has opened new avenues for 

the resolution of the division of the island and provided 

a greater sense of security for both Greek Cypriots and 

Turkish Cypriots; 

Whereas more than sixty thousand official documents of the 

Republic of Cyprus have been issued to Turkish Cypriots, 

including more than thirty thousand passports, as a result of which Turkish Cypriots can enjoy the same benefits granted to all European Union citizens; 


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Whereas the United States has long supported United Nations efforts for the reunification of Cyprus within a bizonal, bi-communal federation, as set out in the relevant 

United Nations Security Council resolutions; 

Whereas on July 8, 2006, President of the Republic of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader 

Mehmet Ali Talat agreed, under the auspices of the 

United Nations, to establish working groups and technical committees to prepare the ground for substantive 

negotiations leading to a comprehensive settlement; 

Whereas the United States Government supports the July 8, 

2006, agreement as the way forward to the resumption 

of substantive negotiations; and 

Whereas goodwill and mutual confidence are necessary for a 

peaceful and lasting resolution of the Cyprus problem: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) wishing to accelerate the momentum for the 

3 reunification of the island, urges the immediate 

4 withdrawal of the Turkish occupation troops from 

5 the Republic of Cyprus; 

6 (2) calls upon the Government of the United 

7 States to advocate for the immediate withdrawal of 

8 Turkish forces from the occupied territory of the Re9 public of Cyprus; and 

10 (3) expresses its support for the immediate im11 plementation of the July 8, 2006, agreement as the 


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1 best way forward to prepare for new comprehensive 

2 negotiations leading to the reunification of Cyprus. 

Æ 


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