IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 269

Calling for a United States effort to end restrictions on the freedoms and

human rights of the enclaved people in the occupied area of Cyprus.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

NOVEMBER 13, 2001

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mrs. MALONEY of New York,

Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr.

CAPUANO, Mr. CROWLEY, and Mr. TIERNEY) submitted the following

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Calling for a United States effort to end restrictions on

the freedoms and human rights of the enclaved people

in the occupied area of Cyprus.

Whereas respect for fundamental freedoms and internationally recognized human rights is a cornerstone of United

States foreign policy;

Whereas since the tragic events of 1974, the number of the

enclaved people in the occupied area of Cyprus has been

reduced from 20,000 to 593 (428 Greek-Cypriots and

165 Maronites);

Whereas the enclaved people continue to be subjected to restrictions on their freedoms and human rights;
2

•HCON 269 IH

Whereas the representatives of the two communities in Cyprus, who met in Vienna, Austria, in August 1975 under

the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations, reached a humanitarian agreement, known as the

Vienna III Agreement, which, inter alia, states that,

‘‘Greek-Cypriots in the north of the island [of Cyprus]

are free to stay and they will be given every help to lead

a normal life, including facilities for education and for

the practice of their religion, as well as medical care by

their own doctors and freedom of movement in the north

. . . [and] the United Nations will have free and normal

access to Greek-Cypriot villages and habitations in the

north’’;

Whereas the Secretary General of the United Nations, in his

December 10, 1995, report on the United Nations operation in Cyprus, set out the recommendations contained

in the humanitarian review of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (in this concurrent resolution

referred to as ‘‘UNFICYP’’), as endorsed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1032(95), regarding

the restrictions on the freedoms and human rights of the

enclaved people of Cyprus;

Whereas the Secretary General of the United Nations, in his

June 7, 1996, report on the United Nations Operation in

Cyprus, informed the Security Council that the Greek

Cypriots and Maronites living in the northern part of the

island ‘‘were subjected to severe restrictions and limitations in many basic freedoms, which had the effect of ensuring that inexorably, with the passage of time, the communities would cease to exist’’;

Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution

1062(96), inter alia, expressed regret that ‘‘the Turkish-
3

•HCON 269 IH

Cypriot side has not responded more fully to the recommendations made by UNFICYP and calls upon the

Turkish-Cypriot side to respect more fully the basic freedoms of the Greek-Cypriots and Maronites living in the

northern part of the island and to intensify its efforts to

improve their daily lives’’;

Whereas, on July 31, 1997, Cyprus President Glafcos

Clerides and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash

agreed to further address this issue along with other humanitarian issues;

Whereas those agreements and recommendations are still far

from being implemented, despite a number of measures

announced in May 2000 by the Turkish side to ease certain restrictions imposed on movement between the two

sides, which restrictions largely remain in effect;

Whereas the measures against the UNFICYP instituted by

the Turkish side since June 2000 have further complicated the situation;

Whereas on January 22, 1990, Turkey recognized the compulsory jurisdiction of the European Court of Human

Rights;

Whereas on May 10, 2001, the European Court of Human

Rights, in its judgment in the case of Cyprus v. Turkey,

held Turkey, by a vote of 16 to 1, responsible under the

European Convention of Human Rights for continuing

human rights violations committed throughout its 27-

year military occupation of the northern third of Cyprus

against, inter alia, the enclaved people in the occupied

area of Cyprus, and cited Turkey (1) on controlling and

restricting their movements, thus limiting access to their

places of worship and participation in other aspects of re-
4

•HCON 269 IH

ligious life; (2) on exercising excessive measures of censorship on school books destined for use by the Karpas

Greek Cypriots; (3) on not securing the peaceful enjoyment of their possessions and not recognizing the inheritance rights of their relatives; (4) on not making available

appropriate secondary education school facilities; (5) on

preventing any prospect of renewing or developing their

community and subjecting them to inhuman living conditions and violating the very notion of human dignity; (6)

on not respecting their private or family life or their

homes; (7) on denying effective remedies in respect of

their complaints; (8) on subjecting them to severe discrimination amounting to degrading treatment; and (9)

on the absence of normal means of communication and

the unavailability in practice of the Greek Cypriot press;

and

Whereas the European Court of Human Rights also ruled

that Turkey’s responsibility cannot be confined under the

European Convention of Human Rights to the acts of its

own soldiers and officials operating in northern Cyprus

but also covers the acts of its subordinate local administration, which survived by virtue of the Turkish military

and other support: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) strongly urges the President to undertake

4 efforts to end restrictions on the freedoms and

5 human rights of the enclaved people of Cyprus; and

6 (2) expresses its intention to remain actively in7 terested in the matter until the human rights and
5

•HCON 269 IH

1 fundamental freedoms of the enclaved people of Cy2 prus are restored, respected, and safeguarded.

Æ