HR 1211 sec. 702 Cyprus

Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2000 (Reported in the House)

SEC. 702. RELATING TO CYPRUS.


(a) FINDINGS- The Congress makes the following findings:

(1) At the urging of the United States Government, the Republic of Cyprus refrained from exercising that country's sovereign right to self-defense, a right fully recognized by the United States Government and by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, and canceled the deployment on Cyprus of defensive antiaircraft missiles.

(2) In close cooperation with the United States Government and the Government of Greece, Cyprus rerouted the missiles to the Greek island of Crete.

(3) This extraordinarily conciliatory and courageous action was taken in the interest of peace.

(4) With this action, the Republic of Cyprus displayed its full compliance with the recently adopted United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1217 and 1218 which address the Cyprus issue, demonstrated its support for President Bill Clinton's December 22, 1998, commitment to `take all necessary steps to support a sustained effort to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1218', and continued its efforts of the last 25 years to take substantive steps to reduce tensions and move toward a Cyprus settlement.

(5) The Republic of Cyprus has no navy, air force, or army and faces one of the world's largest and most sophisticated military forces, just minutes away, in Turkey, as well as an area described by the United Nations Secretary General as, `one of the most densely militarized areas in the world' in the Turkish-occupied area of northern Cyprus.

(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS- It is the sense of the Congress that--

(1) in light of this and other similar extraordinary actions taken by the Republic of Cyprus, as well as the importance of a Cyprus settlement to American security and other interests, the United States should do all that is possible to bring about commensurate actions by Turkey;

(2) the time has come for the United States to expect from Turkey actions on the Cyprus issue in the interest of peace, including steps in conformity with United States proposals concerning Cyprus and in compliance with provisions contained in United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1217 and 1218; and

(3) such an effort would also be in the best interest of the people of Turkey, as well as in the interest of all others involved.

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