H.Res. 187 — Introduced in House

IV 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 187 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 26, 2013 Mr. Bilirakis (for himself, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Sires, Ms. Titus, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. McGovern, and Mr. Pallone) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing the United States commitment to the reunification of the Republic of Cyprus and the establishment of a unified government on Cyprus that guarantees the human rights of all Cypriots and condemns any attempt to use the current economic crisis as a means of imposing a settlement on the people of Cyprus, and for other purposes. Whereas the Republic of Cyprus is an independent and sovereign nation-state within the community of nations; Whereas the Republic of Cyprus, the only internationally recognized and legal entity on the island of Cyprus is a member state of the United Nations, the European Union and other international organizations which are vital to the community of nations; Whereas the Republic of Cyprus has the lawful authority and power to perform and exercise the functions of government on and within the island of Cyprus; Whereas Republic of Turkey’s military unlawfully invaded Cyprus in July 1974; Whereas the Turkish military illegally occupies northern Cyprus and the Turkish Government in Ankara exercises significant influence there, thereby forcibly excluding the Government of the Republic of Cyprus from performing and exercising its lawful governing functions; Whereas 180,000 displaced persons in Cyprus experience violations of their fundamental human rights as they continue to be excluded from their property lawfully held under the laws of the Republic of Cyprus as a result of the Turkish invasion and continued occupation; Whereas on May 10, 2001, the European Court of Human Rights found the Republic of Turkey liable for damages incurred by the Republic of Cyprus directly caused by the Republic of Turkey; Whereas the Republic of Cyprus became a member state of the European Union in 2004 and joined the Eurozone in 2008; Whereas the people of the Republic of Cyprus have been suffering from an economic downturn as the result of the effects of adverse events which have occurred and continue to occur in the global economy; Whereas significant deposits of valuable resources have been discovered in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus; Whereas this discovery is potentially significant for the energy security of Europe; Whereas the United States Government supports the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus to explore hydrocarbon deposits in their respective EEZs; Whereas the Republic of Turkey has threatened and continues to threaten to prevent the Republic of Cyprus from developing its hydrocarbon reserves including through military action; Whereas the Republic of Turkey and some press commentators have argued that, given the current economic crisis in the Republic of Cyprus, the people of the Republic of Cyprus could be forced to abandon their terms to reunify the island of Cyprus; Whereas if Turkey continues with this approach, the island of Cyprus could be permanently divided along ethnic lines; and Whereas the policy concepts set forth in Section 610C of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2373), provide in part for a just settlement on Cyprus which must involve the establishment of an independent, unified government on Cyprus and must guarantee that the human rights of all of the people of Cyprus are fully protected and that a just settlement on Cyprus must include the withdrawal of all Turkish military forces from Cyprus: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives calls on the Secretary of State to— (1) reaffirm the United States commitment to the reunification of the Republic of Cyprus and the establishment of a unified government on Cyprus that guarantees the human rights of all Cypriots and condemns any attempt to use the current economic crisis as a means of imposing a settlement on the people of Cyprus; (2) condemn any attempt to use the current economic crisis as a means of imposing a settlement on the people of the Republic of Cyprus; (3) affirm that negotiations for a solution to the problems the Republic of Cyprus faces should only resume once the appropriate preparations take place, so as to ensure that these will be meaningful and result-oriented, allowing for substantial progress and real prospects for a solution; and (4) communicate through all available means that the United States affirms its policy that the Republic of Cyprus has exclusive dominion and control over its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the right to exploit the resources in its EEZ.