U.S. Congress draft resolution to call for removal of Turkish troops from Cyprus

A draft resolution introduced to the Congress by Congressmen Albio Sires and Gus Bilirakis calls for the removal of the 43,000 Turkish occupation troops from northern Cyprus.

The Turkish Army has maintained a military presence on the island ever since it invaded and occupied the northern part in 1974, sponsoring a puppet administration ever since.

According to a press release issued by the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, the resolution H. Res 620 has so far secured the “unusually high number” of 60 Members of the House of Representatives, asking to be included in the list as cosponsors and advocates. The release also adds that this number is expected to “grow significantly.”

“For the first time in nearly a decade, the U.S. Congress has singled out the removal of Turkish troops from Cyprus as a priority issue,” the release said, pointing out that “fewer than 7% of all House resolutions reach 60 cosponsors. And, such significant support for foreign issues is usually reserved for major American issues like Iraq, Israel, China and Darfur.”