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WASHINGTON, DC - In response to recent trips by U.S. citizens to northern Cyprus through an airport that the country’s sovereign government considers illegal, Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), founders and Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, and 30 of their House colleagues sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing deep concern about the legality of this travel and seeking clarification about the U.S. government’s position on the matter (link to pdf).
“I am deeply concerned that the State Department may have determined that travel into the northern, occupied part of Cyprus via Tymbou airport does not violate both the long-standing U.S. policy toward Cyprus, the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed in Chicago, and several United Nations Security Council Resolutions,” Maloney said. “I hope that Secretary Rice will clarify U.S. policy regarding travel to northern Cyprus, and provide the legal basis for the changes, should there be any, in that policy.” BACKGROUND: The Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, founded by Congresswoman Maloney and Congressman Michael Bilirakis (FL) in 1996, includes 125 Members of Congress. The purpose of this bipartisan caucus is to foster and improve relations between the United States and Greece. The Caucus serves to bring a renewed Congressional focus on key diplomatic, military, and human rights issues in a critical part of the world. Some of the topics on which the Caucus focuses include U.S. aid to Greece and Cyprus, the conflict on Cyprus, U.S. relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and recent developments in the Aegean. ### |
