Greek American Organizations’ Statement on Legislative Priorities

WASHINGTON, DC—The American Hellenic Institute announced today that the major Greek American membership organizations endorsed the statement on Legislative Priorities prepared by the American Hellenic Institute. These are: the Order of AHEPA, the Hellenic American National Council, the Cyprus Federation of America, the Panepirotic Federation of America, the Pan-Macedonian Association of America, the Evrytanian Association of America and the American Hellenic Institute. The endorsed statement, which is part of the 2005 Greek American Policy Statements, follows:

Legislative Priorities

To give legislative effect to the foregoing policies, we will work with the Congress to pass:

• H. R. 857, the bipartisan American Owned Property In Occupied Cyprus Claims Act, introduced on February 16, 2005 by Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) with eleven co-sponsors. H. R. 857 authorizes lawsuits to seek financial remedies in U.S. district courts by U.S. citizens against the Turkish government and private persons for actions damaging U.S. citizens.
  
  
• legislation requiring the Administration to seek a Cyprus solution consistent with American principles and UN resolutions referring to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation in a state with a single sovereignty and international personality which incorporates the norms of Western constitutional democracy and be in accordance with EU legal principles and common practices.
  
  
• legislation linking continued good U.S. relations with Turkey with a viable and workable settlement of the Cyprus issue based on democratic norms, recognition by Turkey of the existing boundary in the Aegean Sea and improvement in Turkey's human rights record. Such legislation should incorporate economic sanctions, a halt to assistance of any kind, and the withdrawal of any economic benefits if Turkey does not cooperate.
  
  
• H. Con. Res. 137 regarding the Aegean Sea boundary. It expresses the sense of the Congress that:

1. the water boundaries established in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty of Peace, the 1932 Convention and Protocol Between Italy and Turkey, and the 1947 Paris Treaty of Peace, under which the Dodecanese islands and adjacent islets were ceded by Italy to Greece, are the borders between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean Sea; and
2. any party, including Turkey, objecting to these established boundaries should seek redress in the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

H. Con. Res. 137 was introduced by Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ) on April 21, 2005 with four co-sponsors: Michael Bilirakis (R-FL); Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY); James P. McGovern (D-MA); and Diane E. Watson (D-CA) and was referred to the House International Relations Subcommittee on Europe.

• legislation calling for a critical review of U.S. policy toward Turkey.
  
  
• legislation enforcing the provisions of S.1067, "The Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers Act," and H.R 1757, "The European Security Act," as they apply to arms transfers to Turkey, and ensuring that no arms transfers take place (specifically no Bell-Textron Cobra attack helicopters) so long as Turkey fails to meet fully the seven human rights conditions set forth by the State Department and continues to violate U.S. and international law, the UN Charter, the NATO Treaty, the 1949 Geneva Convention, and relevant treaties and agreements with specific reference to Greece and Cyprus. The provisions of S. 1067 would condition arms exports on minimum standards of conduct, basic respect for human rights, non-aggression and participation in the UN Register of Conventional Arms.
  
  
• legislation regarding FYROM

###

For additional information, please contact Georgia Economou at (202) 785-8430 or at georgia@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our Web site at http://www.ahiworld.org.

Back to top