American Hellenic Institute

2017bookcover

Facebook Image
House Subcommittee Unanimously Approves H.Con.Res. 164 Supporting Cyprus Accession To The EU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: CHRYSOULA ECONOMOPOULOS
July 25, 2002 No. 38/02 (202) 785-8430

House Subcommittee Unanimously Approves H.Con.Res. 164 Supporting Cyprus Accession To The EU

WASHINGTON, DC -- On July 24, 2002, the House International Relations Committee's Europe Subcommittee unanimously approved H.Con.Res. 164, a bill which expresses the sense of Congress that security, reconciliation, and prosperity for all Cypriots can be best achieved within the context of membership in the European Union (EU). EU membership will provide significant rights and obligations for all Cypriots, and for other purposes.

The American Hellenic Institute's (AHI) Executive Director Nick Larigakis said, "This was a major victory for us in the Subcommittee. Now the fight will proceed to the full House International Relations Committee. We'll be working the grassroots community during the month of August, targeting the 49 members of the full committee to gain their support of this important legislative measure. At this stage, it is crucial that our community members contact their lawmakers serving on this committee to ask them to support H.Con.Res. 164 as in the best interests of the U.S."

Passage of H.Con.Res. 164 is a significant step towards reaffirming U.S. support for Cyprus' accession to the EU without preconditions, and of the EU Helsinki Summit decisions of December 1999. H.Con.Res. 164 was introduced byRepresentative Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), who worked hard to obtain support for the bill in Congress generally, and among the European Subcommittee members in particular.

The House resolution is a strong and unequivocal reminder to the Turkish government that Cyprus' accession will not be held hostage by Turkey. As the EU's December 2002 time frame to admit new applicants approaches, H.Con.Res.164 clearly expresses the U.S. position that Cyprus will be admitted to the EU with or without a settlement of the Cyprus problem, and that Turkish intransigence will not be an obstacle in securing Cyprus' rightful place in the EU.

Following is a list of the House International Relations Committee's members. The full Committee list, with links to each Representative's website, is also available on the Internet at https://www.house.gov/international_relations/mem107.htm. We urge community members to contact their representatives to urge their support of H.Con.Res. 164, particularly if they are one of the 49 members listed below and not a current cosponsor of the resolution.

For additional information about H.Con.Res. 164 and how to contact your representative, please contact Chrysoula Economopoulos at (202) 785-8430 orchrysoula@ahiworld.org. For general information regarding the activities of AHI, please view our website at https://www.ahiworld.org.


House International Relations Committee Members
(Current cosponsors are indicated by an "**" next to their name.)

Republican (26) 
Henry J. Hyde, Chair (R-IL, 6th Dist.) 
Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY, 20th Dist.)**
Jim Leach (R-IA, 1st Dist.) 
Doug Bereuter (R-NE,1st Dist.) 
Christopher H. Smith, (R-NJ, 4th Dist.)**
Dan Burton (R-IN, 6th Dist.) 
Elton Gallegly (R-CA, 23rd Dist.) 
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL, 18th Dist.)**
Cass Ballenger (R-NC, 10th Dist.) 
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA, 45th Dist.) 
Ed Royce (R-CA, 39th Dist.) 
Peter King (R-NY, 3rd Dist.)**
Steve Chabot (R-OH, 1st Dist.)**
Amory Houghton, Jr. (R-NY, 31st Dist.) 
John McHugh (R-NY, 24th) 
Richard Burr (R-NC, 5th Dist.) 
John C. Cooksey (R-LA, 5th Dist.) 
Thomas G. Tancredo (R-CO, 6th Dist.) 
Ron E. Paul (R-TX, 14th Dist.) 
Nick Smith (R-MI, 7th Dist.) 
Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA, 16th Dist.) 
Darrell Issa (R-CA, 48th Dist.) 
Eric I. Cantor (R-VA, 7th Dist.) 
Jeff Flake (R-AZ, 1st Dist.) 
Brian D. Kerns (R-IN, 7th Dist.) 
Jo Ann S. Davis (R-VA, 1st Dist.)
Democrat (23) 
Tom Lantos, Ranking Member
(D-CA, 12th Dist.) 
Howard L. Berman (D-CA, 26th Dist.) 
Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY, 5th Dist.)**
Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa, Delegate)**
Donald M. Payne (D-NJ, 10th Dist.)**
Robert Menendez (D-NJ, 13th Dist.)**
Sherrod Brown (D-OH, 13th Dist.)**
Cynthia McKinney (D-GA, 4th Dist.)**
Earl F. Hilliard (D-AL, 7th Dist.)**
Brad Sherman (D-CA, 24th Dist.)**
Robert I. Wexler (D-FL, 19th Dist.) 
Jim Davis (D-FL, 11th Dist.) 
Eliot Engel (D-NY, 17th Dist.)**
William Delahunt (D-MA, 10th Dist.) 
Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY, 6th Dist.) 
Barbara Lee (D-CA, 9th Dist.)**
Joseph Crowley (D-NY, 7th Dist.)**
Joseph M. Hoeffel III (D-PA, 13th Dist.) 
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR, 3rd Dist.)**
Shelley Berkley (D-NV, 1st Dist.)**
Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA, 34th Dist.)**
Adam Schiff (D-CA, 27th Dist.)**
Diane Watson (D-CA, 32nd Dist.)**