AHI Co-Sponsors "Hands Across the Capitol" Rally to Mark the 25th Anniversary of Turkey's Invasion of Cyprus

The American Hellenic Institute takes pride in announcing that it will co-sponsor the "Hands Across the Capitol" rally on July 20, 1999 to mark the 25th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus and its continuing occupation of 37.3% of the island.

The rally will take place from 12:00-4:00 pm on July 20, 1999. During this time human rights organizations, church groups, community members and all believers in the American values of human rights and liberty will form a human chain around the United States Capitol. At the same time, members of the Senate and House of Representatives will be invited to deliver speeches of support for Cyprus. At 4:00 p.m. the participants will proceed along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. From 5:00-6:00 p.m. a vigil will be maintained in Lafayette Park in front of the White House.

The rally will draw attention to the continuing tragic division of Cyprus. 10 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the two communities in Cyprus remain divided by a Turkish occupation force in defiance of repeated calls by the United States and the international community for a withdrawal. The rally will call upon the U.S. Administration to launch a new initiative to bring the Cyprus problem to a just and speedy conclusion.

AHI welcomes this imaginative initiative and congratulates all the individuals and organizations who are contributing to it. It urges all AHI members to take part in the rally and to encourage their families, friends and associates to participate.

For further information, please call or email Nick Larigakis, Executive Director.