THE NATIONAL COORDINATED EFFORT OF HELLENES (CEH)

“Your Principles Can End The Division of Cyprus”

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 2009 – Today the Board of the Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (CEH) – a 26 year-old network of over 300 Greek-Americans who have close relationships with key U.S. policymakers across the country – released the following statement congratulating President Barack Obama.

“We commend and welcome President Barack Obama’s statement that ‘we rejected the false choice between our security and our ideals’ expressed at his nationally televised press conference on April 29. Returning America to such ideals will set it high in the esteem of its citizens and the world.

“President Obama’s assertion that the ‘choice between security and our ideals’ is false – which guided his Guantanamo Bay prison decision – was demonstrated clearly in the policy of the last administration toward Cyprus. The 2004 UN Cyprus settlement proposal, which was drafted and advocated by the last administration, contained provisions that were called ‘unacceptable to western democracies’ by 60% of the majority party on the U.S. Senate European Affairs Subcommittee. The provisions were recently recognized by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the cause for the proposal’s failure. The settlement proposal included such things as prohibiting one ethnic group from purchasing property in much of its own country and taking tens-of-thousands of homes from one ethnic group and giving them for free to another.

“The violation of our ideals was exacerbated by our condemning and punishing Greek-Cypriots for voting against this ‘unacceptable’ settlement plan. The misdirected hope was to portray Turkey as desiring to end its military occupation of Cyprus but being blocked from doing so by the Greek-Cypriot ‘no’ vote.

“Although intended to improve American security by easing Turkey’s EU accession, American actions inadvertently encouraged anti-accession conduct in Turkey. After observing America acting overtly inconsistent with its ideals, Turkey reduced its movement toward consistency with the EU’s similar ideals, required for EU accession. America must be aware of, as former President Bill Clinton said, ‘the power of our example rather than the example of our power.’

“Ironically, after America sacrificed its ideals to attract Turkish support, polls showed Turkish public opinion toward America falling to an all-time low. At the end of the day, we lost our ideals and Turkish support.

“Some in our government, in the UN structure and in Turkey want to revive the 2004 failed policy and process and again advocate settlement provisions that violate American ideals. They would again allow foreign elements to try to force unworkable timetables and policies on the Cypriot people.

“President Obama’s rejection of ‘the false choice between security and our ideals’ reflects the wise principles that made America great. He is to be congratulated for returning our country to those positions. This is an important step in the right direction toward an end to the division of Cyprus and to enhance prospects for Turkey’s EU accession.”