LOS ANGELES - June 11, 2011 - For Immediate Release

On June 10, 2011, several members of the American Hellenic Council attended a luncheon in Newport Beach, CA hosted in honor of Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL).

The event was very informative with the Chairman touching upon several foreign policy subjects ranging from US-China relations, to US foreign policy in the Middle East and of course on the issue of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.

With several locally and nationally elected officials present, the Congresswoman was introduced to the attendees by local Congressman John Campbell (R-CA). The cornerstone of Rep. Ros-Lehtinen's speech during the event was that despite a changing world, the United States has an overriding obligation to show support for its most faithful allies; Israel, Taiwan and Greece.

She expressed her unwavering support for Israel and how President Obama's recent pressure towards the Israeli government sends the wrong signal to a reliable ally in the Middle East. Likewise, she warned of a double-faced China and pledged her support for the longstanding US policy in the Taiwan Straits that any attempt by the People's Republic of China to militarily threaten the sovereignty of Taiwan will be met with a US response.

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen stressed the need for the United States supporting Greece in the difficult economic times that it is currently undergoing. Just like Israel, she referred to Greece and Cyprus as the most reliable allies of the United States in the region. She called for the “immediate withdrawal of illegal Turkish military occupying forces from Cyprus” and for further civil protections of the Christian population in Turkey. (see video above)

In the Q&A session that followed both Rep. Ros-Lehtinen and Rep. Ed Royce answered a series of questions from the attendees. Mr. Royce, who is also a member of the US Foreign Affairs Committee, shared his impressions from his visit to Cyprus and mentioned that Turkish Cypriots themselves feel penalized by the ongoing presence of the Turkish military in their homeland and its repercussions.