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“GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E565 on March 25, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY
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HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN
of massachusetts
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the 182nd anniversary of Greek Independence Day.
Greek Independence Day is a celebration of freedom and democratic self-governance. Classical Greece was the birthplace of democracy. Athen's era of liberty and self-governance inspired many of our Founding Fathers, particularly Thomas Jefferson as the author of the Declaration of Independence. Freedom movements throughout history have been inspired by classical Greece.
The 400 year foreign occupation of Greece by the repressive Ottoman Empire cast a pall over the proponents of democratic self-governance. The Greeks captured the world's imagination again when they began their fight for freedom from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. The Greeks won their independence and renewed the worldwide movement towards self-
governance.
I am proud to represent one of the longest sustained communities of Americans of Greek descent. The first Greek came to Lowell in the mid-
19th century. By the 1890s Greek immigrants began moving to Lowell to work in its mills. They opened Greek Orthodox churches, developed small businesses, organized social institutions, and helped build the city of Lowell.
The Greek families thrived and grew and Lowell became a major destination point for Greek immigration. In fact, Lowell was called the
``Acropolis of America.'' Thousands of Greek families throughout the United States can trace their roots back to Lowell.
The Hellenic community of Lowell remains vibrant and engaged. For example, last month I held a community forum on the Cyprus dispute. The unlawful division of Cyprus has been a major foreign policy dilemma for N.A.T.O. and the State Department. This winter, a new United Nations plan and popular support on both sides of Cyprus for a settlement fostered intensive negotiations.
Because of the importance of this issue, I held a forum on the Cyprus negotiations. I'm often told that people do not care about international affairs until after a dispute has become an international crisis. This was proven wrong by the demonstrated interest of the Hellenic community in the Cyprus negotiations.
Those in attendance at the Cyprus forum belonged to such institutions as: Hellenic Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, St. George's Greek Orthodox Church, the Federation of Hellenic-American Societies of New England, Greek American Legion Post #1, the Mani Society, the Pan-Macedonian Association, the Pan-Laconian Federation, the Order of A.H.E.P.A., the Euorkos Society, the Sons and Daughters of Kastrakini, and the Pan-Messinian Federation, among other institutions.
The latest negotiations failed largely because the northern Cyprus obstructionist leader Rauf Denktash prevented the plan from being sent to the Turkish Cypriots for a referendum. This latest travesty by Mr. Denktash will only fuel the increasing distant between himself and the new, pro-settlement government of Turkey.
While frustrating to all, the negotiations went further than any prior negotiations. It is the continued interest and work of the Hellenic community that will raise awareness about Cyprus. I can think of no better living tribute to Greek Independence Day.
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