Record number of US Policymakers and Vice President Biden at the 26th Annual Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference



For the first time after many years, congressmen and senators who participated in the 26th Annual Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. May 25-27, were that outspoken when it came to condemning the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, the violation of the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and her provocations in the Aegean Sea against Greece.

According to Mr. Philip Christopher, President of PSEKA (International Coordinating Committee for Justice in Cyprus), one of the two host groups, the clouds over the Israeli-Turkish strategic alliance have “liberated” many US lawmakers and helped them to take a more objective stance which certainly benefits Cyprus and Greece. Although the conference took place prior to the recent flotilla tragic incident, it was clear that things on Capitol Hill are not as they used to be for Turkey. “It’s time to build on that and be very careful about our next moves,” Christopher said in an interview with New York’s AKTINA FM radio, a few days after the Washington conference. “Conditions are ripe for us to score some points.”

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and the second-ranking official at the State Department, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, were among the Administration officials who participated in this year’s conference. A total of over 15 senior officials from the White House and State Department who help formulate US policy toward Greece, Cyprus and Turkey, were involved as well. This was the first time since he became Vice President that Biden met with national Greek-American community leaders to discuss US policy on Hellenic and Orthodox issues. The May 27 meeting at the White House complex lasted approximately 30 minutes.

A total of over 55 key U.S. policymakers participated in this conference that unlike any other in the Greek American community and like select few of all ethnic communities in the U.S., engages large numbers of Senators, Members of Congress and Administration officials who actually make U.S. policy toward Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.

PSEKA and CEH (Coordinated Effort of Hellenes), who sponsored this conference, brought together over 100 Greek-American leaders from across the country with 29 key Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, 11 key U.S. Senators and over 15 key Administration officials from the White House and State Department. CEH Board Members participating in this conference included: Philip Christopher, Andrew A. Athens, Andy Manatos, Peter Papanicolaou, Nikos Mouyiaris, George J. Tsunis, Michael Galanakis, Endy Zemenides, Mike Manatos, Tasos D. Zambas, Zenon Christodoulou, George Dovellos and Basil Simon. CEH leaders included in their conference the heads of several other major Greek-American organizations including: AHEPA Supreme President Nick Karacostas; SAE Coordinator of for the U.S. Ted Spyropoulos; and a representative from AHI (American Hellenic Institute).

Secretary Steinberg, who was in a key position when the Clinton Administration aggressively pushed the EU to accept Cyprus without a solution, was also a top foreign policy advisor to Democratic Nominee for President of the United States Michael Dukakis. On May 25, Steinberg was the keynote speaker at a luncheon at which he was honored with the Frizis Award. This award, named after Mordehai Frizis, the Jewish Greek hero who was the first high ranking Greek military officer to give his life in defense of freedom against the Axis powers in 1940, is awarded each year to a prominent member of the Jewish community in the US who has made significant contributions to Hellenic issues. Past recipients have included: National Security Council Director Sandy Berger; Chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Ben Gilman (R-NY); Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin (D-MI); former Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke; and former Democratic Nominee for Vice President, Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT).

Those honored at this conference included: Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg [the 2010 recipient of the Frizis Award]; The Cuban-American Members of Congress: Chairman of the DSCC and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Member, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL); House Europe Subcommittee member, Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX); Chairman of the Helsinki Commission and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Member, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Greek-American Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) [the 2010 recipient of the Paraskevaides Award] - both of whom were introduced by former Senator Paul Sarbanes; Greek-American Member of Congress Dina Titus (D-NV); posthumously, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), whose award was accepted by Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), and long-time senior advisor to the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Alan Makovsky [the 2010 recipient of the Conalis-Kontou Award]. As well, the conference banquet was in honor of three long-time conference participants who sadly passed away since last year's conference: George Panichas, Lambros Papantoniou and George Hajifanis.

Officials from Greece and Cyprus who participated in this conference included Cyprus Government Spokesman, Stefanos Stefanou as well as the Ambassador of Cyprus to the U.S., Andreas Kakouris; Ambassador of Greece to the US Vassilis Kaskarelis; Members of the Hellenic Parliament Eva Kaili and Canadian Parliament James Karygiannis; the Mayors of occupied Famagusta, Cyprus, Alexis Galanos and Lefkoniko, Cyprus, Michalis Pilikos. As well, President of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots, Haris Sophoclides, participated in this conference.

©2010 NEOCORP MEDIA

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