Nicosia.- (CNA) — American Hellenic Institute (AHI) President Gene Rossides reiterated here Monday the Institute’s strong opposition against the visit of three US Congressmen to the areas occupied by Turkish troops since 1974, using an airport declared illegal port of entry by the Cyprus government.

Rossides noted that AHI had sent a letter to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice underlining the illegality of such a move and an action of alert to its members, stressing that ”through that effort a number of Congressmen who have been scheduled to go on that trip dropped off and their number was reduced to just three, and we are very pleased with that result.”

Rossides, who was speaking to the press after a meeting an ΑΗΙ high ranking delegation had with Cyprus House President Demetris Christofias, with whom they discussed the Cyprus issue, underlined that ”for the US the best situation in Cyprus would be a free, united Cyprus under normal democratic law as the first President Bush stated.”

AHI President said that AHI views on foreign policy issues regarding Greece and Cyprus such as the Annan plan ”are based solely on the question of what’s best for the US, not what’s best for Cyprus or Greece or whatever.”

”And we have opposed the Annan plan as undemocratic, with an 18% minority having veto over all legislation and executive decisions, unworkable, utterly unattainable financially so we expressed those views from the point of view of what’s best for the US,” he said.

Rossides noted they invited Christofias to visit the US, adding that ”we will arrange meetings in several cities for him to give his messages regarding the Cyprus problem.”

”We are very hopeful that he will consider that and find time to visit various cities. We have the means, we have our membership throughout the 50 states and it’s important that key persons from Cyprus visit the US and speak to the American people,” he added.

Asked about the visit of the US Congressmen, who arrived on the same day in the areas occupied by Turkish troops, Rossides said that this visit ”gives us an opportunity to expose the illegality of the situation,” noting that AHI will be following the issue.

”We support visits to the north by US Congressmen as long as they are through a legal point of entry,” he said.

He noted that ”an enormously important group” of a Subcommittee of the Congress Appropriations Committee will arrive to the island tomorrow through a legal point of entry.

The delegation also visited Thessaloniki where the met with S. Consul General Demetra Pappas.

Yesterday they arrived in Athens, final leg of their trip, scheduled to end June 10 and they will be received by President of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias. Additionally, AHI will kick off its 1st Annual Athens Hellenic Heritage Achievement and National Public Service Awards Dinner on June 7, 2005, honoring former President of the Hellenic Republic Konstantinos Stephanopoulos.

Further, the delegation will meet with U.S. Ambassador to Greece Charles Ries.

The delegation includes: AHI President Gene Rossides, AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis, AHI Athens Chapter President Ilias Malevitis, Advisory Committee Members Kostas Alexakis, Van Coufoudakis, Nicholas G. Karambelas and President of the Hellenic American National Council Ted G. Spyropoulos. In addition, four other AHI members will participate including: Erica Knickman-Spyropoulos, Costas G. Alexandrides, Takey Crist and Elias Papadopoulos.