US Congressman Calls On US to Support Cyprus

US Congressman Eliot Engel urged the US to use its position as the largest shareholder in the International Monetary Fund to press for actions by the Troika that will preserve the effective functioning of the government of Cyprus. In a letter to the US Secretary of State, Jacob Lew, the Democrat Congressman says that "I urge that the US use its position as the largest shareholder in the International Monetary Fund to press for actions by the Troika that will preserve the effective functioning of the government of Cyprus and the country's banking system and will not impose unfair and unendurable burdens on the people of Cyprus".

A report from CNA quoted him as further noting that "I believe that the US has a significant interest in supporting efforts to find a lasting solution to the island's long standing tensions that an economic collapse would only complicate".