Presidential Commissioner for Humanitarian Issues and Overseas Cypriots Fotis Fotiou has said the work of the Committee on Missing Persons must be expedited and warned against long delays which could leave the humanitarian issue of missing persons in Cyprus unresolved.
Photiou met here today the Secretary General of AKEL Andros Kyprianou, whom he briefed on missing persons issues and enclaved Greek Cypriots, in Cyprus’ northern Turkish occupied areas.
They both discussed how AKEL could help in the process of investigating and determining the fate of all the missing persons in Cyprus.
The Commissioner said the issue of missing persons is at a very crucial juncture, adding that steps forward must be made in the next couple of years to enable the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus to complete its important task.
“I am sorry to say that if we continue at the current pace, the issue of missing persons will remain an unresolved humanitarian issue,” he warned.
He stressed that the issue of missing persons “is a humanitarian and not a political issue” calling at the same time on everyone who might possess information on possible burial sites of missing persons to share this information with the CMP. “This is the time to do it”, he added.
Fotiou said that he briefed Kyprianou on the new resettlement scheme for young people in the Turkish occupied villages, especially where enclaved people live. “When we are ready with the particular scheme, we well give information on this matter as well, quite possibly by the end of September,” he added.
Asked if young people showed interest in resettlement, he replied “we have several applicants both for Karpasia and to Kormakitis, but to achieve this objective we must have some incentives and significant help from the state to enable these people to start a new life in their villages. This is not an easy task, but we have discussed with the competent ministries a series of incentives that could be given.”
He also said that he briefed the Secretary General of AKEL on the latest developments regarding the “Noratlas” plane that was shot down by friendly fire during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tomb of Makedonitissa – a military cemetery and war memorial – in Nicosia killing all but one of its airmen on board.
Excavations to locate the remains of 19 Greek airmen began last Monday, at the site where the NORATLAS crashed.
The aircraft was part of a secret mission from Greece to reinforce the Greek Cypriot National Guard fighting the advancing Turkish troops, equipped with the state of the art military hardware, which invaded Cyprus on July 20, 1974. The plane was shot down on July 22 by friendly fire as Greek Cypriot soldiers mistook it for a hostile aircraft. All but one of its airmen were killed. Thirty-two men were on board the Greek NORATLAS.
Photiou said that the first phase of the excavations which concerns the preparation of the ground for the excavation is expected to be concluded before the deadline of 17th of August and most likely the second and more decisive phase will start by the end of next week.