Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 08-07-21

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT MEETING MISSING PERSONS

[02] BRITISH MPs CYPRUS ISSUE

[03] MADAGASCAR CYPRUS ISSUE

[01] PRESIDENT MEETING MISSING PERSONS

President of the Committee of Relatives of Missing Persons and Undeclared Prisoners of War Nicos Theodosiou said after the meeting that so far 105 remains of missing persons have been identified through the DNA method after exhumations in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus.

He added that 76 of the remains belong to Greek Cypriot missing persons since the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus northern third.

Theodosiou said that 300 more remains are expected to be identified at the anthropological laboratory that is situated near the Nicosia Airport, in the UN buffer zone.

However, he expressed concern over the speed of the procedure, saying that it could take many years to be concluded.

Answering to questions, Theodosiou said that two teams of experts of the Committee for Missing Persons work in the Turkish occupied areas and one team in the government controlled areas.

He also emphasized that the relatives of the missing persons demand to know about the fate of their beloved ones and need a substantial inquiry.

The relatives have the right to know the truth about the fate of their beloved ones, he said.

The meeting was attended by officials of the Foreign Ministry, the Committee for Missing Persons, the Institute of Neurology and Genetics as well as the Committees of the relatives of the missing persons of Cyprus, Greece and the UK.

As a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion in Cyprus, 1619 Greek-Cypriots were reported as missing.

The number of the missing has been recently reduced to 1496 after the discovery of the remains of missing persons, using DNA identification methods.

[02] BRITISH MPs CYPRUS ISSUE

Speaking at a mass demonstration for condemning the Turkish invasion, at the Trafalgar Square in London, they stressed the need for Turkey to alter its stance towards the Cyprus question in order the efforts to become fruitful. In addition, they called on the British government to exert its influence towards Ankara for that change.

Speaking at the same demonstration, Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou stressed President Christofias determination to utilize every possibility for the solution of the problem, and called the international community to exert pressure on Turkey, the key holder of the solution, as he said.

The demonstration was one of the most massive of the last few years, and it began with a protest march from the building of the Turkish Embassy to the Trafalgar Square.

[03] MADAGASCAR CYPRUS ISSUE

According to an official press release, Antoniou, who has recently presented his credentials to the President of Madagascar, was received in a private hearing by Ravalomanana whom he briefed on the latest developments regarding the Cyprus problem and the prospects of further strengthening the bilateral relations between the two island states.

The President of Madagascar assured Antoniou that his country will continue to support the just struggle of the Cypriot people for reunification and for a viable and functional solution of the Cyprus problem based on UN resolutions. He also welcomed the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus for the opening of new checkpoints, which would bring the two communities closer together, as he noted.

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