Leaders visit CMP press statement
Release Date: Jul 24, 2014
PRESS RELEASE
Today, the leader of the Greek Cypriot community, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr. Derviş Eroğlu visited the CMP laboratory and met with the three CMP Members and many of the Committee’s Greek and Turkish Cypriot scientists.
Since 2007, the CMP has exhumed the remains of nearly 1100 individuals, and has identified and returned to their families more than 500 of these. However, more than 1000 missing persons, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, have yet to be found. Their families, 40 to 50 years after their disappearances, continue to suffer the unbearable pain of uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones. Time is quickly running out to find them as witnesses and relatives are passing away. It is critical that the work of the Committee suffers no further delays and that the whole process of excavation, exhumations and identifications is accelerated.
Therefore, the CMP calls on all Cypriots who may have information on possible burial sites of missing persons to share this information with the CMP. Lack of reliable information is the Committee’s biggest challenge today. Witnesses can request full confidentiality for any information shared with the CMP.
The work of the CMP would not be possible without the generous support of donors, led by the European Union. The CMP is grateful for their continued support and calls for an additional 900,000 EUR to increase results by 30 percent.