Cyprus-Forum.com

[joe]

http://english.people.com.cn/200610/24/ ... 14563.html

Cyprus vows to find out authenticity of report on missing Greek Cypriots


Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas described on Monday in Nicosia that the finding of a report on the fate of Greek Cypriots missing since the 1974 Turkish military intervention as "shocking," vowing to find out the authenticity of it.

Speaking at the parliament, Lillikas said that the government was to get the report and do its utmost to find out if it was correct before making its position on the issue known to the world.

The report, drawn by a U.S. company specializing in defense and foreign affairs strategic policy study, was published in Sunday's edition of Cypriot daily "Phileleftheros" (Liberal).

According to the report, the Greek Cypriot and Greek people missing since the 1974 Turkish military intervention of Cyprus were used as human guinea-pigs in experiments in the Turkish military's biochemical laboratories between 1984 and 1988.

"It is a human tragedy with many families of the missing persons involved, who suffer a lot more when such reports are published. Therefore we have to be very careful before we announce our positions," Lillikas said.

Cyprus has been divided along the ethnic line since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened and occupied the north of Cyprus following a coup by a group of Greek officers.

The Greek Cypriots claimed over 1,500 people were still missing while the Turkish Cypriots said some 500 were missing during the 1963-1964 inter-communal fighting and the war in 1974.

The Cypriot government has called upon the international community to cooperate and take necessary political and humanitarian measures to help deal with the issue of the missing Cypriots.


http://www.cna.org.cy/website/english/a ... 2.asp?id=1

CYPRUS – MISSING PERSONS – REPORT

The Cypriot government is taking into serious consideration the content of a US report on the issue of missing persons, but is not in a position to verify it, Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis said.

He added that the government would be requesting the report of the ``Defence and Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy`` company and would have meetings with the author of the report, in order to determine whether it stood to reason.

Pashiardis noted that previous governments had at times received such information, which had been investigated, without ever being verified.

``The government is taking very seriously into consideration the shocking content of the American report on our missing persons, but is not in a position to verify it,`` Pashiardis said.

He added that ``the government is evaluating each and every piece of information regarding the fate of our missing persons and is dealing with every case in a responsible and careful manner.``

Asked if previous governments had received information about living missing persons, Pashiardis said they had. ``All this information was looked into by all governments,`` he said, adding that ``the outcome is known, the information had unfortunately not been verified.``

Replying to questions, Pashiardis said ``the government will investigate the content of this report very seriously and responsibly, but has no evidence so far to confirm that it stands.``

He also said that the government will request the report from the specific company and will have relevant contacts with the author of the report, in order to determine whether it stood to reason.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.

[cypezokyli]

"It is a human tragedy with many families of the missing persons involved, who suffer a lot more when such reports are published. Therefore we have to be very careful before we announce our positions," Lillikas said.

one fo the most wise sentences that came out of lilikas mouth. and we should stick to that.

[StuartN]

What interesting timing for such an 'unauthenticated' report to surface.... This must be coincidental....;0)

[Alexis]

What interesting timing for such an 'unauthenticated' report to surface.... This must be coincidental....;0)

Not sure I understand - why is the timing interesting? Are you referring to Turkey's accession process to the EU, which has been going on for a year, or has the issue of missing persons been discussed in diplomatic circles recently? If it's simply Turkey's accession process and the debate regarding 'Armenian Genocide' as well as the debate regarding free speech within Turkey, couldn't this simply be coincidence as surely these debates have been going on for the last couple of years at least?

[Kifeas]

What interesting timing for such an 'unauthenticated' report to surface.... This must be coincidental....;0)

What do you know about the report and its source, to brand it as unauthenticated?

[Kikapu]

Let me get this straight. Turks captured 1,500 Greek Cypriots in 1974, and it was 10 years later in 1984-88, that they were used for "experiments". So the missing were not found out as to where they have been from '74 until 2006, and when something was "supposedly" found, it goes back to 1984-88. Surely, those who found all this out, must also know what kind of experiments they were used for, and what has become of them since.

Just curious, why hasn't the ROC been able to find out where the missing 500 Turkish Cypriots are. They are in control most of Cyprus, so I would take a guess and say, most of the missing 500 TC's have to be in the ROC areas, since most of the TC's lived in those areas, until 1974.

I think the answers for all missing are, that they are all buried all over Cyprus, in unmarked mass graves.

What nice Human Beings we all are.!

[Sotos]

More about the report from Cyprus-Mail:

AN AMERICAN defence and strategic policy report saying some of the 1974 missing Greek Cypriots ended up as guinea pigs in Turkish biochemical experiments was described as “shocking” yesterday by Foreign Minister George Lillikas.

Commenting on the report in the subscriber bulletin “Defence and Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy”, which hit the headlines at the weekend, Lillikas said the government is expecting a full report on the claims.

According to the American article, which examines “the growing confrontation” between Turkey and the Kurds, between 1984 and 1988 many missing Greek Cypriots and Greek soldiers captured during the invasion ended up in secret Turkish biochemical laboratories.
Here there were used as guinea pigs, the article said. However it added that the allegations were unconfirmed.

It said that Theophilos Geogiades, the Greek Cypriot civil servant and chairman of the Cyprus Committee for Solidarity with Kurdistan, was murdered by the Turkish secret service MIT in March 1994 because of what he knew about the experiments.

Georgiades was gunned down outside his house only a week after he had attended an international conference held in Brussels where he had revealed data on Turkey’s methods for the suppression of the Kurdish problem, according to the report.

It also suggested that he knew about the experiments on the captured Greek and Greek Cypriots.

“His accusations brought a substantial reaction in Turkey,” said the report. “And after he returned to Cyprus he was killed in the yard of his house by gunshots fired by unknown people. It was rumoured he had information about missing Greek Cypriots and he was in contact with PKK Kurds who had managed to escape from a secret biochemical laboratory of the Turkish army outside of Ankara and which operated under the supervision of the Gulhane Military Medical Academy,” said the article.

“These Kurds had witnessed the conducting of biochemical experiments on Greeks and Greek Cypriot captives.”

Speaking at the House Finance Committee yesterday, Lillikas said the government is expecting to receive the report and will take steps to verify the content.

“It is a human tragedy with many families of the missing persons involved, who suffer a lot more when such reports are published. Therefore we have to be very careful before we announce our positions,” he said.

Government spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis said the report was being taken seriously but it could not yet be verified.

He said government officials would be requesting a meeting with the report’s author as soon as the full text was received.

“The government is taking very seriously into consideration the shocking content of the American report on our missing persons, but is not in a position to verify it,” he said.

“The government will investigate the content of this report very seriously and responsibly, but has no evidence so far to confirm that it stands.”

The Defence and Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy is a periodical that is exclusively circulated to senior government, defence, intelligence and industry officials in more than 170 countries worldwide. It is affiliated to the Washington-based International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA).
ISSA took over publication of the Defense & Foreign Affairs publishing in 1998 and which provides strategic information and analysis to governments worldwide. It also incorporates the Global Information System (GIS), an encrypted on-line intelligence service for governments.

[Sotos]

Just curious, why hasn't the ROC been able to find out where the missing 500 Turkish Cypriots are. They are in control most of Cyprus, so I would take a guess and say, most of the missing 500 TC's have to be in the ROC areas, since most of the TC's lived in those areas, until 1974.

I think the answers for all missing are, that they are all buried all over Cyprus, in unmarked mass graves.

The difference is that Greek Cypriots do not have secret biochemical laboratories. The worst that could have happened to the TCs is that they were killed during the conflict. I don't know know if this report is true but based on the record of Turkey I wouldn't be surprised!

[Strahd]

It is all very simple... US wants a Kurdish state. Turkey does not.

Now start thinking a little bit and you will see.

[Kikapu]

Just curious, why hasn't the ROC been able to find out where the missing 500 Turkish Cypriots are. They are in control most of Cyprus, so I would take a guess and say, most of the missing 500 TC's have to be in the ROC areas, since most of the TC's lived in those areas, until 1974.

I think the answers for all missing are, that they are all buried all over Cyprus, in unmarked mass graves.

The difference is that Greek Cypriots do not have secret biochemical laboratories. The worst that could have happened to the TCs is that they were killed during the conflict. I don't know know if this report is true but based on the record of Turkey I wouldn't be surprised!

So, are you saying that, the best that could have happened to the GC's, was to end up being "experimented" on, if the "worst" could have happened to the TC's was being killed during the conflict.?........ No , I did not think that's what you wanted to say.!!

Yes, we all know about, all those "reports" that no one is able to point finger directly to anyone to prove their argument against the accused.

Does WMD in Iraq ring a bell, assembled in underground bunkers, and at Saddam's Palaces, and lets not forget in Trucks and Rail cars, while they are moving around the country.!!

Yes, the world is a cruel place, thanks to "Mankind". It's ironic, because the words "Man" and "Kind" does not go well together. Then again, the word "Kind" in German, means "kid / child".!! So , perhaps Mankid or Manchild" is more appropriate.!