Missing Persons In Cyprus

JOINT COMMITTEE FAILS TO CONVENE

LEFKOSA - The joint committee, which is expected to convene to resolve the issue of missing persons, an important part of the Cyprus question, cannot convene due to some disagreements between the two sides.
Although the sides reached an important stage about resolving the issue, the scheduled meeting of the Autonomous Committee on Missing Persons could not be held yet. The meeting was planned to take place early this week.
Sources told the A.A correspondent on Tuesday that despite all written and verbal initiatives of the Turkish Cypriot side, a date has not been set yet for meeting of the committee.
Also, an official invitation has not been sent to the sides yet to hold the meeting on Wednesday.
A new process has begun about the issue of missing persons upon a call of the Turkish Cypriot side and the letter of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in response to the call.
The sides displayed their political will about determination of fate of the missing persons by exhuming the remains in the graves.
The three-member Autonomous Committee on Missing Persons formed by representatives of the Turkish Cypriot side, Greek Cypriot side and the United Nations, was expected to convene earlier this week after a period of four years.
However, the sides could not agree where to make DNA tests over the human remains.
While United Nations and Greek Cypriot officials stipulated DNA tests to be performed in the Genetics Hospital in the Greek Cypriot side, the Turkish side wanted the hospital to be opened to joint use of two communities in line with its target of establishment.
Releasing a statement, Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said that DNA tests would be conducted in Turkey unless the hospital was opened to joint use of the two communities. The Turkish Cypriot side said that it was not a pre-condition, and conveyed its message that the committee should convene immediately whether a compromise was reached on place of DNA tests to the United nations.
(UK-AÖ) 24.08.2004