(CNA) The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) announced here Wednesday that it has finalised its project proposal for the Exhumation, Identification and Return of Remains of Missing Persons in Cyprus.
A statement issued by the CMP said that the committee’s newly appointed Third Member, Christophe Girod, is expected in Cyprus in the near future and that his arrival will enable the Committee to simultaneously pursue the necessary investigations for determining the fate of the missing persons.
In its statement, the CMP said that “following rigorous planning, the CMP has finalised its project proposal for the Exhumation, Identification and Return of Remains of Missing Persons in Cyprus”.
It noted that “over the past few weeks, intensive work was carried out by the CMP, involving numerous meetings, with various institutions and organisations, and in consultation with scientific experts”.
At the same time, “capacity and needs assessments were undertaken as part of the preparation process, as well as training exercises involving exhumation work which was carried out by a specialised bi-communal team”.
The exhumation of the remains of ten individuals took place in the Mesaoria area and in the south-east of Nicosia, the Committee said, noting that the remains will be transferred to the CMP’s anthropological laboratory in the United Nations Protected Area once the project is launched.
The Committee further added that the construction of the laboratory is being finalized and that “the Turkish Cypriot laboratory is functional and is working on the collection of blood samples of the Turkish Cypriot relatives of missing persons for DNA extraction”.
The CMP noted that it “is presently seeking major financial contributions necessary not only for equipping the anthropological laboratory but also for launching the overall project”.
“The newly appointed Third Member of the CMP, Mr. Christophe Girod, is expected in Cyprus in the near future. His arrival will enable the Committee to simultaneously pursue the necessary investigations for determining the fate of the missing persons, as stipulated in its Terms of Reference”, the statement concluded.
