Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 09-01-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT CHRISTOFIAS DIRECT TALKS - MEETING

[02] FM OLGACS CONFESSION

[03] EU COMMISSIONER OLGACS CONFESSION- MISSING PERSONS

[04] POLAND SPEAKER CYPRUS ISSUE

[01] PRESIDENT CHRISTOFIAS DIRECT TALKS - MEETING

Invited to say how the first meeting went, the President said: as expected.

Christofias said that each side outlined its positions on how the discussion must take place, the principles on which it considers that the discussion must take place and each side will comment the other ones positions during the next meeting.

From there on we will discuss more specifically and we will try to agree the principles on which the problem could be solved, he added.

Responding to another question, Christofias said that the right to ownership has been accepted by the working groups of both sides and the question now is how this right can be exercised.

Christofias and Talat have been engaged in direct talks since September last year with a view to reach a settlement to the problem of Cyprus divided since the Turkish invasion of 1974.

[02] FM OLGACS CONFESSION

Speaking here Wednesday, Kyprianou pointed out that Turkey has to comply with the European Court of Human Rights decision on the 4th inter-state application of the Republic of Cyprus against Turkey, and to contribute and act with a view to shed lights on the circumstances under which the missing persons have disappeared or killed.

This is a humanitarian, and not a political issue, and the effort must not be restrained only on the role of the UN Committee on Missing Persons (CMP), which is to identify the remains, he said. As regards, Olgacs decision to retract his confession, Kyprianou said that it raises questions on whether he did it because he was not saying the truth at first place or because he was afraid of the pressure and realised the seriousness of his confession.

[03] EU COMMISSIONER OLGACS CONFESSION- MISSING PERSONS

In a written statement, Rehn referred to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, on the 4th inter-state application of the Republic of Cyprus against Turkey. It is urgent for Turkey to rapidly follow-up to this judgment in full, he stressed. Rehn also noted that the Commission is aware of the urgency of the issue of missing persons in Cyprus. For the families concerned it is crucial to determine the fate of their beloved ones, he added.

In the statement, Commissioner Rehn noted that he had an e-mail exchange with the Cypriot Member of the European Parliament Yiannakis Matsis, in which he commented the video of the actor Attila Orgacs confession that he killed in cold blood ten Greek Cypriots during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Rehn considered the video a tragic and shameful story in clear breach of the Geneva Convention.

[04] POLAND SPEAKER CYPRUS ISSUE

Speaking during a meeting he hold here Wednesday with Cyprus House President Marios Garoyian, Komorowski noted that Poland is aware of the developments at the direct negotiation process, between Cyprus President Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

Komorowski expressed hope the two leaders to manage to convince the people of Cyprus for the need to compromise, in order a solution to the problem to be achieved. I wish to the wise and good leaders to contribute towards a solution of the Cyprus problem, he said.

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