POLICE officials from all over Europe gathered in Nicosia yesterday to attend the 34th European Regional Conference of Interpol. With Turkish police officials missing from the conference, much was said about Turkey’s absence and the cold relations between the police authorities of Nicosia and Ankara.
Also missing from the conference was Justice Minister Doros Theodorou, with Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Andreas Tryfonides standing in.
The main purpose of the conference was to focus on operational issues such as co-ordinated police response and support in major international crises such as the Asian tsunami, and on trafficking in human beings, drugs and organised crime. Another strong issue that was raised by many during the start of the conference was bioterrorism and the fight against terrorism in general.
Opening the conference, Cyprus Police Chief Tassos Panayiotou, underlined the importance of collaborating with Interpol and how vital the struggle against terrorism and organised crime was. Panayiotou also seized the opportunity to note the unwillingness of Turkey to collaborate with the Cypriot police.
“There is a problem between the police authorities of Nicosia and Ankara. The Turkish police showed unwillingness to hand over to us various individuals suspected of being involved in a triple murder case,” he said referring to the murder of Turkish Cypriot businessman Elmas Ali Guzelyurtlu, his wife and their daughter. The three were murdered in the free areas, with their killers making away to the north. A number of suspects were arrested by Turkish Cypriot police, but with Cyprus police refusing to hand over the evidence and the Turkish Cypriot side unwilling to hand over the suspects, the men eventually walked free.
Interpol President Jackie Selebi joked: “I came here to listen and not give a speech. I have been hijacked onto the stand”. But he too underlined the key areas of terrorism and organised crime.
“Co-operation between police between nations is vital in fighting organised crime. Today we have information on around 8,000 suspected terrorists whereas just a few years ago that number was around 2,000.”
The Interpol President said the best way to fight terror was through policing and police collaboration between nations. When asked by a reporter at the news conference that followed if that meant that he didn’t agree with America’s “war on terror”, Selebi merely stated: “I never stated anything about the United States, I simply said and believe that the best way to combat terrorism is by policing and police collaboration between nations.”
He added that the I-247 goal made by Interpol was expanding all the time and that the number of police from different countries involved in the scheme had risen to 145.
I-247 aims to streamline Interpol’s communications, to cut costs, and to enhance services such as online interactive access to the agency’s national law enforcement databases.
Reporters continued to quiz Selebi, as well as Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble, about Turkey’s attitude towards Cyprus on the aspects of policing through Interpol collaboration, with the Interpol President refraining from the political side of the problem.
“The essence of the existence of Interpol is to promote co-operation between the various police authorities of each nation. This particular problem is an indication that we need to do more to promote co-operation between them.”
The conference, which started yesterday morning, is set to finish tomorrow and is being hosted at the Hilton Hotel in Nicosia.
