By Jean Christou
CLAIMS by a former Turkish soldier now living in Germany that 100 fleeing Greek Cypriot civilians were slaughtered in 1974 are being investigated by the government.
“We have already instructed the various government departments, including our embassy in Bonn, to take all the necessary action to collect information on the basis of which we can move ahead on the matter,” Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides said yesterday.
Speaking just before the cabinet meeting, Cassoulides said: “We take this case very seriously.”
According to a report published in the pro-Kurdish daily Oezguer Politika, published in Germany, around 100 Greek Cypriot civilians, mainly elderly men, along with some women and children were slaughtered and buried near Nicosia during the Turkish invasion.
Mustafa Ongan, a 45-year-old Kurd, told the newspaper he was serving in the Turkish army at the time of the invasion and was brought with his regiment to Cyprus.
He said Turkish and Turkish Cypriot army chiefs ordered the killing of fleeing civilians, who were later buried in a mass grave.
Ongan is now seeking protection in exchange for detailed information about the location of the graves.
He said he had come forward after 24 years because he could no longer stand the “emotional torment”.
In response to questions, Cassoulides, though initially reluctant, confirmed that the Kurd’s information was not covered by the files on some 400 missing Greek Cypriots which were handed over by the Turkish Cypriot side last week.
“We had received some information in the past relating to his specific issue before it became public knowledge and everything will be looked into, ” Cassoulides said.
Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner Takis Christopoulos told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that the information needed to be investigated, but added it appeared to be more truthful than similar information which had emerged in the past.
“If need be we are ready to co-operate with anybody to get to the bottom of this,” he said.
Nicos Theodosiou, Chairman of the Committee of Relatives of Missing Persons, said any such information should be investigated “thoroughly”.
He said that similar reports had in the past proved to be unfounded.
There are 1,619 Greek Cypriots listed as missing since 1974 and 803 Turkish Cypriots who disappeared between 1964 and 1974.
Under an agreement reached last July between President Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, the exchange of information on the missing from both sides began last Friday.
The Greek Cypriot side handed over information on 200 Turkish Cypriots and received details on 400 missing Greek Cypriots.
