Work of Committee on Missing Persons Critical Step towards Cyprus Reconciliation, Secretary-General Says at Opening of Exhibition

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks on the occasion of the opening of the “Beneath the Carob Trees” exhibition on the work of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus, in New York today:

Tonight’s exhibition, “Beneath the Carob Trees”, takes us to Cyprus, an island that has been on the Security Council’s agenda for the past 53 years.

In Cyprus, during the 1960s and then in 1974, thousands of people — both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot — went missing.  Altogether, the fate of more than 2,000 people became unknown.  The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus is an effort by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, under the auspices of the United Nations, to establish the fate of the missing.

The Committee has achieved impressive results.  Its bicommunal teams of young Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot archaeologists have operated across the island and located and exhumed the remains of more than half of all missing persons.  Of these, more than a third have been identified and returned to their families.

All of this work has taken place in the absence of a comprehensive political settlement.  This powerfully demonstrates that when there is political will, effective cooperation between the two sides yields results.  It is my hope that the Committee on Missing Persons experience can inspire broader efforts at bicommunal cooperation in Cyprus and beyond.

Cyprus is a gateway to the Middle East, a region which today has the highest number of missing persons in the world.  Over the past three years, more than two dozen scientists from Iraq and Lebanon have been trained in the recovery and identification of human remains by the Committee on Missing Persons.  Cooperation with other countries, such as Iran, is due to begin later this year.

This exhibition tells a somber story.  It shows how consequences of atrocities and their impact on lives can endure over decades.  At the same time, these photographs offer a measure of solace.  They illustrate the successful efforts in identifying human remains and in providing closure and dignity to long-suffering families.

The work of the Committee on Missing Persons is a critical step towards reconciliation in Cyprus.  I hope that the Committee can continue its efforts to find the nearly 1,000 individuals yet to be recovered — and I am confident that work can continue to be an inspiration to others dealing with similar challenges.