The UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond visited on Thursday the anthropological laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus, noting the “very important work” that is being carried out.

Hammond, who is in Cyprus for contacts, arrived in the afternoon at the UN protected area of the now defunct Nicosia airport, and was briefed on the work of the CMP, while later on he had the chance to visit the site, where scientists assemble and identify human remains belonging to missing persons.

The CMP “is doing a fantastic work” while resolving one of the legacy issues of the long conflict in Cyprus, said Hammond in his statement after the visit.

“Identifying these remains, returning them in due course to the families of the bereaved, is a very important part of the healing process” he added.

The UK Foreign Secretary noted finally that “they`ve got a huge amount of work still to do” and commended the skills and the dedication of the staff. ” I hope that we will be able to support the work of the Committee for many years to come” he said.

As CNA learns, Hammond was briefed by the assistants of the three members of the CMP, Xenophon Kallis, Murat Soysal and Florian Von König, since the members themselves are abroad.

The meeting was also attended by members of the scientific personnel, who briefed the Minister in detail on the excavation and identification programme, with Hammond and his delegation showing particular interest.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. Since then, the fate of hundreds of people remains unknown.

A Committee on Missing Persons has been established, upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the scope of exhuming, identifying and returning the remains of missing persons to their relatives.