The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, made the following statement today regarding the recent killings of civilians in El-Houleh, Syria:
“I wish to condemn in the strongest possible terms the recent atrocities that took place in El-Houleh, which led to the death of more than 90 civilians, including women and young children. I also wish to join the international calls demanding the thorough independent investigation of this heinous act, which amounts to crimes against humanity.
Cyprus calls upon the Syrian Government to immediately implement the provisions of the Annan Plan in its entirety in order to avoid a full scale sectarian war with spillover effects and unpredictable humanitarian and security challenges for the entire region.
The utter indignation of the Republic of Cyprus regarding the massacre in El-Houleh was expressed during the summoning to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Charge d’ Affaires in Cyprus on 29 May 2012.”