He was responding to my question about the anguish of the relatives of the 1,500 Greek Cypriot missing in the wake of the 1974 Turkish invasion who are still waiting to hear from Turkey about the fate of their loved ones.

Wittig noted that Turkey's persistent refusal to implement the judgement of the European Human Rights Court on the missing was scheduled for discussion at next week's meeting of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, where Germany leads the 27-member EU group of nations.

"We will do so, simply because this is completely in line with our vision of Europe," Wittig said, making an indirect reference to German Chancellor Angie Merkel's statement earlier in the week before the EU Parliament that "Europe's soul is Human Rights."

Take a stand

"We (the EU) have to take a stand, and say what we think is just," on core Human Rights' issues, Wittig said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the Paris World Congress against the death penalty as the EU Presidency's Representative there. He was concerned that "exceptional'' unresolved grave Human Rights' violations in Europe, such as the drama of the Cyprus missing, "must not damage the credibility of Europe's unanimous struggle against the death penalty.''"