President Tassos Papadopoulos has dismissed any suggestions of foot dragging in efforts to find out those responsible for the Helios Airways crash.
He is also ready to take the burden of responsibility if the government is found to be at fault, according to a lengthy statement he issued this week.
"Any political responsibility to be borne lies with the government as a whole and me personally and will be undertaken if and when established.''
There have been growing calls for an independent investigation to apportion political, criminal or administrative blame where appropriate, even though the exact causes of the crash remains unknown. Opposition Disy called for a separate parliamentary investigation into the August 14 crash and other politicians back an independent criminal al inquiry.
But Papadopoulos argued this would get them nowhere until what caused the accident is known.
Nevertheless, the relatives of the victims and parties like the Greens and United Democrats continue to call for an independent criminal investigation.
Stung by criticism over the government's "inability" to carry out a thorough investigation Papadopoulos issued a four-page statement to set the record straight.
Complexity
"Maybe the complexity of the probe is causing the confusion that is being observed and giving the mistaken impression of contentiousness which does not exist," said his statement.
Papadopoulos said he was personally committed to finding out what caused the Helios Airways disaster and apportion blame to whoever might be found responsible.
"We owe this to the dead, their family and friends, society, the people in general and our state."
He described the probe as "time consuming" because it involved government services and departments and the legal process concerning air safety and the inner workings of the civil aviation department.
The state probe is reviewing the level of safety procedures, strict enforcement of international air safety law and the circumstances under which Helios -- the island's first privately owned airline -- was granted an operating license in 1999.
Reportedly, the world air safety watchdog, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, said Cypriot civil aviation was not in a position to regulate an independent airline at the time Helios received its permit.
Eu experts
"Only when the exact or possible causes of the crash are known would it be possible to appoint an independent inquiry team," said Papadopoulos.
"Otherwise, any investigating body would be walking blind and have difficulty finding the necessary evidence."
Two EU experts visited the island last week to assist with the Cypriot end of investigations at the request of the Cyprus government.
Papadopoulos asked them to make suggestions and point out possible weaknesses in civil aviation and put forward air safety experts who who could carry the probe further with Nicosia picking up the tab.
A Cypriot police investigation is being carried out into Helios to ascertain if the airline was negligent in any way for what happened to flight 522 from Larnaca to Prague via Athens.
"I urge anyone who has any useful information or documents to go to the police, nobody need be frightened, there is no danger of anyone being victimised," said Papadopoulos.
The crash was the worst aviation disaster to befall Cyprus or Greece.
Papadopoulos said "wrong impressions" were being created by making it seem there were "those who want a full investigation and those who don’t''.
He said this was ''unjustified'' and compounded the ''stress and the pain of the relatives of the victims.''
''It is not practically or legally possible to investigate apportioning responsibility and pressing charges against those who are allegedly responsible without ascertaining the exact or possible causes of the air crash first."
