Investigator Polys Polyviou said he had ignored safety considerations to avoid upsetting nearby Syria, the intended destination of the confiscated stockpile of Iranian munitions.

Thirteen people died when the munitions blew up on July 11 after being stored at a navy base in the south of Cyprus, often exposed to scorching heat, for over two years, in the island’s worst peacetime disaster.

Authorities repeatedly ignored warnings from army officers about deteriorating storage conditions, according to the inquiry headed by Polyviou, a respected barrister.

He said Christofias had known about the danger but had failed to act, and shared the blame with two ministers who have already resigned. The president, who has immunity from prosecution, has denied responsibility.

The munitions were confiscated from a Cyprus-flagged vessel heading to Syria from Iran in early 2009 for violating UN weapons sanctions, and were kept in Cyprus but not destroyed.

The inquiry heard that Christofias had assured Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad that the cargo would remain in Cyprus until it could be returned to either Syria or Iran.

“Knowing the dangers of the cargo, the president did not take any action for its safekeeping,” said Polyviou, concluding a public inquiry that lasted two months.

Even if it was an act of political “maneuvering” by Christofias to placate Syria and a pledge he never meant to keep, it was unacceptable for a member state of the UN and EU, Polyviou said.

“The president of the republic appeared to have adopted the policy, because of Syria, that the cargo should remain in Cyprus and not be destroyed.

“I am sorry to note that the central defense of the president - ‘I did not know, I was not briefed, others bear the blame and I have no substantive responsibility’ - is essentially conceding that he himself and his government failed miserably in handling such a serious issue.

.”.. The president showed gross negligence, with the result that 13 lives were lost.”

There was no immediate response from the government, which has stared down protests and calls for Christofias to resign. State media reported that Christofias was due to chair an extraordinary session of his cabinet on Monday night.

“He should resign and assume his responsibilities ... or call early elections immediately and ask for a vote of confidence,” said Haris Georgiades, spokesman for the opposition Democratic Rally party.

The blast has knocked back Cyprus’s economic growth projection to zero this year from 1.5 percent, at a time when its banks are under pressure from Greece’s debt crisis.

Christofias told the inquiry his ministers had kept him in the dark and he had not known that the cargo was stored 150 meters from the perimeter of Cyprus’s largest power station, Vassilikos, which was destroyed in the explosion.

The inquiry heard that Cyprus had on three occasions obstructed UN weapons inspectors from checking the munitions store.

Christofias, a communist elected in 2008, has faced almost daily protests calling for his resignation.

Police are due to pass a report of their own criminal investigation on Tuesday to the attorney-general, who must decide whether charges should be filed and against whom.

Although Polyviou’s findings are non-binding, he said he was of the view that criminal offenses had been committed.

“I have the view, particularly where criminal offenses are concerned, that the attorney-general should examine the possibility of such crimes being committed by all involved, without exception,” he said. (Editing by Andrew Roche)