RESENTMENT IN GREECE

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27987, 6 June 1956, Page 13

RESENTMENT IN GREECE

Eden’s Speech On Cyprus

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, June 4.

Bitter resentment has been caused in Athens by Sir Anthony Eden’s speech on Cyprus, during which he said that if Britain yielded over the colony there would be “no certain facilities to protect our oil supply.’’ The Athens correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph’’ says that both Greek Government and Ethnarchy quarters reacted strongly to Sir Anthony Eden’s statement. The Greek Prime Minister, Mr Karamanlis. described it as “a revelation of Britain’s base motives’’ in Cyprus. Formerly Britain had refused self-de-termination to the Cypriots on strategic grounds. “In a crude way. through the mouth of its Prime Minister. Britain now sets out the real reasons, which to her economic interests linked with Middle East oil. “The civilised world and the United Nations will refuse to accept that material interests in connexion with oil can prevail over moral principles of liberty and justice.” Mr Karamanlis renewed the Greek ofier to grant Britain additional guarantees for her own and the West’s strategic interests. Greece recognised that Britain should have strategic control of Cyprus. and said that such strategic interests would be fully safeguarded if self-determination were to materialisesaid Mr Karamanlis.