Russia Asks Greek Support At U.N.

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28661, 11 August 1958, Page 9

Russia Asks Greek Support At U.N.

ATHENS, August 10. The Russian Ambassador yesterday called on the Greek Prime Minister, Mr Karamanlis, with a letter from Mr Khrushchev urging that it was in Greece’s interest—because of Cyprus—to support Russia’s stand on the Middle East.

When he arrived Mr Karamanlis was having the last of three talks with the . British Prime Minister, Mr Macmillan, on the Cyprus problem and the letter was received by a member of the Greek Prime Minister’s office. In his letter Mr Khrushchev called on Greece to vote for the immediate withdrawal of British and American forces from the Middle East in the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Wednesday. He charged Britain and the United States with attempting to "smother the self-determination movement” . not only in Arab countries blit in Cyprus also. Mr Macmillan later left for Ankara with the Governor of Cyprus, Sir Hugh Foot, for further Cyprus talks with Turkish leaders Shortly afterwards President Eisenhower’s special envoy in the Middle East, Mr Robert Murphy, arrived in Athens. Mr Murphy, who has recently had talks with Jordan and Egyptian leaders, is in Athens for discussions on the Middle East. He denied a report that he would discuss the Cyprus problem with the Greeks. Reliable sources said Mr Macmillan and Mr Karamanlis had reached “agreement in principle” on a seven-year “cooling off” period for Cyprus. But the Greek side said no progress had been made. In Nicosia yesterday day truce announced on Monday

by Eoka ended, but Cypriots believed the terrorist organisation is unlikely to resume attacks against Britons or Turks immediately. The Eoka leaflets announcing the truce stipulated that the organisation reserved the right to strike again from today “if provocation by British and Turks continues.” Now it is believed that Eoka will wait until the results of the British and Greek talks in Athens are known before deciding on its next course of action. Arrest Sought More than 3000 Greek Cypriot villagers today petitioned the governor of Cyprus, Sir Hugh Foot, that they were all ready to be arrested and detained without trial In a letter sent to Government House and bearing 3264 signatures they wrote: “We are all prepared to take the road to detention camps as hostages. Come and lead us there in a mass—to save your security forces the trouble of arresting us in dribs and drabs.” The letter referred to the continued arrests of Greek Cypriots after the island-wide round-up last month and added: “We are prepared to stay in detention camps together with all the innocent people you have already sent there until the injustice of it all dawns upon you. “We fully share the feelings of those now detained without trial and we think that whatever they are suspected of believing and working for is common to ua all.”