Still No Agreement On Cyprus Bases

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29130, 16 February 1960, Page 15

Still No Agreement On Cyprus Bases

iioOnm.) NICOSIA, February 15. British-Cypriot talks will continue m Nicosia for the fifth- successive day today in an to break the deadlock over future m Cyprus a d pave the way for the island s independence.

The Governor of Cyprus (Sir Hugh Foot) took over the discussions with Cypriot leaders after the proclamation of independence, set first for February 19 and then March 19, had been postponed indefinitely last Monday because of the dispute over bases. The President-elect of the Republic, Archbishop Makarios, was quoted on Saturday as saying that agreement in principle had been reached on the internal administration of the British sovereign bases.

But no agreement on this subject has been signed, one of those at the meetings told Reuter last night

Yesterday the British United Press reported that an agreement on the terms of administration ■within the British bases had been initialled by Archbishop

Makarios, the Vice-President-elect (Dr. Kutchuk) and Sir Hugh Foot. But today British newspaper reports from Nicosia said that no documents had been initialled yet. The Archbishop told reporters last night that agreement on the general question would be “impossible” if Britain stood firm on her demand that the base areas cover 120 square miles. He was commenting on London reports that he was expected to make further concessions beyond 80 square miles and that Britain was standing firm on 120. The Athens newspaper ‘Acropolis’’ yesterday quoted the Archbishop as making an implied threat to implement unilaterally the Zurich and London agreements giving Cyprus independence if no agreement was reached with Britain on the bases.