20 FEBRUARY 1959, Page 8

A Spectator's Notebook .

THE GRIXO-TURKISH agree- ment on Cyprus was such a miracle that people seem to have ascribed to it a sort of Falstallian ability to create miracles in others. And up to a point of course it has. By all accounts the reasonableness of the British negotiators during the last few days has been almost complete: in view of the Govern- ment's past record on Cyprus this could be thought to have come about through supernatural causes, though a more prosaic interpretation would be their anxiety to get something signed before the British Mission left for Moscow. But the miracle that would have been needed to bring about a quick, final and complete agreement was one to make the Greek Cypriots much less politically-minded than they are; and that nobody could achieve. It was a pity, i think, that Arch- bishop Makarios could not have visited Cyprus before coming to London. The tremendous popu- lar reception which he would undoubtedly have been given would have made it much easier for him to impose moderation upon his unruly dele- gation, and done something to discourage the game of 'I can be more difficult than you are.' Not that there is not good cause for the fears of the Greek Cypriots. The Zurich agreement does not seem to have been a very precise document and is apparently full of loopholes. More important, if the Archbishop were saddled with an unpopular treaty, the Communists would not be long in coming to power in the island.