20 MARCH 1964, Page 11

—Finding the Man

All this is nothing, however, compared to the complexitieS of finding a mediator acceptable at once to Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Britain. The following are out anyone whose country is ' represented in the UN force, which bars the Swedes, Irish and Austrians; anyone from the Eastern bloc including Yugoslavia; anyone whose country belongs to NATO, SEATO, or Cento. France, apparently, is still sufficiently regarded as part of NATO for a Frenchman to be ex- cluded also. Afro-Asians, notably absent from the UN force, are out too because Makarios, though taking his stand as a neutral, has little respect for the non-white. The Latin Americans are out as knowing insufficient about that part of the world. Senor Rolf-Bennett' was rejected by Turkey, with the tacit approval of Britain, as lacking the stature to stand up to Makarios. All this points to the Swiss, but the Swiss have a cantonal system of Government which makes them definitely suspect to the Turks. What is needed clearly is an unemployed, but active ex- Cabinet Minister of a country so neutral and un- suspect it doesn't exist. Failing that, U Thant might still try Britain.