Clouds Around Mt. Troodos
THE long lines of Canberra bombers, with their Officially, the old town of Nicosia, as all the black and yellow Suez markings, 'have gone from towns in the island, is out of bounds to French Nicosia Airport. In two months there have been and British troops. A large red notice by the other changes in the Cyprus scene. Days of Paphos Gate proclaims `SECTEUR iNTEanIr: But relentless sun no longer succeed each other; there the French happily disregard the injunction, is a film of mist in the air, and around the mas- wandering up and down Ledra Street as if sive range of Mount Troodos, which dominates they were fianant a boulevard in Paris. The the whole island, there is a wreath of clouds. French journalists say that their troops have In the bar of the Ledra Palace the throng of established very satisfactory relations with the the world's pressmen has disappeared. Only a Cypriots; one only has to use one's eyes to see few regular correspondents are left, talking about this is true. An element in their popularity is their their next leave, and one or two French journa- frenzy to buy any and every electrical gadget in lists, too bitter to join their British colleagues. the shops, from razor /43 potato peeler, to take Sitting at the counter are a group of officers in home to their own country, where these devices red mess jackets, incongruously belted with Ser- are penally taxed.
Vice revolvers, looking rather uncomfortable, The British, for obvious reasons, prefer not to searching for something to say. talk about Suez. The domestic situation in Cyprus Even before the landing at Port Said relations is so clear to those who have only recently between British and French staffs, soldiers and arrived and so obscure to those who have'been Press were frigidly formal. Now relations have here a little longer, that there is nothing much broken down. The French.pour contempt on their which they can say. The tragedy of the situation allies, without whom they say 'this affair would is that the average Briton in the Administration not have been bungled.' They blame British poli- or in the,Forces has not the least idea of what the ticians specifically, but, when it comes down to Greeks, or the Turks for that matter, arc think- details,. they have not much to say for British ing. Contact between the communities is almost staff work. non-existent. • How is it, they say, that the British only had The Greeks themselves are vocal. and adamant 690 supply parachutes in reserve when we had on one point : no negotiations without the Arch- 27,0007 The British only dropped 500 paratroops; bishop. Whatever Makarios's position was before We dropped 1,200 and could have dropped he was deported, his prestige is as.high as Mount another 1,500 before the cease-fire, if London Troodos now—it dominates the situation. As so had not countermanded the take-off. often happens in countries where there is no
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