ANOTHER CHANCE
T T was unlucky that the statement on Cyprus by the Greek 'Foreign Minister, Mr. Averoff, should have come at a time when events in Poland and elsewhere combined to relegate it to the back pages. Mr. Averoff's suggestion that Cyprus should accept self-government within the Commonwealth, until such time as the international situation cools sufficiently to allow Cypriots to decide their own future, provides a basis for agreement; and if EOKA were now prepared to declare another truce, such a settlement might be reached. But if EOKA pro- claims a further truce, Sir John Harding must not be allowed to twist its meaning a second time into a surrender offer. Whether the terrorists are or are not at desperation point is of no consequence; what matters is that the Cypriots should not be asked to accept terms which are, or appear to be, humiliating. EOKA exists, and will continue to exist even if every present member of it is captured; it is no use pretending that such bodies can be crushed by military force. Nor is there any use in hoping that a settlement can be reached without negotiating with Archbishop Makarios. The choice remains: between continued occupation and repression, and a settlement with the Cypriots' chosen leaders on the lines the Greek Foreign Minister has put forward. But the choice needs to be taken quickly, or tensions may become too great for a peaceful settlement of any kind.
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