The Greek President, Mr Constantine Stephanopoulos, arrived in Cyprus yesterday for the first official visit of a Greek head of state to the island. His four-day stay takes place as tension caused by last week's landings on Cyprus by Greek and Turkish F-16 warplanes began to recede.
However, his stay has elicited a tit-for-tat visit beginning on Sunday by the Turkish President, Mr Suleiman Demirel, to the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state in the north. This, however, is one of many such visits by a Turkish head of state.
On his arrival, Mr Stephanopolous referred to the close ties between Greece and Cyprus and called for a settlement between Greek and Turkish Cypriots based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation. He accused Turkey, which has occupied the northern third of the island since 1974, of blocking a settlement which would enable all of Cyprus to become a member of the European Union. The Greek president condemned the continuing division of the city, saying the wall between the communities "shames all civilised people, not only those who erected the wall . . . but also those who tolerate this wall".
In an oblique reference to Turkish threats to "take out" defensive Russian C-300 surface-to-air missiles due to be installed round a military airfield at Paphos next October, Mr Stephanopoulos said: "Greece will support Cyprus to defend its legitimate rights if the need arises." Mr Clerides sent a letter on June 18th to the Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, accepting, belatedly, UN-proposed confidence building measures and a freeze on Greek Cypriot arms purchases in return for a reduction in the 35,000 Turkish troops in the north.
This initiative amounted to a volte face by Mr Clerides, who has strongly opposed such measures since they were mooted in 1992. Although Turkey is likely to reject troop reductions, Mr Clerides could still cancel the Russian missile order if his proposal was accepted by the UN, putting an end to the threat of conflict.
Earlier in the week, Cypriot Foreign Minister, Mr Ioannis Casoulides, announced that there would be no further landings in the republic by Greek airforce planes for the present - that is, during the height of the tourist season, thus easing tensions. Cyprus, Greece and Turkey are all agreed that nothing should disrupt the flow of tourists.
AFP adds: Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash said yesterday: "They are trying to prove that Cyprus is Greek. No matter what political message he wants to pass on, we cannot change the reality" of the divided island. Mr Denktash is on a private four-day visit to Vienna.
