Simitis off to the White House to discuss the future of Cyprus
Prime Minister Costas Simitis’s first official visit to the White House’s Oval Office next week for a meeting with US President George W. Bush, just a few days before a visit by his Turkish counterpart, Bulent Ecevit, comes at a crucial phase of negotiations on the Cyprus issue, with Greek-Turkish relations and terrorism also high on the agenda. Much could be done to change the climate of suspicion that prevails in American policy on Greek issues related to Turkey. Hence the comment by President Costis Stephanopoulos, at a New Year’s Eve dinner by the General Staff, regarding the US failure to depict maritime borders between Greece and Turkey on its latest digital maps. Simitis will be accompanied by Foreign Minister George Papandreou, Press Minister Christos Protopappas and Ambassador in Washington Alexandros Filon. US Ambassador in Athens Thomas Miller is already in the USA. Cont. for the normal UK runs at less than W/S 100 for Baltic trade vessels are fixed at a premium.
