October 21, 1954
CHURCHILL AND CYPRUS: London, 19 – At today’s opening of the session of the House of Commons, the Cyprus issue was one of the main subjects on the agenda. The British prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill, was bombarded with questions from the opposition about the future of the eastern Mediterranean island. Sir Winston did not make any new announcements on the political aspect of the issue. The Labor deputy, Mr Tom Drayberg, one of the harshest critics of British policy on Cyprus, asked the prime minister if he would submit a list of the territories in the British Commonwealth that the government considers able, for military or other reasons, to enjoy the right of self-determination. Replying to the questions, Sir Winston said the following: «Every individual case should be decided on the basis of its particular advantages and according to the conditions prevailing at the time.» Mr Drayberg replied that the Cypriot people depended on the guarantees that the Western forces provided and like all peoples, undoubtedly had the right to ask for self-rule.
