December 19, 1955
VAN FLEET FOR CYPRUS: One of Kathimerini’s political correspondents, Ilias Dimitrakopoulos, had a lengthy meeting yesterday with American General James Van Fleet who arrived a few days ago in Athens. Van Fleet had been at the head of the US Military Mission in Greece during the war against the outlaws. General Van Fleet said, among other things: «I personally support the view that recognition of the Cypriot people’s right to self-determination would be the best solution to the problem in Cyprus. I am aware of the news from Cyprus and I believe that neither the use of military force nor terrorism is the right way to deal with the situation. I would like to hope that the problem will be resolved as soon as possible in a peaceful way, to set a clear date for a referendum on self-determination. (…) I am happy that the United States is contributing to a resolution of the Cyprus problem. (…) The United States has always supported the self-determination of peoples. Nevertheless, the problem in Cyprus is a dispute between Great Britain and Greece.»
