June 28, 1958
MACMILLAN PLAN: London, 26 – Today’s debate on the Cyprus issue in the House of Commons was lengthy and extremely interesting. The government’s plan for the island was given Parliament’s tacit approval without a vote on its details. Colonial Secretary Alan Lennox Boyd said that the new British plan could «heal a wound that weakens the unity and the prestige of the free world, the implementation of which would be proof of cooperation.» Prime Minister Harold Macmillan said his government would not stubbornly insist on any particular details in the plan, but only on what should be the basis for negotiations and agreement. He said the response from Greece and Turkey had been constructive and contained several positive elements. He added that he was willing to meet with the prime ministers of those two countries, together or separately, at any place, in order to find a solution. The main opposition speakers from the Labour Party, Aneurin Bevan and James Callaghan criticized certain aspects of the plan without condemning it outright. Callaghan admitted that self-determination was impossible in a climate of civil war and emphasized that the Labour Party was willing to help efforts to reach an agreement.
