February 11, 1959
ZURICH ACCORD: Zurich, 7 – The continuation of bilateral talks between Greece and Turkey here today gave the impression that each side is making a sincere effort to find a solution. One should not ignore the fact that the Turks came here determined to settle their differences with Greece over Cyprus. However, they are still showing reservations. They continue to insist on certain points of view that the Greeks cannot accept. They are showing good faith, but are clearly fearful of future developments in Cyprus. Under these circumstances, the final outcome of the talks cannot be foreseen. Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis and his Turkish counterpart Adnan Menderes did not take part in this morning’s meeting between their foreign ministers, who apparently discussed the details of a compromise plan for Cyprus that would give the island its independence but also international guarantees that would rule out any union of Cyprus with Greece. The prime ministers had instructed their foreign ministers to discuss certain points in the plan and had intended to rejoin them this afternoon. However, they later decided to postpone the meeting to give the foreign ministers more time to discuss the plan for independence.
