Divided Cyprus on Rice agenda during visit to Greece
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would explore the future of the divided island of Cyprus during diplomatic visits to Greece and Turkey this week, but she is not trying to broker a deal now.
A United Nations-backed proposal to unify the island fell apart after Greek Cypriots rejected a referendum two years ago.
Rice said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and others wanted to be sure any new deal had support before moving ahead.
“We don’t have a specific proposal, but of course discussions are going on,” Rice said on her plane en route to Europe.
The top US diplomat also said she would raise the issues of Balkan peacemaking and the threat of terrorism along the Turkey-Iraq border during her brief stops in the Greek and Turkish capitals.
She is also travelling to Bulgaria for a gathering of Nato foreign ministers.
Greek anti-war groups yesterday began two days of protests against Rice, who was meeting government leaders today.
“We’re demonstrating because, for us, Condoleezza Rice is a murderer,” said Petros Constantinou, spokesman for Stop the War Greece, which opposes the US-led war in Iraq.
