The emissaries of the US president Barack Obama arrived in Nicosia yesterday to meet the Cyprian leaders, in order to discuss the possibilities for progressing towards uniting the island. The delegation is leaded by the senator from Illinois Richard Darbin, who is accompanies by the finance minister of the State Alexis Yanoulis, American with Greek origin, whose close friendship with Obama is frequently stressed by the Greek media.

The messengers of Barack Obama will talk in Nicosia with the Cyprian president Dimistris Hristofias, in Athens with the Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis and with the Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni. Senator Darbin will also go to Turkey, accompanied with the chairman of the Congressional Study Group on Turkey and congressman of Florida Richard Wexler. In Ankara, they will be greeted by the President Abdilah Gul, and in Istanbul by the ecumenical patriarch Vartolomey.

The tour of Barack Obama’s emissaries is expected with great interest because during his presidential campaign he expresses some definitive opinions about the political situation in Southeast Europe. The Greek politicians were very happy by this, especially because those opinions were differing quite a lot from American politics in this region up to now. Not once, as a regular politician and a presidential candidate Obama expressed his support for the Armenian genocide and the withdrawal of the Turkish occupation in Cyprus. How far he will get in annoying Turkey, which is his key ally with Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, we will find out soon.

Greece is expecting the discussions nervously. Of course, Athens wouldn’t mind Washington’s support for solving the Cyprian problem, strengthening the institution of the ecumenical patriarchy in Istanbul, and pressuring Turkey on some other topics but the Greek diplomats know that everything has a price. And words like Kosovo and Afghanistan rise on the horizon. As already known, Greece will not recognize Kosovo in order not to offend its allies Serbia and Russia and also everybody knows that Greece does not like sending its army abroad, it doesn’t matter whether it is to satisfy Obama’s will or not.

Senator Darbin’s office renounces that it is bringing any messages from the US president and stresses that the visits of the Illinois senator are entirely of private and informational character. “Mr. Dabin’s position, as part of the Senate and the commission of allocating financial support, gives him the right to manage delegations and to make official visits in foreign countries – to meet representatives of foreign governments and to discuss the regional contacts of the US. This tour will give the opportunity to Mr. Dabin to get to know the progress, which made and the challenges we will be facing in the future,” says the message.