The massive Greek pressure over the American diplomacy continues. A week ago Athens managed to postpone the meeting of the Cyprian Turks leader Mehmed Ali Talat and the US secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Now the Greek diplomacy has a new goal and it is to convince the US president Barack Obama to go and talk to the ecumenical patriarch Vartolomei during his visit to Ankara and Istanbul. The US president plans to meet the patriarch in a neutral territory – either during his meeting with the spiritual leaders of all religious denominations, or in the hotel, where he will stay. The president is even planning to invite the patriarch in Washington in November.

This is not enough for Greece. Athens feels offended that Obama will visit only Turkey. There is an unwritten tradition of all US presidents to visit Greece and Turkey at the same time, in order not to offend them and Obama is the first one to violate this. Greek diplomats believe that of the US president visits the Ecumenical Patriarchy, this to some extent will put down Athens’ affliction.