Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 98-08-12

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA

No. 145/98 -- 12.8.98

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Kirgiz Parliamentarians left the occupied area.

[02] Turkish Cypriot ``Police'' seize forged US dollar bills.

[03] Soldier killed.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[04] Kosovan leader Rugova to seek support in Turkey.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Kirgiz Parliamentarians left the occupied area

During their stay they had contacts with so-called members of Parliament and other representatives of the pseudostate.

(A.TH/LL)

[02] Turkish Cypriot ``Police'' seize forged US dollar bills

Forged US bills amounting to $18,300 were seized in the three days following the 12 July `police´ operation. Since then, bills amounting to $1, 500 have also been seized, bringing the total to $19,800.

[03] Soldier killed

The so-called police investigates the event.

(A.TH/LL)

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[04] Kosovan leader Rugova to seek support in Turkey

``Ibrahim Rugova, the self-declared president of Yugoslavia´s independence- seeking province of Kosovo, will pay a visit to Turkey in October in an attempt to generate stronger support from Ankara for the war-torn region.

Kosovo representative in Turkey Enver Tali, as well as Turkish government sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Turkish Daily News that Rugova will arrive in October, but said that no exact date had yet been determined.

``Turkey has a special meaning for us. We expect more support from Turkey than any other NATO country'' Tali told the Turkish Daily News in a reference to the deep-rooted historical, cultural and religious ties between the Turkish and Kosovan people.

Tali said that Rugova would demand that Turkey put pressure on NATO and other international organizations for an urgent intervention in Kosovo, where Serb security forces have bloodily quelled an armed resistance by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The KLA leads the independence campaign of the Muslim Albanian majority. Many Albanian civilians have reportedly been killed by the Serb security forces.

Asked whether Rugova would seek Turkish support on independence or the restoration of Kosovo´s autonomy, Tali said: ``He is obliged to seek support for independence, because this is the will of the Kosovan people who have voted in favour of independence at a referendum… This is our legal, historical and ethnic right''.

``No other solution is possible and the price we will pay for independence is not important. The Serbs have a military supremacy, but we have a spiritual one'', Tali said.

During his visit to Ankara, Rugova is also expected to demand humanitarian assistance for the thousands of refugees fleeing the clashes.

With its historical ties to Kosovo and a large community with an Albanian- origin, Turkey has repeatedly condemned the Serbian violence in the region. However, Ankara has to date refrained from advocating independence to Kosovo concerned that this could put it in a difficult position with respect to the separatist Kurdistan Workers´Party (PKK), who are fighting for independence in Turkey´s southeast. Ethnic Albanians make up more than 90 percent of the Kosovo province, which was stripped of its autonomy in 1989.

After a recent visit to Albania, President Suleyman Demirel sent letters to fellow NATO members and Balkan countries, urging them for immediate action to stop the violence in Kosovo. Demirel sent a letter to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic demanding that he immediately withdraw Serb security forces from the region and begin a dialogue with the Kosovo side.''

From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/

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