Turkey's Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was given a hero's welcome by a crowd of 100,000 when he addressed a mass rally in Istanbul on Monday (2 September). It was the Prime Minister's first visit to the city since the 20 July invasion of Cyprus by Turkish forces.

Chanting crowds packed the banner-lined streets of the old Ottoman capital to mark Mr. Ecevit's visit. Hundreds of white peace doves were released into the sky above the city, as the Prime Minister spoke from the balcony of Istanbul City Hall.

Mr. Ecevit told the tumultuous crowd that after winning the Cyprus battle, the country must turn to the economic war at home.

The Prime Minister said Turkish-speaking people in Cyprus had been freed after 11 years of oppression. Now that injustice in Cyprus had been overcome, the Government must tackle social in justice within Turkey itself - and endeavour to strengthen Turkish democracy.

On Friday (30 August), thousands had paraded in Ankara, the capital, to celebrate the invasion of Cyprus and to commemorate Turkey's 1922 defeat of Greece, which ended the three-year War of Independence.