Published by: World Tibet Network News, Monday, June 17, 1996

Source: ddpADN news agency, Berlin, in German 1623 gmt 14 Jun 96

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel has rejected rumours that he intends to resign if a cross-party motion condemning China's policy towards Tibet is approved in the Bundestag [lower house] next week. Kinkel said today [14th June] in a pre-released interview with the ARD television programme `Bericht aus Bonn' that this was "pure nonsense" . He would support the motion. He said he "of course" criticized China's Tibet policy. He had done so in the past and would do so in future.

At the same time he made it clear with regard to this weekend's Tibet conference by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which has close links with the [liberal] FDP [Kinkel's own party], that the German government could not support an "event by the Tibetan government- in-exile" .