Brussels, 28 December 1996

Dear XXX,

while reaching the end of 1996, many significant short-term deadlines compel us to postpone an analysis and a debate to weigh the pros and cons of what we did together, those achievements being now and then lukewarmly or sometimes more certainly successful.

We all very well know those deadlines, and particularly the most important: the demonstrations scheduled for the upcoming March 9 and 10, 1997. All of us agree that during those two days thousands of people from all over Europe should gather in Geneva to demonstrate for the freedom of Tibet in a nonviolent way.

Both in quality and in quantity, Genevās demonstration should exceed that one we held last spring in Brussels, and to such an aim we should urgently strenghten the mobilization for Genevās demonstration by means of relaunching the European mayors' mobilization on the "A flag for Tibet 1997" campaign. Which campaign, as you probably already know, finds itself in a very serious delay (less than 150 adherents joined up to now!)

Again in the context to enlarge and strenghten the mobilization, by the upcoming 31 January we should conclude the campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to Mr Wei Jingsheng, by filing at least 1,000 endorsements to his candidacy to the Nobel Committee in Oslo (at present, with a little more than 700 signatures we found ourselves well far away from our goal...)

Last but not least comes the worldwide parliamentary Appeal to the UN Secretary-General, an essential initiative in the frame of our strategy aimed to initiate negotiations between China and Tibet. That Appeal too is at present quite far away from the 2,000 signatures we planned as our goal: we've just got 1,300 up to now... Not to mention the lack of financial means necessary to make it a significant event both in politics and in the press.

All those initiatives would herald good news, but we risk not to fully use them in the scheduled time.

That's why, together with Piero Verni and Lhapka Tsering from the "Geneva 1997" European Coordination, we thought urgent to meet in order to make a close evaluation over the state of preparation of the demonstration, and to work out all together a strategy which could allow us to make it a particularly significant event in our common struggle for the freedom of Tibet.

Taking into account the European Parliament's agenda, Thursday 16 and Friday 17 January 1997 would be the only possible (and useful) dates to gather such a meeting. The place: the European Parliament's headquarters in Strasbourg (that allowing us to profit of the Parliament's interpreting facilities).

Together with you we expect about 70 more people to attend the event, most of them mainly from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Hoping in your active participation, please allow me to address to you and your closest relatives my best wishes for 1997.

Olivier Dupuis

PS: Should you wish to take part in the meeting, please let us now ASAP about your participation at faxes +32-2-230.36.70, 284.91.98, 284.91.97, or phones 230.41.21, 284.71.98 (Mr Paolo Atzori, Ms Tiziana Falletti).