Published by: World Tibet Network News, Sunday, Jun 09, 1996

BONN, June 7 (Reuter) - A German political foundation organising a conference on Tibet which has angered China appealed for public money on Friday after the Bonn government withdrew its support.

China had already told Bonn's ambassador it objected to the conference. On Thursday it hinted publicly that the event should be banned, saying Germany should "prevent people unfriendly to China from organising ... anti-China activities."

The symposium features an appearance by the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader seen by Beijing as the head of a separatist movement.

In an open letter to the Dalai Lama published in national newspapers, the liberal Friedrich Naumann Foundation said it understood that foreign policy considerations prevented the government from supporting the event.

"Therefore we want to finance this conference privately and hope that the citizens of this country will help us," it said.

After China's complaints, Bonn withdrew a pledge of 290,000 marks ($190,000), saying it could not back a conference event billed as including members of Tibet's government-in-exile.

Bonn does not recognise the term because it considers Tibet to be a part of China, which has ruled the region since the People's Liberation Army entered in 1950. Beijing has threatened to close the foundation office in China if the event goes ahead.

The controversy is an embarrassment for Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, whose Free Democratic Party (FDP) is closely associated with the Naumann Foundation.

The foundation is headed by FDP economic spokesman and former chairman Otto Lambsdorff, who said on Wednesday it would not yield to pressure.

"The conference is the kind of task which a foundation campaigning for liberal policies and human rights was set up to carry out," he said.

About 260 participants from 53 countries are expected at the conference, which runs from June 14-17.