To: Tibet Support Groups
Fm: Thinley Norbu
Sub: 97th IPU conference
Dear friends,
Tibet issue experienced a great concern from about a dozen parliamentarians during the 96th IPU conference in Beijing. Please find a report on this at the bottom.
97th IPU conference, which will begin on from 1015 April this year provides an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate the importance of the Tibetan issue and for parliamentarians worldwide to show and stand by their concern for the plight of the Tibetan people. Now is the time how far support for Tibet can grow within the IPU. Item 4 of the agenda of the 97th IPU conference in Seoul is "Co
operation for world and regional security and stability, as well as for respect for all forms of the sovereignty and independence of States" thus providing an interesting testing ground for the commitment of the parliamentarians to historical truth and to press for solution to Tibet's problems.
We request TSGs in all countries to contact the IPU delegation in your country's parliament urging them to work for Tibet at the IPU conference in Seoul.
1. You are requested to find out the IPU delegation to Seoul from the parliament in your country and find out who is the chairman of the delegaton and its secretary.
Contact the IPU delegates asking them to take up the issue of Tibet in Seoul. They can do this by mentioning the problems of Tibet intheir individual statements at plenary sessions (In beijing a dozen parliamentarians did this). Press for statements under item 4 of agenda on China's illegal seizure and occupation of Tibet and the grave consequences.
3. Urge your parliamentarans to call for a solution to Tibet's problem through peaceful negotiations.
4. Request the IPU delegates to attend the meeting of the Friendship Group on Tibet which will be convened by Hon. Henning Gjellord either on 12 or 13 April this year.
Hon. Henning Gjellord
Member of the Parliament of Denmark
Folketinget
DK1240 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Tel: +45 33 37 41 36 (secretary Mr. Nils Groth)
Fax: +45 33 37 41 28
Email: stosc@ft.dk
TIBET IN THE 96TH IPU CONFERENCE
CONTENTS:
1. Summary of the results of the 96th IPU conference
2. Preparations before the 96th conference
3. Individual statements on Tibet at the conference
4. The Friendship Group on Tibet
5. Discussion on Tibet in the 12+ Group
6. The memorandum on Tibet passed by the 12+ Group
1. Summary of the results of the 96th IPU conference:
About a dozen parliamentarians took up the issue of human rights violations in Tibet in their individual speech.
A text calling for negotiations between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese authorities was passed by the IPU's 12+ Group.
The IPU resolution on item 4 of the agenda of the conference included language urgug governments to end forced sterilisation of women and forced abortion.
The Dalai Lama's statement at the hearing in Copenhagen on May 13 1996 was distributed to IPU delegates together with a document on the Tibetan parliament in Exile.
A solid group of committed parliamentarians formed a Friendship Group on Tibet in the IPU.
The conference also saw some drawbacks as the 12+ Group decided not to recommend the IPU to grant observer status to a delegation from the Tibetan Parlament in Exile, and not to recommend the council of the IPU to establish an Ad Hoc Committee on Tibet.
2. Preparations before the 96th IPU conference:
At the second TSG conference in Bonn, it was agreed to make an effort to lobby the IPU, and the Tibet Support CommitteeDenmark agreed to coordinate the work. They drafted a long memorandum using wording from existing parliamentary resolution and was sent to the members of the Ad Hoc Group for comments.
A large number of parliamentarians at the 96th IPU conference received letters from the TSGs in many countries, urging them to raise the Tibetan issue and to specifically call for negotiations between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, as well as working for observer status at the IPU for the Tibetan parliament.
3. Individual statements on Tibet at the conference:
During the plenary session on 17 September, a Norwegian MP, Mr. Harald Ellefsen made a thoughtful and explicit statement on the human rights situation in China and Tibet. Turning ti Tibet, he called attention to the long relationship and ancient treaties between Tibet and China, the tibetan's right to selfdetermination and world concern at China's violent responce to the nonviolent struggle of Tibetan.
The leader of the Estonian delegation, Mrs. Krista Kilvet expressed the hope that the Chinese government would respond positively to the initiatives of the Dalai Lama regarding Tibet and that the 11th Panchen Lama would soon be released.
The deputy leader of the Austrian delegation, Mr. Josef Hochtl praised China's highly successful changes but regretted human rights abuses in Tibet and called upon all parliamentarians gathered in Beijing to take notice of the gravity of the human right's situation in Tibet.
Swiss MP, Georg Stucky emphasised respect for the crucial role of the mother tongue in a child's development. He also said that we should not remain silentafter knowing the situation in Tibet.
The Finnish MP, Mr. H. Kemppainen on 19 September said that China is still no nearer to giving autonomy to Tibet.
4. The Friendship Group on Tibet:
On 17 September, the Ad Hoc Group on the Tibetan issue met to form a new group, Friendship Group on Tibet, and to discuss action on Tibet at the conference. MPs participating in the meeting were;
Mr. Jacques Lefevre (Belgium)
Mr. Henning Gjellord (Denmark)
Mr. Jorma Kukkonen (Finland)
Mrs. Annika Lapintie (Finland)
Mrs. Marie Mainvialle (France)
Mrs. Uschi Eid (Germany)
Mr. Harald Ellefsen (Norway)
Mr. Peter Eriksson (Sweden)
Mr. Ulf Bjorklund (Sweden
5. Discussion on Tibet in the 12+ Group:
The draft memorandum presented by Mr. Gjellord on behalf of the Friendship Group in Tibet met resistance from the leading members of the 12+ Group, mainly its then chairman, Mr. Bosa from Canada, its likely chirman, Miguel Martinez of Spain and the present chairman of the European Council, Lennie Fischer of Germany. But most parliamentarians in the Group were actually supportive of
Tibet. Some MPs thought that IPU was not the right forum for the Tibetan issue. Some are against the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee on Tibet within the IPU due to financial constraints. The main onjection was, though, to include the Tibetan Parliament in Exile in the memorandum. The parliamentarians who spoke
against the text found that exile parliaments were not representatives because they had not been elected by the original constituency. Mr. Gjellord then proposed an alternative text. Instead of requesting observer status at the IPU meetings for a delegation from the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, he suggested
that representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama be given such status, which Mr. Bosa objected saying that delegations from individuals could not get observer status at the IPU meetings.
6. The memorandum on Tibet passed by the 12+ Group:
The following text was finally approved by the 12+ Group on 19 September.
Deeply concerned about the violations of human rights of the Tibetan people and recognising their right to preserve their cultural and religious identity: thus urging the conference to include a paragraph in this respect in its resolution on the item 4 of the agenda.
Call on all parliamentarians of the Union;
To support the efforts of His Holiness the Dalai lama and the Tibetan people to solve the Tibetan problem nonviolently, including urging the Chinese authorities to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama without preconditions and at a neutral site.
To join the 12+ Friendship Group on Tibet, which meets during conferences and to establish similar friendship groups at a national level.
As a result of this memorandum, the following paragraph was introduced in the IPU resolution on item 4:
`promoting greater respect and protection of human rights in general and in particular for women and children'
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