OSLO, Norway, April 16, 1997 (NTC) -- Norwegian State Secretary* Jan Egeland

is currently on the second day of a three-day trip to Tibet. According to a spokesman at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, the visit is "part of the dialogue that Norway has with China on democratic government and human rights" and the purpose of the visit is "to try to get a picture of the human rights situation in Tibet".

During its stay, the 5-person delegation from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry is due to hold talks with local authorities, representatives of academic institutions and foreign NGOs working in Tibet. Also on the delegation's programme are a visit to a prison and a monastery.

To date, there has been little, if any, coverage of the trip in the Norwegian media. This is due in part to a boycott of the trip by NRK (the Norwegian state broadcasting company). NRK had declined an invitation to cover the delegation's visit after Aftenposten, one of the main Norwegian dailies, with an accredited journalist in Beijing, had its own application turned down.

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry had requested that both journalists be allowed to accompany the delegation and had made repeated representations to the Chinese authorities on their behalf. When it became clear that Aftenposten would not be able to cover the visit, NRK withdrew in solidarity.

In addition to having no Western media coverage of the visit, the Norwegian delegation is travelling without its own Tibetan-speaking interpreter. This, again, despite the fact that the Foreign Ministry had specifically requested to have such an interpreter with them.

In a press statement issued to the Norwegian press on Monday 14th April, the Norwegian Tibet Committee expressed its concern over the compromises accepted by the delegation, pointing out the difficulties encountered by previous delegations in getting a proper picture of the situation:

"By giving in to Chinese demands, the delegation have made their task more problematic than need be and have taken on an even greater responsibility. The Foreign Ministry should acknowledge the pressure it has been put under and the delegation should speak out clearly about what it sees and experiences in Tibet. If not, there is the great danger of the delegation being used by Chinese propaganda to legitimize the occupation of Tibet."

Egeland's team are due to fly back to Beijing on Friday before returning home.

Submitted by: Andrew Preston

For the Norwegian Tibet Committee (Den norske Tibet-komite) Oslo, Norway

(*roughly equivalent to a Deputy Foreign Minister)