Briefer: Nicholas Burns

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

DPB # 60

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 1997 12:50 P.M.

(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

QUESTION: Will the Secretary meet with the Dalai Lama?

MR. BURNS: I expect the Secretary will meet with the Dalai Lama. She intends to do so. He is obviously a very important religious figure representing Tibetan Buddhists. Of course, you know our position that the religious freedoms and liberties of a Tibetan Buddhist ought to be respected as part of the unique cultural and religious heritage of Tibet. She expects to do so. I understand that that will probably happen tomorrow and I will have further detail for you on that later this afternoon.

QUESTION: Do you think the Chinese government will know through this body now or you have -

MR. BURNS: What was the word? The Chinese will - excuse me?

QUESTION: Do you think the Chinese government will know, through this podium, now about this meeting with the Dalai Lama or -

MR. BURNS: Oh, no, I believe that our embassy in Beijing informed several days ago the Chinese foreign ministry that we would be seeing the Dalai Lama. He is a respected figure in the United States. We are a country that believes in religious freedom so we will be seeing him this week. This is nothing new or unusual. I know that President Bush and President Clinton have both met with the Dalai Lama in the past while they were both - while President Bush was in office. I expect that there will be meetings at the White House, as well, and I believe the White House will have something to say about that.

QUESTION: Nick, since he is here tomorrow, what would you like to see the Chinese do specifically regarding Tibetans?

MR. BURNS: Sid, I would just refer you to our human rights report. We have a lengthy section in there on Tibet. Generally, we think that people ought to be free to practice their religions and not have the governments breathing down their necks telling them what to believe and what not to believe or telling them who should be their leaders and who should not be their leaders. We believe in complete religious freedom in our country and there has obviously been considerable attempts by the Chinese to impede ordinary religious freedom by the Tibetan Buddhist community for a number of decades, including involving the issue of the Panchen Lama and other issues.

QUESTION: What about the Chinese - I mean, can you address the level of brutality they have used against the Tibetans in repressing their religion?

MR. BURNS: I would refer you to our human rights report, which is the most specific and authoritative recitation of the problems that we see in China's treatment of the Tibetan Buddhists.

QUESTION: Nick, the Dalai Lama represents more than just religious faith. He is also the temporal leader of the Tibetan people. And I'm wondering if you could please talk about the U.S. Government's position vis-a-vis his position as a political leader and the right of Tibetans to follow him as a political leader.

MR. BURNS: Well, I think you know our position. We consider Tibet to be part of China. That has been the position of the United States well before the Revolution of 1949, by the way. We see the Dalai Lama as, obviously, a person of high moral authority, someone who deserves the respect of many people around the world, and as a religious figure. I don't believe that the discussion will involve - well, from our part, I don't believe that the discussion will be on political issues as much as religious issues because that seems to be the point of greatest concern here.

QUESTION: One of the things that the Dalai Lama, in fact, is proposing is autonomy, at least for the Tibetan people within Tibet. I am wondering what the position of the United States Government is vis-a-vis political autonomy for the Tibetan people.

MR. BURNS: We consider Tibet to be part of China I want to be very clear about that - and have for many, many, decades. That position hasn't changed and it will not change. The issue here is one of religious freedom, which is a very important issue, and that will be the basis of our discussion with him.

QUESTION: But the Dalai Lama has dropped the demand for independence. He acknowledges that same position. He was just talking about autonomy for the Tibetan people, not independence. And I am wondering what position the United States has on that.

MR. BURNS: The United States hopes that the Chinese government will be open at some point in the future to a dialog with the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhists. We think that is very important, and that would be the arena to work to address any kind of political questions. We have a relationship with the Peoples Republic of China. We have a one-China policy. We respect the territorial integrity of the borders of China and it is not for the United States to comment on issues of political autonomy within China.

It is appropriate, we think, to comment on issues of religious freedom or political dissidence or human rights. And I think there is a difference in our discussion of all these issues and I wanted to be very clear about what the difference is.

QUESTION: Is there going to be press availability with the Secretary and the Dalai Lama? And, if not, why?

MR. BURNS: I don't expect there to be a press availability. This will be a private meeting. The Secretary ordinarily, and almost exclusively, has press opportunities with people who are either her counterparts, foreign ministers or prime ministers or, in some cases Presidents or heads of states of country. You normally do a press conference when you want to talk about the bilateral relationship or a multilateral relationship.

When we meet with respected figures like the Dalai Lama, it is more to make sure that he understands our views, we have a chance to understand his and get the benefit of his views, and I don't think it would be in this case appropriate for us to schedule a press conference. He is free in our country to say whatever he wants and to hold his own press conferences here in Washington.

QUESTION: Without denigrating you at all, don't you think the words -

MR. BURNS: Always a good policy. I support that policy of non-denigration of the spokesman. That's a good policy.

QUESTION: Don't you think the words you have just said are strong, would carry more weight if it came from a U.S. official standing next to the Dalai Lama? And, apparently, there won't be any U.S. official standing next to the Dalai Lama in a photograph during his visit.

MR. BURNS: I'm sure that if you asked the Secretary of State at any of her press opportunities in the future - and there will be many, countless of them with you where she answers your questions - if you asked her a question she would say pretty much what I said, because I take my cues from her. I discussed with her yesterday the issue of the Dalai Lama's visit and what would be appropriate for us to say publicly. I am following her lead on the issue, so if you asked her the question she would be very glad to respond to it.

So we're not afraid of speaking about this issue, Sid; very glad to speak about it. I stand up here every day to take the questions and she stands up several times a week to take your questions, and that will continue. You can ask her anything you like.

QUESTION: Yeah, sure, but she won't be standing next to the Dalai Lama.

MR. BURNS: No, she won't because, Sid, again, you know, let's be fair about this. The Secretary presents herself to the press frequently and she does so almost exclusively with her counterparts. The Dalai Lama is a religious figure. She is a political diplomatic figure.