On the occasion of the new Presidency of the European Union by Luxembourg, Mrs. Kunzang Yuthok, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Bureau of Tibet-Paris and Tibet Support Group representatives - Mr. Olivier Mores, Chair of Les Amis du Tibet, Luxembourg; Ms. Marcelle Roux, Chair of France, Tibet; Mr. Thomas Nagant, Chair of Les Amis du Tibet, Belgium and Ms. Monika Deimann-Clemens, Tibet-Forum, Germany - held a press conference to call on the new EU President to support negotiations between His Holiness and the Chinese Government.

Appeal of Luxembourg

Gathered in Luxembourg for the beginning of the Luxembourg presidency of the European Union, we, citizens who respect the Human and Peoples' Rights, insist on the universal as well as on the indivisible nature of these rights that cannnot be undermined by shortsight commercial or political interests,

Gathered in associations that work for the support of Tibet -occupied by China since 1950- and the Tibetan people and committing ourselves to the respect of the fundamental rights of the Tibetan people such as the right to their national, cultural and religious identity as well as the right to self-determination,

Consider that at an international level the relations between States and communities of States have to be based upon dialogue an cooperation and that the violations of Human and Peoples' Rights are legitimate business of all States and of all members of the international community,

Remember that among the defined objectives in the treaty of the European Union are mentioned the reinforcement of democracy and of the state of right as well as the respect of Human Rights and of the fundamental liberties,

Remember

the 3 UN-resolutions on Tibet of 1959, 1961 and 1965,

various resolutions of the European Parliament on Tibet, among them those of December 14th 1995, May 23rd 1996 and March 13th 1997,

the proclamation and recommandations of the Permanent People's Court on the self-determination of the Tibetan People, Tibet-session, Strasbourg, November 1992,

the resolution of the Luxembourg Parliament on Tibet the 14 th of February 1996,

the resolution of the German Bundestag on Tibet the 20 th of June 1996,

the resolution of the Belgian Parliament on Tibet the 28th of June 1996,

the appeal of 343 members of French Parliament on Tibet the 13th of October 1996,

Express our disapproval with the member-states of the European Union that contributed during the last annual meeting of the UN-Commission of Human Rights in Geneva to abort the initiative of other member-states of the European Union to condemn the persistence of violations of the Human Rights in Tibet as well as in the People's Republic of China as condemned by the NGO's at the UN-Commission of Human Rights,

Remember that the Dalai Lama remains open to begin negotiations with the autorities of the People's Republic of China without any previous conditions,

Invite the governments and parliaments of the member-states of the European Union

to actively commit themselves to a negotiated solution on the Tibetan question by asking the government of the People's Republic of China to resume without preliminary conditions the negotiations with the Dalai Lama and the government of the Tibetan people in exile on the basis of the 5-points-plan of the Dalai Lama,

to ask the UN-General Secretary to receive the Dalai Lama,

to ask an international and independant inquiry commission be sent to Tibet as demanded since years by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)) and to obtain the designation of independent experts at the United Nations called to visit Tibet on a regular basis, accompanied by Tibetan translators,

to urge the People's Republic of China to end the violations of the Human Rights in Tibet such as the ones attacking the national, cultural and religious identity of the Tibetan people,

to ask for the liberation of all those who in Tibet as well as in the People's Republic of China are imprisoned or deprived in any way of their freedom because they have expressed their cultural, political or religious opinions, among them Gendhun Choekyi Nyima recognized by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 11th Panchen Lama, youngest political prisonner of the world,

to commit themselves more actively to the defence of Human Rights all over the world,

Invite Luxembourg, member-state of the United Nations and of the UN-Commission of Human Rights, founding country of the European Community and presiding the European Union in the second half of 1997, to take the initiative of a diplomatic action which aims at starting a dialogue between the People's Republic of China, the Dalai Lama and the government of the Tibetan people in exile.

Commit ourselves to renew the present appeal every six months on the beginning of a new EU-presidency and to ask the EU-State that held the presidency to strike the balance of its actions in favour of Tibet.

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We invite all people and associations that work in favour of the defence of the fundamental rights of the Tibetan people to express solidarity with this appeal and to actively associate themselves with our efforts for a greater coordination of the international action in favour of Tibet.

Luxembourg, July 1st 1997

First signatories (situation on July 3rd 1997)

Olivier Mores, Chair of Les Amis du Tibet, Luxembourg

Marcelle Roux, Chair of France, Tibet

Thomas Nagant, Chair of Les Amis du Tibet, Belgium

Monika Deimann-Clemens, Tibet-Forum, Germany

Michel Cool, Chair of Alliance Tibet, France

Claude B. Levenson, Chair of the Swiss Tibet Support Group, Geneva

Nicole Jacoud, Chair of Les Amis du Tibet, Geneva

Alison Reynolds, Chair of Free Tibet Campaign, London

Monika Kl=F6ck, Chair of Save Tibet, Austria

Members of Luxembourg Parliament

Eug=E8ne Berger, Member of Parliament (Liberal Party), Luxembourg

Willy Bourg, Member of Parliament (Social-Christian Party), Luxembourg