Washington, July 30 (CNA) The Dalai Lama's special envoy to the United States Wednesday welcomed the Clinton administration's decision to establish a new position in the State Department to coordinate Tibetan affairs.

The decision, made public by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, also won applause from congressional leaders, including Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In a statement issued through the Washington-based International Campaign of Tibet (ICT), Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's special envoy to the United States who also serves as president of the ICT, said, "We are extremely pleased with this news which reflects Secretary Albright's positive style of working together with the Congress."

The decision to establish a Tibetan affairs coordinator came after the Senate and the House of Representatives urged in State Department authorization bills in the past few years that the president name a special envoy to Tibet holding the rank of ambassador at the State Department.

Congressional leaders said they were happy about the new position, although it is lower than they requested.

"The announcement gives credence to commitments made to the Dalai Lama by the administration that a central objective of US policy toward China is to promote dialogue between the PRC and the Dalai Lama," Gyari said, noting that the United States is the first country to establish such a position.

These commitments were made in April this year when the Dalai Lama met with President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Secretary Albright and other administration officials. Clinton and Albright pledged to make Tibet a more important issue in bilateral relations with Beijing.

In non-binding resolutions, the Congress has expressed the view that Tibet is an "occupied country." However, the administration has regarded Tibet as a part of mainland China. (By N.K. Han)