South China Morning Post, August 28, 1997

SIMON BECK in Washington A prominent United States human rights official has emerged as a frontrunner for a new post co-ordinating Washington's policy on Tibet.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights Gare Smith is being pushed for the job by pro-Tibet organisations and key allies in Congress.

But several questions remain about how powerful the US Co-ordinator on Tibet, as the post is to be called, will be - and whether the administration and Congress will fight over choosing a candidate. After Congress passed legislation calling on the administration to appoint a special envoy for the region, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright agreed with lawmakers that she would appoint somebody by November 1 - but the official would have the less diplomatically sensitive title of co-ordinator.

The issue has been thrust into the spotlight by a covert visit to Tibet this month by Congressman Frank Wolf, who drew China's anger by reporting that the region was suffering under Beijing's "boot-heel".

Mr Wolf said the Tibet Co-ordinator should be someone as tough and as prominent as Richard Holbrooke, the United States special envoy to Bosnia.

It is unclear whether Mr Smith would fit Mr Wolf's requirements. He is a former aide to Senator Edward Kennedy who has extremely good relations with staff members in Congress.

During his time in the Senate he was known to push hard to focus Senate attention on the Tibet issue.

A Washington source close to the issue said Mr Smith was considered by the pro-Tibet lobby as "an exceptional candidate".

The State Department has told Congressional leaders it is committed to the post and will give the co-ordinator the resources to travel to China and pursue dialogue with Beijing.

But China has not said whether it will allow the co-ordinator to travel to the Tibetan region - although the issue is likely to be under discussion between the two nations as they prepare for the October presidential summit in Washington.