Published by: World Tibet Network News Issue ID: 97/10/23

WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (AFP) - The United States still intends to name a "special coordinator" for Tibet, but probably will wait until after the end of next week's state visit by Chinese President Jiang Zemin, a State Department spokesman said Wednesday.

"We intend to follow through our commitment," spokesman James Rubin tod reporters.

Rubin said the US government intends to name a representative responsible for Tibet before November 1.

Rubin added however that "he would not be surprised if (the nomination) was towards the end of the deadline.

Jiang's week-long visit is scheduled to begin Sunday.

The coordinator would be charged with "promoting a dialogue" between Tibetan officials and Beijing, Rubin said, stressing that the position is "not an ambassador," since the US considers the province to be part of China.

He admitted it is likely that "China would wish that this post did not exist at all," adding that creating the position is "a tricky issue."

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright broached the subject during discussions in New York last month with her Chinese counterpart Qian Qichen.

Rubin also said the US government has no plans to impede protests planned by various groups which opposed the Chinese regime.

"We are not seeking to infringe in any way on freedom of speech," he said.