Published by: World Tibet Network News Monday, December 1, 1997

by Christine Courcol

MONTREAL, Nov 29 (AFP) - Although protests were peaceful and police kept participants at a distance, human rights advocates consistently got Chinese President Jiang Zemin's attention during his four-day tour of Canada.

Jiang, who left Canada for Mexico on Saturday, acknowledged their presence in Vancouver -- site of the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference -- as well as in Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto.

Jiang described the string of protests as "false notes" in an otherwise "warm welcome from Canadians."

Reacting to protesters' concerns, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Friday said human rights were on the agenda in his private talks with Jiang, which he described as "very open."

For his part, Jiang said the talks were "very frank," adding that China "accepts the general principles of personal freedoms" but that "particular conditions" apply to individual countries and should be taken into account.

Chretien said he brought up the thorny issue of Tibet during an official dinner in Ottawa hosted by the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Romeo LeBlanc.

Top Canadian officials said Chretien also proposed to meet with around a dozen Chinese dissidents on a list furnished to Chinese officials last spring by Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy.

Jiang, however, declined to discuss the proposal during a press conference on Friday, and his spokesman, Shen Guofang, said that the Canadian government had "no right to demand (that) the judicial department of China release people."

With evident satisfaction, Chretien on Friday announced that Canada and China would jointly chair an international symposium on human rights in May.

Axworthy, calling it "a first for China," said the symposium would take place on the Pacific coast, probably in the Vancouver area.

Indonesia and Cuba could also participate in that symposium, Axworthy said.

"We have been able to engage a dialogue with them (the Chinese) and we are probably more advanced in that dialogue than any other country," Chretien said.

"We believe that rhetoric alone does not make for good or effective policy," Chretien said. "It's through dialogue that our convictions will be known."

Canada has adopted a similar strategy with the communist regime in Cuba to the great displeasure of the United States.