World Tibet Network News Sunday, February 08, 1998

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (UPI) China is excluding foreign reporters from covering an unprecedented fact-finding tour of the mainland by three American religious leaders.

An official with the U.S. delegation told the South China Morning Post that foreign reporters were not invited to accompany the delegation on its three-week, state-sponsored tour.

The report was confirmed by a spokesman for the Chinese People's Institute for Foreign Affairs, who noted China has ``no plans to include foreign journalists on this trip.''

The delegation of Catholic, Protestant and Jewish leaders is expected to arrive in Beijing Feb. 9 at the invitation of Chinese President Jiang Zemin (``Jeeang Seh-minh'').

Jiang made the invitation during a high-profile Sino-U.S. summit in Washington last October.

The U.S. clergymen will meet with Jiang privately before embarking on guarded visits to government-licensed churches, temples and mosques in five cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The group will also travel to remote Tibet, where some U.S. congressmen allege China is working to destroy traditional Tibetan culture.

Earlier this week, the group held a closed-door meeting at the White House with U.S. President Bill Clinton and National Security Adviser Sandy Berger.

The clerics refused to disclose their agenda for the visit, but promised to hold a full news conference upon their return to the United States.

The group also expressed its hope that the mission will fuel further Sino-U.S. religious exchanges.