World Tibet Network News Wednesday, April 29, 1998

FROM JAMES PRINGLE IN BEIJING

BEIJING, April 29, 1998 (Times) -- THE US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, is likely to talk tough on human rights in Tibet during discussions

with Chinese leaders beginning today. The talks come before the key summit in China in June between President Clinton and China's President Jiang Zemin.

Ms Albright signalled her intention at Sophia University in Tokyo to pursue

human rights vigorously, despite the release of two leading dissidents, Wei

Jingsheng and Wang Dan.

"The Chinese Government's repression of dissent and religious freedom has not

eased," she said. Human rights organisations overseas say that there are about 2,000 dissidents, many of whose names are virtually unknown outside China, in prisons and labour camps.

Ms Albright will press for Beijing to start a dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

Xu Wenli, China's leading internal human rights advocate, said that, while Beijing might give some ground on dissidents, it would maintain a hard line

on Tibet.