World Tibet Network News Wednesday, June 24, 1998

BEIJING, June 24 (UPI) - A Washington-based Tibet lobby has called on U.S. President Bill Clinton to push China into negotiations with the Dalai Lama over the fate of the remote Himalayan region. The International Campaign for Tibet says Clinton should use his summit with Chinese President Jiang Zemin to convince Beijing that talks with the Dalai Lama are in China's best interest. The group said, ``Otherwise, China will face a protracted and bitter struggle in Tibet for decades to come.

''In a press release faxed to Beijing-based journalists, ICT President John Ackerly added the group supports Clinton's June 25-July 3 visit to China, but hopes the trip will result in concrete agreements and not empty rhetoric. Ackerly and other representatives from the group are in Beijing to monitor the Clinton visit and ``ensure Tibet remains in the mainstream of U.S.-China discussions.''The group also said Tibet is higher on the American agenda than at any other time since the normalization of Sino-U.S. ties. Ackerly attributes the concern to ``widespread opposition to Chinese rule in Tibet and the growing support for Tibet in the U.S. public. ''While in Beijing, ICT members plan to monitor how the Chinese media portray Clinton's visit and will relay the information back to human rights groups in the United States. The group is the largest Tibetan lobby organization in Washington.