To: TSG-L@LISTSERV.MCGILL.CA
Dt: 21 July, 1997
Fm: Thinley Norbu, TSG Liaison Officer
To: Tibet Support Groups & Offices of Tibet
Sub: 98th Inter-Parliamentary Union conference
Dear friends,
The 98th IPU conference will be convened in Cairo, Egypt from 11- 16, September, 1997. The breakthrough that Tibet experienced at the 96th IPU conference in Beijing showed that lobby work done by TSGs in many countries was very successful. But this needs to be followed up. Though there was a press release from the Friendship Group on Tibet during the 97th IPU conference in Seoul, there has been no discussion on the Tibet issue. We need to intensify our efforts in lobbying the IPU delegations in this regard.
We request TSGs in all countries to contact the IPU delegation in your countries' parliaments urging them to work on for Tibet at the IPU conference in Cairo. Below are some suggestions for action you can take and some background information.
1. Find out who is the in the IPU delegation to Cairo from your parliament in your country. Who is chairman of the delegation and who is secretary.
2. Contact the IPU delegates asking them to take up the issue of Tibet in Cairo. They can do this by mentioning the problems of Tibet in their individual statements at plenary sessions or in other fora (in Beijing a dozen parliamentarians did this).
3. Ask the IPU delegates to attend the meeting of the Friendship Group on Tibet, which Mr. Henning Gjellord will convene during the conference, most probably on 14th September. If they are interested in participating, please ask them to contact Mr. Gjellord.
Mr. Henning Gjellord
Member of the Parliament of Denmark
Folketinget
DK-1240 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Organisation of the IPU
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is an international organisation, which brings together the representatives of parliaments of sovereign states. The IPU states that its main function is to "work for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative institutions". It considers questions of international interest and expresses its views on such issues with the aim of bringing action by parliaments. The IPU is composed of National Groups representing their parliaments.
IPU Conference
Inter-Parliamentary Conference: Delegates of National Groups (8 or 10 per state) meet at the Inter-Parliamentary Conference twice a year for five days to discuss on selected issues. Study Committees of decided issues prepare reports and draft resolutions for the conference. National Groups may request inclusion of a supplementary item in the conference agenda, which will be referred to the competent Study Committee for debate and report preparing. Any delegate may submit a motion or a draft resolution on a subject included in the agenda. The
conference votes on the texts submitted by Study Committees.
The issue of Tibet was successfully lobbyed at the 96th Inter-Parliamentary Conference held in Bejing in September 1996. At the time a "Friendship Group on Tibet" was formed, which has been meeting in conferences since then. (Names of participants enclosed, 1996 and 1997.)
Among the MPs participating in the meeting of the Tibet Group were:
Mr. Jacques Lefevre (Belgium)
Mr. Henning Gjellord (Denmank)
Mr. Jorma Kukkonen (Finland)
Mrs. Annika Lapintie (Finland)
Mrs. Marie Mainvialle (France)
Mrs. Uschi Eid (Germany)
Mr. Harald Ellefsen (Norway)
Mr. Peter Eriksson (Sweden)
Mr. Ulf Bjorklund (Sweden)
The Memorandum Passed by the 12+Group during the 96th conference:
The following text was approved by the 12+Group on 19 September in Beijing:
"Deeply concerned about the violations of human rights of the Tibetan people and recognising their right to preserve their cultural and religious identity; thus urging the Conference to include a paragraph in this respect in its resolution on the item 4 of the agenda.
Call on all the Parliamentarians of the Union.
to support the efforts of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people to solve the Tibetan problem non-violently, including urging the Chinese authorities to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama without preconditions and at a neutral site.
to join the 12+ Friendship Group on Tibet, which meets during the conference and to establish similar friendship groups at a national level."
With regards.
Thinley Norbu
