Tibet: MEPs urge joint EU stance on Olympic Games opening ceremony
External relations - 11-04-2008 - 12:27
Common European stance on attendance by EU leaders at the Olympic Games say MEPs
In a resolution on Tibet following on from its debate of 26 March, Parliament condemned the repression by the Chinese security forces, demanded an independent inquiry under UN auspices and called for a common European stance regarding attendance by EU leaders at the Olympic Games opening ceremony in August. The resolution was adopted by 580 votes to 24 with 45 abstentions.
Violence condemned, inquiry demanded
The resolution "firmly condemns the brutal repression by the Chinese security forces against Tibetan demonstratorsand all acts of violence from whichever source". It calls on the Chinese Government "to guarantee adequate medical care for injured Tibetans and legal assistance for arrested Tibetans". It calls for "the immediate release of all those who protested peacefully, exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression". And it demands "an open and independent inquiry into the recent riots and repression in Tibet under the auspices of the UN".
EU action? Parliament calls for united front
The key question is what action the EU should take. Here Parliament "calls on the EU Presidency-in-Office to strive to find a common EU position with regard to the attendance of the Heads of Government and of State and the EU High Representative at the Olympic Games opening ceremony, with the option of non-attendance in the event that there is no resumption of dialogue between the Chinese authorities and HH the Dalai Lama". In addition, the EP reiterates its call for the Council to appoint a special envoy for Tibetan issues to facilitate dialogue between the two sides.
China's promises on human rights
More broadly, the EP "criticises the often discriminatory treatment of non-Han Chinese ethnic minorities". It "calls on China to honour its commitments to human and minority rights and the rule of law" and, in particular, urges China "to respect its own public commitments to human rights and minority rights, democracy and the rule of law announced during the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to allow China to organise the Games".
Dissidents, media
China is urged "not to misuse the 2008 Olympic Games by arresting dissidents, journalists and human rights activists in order to prevent demonstrations and reports which the authorities view as embarrassing to them". Indeed, MEPs call on China "to open up Tibet to the foreign media and diplomats, in particular EU representatives" and "to immediately stop censoring and blocking news and information websites based abroad" as well as to release "all journalists, internet users and cyber-dissidents detained in China for exercising their right to information". Parliament also calls for the release of Hu Jia, a prominent human rights activist sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison on subversion charges.
Support for Dalai Lama's position: autonomy, not independence, for Tibet
Parliament welcomes the fact that "the Dalai Lama has called on the Tibetan people to protest non-violently and has rejected calls for Tibetan independenceand insteadproposed the middle way of genuine cultural and political autonomy, and religious freedom". The EP stresses its own support for "China's territorial integrity". It also endorses "the Dalai Lama's statement that the Olympic Games are a great opportunity for freedom for all the Chinese people". It regrets that talks between the Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama have failed to achieve results and calls for "a constructive dialogue to be opened without preconditionswith a view to reaching a comprehensive political agreement".
Plenary debate
In Parliament's debate on Tibet on 26 March, which paved the way for today's resolution, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering said: "Every responsible politician must ask the question, whether he can take part in the opening ceremony if the Chinese leadership does not seek dialogue and compromise".
He also said: "We express our solidarity with the Dalai Lama" and "we cannot allow him to be linked to terrorism or demonised" and he called on the Beijing authorities "to negotiate with the Dalai Lama and, while respecting the territorial integrity of China, to reach an understanding that respects and guarantees the cultural and religious identity of the Tibetan people".
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