The European Parliament will pay serious attention to the issue of Tibet at the “European Parliament Forum on Tibet: EU Response to Sino-Tibetan Dialogue” to be held at the European Parliament, Brussels on Wednesday 12 November at 3.00pm.

The Tibet Forum will identify various steps the EU can take to help advance a dialogue process between Tibetans and Chinese and will discuss the appointment of a European Special Representative for Tibet. The Forum is also intended to send a strong message to the Chinese government that the international community remains concerned about Tibet and committed to the dialogue process.

The Forum comes just two weeks after the issue of Tibet was blatantly ignored at the recent sixth annual EU/China Summit in Beijing, despite the European Commission’s policy commitments to promoting dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama to ensure genuine autonomy for Tibet.

“Avoiding or suppressing discussion of Tibet will not mean that this issue goes away,” said Mr Thomas Mann, President of the EP’s Intergroup on Tibet. “For the EU and China to develop a more mature and trusting relationship, both sides must discuss Tibet openly and look for ways to resolve this long-standing matter of international concern.”

The EP Forum on Tibet will shine a spotlight on the appalling political and human rights situation in Tibet. It aims to see that the renewed contact between the Dalai Lama’s envoys and China continues, and that substantive dialogue between these parties leads to a negotiated agreement on Tibet.

The Tibet Forum’s objectives are three-fold. First, in light of the renewed contact between the two parties, the Forum will identify various steps the EU can take to bring the Chinese and Tibetans closer in finding a solution to the Tibetan problem and to help advance the dialogue process. Secondly, it will highlight that the EU can make an effective contribution to the process by immediately appointing a European Special Representative for Tibet. Thirdly, the Forum will send a strong message to the Chinese government that the international community remains concerned about Tibet and committed to the dialogue process.

“We welcome this European Parliament initiative on Tibet,” said Ms Jampa, Executive Director, International Campaign for Tibet Europe. “We hope all bodies of the EU will recognise the seriousness of this Forum and cease giving empty policy commitments to Tibet”.

The European Parliament Forum on Tibet is being organised by the EP’s Tibet Intergroup in conjunction with the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, and the China Delegation. It is facilitated by Bureau du Tibet, Brussels and the International Campaign for Tibet Europe.

Attendance is by invitation only.