The Chairman of the Tibetan Cabinet, Kalon Samdhong Rinpoche, has said that the Tibetan Government-in-Exile is in the process of discussing the strategy to be adopted for a Tibet resolution in the forthcoming session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.
In interviews to Tibetan-language media on the completion of his 100 days in office, Prof. S. Rinpoche said that he had convened a meeting of the Tibetan UN Initiative Team in Dharamsala this week to discuss whether they should strive for a Tibet resolution in the UN Commission on Human Rights session in Geneva in March-April 2002. The Team’s members include the Tibetan Representatives in Geneva and New York as well as the Kalon and Secretary for Department of Information and International Relations and the Special Envoy of H.H. the Dalai Lama in Washington, D.C.
Samdhong Rinpoche took his oath of office on September 5, 2001 after winning the first-ever direct election for the post by an overwhelming majority. He finished his 100 days in office on December 13, 2001.
Talking about his experience as the Chairman of the Cabinet, Prof. S. Rinpoche said based on his 100 days in office although the coming five years would be a challenge he was hopeful that he would be able to accomplish his objectives. He said the starting of the process of negotiations with the Chinese leadership remains his highest priority. He referred to developments like U.S. President Bush’s visit to China in October during which the issue of Tibet was raised and said that appropriate follow up action was being taken to aproach other governments to raise the Tibet issue.
Prof. S. Rinpoche said that he was hopeful that the coming year would be a decisive year in terms of the direction the Tibetan struggle would take.
He said his cabinet planned to lay a firm administrative foundation in the first year and then utilize the next four years of its term for international relations and to meet political objectives. Prof. S. Rinpoche said he and members of his cabinet planned to undertake international trips from April of 2002.