The Norwegian Tibet Committee and the Tibetan Community in Norway welcome the second visit of Dalai Lama´s envoys to the People´s Republic of China, and urge the Norwegian Government to support the negotiations between the People´s Republic of China and Tibet. (26 May, 2003)
The Norwegian Tibet Committee has received good news from His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s office: Special envoy Lodi Gyarim and envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen, along with two senior assistants have left for the People´s Republic of China on 25 of May 2003. They visited Beijing and Lhasa in September 2002, so this will be their second visit.
The Committee strives to support the work towards a solution to the question of Tibet, and hopes that this can be achieved through negotiations.
It is the Committee’s hope that this second visit indicates that the People´s Republic of China sincerely wishes to find a solution through a dialogue with Dalai Lama’s representatives, and that it is not just an attempt to silence international criticism.
On 9 April 2003, Member of Parliament Olav Gunnar Ballo, confronted the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Petersen, on the Tibet-China issue, and urged the Norwegian Government to support a dialogue between Chinese authorities and Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated that he wants genuine autonomy for the Tibetan population in the People´s Republic of China.
The Tibet Committee strongly urges Norwegian authorities to continue to show the People´s Republic of China that they are in favour of a dialogue which can yield a solution for Tibet. The authorities must not moderate their attitude before dialogue ensures fundamental rights for the Tibetan people, and Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity is secured.
The Norwegian Tibet Committee, 26 May, 2003.
