Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-03-26-Speech-3-071"
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"en.20080326.6.3-071"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I hope it will be useful for the European Parliament to make its voice heard on the tragic events in Tibet, prior to the meeting of the European Foreign Ministers.
It is important, first of all, to act on the request of the Dalai Lama for an independent commission to go to Tibet so as to let the world know the truth and the true scope of this tragedy. Then there is the situation of numerous prisoners, and reports of disappearances, reports of recourse to torture: we must shed light on all of this.
Secondly, the appalling crisis of the last few days should make the international community strive to find a negotiated solution which – with due respect for the UN resolutions that do exist even though no one refers to them any more – enables the Tibetan people to see their culture, their language and their religion being respected. For this purpose among others, the political role of the Dalai Lama is irreplaceable: indeed, he is the guarantor of a balance which does not push the Tibetan question all the way to independence, but consequently he is nonetheless intransigent on the question of his people’s rights.
While there is still time, it is vital to defuse the tension between Chinese nationalism and the Tibetan independence movement. The words which the Dalai Lama addressed to his people, even threatening to resign, testify to the risks. That is why, if the Chinese authorities really want peace, they must accept the political role of the Dalai Lama and enter into direct negotiations with him. The brutal repression of the past few days could indicate that the Chinese have made their decision, and if that decision is taken to extremes it will end in tragedy.
Finally, on the Olympic Games, I wish to say the following to Europe’s governments: please do not make us watch this spectacle about who is and who is not going. The Dalai Lama has maintained with some justification that to isolate China would help neither the Tibetan cause nor the more general cause of human rights. I think it is wrong to say that the Dalai Lama cannot do otherwise, because that implies the man is insincere, whereas he has demonstrated that he is not; such statements can only weaken him.
The message we wish to send to the Council is this: shoulder your responsibilities, present a united front; what we need is not a gesture but a coherent long-term policy. Then we shall start to look at China without the schizophrenia which has led multinational companies, including European ones, to oppose progress in the field of trade union rights, and we shall send a clear message to the Chinese authorities, namely that a major economic and commercial power has obligations on both the domestic and international fronts; this applies before, after and even during the Olympics."@en1
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