IV
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 283
Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning the December 1997 report
on Tibet of the International Commission of Jurists and on United
States policy on Tibet.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 22, 1998
Mr. BERMAN (for himself, Mr. PORTER, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr.
PAYNE, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mrs.
LOWEY, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. WOLF, Mr. COX of California, Mr. SMITH of
New Jersey, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts, and Ms.
PELOSI) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning the Decem-
ber 1997 report on Tibet of the International Commis-
sion of Jurists and on United States policy on Tibet.
Whereas the International Commission of Jurists is a non-
governmental organization founded in 1952 to defend the
rule of law throughout the world and to work toward the
full observance of the provisions of the Universal Dec-
laration of Human Rights;
Whereas in 1959, 1960, and 1964 the International Commis-
sion of Jurists examined Chinese policy in Tibet, viola-
tions of human rights in Tibet, and the position of Tibet
in international law;
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Whereas these findings were presented to the United Nations
General Assembly, which adopted three resolutions (in
1959, 1961, and 1965) calling on the People’s Republic
of China to ensure respect for the fundamental human
rights of the Tibetan people and for their distinctive cul-
tural and religious life, and to cease practices which de-
prive the Tibetan people of their fundamental human
rights and freedoms, including their right to self-deter-
mination;
Whereas in December 1997, the International Commission of
Jurists issued a fourth report on Tibet, examining human
rights and the rule of law, including self-determination;
Whereas the President of the United States has repeatedly
indicated his support for substantive dialogue between
the Government of the People’s Republic of China and
the Dalai Lama or his representatives; and
Whereas on October 31, 1997, the Secretary of State ap-
pointed a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues to over-
see United States policy regarding Tibet: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) expresses grave concern regarding the find-
ings of the report of the International Commission
of Jurists on Tibet issued in December 1997, that—
(A) repression in Tibet has increased
steadily since 1994, resulting in heightened con-
trol on religious activity, a denunciation cam-
paign against the Dalai Lama unprecedented
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since the Cultural Revolution, an increase in
political arrests, suppression of peaceful pro-
tests, and an accelerated movement of Chinese
people to Tibet; and
(B) in 1997, a senior office of the People’s
Republic of China labeled the Tibetan Buddhist
culture, which has flourished in Tibet since the
seventh century, as a ‘‘foreign culture’’ in order
to facilitate indoctrination of Tibetans in Chi-
nese socialist ideology and the process of na-
tional and cultural integration;
(2) supports the recommendations contained in
the report referred to in paragraph (1) that—
(A) call on the People’s Republic of
China—
(i) to enter into discussions with the
Dalai Lama or his representatives on a so-
lution to the question of Tibet;
(ii) to ensure respect for the fun-
damental human rights of the Tibetan peo-
ple; and
(iii) to end those practices which
threaten to erode the distinct cultural, reli-
gious, and national identity of the Tibetan
people and, in particular, to cease policies
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which result in the movement of Chinese
people to Tibetan territory;
(B) call on the United Nations General As-
sembly to resume its debate on the question of
Tibet; and
(C) call on the Dalai Lama or his rep-
resentatives to enter into discussions with the
Government of the People’s Republic of China
on a solution to the question of Tibet;
(3) commends the appointment by the Sec-
retary of State of a United States Special Coordina-
tor for Tibetan Issues—
(A) to promote substantive dialogue be-
tween the Government of the People’s Republic
of China and the Dalai Lama or his representa-
tives;
(B) to coordinate United States Govern-
ment policies, programs, and projects concern-
ing Tibet;
(C) to consult with the Congress on poli-
cies relevant to Tibet and the future and wel-
fare of all Tibetan people, and to report to the
Congress in accordance with the requirements
of section 536(a) of the Foreign Relations Au-
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thorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995
(Public Law 103–236); and
(D) to advance United States policy which
seeks to protect the unique religious, cultural,
and linguistic heritage of Tibet, and to encour-
age improved respect for Tibetan human rights;
(4) calls on the People’s Republic of China to
release from detention the 9-year-old Panchen
Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, to his home in Tibet
from which he was taken on May 17, 1995, and to
allow him to pursue his religious studies without in-
terference and according to tradition; and
(5) calls on the President, as a central objective
of the 1998 presidential summit meeting with Jiang
Zemin in Beijing, to work toward securing an agree-
ment to begin substantive negotiations between the
Government of the People’s Republic of China and
the Dalai Lama or his representatives.
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