B4-0768 and 0826/95

Resolution on Tibet

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its resolutions on Tibet of 15 October 1987 ((OJ C 305, 16.11.1987, p. 114.)), 16 March 1989 ((OJ C 96, 17.4.1989, p. 140.)), 15 March 1990 ((OJ C 96, 17.4.1990, p. 256.)), 12 September 1991 ((OJ C 267, 14.10.1991, p. 135.)), 13 February 1992 ((OJ C 67, 16.3.1992, p. 141.)), 15 December 1992 ((OJ C 21, 25.1.1993, p. 78.)), 25 June 1993 ((OJ C 194, 19.7.1993, p. 210.)) and 17 September 1993 ((OJ C 268, 4.10.1993, p. 145.)),

- having regard to the Commission notice of 5 March 1993 concerning an open and structured dialogue between the Commission and special interest groups promoting greater transparency in dealings with the Commission ((OJ C 63, 5.3.1993, p. 2.)),

A. having regard to the proposal for support by the European Union for the Panam Integrated Rural Development project in Tibet,

B. having regard to the views expressed by the Commission during its meeting with the Dalai Lama in June 1994 that the best solution to the situation in Tibet is through a constructive dialogue between the Tibetan Government-in- Exile and the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC),

C. noting and supporting previous resolutions calling for economic aid which genuinely serves the interests of the Tibetan people,

D. noting the objective of the Panam Rural Integrated Project of increasing the food surplus produced by the region for distribution to other parts of Tibet, in particular those with a non-Tibetan population,

E. particularly concerned by encouragement given to the settlement of Chinese in Tibet which marginalizes Tibetan culture and threatens the identity of the Tibetans as a distinct people and their ability to participate effectively in any political process,

F. concerned also that during its assessment of the Panam Project the Commission did not adequately consult either the local population or special interest groups with extensive expertise of development work in Tibet as demanded by the Commission's own policy of open and structured dialogue with such special interest groups,

G. recognizing that Tibetans are a people under international law and that in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the UN Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights they have a right to self-determination,

H. noting with increasing concern the continued violations of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people, and the major crackdown by the PRC on religious expression and on supporters of Tibetan independence,

I. shocked at the news of the recent death of Gyaltsen Kelsang, the Buddhist nun recently released after one and a half year's detention, as a result of ill-treatment during imprisonment, and concerned for the health of others suffering injury or illness as a result of ill-treatment whilst in custody,

J. appalled by the fact that she was the tenth political prisoner since 1987 to die shortly after leaving prison and the fourth woman to die within four years;

K. noting the hosting of the forthcoming United Nations Fourth World Conference for Women by the PRC and the reports of obstacles being placed in the way of legitimate activity at the conference by non-governmental organizations and specifically the barring of Tibetan and Taiwanese women from the conference and the complementary NGO Forum,

L. noting reports of coercive contraceptive methods used against Chinese and Tibetan women to enforce government policy limiting the number of children in a family,

1. Calls on the Commission to recognize that the Panam Project has been proposed by the PRC as part of a scheme to feed the new Chinese settlers in Tibet by local means and that it is therefore against the interests of the Tibetan people because it encourages the settlement of Chinese citizens and forces the economic integration of Tibet into China;

2. Calls on the Commission to redeploy resources from the Panam Project to aid which will better serve the Tibetan people;

3. Urges the Commission to regard its own findings of difficulty in consulting the population of Panam county as further evidence of the problems of managing projects in Tibet and to accept the conclusion that development aid must be channelled into small local projects;

4. Urges the Commission to support non-governmental organizations engaged in these types of local projects;

5. Calls on the Commission to ensure in future that any proposals relating to Tibet are the subject of a full and open consultation process conducted with a view to providing the transparency necessary to allow special interest groups to participate in this process;

6. Calls on the Commission to make the granting of aid to China conditional on respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms, particularly in Tibet;

7. Urges the PRC to enter into the postponed discussions on the future of Tibet with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile;

8. Strongly urges the Foreign Ministers of the Member States and the Commission to call for a substantive dialogue without preconditions to take place between the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and the Chinese Government in order to find a constructive solution to the situation in Tibet;

9. Calls on the PRC authorities to release forthwith all persons detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression in China and Tibet and to ensure that all detainees are protected from torture and ill- treatment, are granted access to relatives and a lawyer of their choice, and are provided with full health care for injury or illness resulting from detention;

10. Appeals to the Government of the PRC to acknowledge its responsibility to ensure that the Fourth World Conference for Women allows proper facilities for the NGO Forum; women from Tibet, Taiwan, Western Sahara and elsewhere should be given full access;

11. Calls on the PRC to abandon policy and legislation which encourages the authorities to force women to use birth control methods, including abortion and sterilization, by economic or other means;

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the government of the People's Republic of China, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Dalai Lama.