French lawmakers propose Tibet Resolution in the National Assembly

Phayul[Wednesday, December 18, 2013 10:19]

Noël Mamère, Jean-Patrick Gille at the press conference. Paris, Tuesday 17 December 2013 PARIS, December 18: Deputies Jean-Patrick Gille from the Socialist Party, and Noël Mamère from the Greens Party on Tuesday presented a Tibet resolution in the French Parliament appealing to "restart dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the representatives of Tibetan government in exile". The proposal was made in the backdrop of a visit to the French parliament on Tuesday by Wu Yingjie, deputy secretary of Tibet's regional committee of the Communist Party of China, on the invitation of France-China Friendship group.  The resolution also called upon France and European Union to appoint a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs. Deputies Gille and Mamère, who serve as co-presidents of the Tibet group at the French lower house also called upon the French government to take an active role in the Tibet impasse. "It is now urgent that France lobby the Chinese government to end its repressive policy towards the Tibetan minority, particularly with regard to places of worship, and reaffirm her support for Tibetans, with regard to respect for human rights and freedom of expression that are the foundation of our foreign policy," said a joint press statement by the two who are part of the ruling coalition.  Referring to ongoing spate of self-immolations in Tibet, Deputy Gille said that the self-immolations are "non-violent" and "sadly the most visible part of the the daily struggle" of the Tibetan people.  Gille noted that the proposed resolution reaffirms the right of the Tibetan people to "freedom of conscience", in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 36 of the Constitution of PRC and "condemns the threat to language, culture, religion, heritage and the environment of Tibet" and the violations thereof by China. Deputy Mamere said it also reiterates "support for the Middle Way Approach advocated by the Dalai Lama, whose purpose, as clearly stated in the Memorandum of 2010, is to establish" real autonomy for Tibet within the framework of PRC.