British PM Calls on China to 'fully respect human rights in Tibet'

Dharamshala: Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on China on Wednesday to "fully respect human rights all those in Tibet" and to make progress on rights issues in the days after the Olympic Games, Reuters reported.

Brown to talk human rights with Chinese leaders/Photo: AFP

"The human rights of all those in Tibet should be fully respected," Mr Brown told reporters on board flight to Beijing to attend the Games' closing ceremony.

"Our consistent position is that the way to resolve the issues highlighted by the disturbances in March is through dialogue, not violence," he added.

In a letter to the leader of Britain's third party Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg released by Brown's office, Brown said that supporting China as it bids to re-engage with the world was "firmly in our national interest".

"Support for the Games and engagement with China is not at the expense of human rights. It is integral to their promotion. China has made enormous social and economic progress over the last three decades, but much more remains to be done," he wrote.

"I firmly believe that allowing China's citizens to enjoy freedom of expression and association; to worship how and where they wish; and to live in confidence that the rule of law will be applied consistently and impartially is not only the right thing to do but will also benefit China's future stability and prosperity, which is in all our interests," he wrote.

Human rights groups repeatedly raised concerns about China's rights record in the run-up to the games, with Amnesty International saying the Olympics had made the situation worse, not better.

"When I am in Beijing... I will make clear to President Hu and Premier Wen that respect for human rights matters to us every year, not only the year of the Olympics," he said in the letter.

"I am looking forward to constructive discussion of these issues with the Chinese leadership during my visit to Beijing."

He said he had urged talks between China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama and offered to help bring the two sides together.

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