PARIS: The upper house of the French Parliament, Sénat, on Tuesday 27 November, adopted a resolution in favour of Tibet.

The resolution was proposed by the Group for Question on Tibet, an all-party parliamentary support group for Tibet in the French Senate.

The Senate adopted the resolution after it was cleared by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, 22 November.

The resolution is brought in view of the deteriorating human rights situation inside Tibet and calls on the European Union to give priority to Tibet issue within the mandate of its recently appointed EU Special Representative for Human Rights.

 

Following is English translation of the resolution:

The Senate,

Having regard to Article 88-4 of   the Constitution,

Noting resolution 2012/2685 of the European Parliament of 14 June 2012 on the situation of human rights in Tibet

Considering that respect for human rights and freedoms of religion and association, is one of the founding principles of the European Union, its foreign policy aims to promote;

Whereas the EU-China dialogue on human rights has led to any significant improvement in the human rights situation of Tibetans;

Whereas the authorities of the  Republic of China (PRC) had a disproportionate use of force against the 2008 protests in Tibet and since then, they imposed stringent security measures that restrict freedom of expression, association and religion of Tibetans ;

Considering that the talks between the envoys of the Dalai Lama and the Government of  the PRC,   aimed at finding a peaceful and mutually satisfactory solution to the question of the rights of Tibetans led to any concrete results and are currently at a standstill;

Whereas the principles set out in the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People, presented by the envoys of the Dalai Lama to their Chinese counterparts in October 2008, are to be taken into account to achieve a realistic and sustainable political solution to the Tibetan issue, taking into account the need for   the PRC, to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for Tibetans to enjoy genuine autonomy within  the PRC;

Whereas the democratization of Tibetan institutions in exile has passed a milestone recently with the transfer of political power from the Dalai Lama to the Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile;

Requests the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in the absence of a special representative for Tibet, to entrust the Special Representative of the Union for Human Rights Tibet issue as a priority, with a mandate to:

– Promoting policy coordination in the European Union for coherent actions to advance human rights and freedoms of Tibetans, including their right to preserve their own identity, in its religious, cultural and linguistic

– Promoting policy coordination in the European Union for actions consistent support for dialogue between the Government of   the PRC   and envoys of the Dalai Lama, the prospect of reaching a peaceful and mutually beneficial to the rights of Tibetans;

– Promoting policy coordination in the European Union for coherent actions supporting Tibetan exile community in its efforts, under the direction of the Central Tibetan Administration, in development of education services and health, guarantee a sustainable livelihood to its members, as well as for the preservation of Tibetan culture in exile, in all its aspects.

Become the Senate resolution, November 27, 2012.

  The President,
 Signed:   Jean-Pierre Bel