British PM Calls on China to ‘fully respect human rights in Tibet’
Thursday, 21 August 2008, 2:44 p.m.
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.
“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.