Fifth International Conference of Tibet Support Groups
Brussels, 11-14 May 2007
Convened by the
Department of Information and International Relations,
Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamshala
In collaboration with the
Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, Germany,
And co-hosted by the
Belgian Inter-Parliamentary Group for Tibet
Press statement by Kalon Tempa Tsering regarding
His Holiness the Dalai Lama not being able to participate at the Tibet
conference in Brussels
For immediate release 9 May 2007
I AM SAD to say that because of Chinese pressure which created
inconvenience to the Belgian government, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is
not able to attend the 5th International Conference of Tibet Support
Groups to be held in Brussels from 11 to 14 May 2007.
The Belgian government made repeated requests to His Holiness
to reconsider his visit to Brussels in May. Finally, during His
Holiness the Dalai Lama’s recent visit to the United States, the
Belgian ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Dominique
Struye de Swielande, called upon His Holiness. The ambassador shared
with His Holiness his governments predicament on account of pressure
from the People’s Republic of China in connection with the upcoming
visit of a Belgian trade delegation led by the Crown Prince.
In response, His Holiness said that the decision not to visit
Brussels was more difficult this time than it was in 2005. That year
the Belgian government had for the first time requested him to postpone
his visit to Belgium because his presence in the country coincided with
the Belgian king’s visit to China. This time His Holiness was
specifically attending the Tibet Support Group Conference, which would
be attended by about 300 friends of Tibet from about 60 countries.
However, His Holiness said that he understood the Belgian government’s
position and acceded to its request.
A message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to explain the
background of his decision would be read to the participants at the
inauguration of the conference on 11 May.
The Chinese government’s persistent attempts to exert pressure
on small nations to restrict the movement of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama is a case of outright bullying, gross interference in the internal
affairs of a sovereign state, setting an unfortunate trend in
international diplomacy and undermines the efforts that have been made
to create a conducive atmosphere for a just and speedy resolution of
the issue of Tibet.
We know that this decision by His Holiness the Dalai Lama will
disappoint many participants at the conference and the general Belgian
public. However, His Holiness does not in any way wish to inconvenience
any host government. This decision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in
accordance with his conviction that his first responsibility as a
citizen of the world is to be of service to humanity. As a Buddhist
monk, his second responsibility is to serve as a bridge between
different religious denominations so that all religions could
collectively contribute to peace and harmony. And as a Tibetan, his
third responsibility is to serve the cause of Tibet and the Tibetan
people.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated all the previous
four International Tibet Support Group Conferences. The first
International Tibet Support Group Conference was held in 1990 at
Dharamsala in north-west India, the seat of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
and his administration. The second International Tibet Support Group
Conference was held in Bonn in 1996, the third in Berlin in 2000 and
the fourth in Prague in 2003, when former Czech President Vaclav Havel
joined His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Brussels
9 May 2007