Switzerland Calls for Self-Determination in Tibet
22 March, 2002
Geneva, 26 March – As the 58th UN Commission on Human Rights entered its
second week session, Mr. Joseph Deiss, the Swiss Foreign Minister in an
address this morning said that Tibet requires a satisfactory form of
self-determination through dialogue.
Speaking after the French Foreign Minister who called for a better human rights situation in China, Mr. Deiss said: “With regard to the rights of minorities, in Tibet, for example, a satisfactory form of self-determination must be found through dialogue. In China and elsewhere, we point out that in some cases the drive for independence would be less strong if human rights were respected, for example, in religious and cultural matters, as well as through a judicial system which ensures fair trails.”
“We are grateful that Switzerland chose to raise the issue of Tibet to this UN human rights body,” said Mr. Chhime R. Chhoekyapa, the Representative of H. H. the Dalai Lama for UN Affairs in Geneva, after listening to the Swiss Foreign Minister’s statement. “I believe Switzerland has sent a strong message to the Chinese leadership, especially after the recent round of Swiss-China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing,” he added.
As the Commission began to discuss the item which deals with human rights
situation in various countries, another written statement on Tibet
(E.CN.4/2002/NGO147) submitted by German-based Society for Threatened
Peoples was distributed this morning. The full text of the statement can be found on the wesbite: www.unhchr.ch
Since the Commission began, the Tibetan delegation headed by Mr. Chhime R.
Chhoekyapa has been lobbying various governments to ascertain their position
on the submission of a resolution against China’s human rights record. At
this stage there are no clear indications of whether or not a resolution
will be tabled on China.
This week the Tibetan delegation will be joined by Mrs. Tsewang Lhadon, the Executive Director of Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in
Dharamsala, India.
Tibet Bureau, Geneva