Tibet Resolution Passed in the Italian Parliament
25 October, 2002
Adopted in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament on October 9th 2002
The House of Representatives,
-Given the European Parliament resolutions regarding Tibet dated October 14, 1987, March 15, 1989, September 15, 1993, May 17, 1995, July 13, 1995, April 18, 1996, May 23, 1996, May 13, 1997, January 16,1998, May 13, 1998, July 6, 2000, April 11, 2002;
-Given the resolutions regarding fundamental rights violations in Tibet adopted by the German Bundestag (October 15, 1987, June 20, 1996 and April 18,2002), adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian House of Representatives (April 12, 1989), by the Belgian House of Representatives (June 20, 1990), adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Irish
Parliament (July 21, 1998);
-Given the resolution adopted on August 23, 1991 by the United Nations sub-Committee for the prevention of discrimination and protection of the rights of minorities;
-Given the resolutions adopted by the United States Government, by the Australian Senate and House of Representatives and by the Czech Parliament;
-Given the Constituent Act of the ‘Association of Italian Communities, provinces and Regions’ an organization which many local organizations have joined;
Keeping in mind
-The tragic historical events experienced since 1949 up until today by the Tibetan people;
Keeping in mind
-The United Nations resolution n. 1353 of the year 1959, and n. 1723 of the year 1961 and n. 2079 of the year1965;
-The ‘agreement consisting of 17 points’ signed in Beijing by the Tibetan authorities, whom, although recognizing the fact that Tibet has become part of the People’s Republic, guaranteed as well, full autonomy for Tibet and, particularly, the acknowledgement of its political system and the full respect of religious freedom;
-The repeated attempts to give new force to the dialogue with Beijing authorities made by the Dalai Lama with the ‘five point program’, presented before the American Parliament in 1987, and with the ‘Strasbourg proposal’, presented before the European Parliament in 1988;
Considers
-Favourably, to the ends of reinforcing dialogue and negotiations, the Dalai Lama’s position as far as it concerns the realization of an autonomous government for Tibet within the People’s Republic of China; it shares its profound concern for the serious damage already done to the Tibetan environment, traditions, culture and the Tibetan religion, and for the deterioration of the situation regarding human rights in Tibet; it expresses a positive judgement regarding the recent contacts commenced between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama and hopes that these will become, as soon as possible, true direct negotiations between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama with the aim of defining a new statute which guarantees full autonomy for Tibet within the Chinese People’s Republic;
Adopts as its own
-The European Parliament resolutions dated July 6, 2000 and April 11, 2002,
It commits the Government to
-the adoption, among the afore said European Parliament resolutions, of all the possible initiatives regarding the People’s Republic of China, so that, by way of dialogue, conditions be created for the realization of a new statute for Tibet, which will guarantee full autonomy for the Tibetan people in all sectors of political, economic and cultural life, with the exception of foreign affairs and defense;
-call upon the Chinese government to acknowledge and fully respect the fundamental political, social and cultural rights of religious, ethnic and other minorities, and also their cultural specificity including religious freedom;
-aid, in accordance with the other European Union members, the dialogue between the Beijing authorities and the Dalai Lama;
-work within the European Commission so as to designate an observer from the European Union concerning the Tibetan issue.