Jim O'Keeffe
Ceist:485 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he supports the appointment of a special co-ordinator for Tibet and the opening of negotiations without pre-conditions on the future of Tibet. [16171/02]
Vol. 554 No. 5
485 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he supports the appointment of a special co-ordinator for Tibet and the opening of negotiations without pre-conditions on the future of Tibet. [16171/02]
This year, in March, the Dalai Lama sent a letter to the EU Presidency, and the Foreign Ministers of the member states, including myself, to ask the EU to appoint an EU Special Representative to Tibet. The EU discussed and replied with a joint response to this proposal. It was decided not to pursue such an appointment, since it was agreed that any EU Special Representative would be unable to contribute effectively in Tibet, without Chinese support.
The EU is aware that China has refused to allow the US State Department's Tibet co-ordinator, Ms Paula Dobriansky, to visit Tibet. The EU believes that nominating an EU Special Representative would not achieve anything practical and that our concerns would be more effective when expressed to the Chinese authorities directly.
In our bilateral contacts with China, and through the European Union, Ireland has continued to raise and pursue our concerns with the Chinese Government and urge them to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama, and to respect fully the rights of the Tibetan people.