[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 283 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 283

   Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning the December 1997 
   report on Tibet of the International Commission of Jurists and on 
                     United States policy on Tibet.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 1998

  Mr. Berman (for himself, Mr. Porter, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. 
 Payne, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. 
 Gilman, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Cox of California, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Ms. 
 Lofgren, Mr. Kennedy of Massachusetts, and Ms. Pelosi) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning the December 1997 
   report on Tibet of the International Commission of Jurists and on 
                     United States policy on Tibet.

Whereas the International Commission of Jurists is a nongovernmental 
        organization founded in 1952 to defend the rule of law throughout the 
        world and to work toward the full observance of the provisions of the 
        Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Whereas in 1959, 1960, and 1964 the International Commission of Jurists examined 
        Chinese policy in Tibet, violations of human rights in Tibet, and the 
        position of Tibet in international law;
Whereas these findings were presented to the United Nations General Assembly, 
        which adopted three resolutions (in 1959, 1961, and 1965) calling on the 
        People's Republic of China to ensure respect for the fundamental human 
        rights of the Tibetan people and for their distinctive cultural and 
        religious life, and to cease practices which deprive the Tibetan people 
        of their fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right to 
        self-determination;
Whereas in December 1997, the International Commission of Jurists issued a 
        fourth report on Tibet, examining human rights and the rule of law, 
        including self-determination;
Whereas the President of the United States has repeatedly indicated his support 
        for substantive dialogue between the Government of the People's Republic 
        of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives; and
Whereas on October 31, 1997, the Secretary of State appointed a Special 
        Coordinator for Tibetan Issues to oversee United States policy regarding 
        Tibet: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) expresses grave concern regarding the findings of the 
        report of the International Commission of Jurists on Tibet 
        issued in December 1997, that--
                    (A) repression in Tibet has increased steadily 
                since 1994, resulting in heightened control on 
                religious activity, a denunciation campaign against the 
                Dalai Lama unprecedented since the Cultural Revolution, 
                an increase in political arrests, suppression of 
                peaceful protests, and an accelerated movement of 
                Chinese people to Tibet; and
                    (B) in 1997, a senior office of the People's 
                Republic of China labeled the Tibetan Buddhist culture, 
                which has flourished in Tibet since the seventh 
                century, as a ``foreign culture'' in order to 
                facilitate indoctrination of Tibetans in Chinese 
                socialist ideology and the process of national and 
                cultural integration;
            (2) supports the recommendations contained in the report 
        referred to in paragraph (1) that--
                    (A) call on the People's Republic of China--
                            (i) to enter into discussions with the 
                        Dalai Lama or his representatives on a solution 
                        to the question of Tibet;
                            (ii) to ensure respect for the fundamental 
                        human rights of the Tibetan people; and
                            (iii) to end those practices which threaten 
                        to erode the distinct cultural, religious, and 
                        national identity of the Tibetan people and, in 
                        particular, to cease policies which result in 
                        the movement of Chinese people to Tibetan 
                        territory;
                    (B) call on the United Nations General Assembly to 
                resume its debate on the question of Tibet; and
                    (C) call on the Dalai Lama or his representatives 
                to enter into discussions with the Government of the 
                People's Republic of China on a solution to the 
                question of Tibet;
            (3) commends the appointment by the Secretary of State of a 
        United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues--
                    (A) to promote substantive dialogue between the 
                Government of the People's Republic of China and the 
                Dalai Lama or his representatives;
                    (B) to coordinate United States Government 
                policies, programs, and projects concerning Tibet;
                    (C) to consult with the Congress on policies 
                relevant to Tibet and the future and welfare of all 
                Tibetan people, and to report to the Congress in 
                accordance with the requirements of section 536(a) of 
                the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 
                1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-236); and
                    (D) to advance United States policy which seeks to 
                protect the unique religious, cultural, and linguistic 
                heritage of Tibet, and to encourage improved respect 
                for Tibetan human rights;
            (4) calls on the People's Republic of China to release from 
        detention the 9-year-old Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, to 
        his home in Tibet from which he was taken on May 17, 1995, and 
        to allow him to pursue his religious studies without 
        interference and according to tradition; and
            (5) calls on the President, as a central objective of the 
        1998 presidential summit meeting with Jiang Zemin in Beijing, 
        to work toward securing an agreement to begin substantive 
        negotiations between the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives.
                                 <all>