[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 51 (Tuesday, May 3, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DALAI LAMA SAYS PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IS UNIVERSAL RESPONSIBILITY; 
           CALLS FOR DIALOG WITH CHINESE ON TIBETAN FREEDOMS

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was in New 
York City on April 27 to receive the World Security Annual Peace Award 
and to speak on the challenges of the 21st century and the future of 
Tibet. It was my good fortune to attend this event, hosted by the New 
York Lawyers Alliance for World Security and the Council on Foreign 
Relations.
  The Dalai Lama framed his remarks within the concept of universal 
responsibility, that is, the obligation of each of us, on the basis of 
our human commonality, to work for the benefit of all. His discussion 
on the difficult issues of economic development and human rights, 
overpopulation, and arms control represented a spiritual and practical 
wisdom too rarely offered to an audience of such significant foreign 
affairs acumen.
  As the leader of the Tibetan people and greatest incarnate hope for a 
peaceful and just resolution to the situation in Tibet, the Dalai 
Lama's most important remarks were addressed, perhaps, not only to 
those gathered in New York, but also to the Chinese Government:

       I take this opportunity to again state my willingness to 
     meet with any of the present members of the Standing 
     Committee of the Politburo in a third country of mutual 
     convenience with the sincere desire to make a breakthrough in 
     our relationship.

  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the 
Dalai Lama's April 27 remarks, ``Reflections on the Challenges of the 
21st Century,'' be printed in the Record at this time.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           Reflections on the Challenges of the 21st Century

                 (By His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama)

       As the twentieth century draws to a close, we find that the 
     world has grown smaller. The world's people have become 
     almost one community. Political and military alliances have 
     created large multinational groups; industry and 
     international trade have produced a global economy. Worldwide 
     communications are eliminating ancient barriers of distance, 
     language and race. We are also being drawn together by the 
     grave problems we face: overpopulation, dwindling natural 
     resources, degradation of the environment, military build-up 
     and aggression and terrible human rights situations.
       I believe that to meet the challenge of the next century, 
     human beings will have to develop a greater sense of 
     universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not 
     just for his or her own self, family or nation, but for the 
     benefit of all mankind. It is very old fashioned to think in 
     terms of my nation, or my country. Universal responsibility 
     is the real key to human survival.
       Whether we like it or not, we have all been born on this 
     earth as part of one great family. Rich or poor, educated or 
     uneducated, black, white or yellow, belonging to one nation, 
     religion, ideology or another, ultimately each of us is just 
     a human being like everyone else. We have the common human 
     needs and concerns. We all seek happiness and try to avoid 
     suffering regardless of our race, religion, sex or political 
     status. Human beings, indeed all sentient beings, have the 
     right to pursue happiness and live in peace and in freedom.
       As free human beings we can use our unique intelligence and 
     try to understand ourselves and our world. But if we are 
     prevented from using our creative potential, we are deprived 
     of one of the basic characteristics of a human being. It is 
     often the most gifted, dedicated and creative members of our 
     society who become victims of human rights abuses. Thus the 
     political, social, cultural and economic developments of a 
     society are obstructed by the violations of human rights. 
     Therefore, the protection of these rights and freedoms are of 
     immense importance both for individuals affected and for the 
     development of society as a whole.
       If we accept that others have an equal right to peace and 
     happiness as ourselves do we not have a responsibility to 
     help those in need? Respect for fundamental human rights is 
     as important to the people of Africa and Asia as it is to 
     those in Europe or the Americas. All human beings, whatever 
     their cultural or historical background suffer when they are 
     intimidated, imprisoned or tortured. The question of human 
     rights is so fundamentally important that there should be no 
     difference of views on this. We must therefore insist on a 
     global consensus not only on the need to respect human rights 
     worldwide, but also on the definition of these rights.
       Some governments have contended that the standards of human 
     rights laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
     are those advocated by the West and cannot be applied to Asia 
     and other parts of the Third World because of differences in 
     culture and differences in social and economic development. I 
     do not share this view and I am convinced that the majority 
     of Asian people do not support this view either, for it is 
     the inherent nature of all human beings to yearn for freedom, 
     equality and dignity and they have an equal right to achieve 
     that.
       I do not see any contradiction between the need for 
     economic development and the need for respect of human 
     rights. The rich diversity of cultures and religions should 
     help to strengthen the fundamental human rights in all 
     communities. Underlying this diversity are fundamental human 
     principles that bind us all as members of the same human 
     family. Diversity and traditions can never justify the 
     violations of human rights. Thus discrimination of persons 
     from a different race, of women, and of weaker sections of 
     the society may be traditional in some regions, but if they 
     are inconsistent with universally recognized human rights, 
     these forms of behavior should change. The universal 
     principles of equality of all human beings must take 
     precedence.
       Artificial barriers that have divided nations and peoples 
     have fallen in recent times. With the dismantling of the 
     Berlin Wall, the East-West division which has polarized the 
     whole world for decades has now come to an end. We are 
     experiencing a time filled with hope and expectations. Yet 
     there still remains a major gulf at the heart of the human 
     family. By this I am referring to the North South divide. If 
     we are serious in our commitment to the fundamental 
     principles of equality, principles which I believe lie at the 
     heart of the concept of human rights, today's economic 
     disparity can no longer be ignored. It is not enough to 
     merely state that all human beings must enjoy equal dignity. 
     This must be translated into action. We have a responsibility 
     to find ways to reduce this gap.
       In this context, another important issue is over-
     population. From a Buddhist point of view, life of every 
     sentient being is precious, and birth control is not favored. 
     But today, we are facing a situation where the growing number 
     of people poses a threat to the survival of humanity. 
     Therefore, I personally feel we need to be pragmatic and 
     adopt birth control measures in order to ensure the quality 
     of life today in southern countries, and protect the quality 
     of life for future generations. Of course, as a Buddhist 
     monk, I favor non-violent forms of birth control.
       Another issue which is very dear to my vision of the future 
     is global demilitarization. This may sound idealistic to many 
     people. I am aware that it needs a process of rethinking, 
     education and a step by step approach. Most important I 
     believe, is to re-evaluate our concept of military 
     establishment. National forces should be gradually dissolved 
     and collective forces on a regional basis should be formed. 
     An important further step toward the goal of global 
     demilitarization is an international ban on arms trade and 
     the expansion of demilitarized zones in all parts of the 
     world. Recent progress on dismantling nuclear arsenals and 
     nuclear test bans are encouraging and significant 
     developments.
       Many dictators in the developing world have survived by 
     weapons and armaments supplied by northern countries. So much 
     money has gone toward buying guns instead of feeding people 
     and meeting basic human and environmental needs. Costa Rica, 
     a country which has followed the demilitarized path, has done 
     quite well in areas such as education and health compared to 
     neighboring countries. On the other hand, take Somalia for 
     example, it is such a tragedy that there is no shortage of 
     guns and bullets, but a severe lack of food. In such 
     situations, thousands of innocent people can die, including 
     many innocent children.
       Even in your own country, guns and violence are too 
     prevalent. And it seems that a contributing factor is the 
     availability of inexpensive automatic weapons sold to 
     American consumers by companies owned by the Peoples 
     Liberation Army. Those cheap weapons are not only harming 
     Americans, but also financially contributing to the army 
     repressing my people in Tibet.
       I have always envisioned the future of my own country, 
     Tibet, as a neutral, demilitarized sanctuary where weapons 
     are forbidden and the people live in harmony with nature. I 
     have called this a Zone of Ahimsa or non-violence. This is 
     not merely a dream--it is precisely the way Tibetans tried to 
     live for over a thousand years before our country was 
     tragically invaded. Also, for at least the last three hundred 
     years, we had virtually no army. Tibet gave up the waging of 
     war as an instrument of national policy several centuries 
     ago.
       I would also like to express my deep sense of satisfaction 
     that elections are taking place in South Africa that allow 
     all South Africans to participate. I hope and pray that 
     peoples of all backgrounds and leaders of all communities 
     will continue to work together toward an open, democratic 
     society. I also had the opportunity to visit Israel recently, 
     and there too, I was very heartened to see a process of 
     negotiations toward a peaceful solution. Both these conflicts 
     are being resolved through personal, face-to-face dialogue 
     which I have always believed is essential.
       Unfortunately, my efforts to resolve the situation in Tibet 
     have not been a successful. So far, we have not been able to 
     make a breakthrough and establish direct talks.
       It has been thirty five years since the Chinese took 
     complete control of Tibet. At that time, I, along with over 
     100,000 fellow Tibetans, left my homeland to live in exile in 
     India, Nepal and other parts of the globe. As a result of the 
     invasion and the ensuing occupation over 1.2 million of our 
     people died of unnatural causes. Most of our monasteries, the 
     learning centers and repositories of our culture--over 6000 
     of them--have been destroyed.
       Since that time I have pursued a cause of non-violence and 
     have tried in every way I know to find some reasonable 
     accommodation with the Chinese government so that the Tibetan 
     people can resume a life in peace and with dignity.
       In 1979, Deng Xiaoping stated that all issues regarding 
     Tibet were open for negotiations--except that of 
     independence. I responded positively in agreement with the 
     principles advanced by Mr. Deng Xiaoping with the hope that 
     the Chinese government would be genuinely committed to 
     negotiate on all other matters concerning the future of the 
     six million Tibetans.
       After informing the Chinese of my position on this point, 
     through my emissaries who traveled to Beijing and met with 
     Chinese diplomats abroad as well as through some of our 
     foreign friends, I was hopeful that a forthright response 
     would come from the Chinese so that we could enter into 
     serious negotiations. My decision to make a short trip to 
     Tibet in 1991 would have also given the Chinese government an 
     opportunity to arrange direct meetings between me and some of 
     their senior leaders who could have come to Tibet to meet me.
       Unfortunately the Chinese government has yet to accept any 
     of my proposals over the last fourteen years and yet to enter 
     into substantive negotiations with my representatives, who 
     remain prepared to meet with Chinese representatives anytime.
       Therefore, I take this opportunity to again state my 
     willingness to meet with any of the present members of the 
     Standing Committee of the Politburo in a third country of 
     mutual convenience with the sincere desire to make a 
     breakthrough in our relationship.
       On my part I am continuing with my sincere efforts to 
     resolve the situation through negotiations. If this approach 
     does not bring about a positive result, then I must consult 
     my people over our future course of our freedom struggle. 
     However, my commitment to non-violence is fundamental and 
     there will be no deviation from this path under my 
     leadership.
       I think we can say that, because of the lessons we have 
     begun to learn, the next century will be friendlier, more 
     harmonious and peaceful. I am very hopeful. At the same time, 
     I believe that every individual has a responsibility to help 
     guide our global family in the right direction. good wishes 
     are not enough; we have to assume responsibility. Large human 
     movements spring from individual initiatives. I therefore 
     believe strongly that it is the individual who makes the 
     difference.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Under the previous order, the Senator from Utah [Mr. Hatch] is 
recognized to speak for up to 15 minutes.

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