[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6675]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE IN LHASA, TIBET

  (Mr. KIRK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, the United States has no permanent diplomatic 
presence in Tibet. Our closest consulate is located in Chengdu--1,500 
miles away from Tibet's capital of Lhasa.
  During the recent violence, the Chinese government sealed off the 
Tibetan Autonomous Region to U.S. diplomats and foreign journalists. 
America has no permanent office to monitor the situation and to assist 
U.S. citizens.
  Last week, I authored appropriation language to establish a permanent 
diplomatic presence in Lhasa, Tibet. The language is supported by the 
Dalai Lama's special envoy, Lodi Gyari. The U.S. State Department has 
no opposition to it, and the Chinese ambassador to Washington has 
welcomed its discussion.
  I urge my colleagues to support this initiative to demonstrate our 
bipartisan commitment to the people of Tibet and the expanding 
diplomatic presence of the United States.

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