2008 ORDINARY SESSION

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(Third part)

REPORT

Twenty-fifth Sitting

Thursday 26 June 2008 at 10 a.m.

Mr HERKEL (Estonia). – Thank you, Mr President. Dear colleagues, I welcome this report very much, but in some instances I would prefer stronger wording. I remind colleagues that one of the main motives for holding this debate is to ask the fundamental question whether the Olympic Games will have a positive impact on the human rights situation in China. We will probably be able to give a better answer in the future, but up to now we must admit that there has been no significant progress. We must say frankly, not only to the Chinese authorities but to the European public and even the International Olympic Committee, that the number of human rights problems in China is very large. However, our report is very short. For that reason, not all the basic human rights problems are mentioned. For example, the issue of the rights of Uyghurs in eastern Turkestan is not mentioned in the explanatory memorandum. The story about Falun Gong has half a sentence in the resolution.

Much more attention is paid to the issue of Tibet. Why is Tibet so important? The answer is that one of the most valuable and interesting cultures in human history, the Tibetan Buddhist culture, is dying under our eyes. It probably could be preserved in exile, but it is in a dangerous situation. The only solution is the democratisation of China and our commitment to it. It is a well-known fact that the Assembly invited His Holiness the Dalai Lama to be present at this session. Unfortunately, he could not come. I should like to stress that that invitation should be extended for longer. Mr Haibach clearly made the point that what happens after the Olympic Games is very important.

At the beginning of this year, I was in India and I met the Dalai Lama. He made a very interesting point. He said, “Look, I am not so much afraid of what is happening now, before the Olympic Games; I am more frightened about what will happen after the Olympic Games.” We must have follow-up, and not just one report. Clearly, we must have sustainable dialogue with China on the issue.

There are a few important principles to consider. We should open up the country, open Tibet and other areas to journalists, initiate negotiations with the Dalai Lama on the religious and cultural autonomy of Tibet and other regions in the Chinese provinces, and free all political prisoners. Thank you.