New Delhi
21 March 2008
The United States on Friday sought to involve itself with the
developments in Tibet when Nancy Pelosi, the third-ranking American official after the
President and Vice President, said after an audience with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala
that an independent inquiry should be held to check veracity of Chinese accusation that
the Dalai Lama is behind the violence in Tibet.
Ms Pelosi, who is the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, called China's
crackdown in Tibet "a challenge to the conscience of the world." She urged the
international community to denounce China for it.
"If freedom loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's
oppression in China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of
human rights anywhere in the world," she said.
Pelosi, who had a meeting with the Dalai Lama, said Tibetan struggle demanded the
truth from China on the situation in Lhasa and other adjoining areas. "We insist that the
world know what the truth is in Tibet," said the third-ranking US official.
Pelosi was instrumental in the US' decision last year to confer the Dalai Lama with the
Congressional Medal, a top US civilian honour. On Thursday she held talks with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh here before travelling to Dharamsala for an audience with the
Dalai Lama.
Ms Pelosi is the first woman Speaker of the US House of Representatives.
Beijing was quick to make its displeasure known at Pelosi's comments. Chinese
Ambassador to India Zhang Yan told reporters here that Beijing opposes interference by
any country, organisation or person in China's internal affairs. "Tibet is China's internal
affair," he said at a hurriedly convened new conference to show "CCTV 9" footage of what
he called "premeditated acts of sabotage by the Dalai Lama clique to split China".
"We don't allow any country to meddle in China's internal affairs," the envoy continued
in the same vein. "Any attempt to cause trouble to China is doomed to fail." He hoped no
country, organisation or person will speak or act irresponsibly.
On the Dalai Lama's offer of dialogue, Mr Zhang iterated what Chinese Premier Wen said
a few days ago. "As long as the Dalai Lama abandons independence from his agenda,
recognises Tibet as an inalienable part of China and Taiwan too, and stops separatist
and sabotage activities our door remains wide open," he said.
To another question, the envoy said Beijing will base its response to the Dalai Lama's
offer of dialogue after studying his actions. "We will judge him by his deeds, not words,"
he said, adding that the Dalai Lama "used non-violence to cheat international
community".
Meanwhile, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and 25 other Nobel laureates have
condemned China's violent crackdown on Tibetan protesters and called on Beijing to
exercise restraint.
"We protest the unwarranted campaign waged by the Chinese government against our
fellow Nobel laureate, His Holiness the Dalai Lama," the group said in a statement
released by Wiesel.
The group wanted renewed negotiations between China and the Dalai Lama, who won the
1989 Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, said he is
close friends with the Dalai Lama and that the Tibetan leader has repeatedly said he is
not asking for a sovereign independent Tibet. "All he wants is religious and cultural
autonomy," Wiesel said.
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