Norwegian Prime Minister To Go To China
(Norwegian Tibet Committee | January 2002)
The largest ever delegation from Norway (100+), including the Prime Minister and Ministers of Environment and of Trade, will leave for China on Friday, January 18. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the ties between Norway and China and also South-Korea which the major part of the delegation will head for, on Wednesday, January 23.
There will be talks with both Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and President Jiang Zemin.
Norwegian Prime Minister Bondevik promised during Dalai Lama's visit to Norway in December, that he would address the subject of dialogue between Chinese authorities and The Dalai Lama on the issue of genuine autonomy. Last week he was again urged to bring up this issue and others concerning the suffering in this region, this time by member of the Tibet Committee in the Parliament, Gunn Karin Gjul. Mr Bondevik could confirm that he would bring up these issues:
- that the Chinese Government enters a dialogue with the Dalai Lama
- that freedom of religion is respected
- that independent observers get access to the child the Dalai Lama has recognized as the 11th Panchen Lama
The talks with Zhu Rongji will be take place on Monday, January 21. between 16.00-20.00, and the talks with Jiang Zemin will be on Tuesday, January 22., between 9.00-10.00. Besides these political events, the Norwegian delegates will attend cultural happenings, and there will be extensive contact between representatives of industry and trade from the two countries.
Friends of Tibet (INDIA),
PO Box 16674, Bombay 400050
www.friendsoftibet.org