http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jZJaSMDyN3_31xej8Z86G_TE-ZbA
US senators ask Bush to visit Tibet during Olympics
15 hours ago
WA****NGTON (AFP) =97 Several US senators asked President George W. Bush
on Friday to visit Tibet when he travels to China for the Olympics to
back Wa****ngton's push for human rights in the Himalayan territory.
Bush is going to the Olympics in August although it is not certain if
he will attend the opening ceremony, which lawmakers and human rights
groups want him to boycott over China's recent crackdown in Tibet and
human rights record.
Senior Democratic Senators Joseph Biden, John Kerry and Barbara Boxer
and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe sent a letter to Bush Friday,
calling for his administration to take specific actions to help
resolve the crisis in Tibet, including making a presidential visit to
Tibet during the Olympics.
They also wanted him to press Beijing to open a US consulate in
Tibet's capital Lhasa and expand access to the region for
international humanitarian officials and journalists.
"First and foremost, we ask that you make preparations to visit the
Tibetan Autonomous Region or other Tibetan areas when you travel to
China this summer for the Olympic Games," they said in the letter.
"This would allow you to demonstrate sup****t for American athletes as
you also send a strong message of respect for the fundamental human
rights of the Tibetan people."
The Tibetan government-in-exile says 203 Tibetans have been killed and
about 1,000 injured in the Chinese crackdown. China denies this,
saying Tibetan "rioters" and "insurgents" killed 21 people.
Following the crisis, Bush had been pu****ng Beijing to hold talks with
envoys of exiled Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who is
seeking "meaningful" autonomy for his homeland.
The Dalai Lama's envoy said Thursday that a date would be set soon for
a seventh round of formal talks between the Tibetan leader's side and
China.
They held informal talks last Sunday in the Chinese city of Shenzhen
-- the first known encounter between the two sides since deadly unrest
erupted in the Himalayan region in March.
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