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Tuesday, 15 July 2008 |
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China: MEPs discuss human rights, Olympics and Tibet
European Parliament , July 10, 2008
In the debate on China many MEPs spoke of their shock at the recent earthquake in China which claims thousands of lives. Turning to political matters many Members deplored human rights abuses such as torture and ill-treatment. A few MEPs spoke of the "improvement" they had noticed in the human rights situation in the country.
Many Members referred to the situation in Tibet and urged dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Beijing. They also called for improvements in the human rights situation. Many MEPs also called for the EU and China to continue to pursue closer links across many aspects of their relations including trade, cultural issues and human rights dialogue.
Several MEPs were critical of the decision of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games (in his official role as President in Office of the Council).
On Wednesday Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering announced on Wednesday that he would not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. He cited Parliament's resolution of 10 April and a lack of any progress in talks between representatives of the Dalai Lama and Chinese authorities.
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