WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - Congress is about to stir up another sensitive issue in the strained U.S.-Chinese relationship with the introduction of a bill designed to protect Tibetan cultural and religious traditions, congressional sources and advocates said on Tuesday.
Senators and congressmen plan to announce the legislation on Wednesday morning. It would also seek to promote dialogue on Tibet's future between the exiled religious leader the Dalai Lama and Chinese officials.
The International Campaign for Tibet, an advocacy group, has called the bill the most comprehensive legislation on the region ever put before Congress. The move comes at the beginning of a nine-city U.S. tour by the Dalai Lama.
Sino-American ties have recently been frayed by the 11-day detention of an American spy plane crew, President George W. Bush's outspoken vow to defend Taiwan if it is threatened by Beijing and his offer to sell arms to the island, which China considers a breakaway province.
"The sponsors of this bill have crafted the most comprehensive Tibet legislation ever to be considered by Congress," said Mary Beth Markey, director of governmental relations for the International Campaign for Tibet.
"With this move, the U.S. government is putting the force of law behind its long-standing interest in the welfare of the Tibetan people and a negotiated solution for Tibet," she said.
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
Legislative sponsors include two California Democrats, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Tom Lantos, as well as Sen. Craig Thomas of Wyoming and Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois, both Republicans.
"The legislation provides a clear statement of U.S. intent to help preserve the identity of the Tibetan people and offers the United States tools for formulating and implementing Tibet-related policies and for cooperating with other members of the international community," a Democratic spokesman said.
He said that for five decades, China had focused on the economic integration and ethnic assimilation of Tibet.
This has "undermined the sustainability of an independent Tibetan economy and ... threatened the cultural, social, religious and linguistic identity of the Tibetan people," he said.
The legislation, known as the Tibetan Policy Act, takes up such issues as political prisoners and U.N. consideration of Tibet. Occasionally, the Dalai Lama or a representative has been barred from a U.N.-affiliated event, presumably because of objections by China.
Advocacy groups said the bill would authorize the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Tibetan refugees, of scholarships and of other support for Tibetans.
SPECIFIES COORDINATOR'S ROLE
It is also expected to codify the position of the special coordinator for Tibetan issues at the State Department, spelling out that official's responsibility for promoting dialogue between the government of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives, a spokesman for the International Campaign for Tibet said.
In addition, it is expected to establish guidelines for U.S. backing for potential development projects on the Tibetan plateau supported by international financial institutions and other international organizations.
The Dalai Lama, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Buddhist monk who fled to India in 1959 after Tibet's abortive uprising against Chinese rule, arrived in Minneapolis on Monday.
He will visit U.S. Buddhist communities and publicize his campaign for "a process of peaceful negotiations with the Chinese leadership as a means to resolve the problem of Tibet."
China's suppression of Tibetan nationalism has made the fate of the Himalayan region a deeply emotive issue in the United States, where the Dalai Lama enjoys a kind of spiritual stardom, enhanced by the vocal support of Hollywood personalities.
His U.S. stops will include St. Paul, Minnesota; Salt Lake City; Portland, Oregon; San Jose, California; San Francisco; Madison, Wisconsin; and Los Angeles. He is due in Washington around May 22.
20:01 05-08-01
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