United States
Congressional Resolution S. Res. 169 (1995) [284]
UNITED STATES CONGRESS
S.RES 169 104th CONGRESS 1st Session
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
SEPTEMBER 8 (LEGISLATIVE DAY, SEPTEMBER 5)1995
Mr. THOMAS (for himself, Mr. HELMS, Mr. PELL, Mr. D'AMATO, Mr. MACK, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate welcoming His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his visit to the United States.
Whereas historically Tibet has demonstrated those attributes which under international law constitute statehood: it has had a defined territory and a permanent population; it has been under the control of its own government; and it has engaged in, or had the capacity to engage in, formal relations with other states;
Whereas beginning in 1949 Tibet was forcibly and coercively invaded and occupied by the People's Republic of China;
Whereas under the principles of international law Tibet is an occupied country and its true representatives continue to be His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-exile, which the Congress has recognized on several occasions;
Whereas the Tibetan people are historically, territorially, and culturally distinct from the Chinese population in the People's Republic of China and were forcibly incorporated into the People's Republic of China;
Whereas the Tibetan people are entitled to the right of self-determination as recognized in 1961 by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution No. 1723;
Whereas instead of being afforded that right they have been subjected to repressive actions on the part of the Government of the People's Republic of China, which have resulted in the deaths of countless Tibetans, the destruction of over 6,000 temples and monasteries as well as much of Tibet 's unique cultural and spiritual patrimony, the flight of the Dalai Lama and over 100,000 Tibetans from their homeland, the establishment in Tibet by the Chinese of a consistent and well-documented pattern of human rights abuses including numerous violations of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, and the settlement of thousands of Chinese in Tibet in an effort to reduce Tibetans to being a minority in their own land; and
Whereas this September His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be making his first extended visit to Washington, DC, since 1993: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) warmly welcomes His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the United States;
(2) urges the President to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his visit to discuss substantive issues of interest to our two respective governments, and to continue to encourage the Government of the People's Republic of China to meet with the Dalai Lama or his representatives to discuss a solution to the present impasse in their relations; and
(3) urges His Holiness the Dalai Lama to remind the Tibetan people that, as they move forward in their struggle toward preserving their culture and regaining their freedom, the Congress and the American people stand with them.