Paris, February 1 – Mr Lionnel LUCA, President of the Tibet Group at the French National Assembly announced today that the Tibet Group is now the largest group at the Lower House of the national Parliament). With 135 Members of National Assembly enrolled till date, the Tibet Group has surpassed the other major groups such as Russia, China and Canada.
First constituted in 1990 by Mr Louis de Broissia and Mr Jean Michel Belorgey, Tibet Group has been continuously reconstituted at each legislature, and has successively been able to gather a large number of the national parliamentarians of different political groups.
In October 1996, over 320 members of both Houses – Senate and National Assembly have signed a solemn Appeal addressed to the People’s Republic of China and to the French authorities to urge for the respect of human rights, safeguard of the Tibetan identity, and qualified Tibet a “colony”. Since there is no constitutional provision for passing a resolution, the French parliamentarians have decided to sign this Appeal which was formally presented to His Holiness the Dalai Lama during His visit at the National Assembly in October 1996.
In March and in April 2005, for the first time, French Parliamentarians from both Houses paid a visit to Dharamsala.
It may be noted that at the French Senate, Tibet Group could be finally constituted in September 2000.
This report submitted by Bureau du Tibet, Paris, as of 1st February 2006.
Wangpo BASHI
Acting Representative
BUREAU DU TIBET, 84 bd Adolphe Pinard, 75014 PARIS
Tel. 0146565453
Fax 0146560818
www.tibet.net
