Dharamshala: An 18-member Tibetan Parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Penpa Tsering will take part in the '5th World Parliamentarians' Convention on Tibet' in Italy's capital Rome from 18 – 19 November.

The convention on Tibet will be organised by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and jointly co-hosted by the Italian Parliamentarian Group for Tibet and International Campaign for Tibet, Europe. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Speaker Penpa Tsering and Kalon Tripa Samdong Rinpoche will address the convention.

Meanwhile, a group of six Members of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile have left India Wednesday (11 November) for official visits to France and Belgium.

The six Tibetan MPs – Geshey Monlam Tharchin, Lopon Sonam Tenpel, Geshey Tse Ringpo, Geshey Beri Jigmey Wangyal, Deputy Speaker Dolma Gyari and Tsering Youdon – will first visit France and Belgium, and then take part in the two-day World Parliamentarians' Convention on Tibet in Rome.

Three MPs – Gyari Bhutuk, Karma Yeshi and Dolker Lhamo – will participate in a conference on 'Self Government, Cultural Identity and Multinational Integration: Comparative Experience for Tibet', in Trento, Italy. The conference will be organised by Autonomous Province of Trento in cooperation with Department of Legal Sciences, University of Trento and European Academy in Bolzano. Later, the three MPs will join the World Parliamentarian's Convention.

Other MPs attending the convention are Dawa Tsering, Yeshi Dolma, Doma Tsomo, Tsering Dolma, Serta Tsultrim, Tsetan Norbu and Choekyong Wangchuk.

The World Parliamentarians' Convention on Tibet aims to promote the cause of Tibet through a unified network of Parliamentarians for Tibet, and to facilitate meaningful negotiation between His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his representatives with the People's Republic of China.

The earlier conventions were held in 1994 in New Delhi; 1995 in Vilnius; 1997 in Washington DC and 2005 in Edinburgh.