New Delhi. US lawmakers, led by Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi are scheduled to visit the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala next week in what is being seen as a giant leap in American support to the Tibet issue.
After the US sent out a clear message to China on the right of Tibetans to choose a successor to their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, it has recently taken the next big step by throwing its weight behind restarting a dialogue between Tibet and China, by passing the Resolve Tibet Act in the House of Representatives on June 12. It is now pending in the White House for President Biden’s signature.
Sources in the CTA say the proposed US law sends out a strong message to China that the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration President Penpa Tsering are the representatives of the people of Tibet and a long-lasting negotiated solution to the Tibet-China dispute is the way forward.
The proposed visit of the US lawmakers to India comes in the backdrop of these racy developments that give the CTA a shot in the arm once again, drawing global attention to concerns of human rights and democratic freedoms and demonstrating to the Chinese that the exiled government has made considerable progress in establishing the Himalayan hill town as the nerve centre of dialogue on behalf of the Tibetans.
What is also noteworthy is that the Dalai Lama turns 89 on July 6 and the visit coming ahead of his birthday is also demonstrative of the long and warm relations with global leaders, especially Pelosi, who enjoys a personal rapport with the spiritual leader and has visited his Hilltop residence several times in the past leading bipartisan delegations.
The US Congressional delegation is likely to consist of seven members who will get an audience with the Dalai Lama first before holding meetings with the CTA leadership led by President Penpa Tsering. – Reuters
