Dobriansky tapped as Tibet coordinator

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush has appointed Paula J. Dobriansky, who was recently named undersecretary of state for global affairs, as coordinator for Tibetan issues.

The position was created by Congress to promote dialogue between the Chinese government in Beijing and the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader, and to protect Tibetan identity.

The New York Times noted on May 23 that this the highest level official appointed to deal with Tibet and that the step has annoyed Chinese leaders who already were angered by the reception given to the Dalai Lama in Washington, where he had what was described as a private meeting with President Bush. That meeting took place on May 23, the date the Chinese mark as the anniversary of the "liberation" of Tibet.

The Times quoted a Chinese government spokesman as telling U.S. leaders to "Stop interfering in China's internal affairs" by allowing official meetings with the Dalai Lama, and warning that such contacts would cause "harm to Chinese-American relations."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 17, 2001, No. 24, Vol. LXIX

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