Richard Howitt MEP, Labour's Vice Chair of the Human Rights Committee, will use the debate in Brussels to call on China to use the Beijing Games to open itself up to the world and will urge the Chinese government not to misuse the 2008 Olympic Games to arrest dissidents, journalists and human rights activists.
Richard Howitt MEP states: "Human rights issues should be raised during the Chinese-EU political dialogue, which will take place on the 5th May, as a key test of whether the Chinese regime is willing to commit itself to veritable improvements in human rights in advance of the 2008 Olympics".
"At the current time, China is more open to international opinion than at any other time in living memory. The Chinese-EU human rights meeting will be an opportunity to call for concrete improvements in Tibet and throughout the country" Richard Howitt MEP said.
The Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament has met with the Chinese Ambassador at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to discuss the situation in Tibet and has requested a visit to China to view the situation first hand before the Olympic Games.
Notes to the editor:
1. The resolution on Tibet is available from http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&language=EN&reference=P6-RC-2008-0133
For more information please call the European Parliamentary Labour Party press officer, Silke Thomson on +32 479 790 053.
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