EN COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION P/04/107 Brussels, 17 September 2004 12482/1/04 REV 1 (Presse 268) Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the visit of the envoys of the Dalai Lama to China The European Union welcomes the fact that the representatives of the Dalai Lama are at present visiting China for the third time, since resumption of the contacts in September 2002. The EU has been looking forward to a third visit and hopes that it will encourage the start of meaningful and direct dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama’s representatives, leading to a peaceful and sustainable solution for Tibet. The EU will follow this visit with great interest. The Candidate Countries Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration. * Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process. PRESS Rue de la Loi 175 B – 1048 BRUSSELS Tel.: +32 (0)2 285 6319 / 6319 Fax: +32 (0)2 285 8026 press.office@consilium.eu.int http://ue.eu.int/Newsroom 12482/1/04 REV 1 (Presse 268) 1 EN