to information; 7. Is concerned about the increasing economic marginalisation of the Tibetan people in Tibet, who are faced with a rising number of Chinese migrant workers coming into Tibet and taking Tibetan jobs and Tibetan land; points to the gross discrimination in the education system, in which Tibetan children learn their native language as a second language; 8. Calls on China to respect its own public commitments to human rights and minority rights, democracy and the rule of law announced during the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to allow China to organise the Games; 9. Urges China to ratify without any further delay and in any case before the Olympic Games the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (UN, 1966); calls on Beijing to establish a moratorium on the death penalty, as called for by UN General Assembly resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007 on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty; 10. Regrets that the six sessions of talks between the Chinese authorities and His Holiness the Dalai Lama have failed to achieve results, and calls for a constructive dialogue to be opened without preconditions, with a view to reaching a comprehensive political agreement, including a sustainable solution with regard to the cultural and political autonomy of Tibet and religious freedom and true minority rights for the Tibetan people in other neighbouring Chinese provinces; 11. Calls on the Council, and in particular the Presidency, closely to monitor developments, and to ensure that the EU adopts a consistent common position and that decisions taken on the basis thereof are duly implemented, and considers that EU diplomatic representatives in Beijing should take the initiative of visiting the region in order to report back to the Council about the current situation; 12. Reiterates, in this regard, its call on the Council to appoint a special envoy for Tibetan issues in order to facilitate the dialogue between the parties and closely follow the negotiations once they are resumed; 13. Endorses the statement by His Holiness the Dalai Lama that the Olympic Games are a great opportunity for freedom for all the Chinese people; 14. Calls on the EU Presidency-in-Office to strive to find a common EU position with regard to the attendance of the Heads of Government and of State and the EU High Representative at the Olympic Games opening ceremony, with the option of non-attendance in the event that there is no resumption of dialogue between the Chinese authorities and His Holiness the Dalai Lama; 15. Urges the People's Republic of China to stop scrutinising and judging Olympic athletes on the basis of their political views and threatening to ban them from the Olympic Games if they dissent from the Chinese Government's official position; 16. Looks forward to His Holiness the Dalai Lama 's visit to the European Parliament to address the plenary session scheduled for late 2008, and calls on its Conference of Presidents to explore the possibility of an earlier visit;