European Economic and Social Committee CES/08/26 Brussels, 26 March 2008 Statement by the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Dimitris Dimitriadis, on the situation in Tibet The President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Dimitris Dimitriadis, expresses his concern about the violence in Tibet over the past two weeks. He wishes to join the Council of the European Union and the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, in their call for a peaceful solution to the current unrest in Tibet, and welcomes the announced discussion on these issues to be held at the European Parliament on Wednesday 26th. President Dimitriadis encourages the Chinese authorities to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Dalai Lama in order to reach a solution in which both the unique cultural tradition and identity of Tibet and the human rights of its people are respected by the political authorities, while recognising at the same time the integrity of Chinese borders. President Dimitriadis will call for an open debate on these issues at the April Plenary Session of the European Economic and Social Committee in the presence of important personalities so that the views of European civil society organisations on these events are clearly voiced. The issue is intended to be addressed also in the next meeting of the newly established EU-China Round Table which will take place on 8 June in Beijing. For more details, please contact: Karel Govaert at the EESC Press Office, 99 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels Tel.: +32 2 546 9396/9586; Mobile: +32 475 75 32 02 Email: press@eesc.europa.eu Website: http://www.eesc.europa.eu/ Press Releases: http://www.eesc.europa.eu/activities/press/cp/index_en.asp (English) http://www.eesc.europa.eu/activities/press/cp/index_fr.asp (French) The European Economic and Social Committee represents the various economic and social components of organised civil society. It is an institutional consultative body established by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Its consultative role enables its members, and hence the organisations they represent, to participate in the Community decision-making process. The Committee has 344 members, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers.