While neither the Government, the Parliament nor the King's House dare to accept Tibet's spiritual leader on Wednesday, the Sami Parliament says yes. "We make our pulpit available to the Dalai Lama," President Aili Keskatilo said.
(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Transparency.
- We in the Sami Parliament have made an independent assessment, and we welcome the Dalai Lama to the Sami Parliament. We will make our rostrum available and listen to what he has to say.
This is what the president of the Norwegian Sami Parliament, Aili Keskatilo, told Ny Tid. Peace Prize winner Dalai Lama visited the Sami Parliament in 1989, shortly after it was established. Keskatilo is disappointed that the Norwegian authorities do not want to meet the Dalai Lama when he arrives in the country on 7 May.
- I had long hoped that the Norwegian authorities would also welcome the Dalai Lama, and we are disappointed that they have now said no to the possibility of getting an update on his situation and the situation in Tibet, Keskatilo says.
She fears that the government's Dalai Lama no can now have consequences:
- I am also concerned about the consequences this may have for the future. Should it be the case that Norway's trading partners will be able to remotely control who we will be able to meet in the future? Norway holds the flag high internationally when it comes to human rights, and it is sad that a former Peace Prize winner is not received with more goodwill by the Norwegian authorities, says Keskatilo.
UD defender
But even though the Government's Dalai Lama-no provokes reactions, the Foreign Ministry has no doubt that the decision they made is correct.
- After an overall assessment, and based on the fact that there has been no political contact between Norway and China for almost four years, we have come to the conclusion that it will not be right for the Norwegian authorities to meet the Dalai Lama. China is crucial in international issues such as climate, trade, poverty reduction, the economy and security. It is therefore in our interest to re-establish normal contact with China, writes State Secretary Bård Glad Pedersen in an email to Ny Tid.
- Is the government's refusal to meet the Dalai Lama then a sign that trade interests outweigh human rights?
- Norway has a broad commitment to human rights. This is a central part of Norwegian foreign policy and a work we spend a lot of time and resources on. Before 2010, Norway had its own formalized human rights dialogue with China. But without dialogue, we also do not have the opportunity to raise human rights issues directly with the Chinese authorities, Pedersen says.
The Norwegian Tibet Committee, in turn, is disappointed by the government's Dalai Lama no. When Tibet's spiritual exiles visited Norway in 2005, he was welcomed by the Norwegian government and then prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik (KrF).
The contrast
But when the Dalai Lama comes on a private visit to Oslo from May 7 to May 9, at the invitation of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Karma Tashi Ling Buddhist Society and the Norwegian Tibet Committee, the song is another. Last week it became clear that neither Foreign Minister Børge Brende (H) nor Storting President Olemic Thommesen (H) want to meet the well-known human rights defender. Neither do other members of the Government, the Storting's presidency or the Royal House.
- It is very sad that none of the members of the government use this golden opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama, one of the world's most respected peace prize winners. This opportunity could be used by the government to show both China and the outside world that Norway as an independent country has both the courage and principles to meet whoever they want in their own country, without being dictated by China, says leader of the Norwegian Tibet Committee, Tsomo Svenningsen.
China and Tibet have had a tense relationship and a series of conflicts since Tibet declared itself independent from China in 1912. In 1950, China re-occupied Tibet. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, has been Tibet's spiritual leader since 1951. The Dalai Lama believes that Tibet has been colonized by China and requires increased autonomy for the region. 131 young people have recently lit up on themselves inside Tibet.
Foreign Minister Børge Brende (H) and Storting President Olemic Thommesen (H) have previously been leaders of the Storting's Tibet Committee, but none of them want to meet the ex-leader.
- The Norwegian Tibet Committee had high expectations when Brende became Minister of Foreign Affairs and Thommessen President of the Storting. We thought they were now in a position to do something right and fair. They were genuinely interested in Tibet, and they did a fabulous job as leaders of the Storting's Tibet Committee. But when you look at what is happening, it will be a huge downturn for the Tibet case, says Svenningsen.
The government's decision also creates widespread protests among the opposition parties, and the government's youth parties.
Fear China
Since the Chinese dissident Lui Xiabo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, the relationship between Norway and China has been virtually non-existent. China is regularly protesting against countries receiving the Dalai Lama, and the Norwegian authorities are now refusing to meet the Tibetan leader. Still, US President Barack Obama defied protests from China and met with the Dalai Lama earlier this year. Last year, China reacted strongly to Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron meeting with the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan goes straight from Norway to the Netherlands, where he will meet both the country's foreign minister and the foreign affairs committee.
Svenningsen believes that the Norwegian people, by saying yes to such as the Dalai Lama, could set an example to the Chinese authorities.
- I try really hard to understand what the Norwegian state did, but deep down I can not accept that one chooses injustice over justice. What is happening inside Tibet is not fair, says Svenningsen.
