b-grrrlie
03-09-2007, 04:32 PM
Ceskenoviny.cz (http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/) [Friday, March 09, 2007 17:16]
Prague- Martin Bursik, Czech Environment Minister and leader of the Greens, today put up the Tibetan flag in front of his office despite the protests by the Chinese embassy.
The worldwide Flag for Tibet event, remembering Tibetan uprising against the Chinese occupation of Lhasa in 1959, has been for the first time joined by a Czech ministry.
In the Czech Republic, the event has been observed at some local town halls for eleven years.
The Tibetan flag will fly at the Ministry until Monday, Bursik said, adding that he did not want it to only be a symbol.
Bursik today discussed help for Tibet with Dalai Lama's envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen.
Bursik said that the Tibetan Plateau was facing a strong pressure. There is deforestation and the mining of minerals is growing, he added.
The pressure on the environment is also fuelled by the massive arrival of the Chinese to the mountains, which increased after a railway was built there, he added.
"I am considering supporting Tibet within development aid. There is a number of environmental issues there," Bursik said, adding that a scientific mission could be taken into consideration.
Bursik said he was aware of the need to discuss the cooperation with China. He said that he saw space for the talks in the meetings with environment ministers.
Bursik said that he knew his Chinese partner as he seemed to be an "open-minded man." Bursik said that he would also like to speak with Chinese ambassador in Prague.
"We have full understanding for the effort and we see it with sympathies. The Czech Republic's position is based on the policy of one China and it supports the renewal of dialogue between the Chinese government and Tibetan Dalai Lama about the broad cultural autonomy for Tibet," Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalova said.
"Such events do not help much Czech-Chinese relations. Such activities try to harm China's integrity," Peng Pin, first secretary of the Chinese embassy in Prague, told the paper Hospodarske noviny today.
Bursik flies the Tibetan flag every year also in his house opposite the Chamber of Deputies in Prague. Czech sympathisers with Tibet have been regularly hoisting the Tibetan flag since 1996.
Former Czech governments never much supported the global event, held on March 10, fearing its impact on the trade with China.
The event has been joined by 318 town halls in the Czech Republic this year. Exhibitions on the life in Tibet have opened in some of the Czech towns. Some town halls will fly the Tibetan flag today, others are supposed to follow on Saturday.
Prague- Martin Bursik, Czech Environment Minister and leader of the Greens, today put up the Tibetan flag in front of his office despite the protests by the Chinese embassy.
The worldwide Flag for Tibet event, remembering Tibetan uprising against the Chinese occupation of Lhasa in 1959, has been for the first time joined by a Czech ministry.
In the Czech Republic, the event has been observed at some local town halls for eleven years.
The Tibetan flag will fly at the Ministry until Monday, Bursik said, adding that he did not want it to only be a symbol.
Bursik today discussed help for Tibet with Dalai Lama's envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen.
Bursik said that the Tibetan Plateau was facing a strong pressure. There is deforestation and the mining of minerals is growing, he added.
The pressure on the environment is also fuelled by the massive arrival of the Chinese to the mountains, which increased after a railway was built there, he added.
"I am considering supporting Tibet within development aid. There is a number of environmental issues there," Bursik said, adding that a scientific mission could be taken into consideration.
Bursik said he was aware of the need to discuss the cooperation with China. He said that he saw space for the talks in the meetings with environment ministers.
Bursik said that he knew his Chinese partner as he seemed to be an "open-minded man." Bursik said that he would also like to speak with Chinese ambassador in Prague.
"We have full understanding for the effort and we see it with sympathies. The Czech Republic's position is based on the policy of one China and it supports the renewal of dialogue between the Chinese government and Tibetan Dalai Lama about the broad cultural autonomy for Tibet," Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalova said.
"Such events do not help much Czech-Chinese relations. Such activities try to harm China's integrity," Peng Pin, first secretary of the Chinese embassy in Prague, told the paper Hospodarske noviny today.
Bursik flies the Tibetan flag every year also in his house opposite the Chamber of Deputies in Prague. Czech sympathisers with Tibet have been regularly hoisting the Tibetan flag since 1996.
Former Czech governments never much supported the global event, held on March 10, fearing its impact on the trade with China.
The event has been joined by 318 town halls in the Czech Republic this year. Exhibitions on the life in Tibet have opened in some of the Czech towns. Some town halls will fly the Tibetan flag today, others are supposed to follow on Saturday.