US appoints special official for Tibet

Ignoring China's protest, the United States has appointed state department policy planning director Gregory Craig as coordinator for its policy towards Tibet, 24 hours after Chinese President Jiang Zemin's departure following a summit meeting with President Bill Clinton.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright made the announcement in Washington on Friday in keeping with the promise she had made to Congressmen three months ago. The lawmakers had criticised the Communist nation's ''repressive'' policies towards Tibet.

Even at that time, China had criticised Albright's decision to create a special office for Tibet, calling it interference in its internal affairs.

There is a general belief in Washington that the atmosphere for the summit, which took place on Wednesday, would have been vitiated if the announcement had been made during Jiang's stay in Washington.

Though the United States does not support Tibetan independence from China, it extends support to the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled the territory in 1959 after an uprising against Chinese rule was suppressed.

According to official sources, Craig's mission will include promotion of dialogue between the Dalai Lama's government in exile and the Chinese government.

In one of his speeches in the US, Jiang had justified the Chinese takeover of Tibet almost a half-century ago.

Meanwhile, lawmakers hailed the appointment of the special representative for Tibet. Member of house international relations committee Benjamin Gilman said the appointment of an official with the rank of assistant secretary showed that Albright took the Tibetan issue seriously.

In another development, Jiang has laid down three conditions for the Dalai Lama for opening up a dialogue with him. These are his acceptance of Tibet as an inalienable part of China, abandonment of the demand for independence and stopping all activities aimed at splitting the ''motherland''.

UNI