Other words in the chamber

Before taking the floor he stopped in silence for a moment, hands joined as if in prayer. Then he smiled and began a speech incomprehensible to those present. The chamber of the European Parliament in Brussels remained silent, as too did the interpreters. Then the Dalai Lama explained: “I would like to speak in my language, but I think no one would understand me. So I’ll express myself in English”. MEPs drew a sigh a relief and clapped their hands. So began, with great informality, the visit of the Tibetan leader to the Parliament of the 27, where he was invited on 4 December to give a speech as part of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.“Seeking inner values”. “I am only a human being, just one of the six billion human beings in the world. I aspire to happiness, just like everyone”. The Dalai Lama, invited by the European Parliament, delivered to MEPs and the press a “written statement” that especially regards the Tibetan situation. He then spoke freely, without notes, from the platform of the debating chamber and touched on many themes including interfaith dialogue, peace between peoples, and the role of women in society. “Each person, of whatever culture, people or religion, has a right to lead a happy life. I see however that in today’s society too much emphasis is placed on material values and too little on spiritual values. Yet to be happy we need to have peace of mind”. The Dalai Lama declared: “I see too much stress, suspicion, ambition and greed in the world today. We need to seek inner values, which are found in religious faiths, but not only in them. They reside in people’s hearts and in solidarity”. He urged people to have trust in experience, in tradition, and in scientific research and to “promote human and religious harmony”.Respect, freedom and autonomy. In introducing the distinguished guest to the MEP gathered in Brussels, the President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering called him “an example of peace and non-violence”. The German politician then recalled the three previous visits of the Tibetan religious leader to the European Parliament and repeated the support of the EU to the Tibetan cause: “On various occasions this Assembly has voted resolutions that called on China to recognize the rights and cultural and religious identity of the people of Tibet”, he explained. “The Parliament recognizes the territorial unity of China, of which Tibet forms part. But we shall never stop defending the freedom and rights of its people”, said Poettering, turning to the Dalai Lama. In previous days the government in Beijing had cancelled the summit with the EU, planned for 1st December, because of this visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader to Europe. In this regard, the Dalai Lama explained: “We don’t seek independence from China; we are not separatists. We ask for respect, freedom and autonomy. I would point out that the Chinese Constitution specifically mentions minority rights. We are not against the law” of the Chinese People’s Republic.Religions bring messages of peace. “All the great faiths are bearers of a message of peace; all seek profound values and inner harmony. We have the Christian religions and the other non-Christian religions; all of them, if properly understood, lead to practising love, compassion and forgiveness”. The Dalai Lama was repeatedly interrupted by the applause of MEPs. With regard to relations between the Tibetan people and the Chinese authorities, he declared: “We wish to contribute to a harmonious, united and stable society. But how can these objectives be achieved under a regime of fear and anguish?”. He called for freedom and rights “for everyone in China”, declared that he placed “great trust in the Chinese people”, but emphasized the continuing resistance of the government in Beijing: “For China rejects our non-violent stance. Yet the crisis of 10 March” – when violent protests and clashes with the police were registered in Lhasa, capital of Tibet – “once again highlighted the gravity of the situation. We wish to collaborate with China, but perhaps there are some who deceive themselves into thinking the problem can be solved with a rifle barrel”. And he concluded: “China is growing in economic and political importance. But if she is to be a world superpower, she must demonstrate her moral authority”.The future of a people. The visit of the Dalai Lama mobilized the European Parliament. The meetings so far organized by the EP for the Year of Intercultural Dialogue have aroused some lukewarm interest, but expectations were a good deal higher for this visit. Behind the person of the spiritual leader MEPs and the international press saw the Tibetan question; they recalled Chinese shortcomings in the field of democracy and human rights; they re-visited the clashes in Lhasa in March 2008, the attempts at dialogue between Tibetans and the Chinese government, the Olympic Games… “We are in favour of non-violent methods and culture”, reiterated the Dalai Lama outside the chamber. “It’s on this basis that we ask China for our liberties and the rights that belong to us, for our future”.