Sejm to vote today on declaration of solidarity with the people of Tibet

The Sejm will today vote on a declaration of solidarity with the people of Tibet. The vote was preceded yesterday by a debate on what is more important, trade with China or respect for human rights. The declaration was first proposed a year ago, but since then has been held back by the Sejm commission for foreign affairs, headed by Solidarity Election Action (AWS) deputy Czeslaw Bielecki. Following a fact-finding visit to China, Bielecki praised China for its investment and modernization work in Tibet. He also rejected claims that China was attempting to alter the ethnic structure of Tibet. Bielecki was at the center of a political storm recently, when he accepted a gift of a laptop computer from the Chinese ambassador. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 7) M.T.