Melody in Prison: Ngawang Choephel
	UPDATE 16 January 1998

Meeting in Strasbourg, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the Council and Commission of the European Union to appoint a special representative to Tibet responsible for fulfillment of EU demands regarding the civil and political rights situation in Tibet. Among the demands enumerated in the resolution was the call to "to take all possible initiatives to act upon Parliament's repeated requests for the release of Mr Nawang Chophel."

The full text of the resolution, provided by World Tibet Network News, is as follows:

Resolution on the appointment of an EU special representative for Tibet

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the People's Republic of China and Tibet,

A. whereas it has repeatedly called on the Council and the Commission to draw up a common foreign policy with regard to China and particularly the situation in Tibet,

B. reiterating its concern about the fate of the Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choeky Nyima, and his family,

C. recalling the controversies caused by the EU's first project in Tibet, the Panam Project, which reportedly does not permit NGO access to the region,

D. welcoming the release of the Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, winner of the Sakharov Prize in 1996,

1. Calls on the Council and Commission to appoint an EU special representative for Tibet responsible for doing everything possible to carry out the Union's demands as regards the civil and political rights situation in Tibet, with a remit to monitor developments there;

2. Calls on the Council and Commission to take the necessary steps to obtain full information about the fate of the Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choeky Nyima, and his family, and to take all possible initiatives to act upon Parliament's repeated requests for the release of Mr Nawang Chophel, as well as Wang Dan and Mr Hada;

3. Welcomes the decision by the Chinese authorities to reopen the human rights dialogue with the European Union and the announcement that China is willing to sign the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Tibetan Government in exile.