Dharamshala December 13 – A delegation of US congressional staff called on His Holiness the Dalai Lama yesterday. Led by Mathew Szymanski, Chief of Staff, House Small Business Committee And US-China Inter Parliamentary Exchange, the delegation comprised of four members from the committee and two officials from the US Embassy in New Delhi.
The delegation also met with the exile government’s Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche, vice chairperson Gyari Dolma of the exile Tibetan Parliament (Assembly of the Tibetan People’s Deputies), the Standing Committee of the Tibetan Parliament.
According to the Voice of Tibet radio service, the delegation discussed various Tibet related issues with the Tibetan legislators. The Tibetan legislators also expressed their gratitude to the delegation for the US government’s support to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the issue of Tibet.
Delegation met the representatives of the Tibetan non governmental organizations at a luncheon reception hosted by the Tibetan organisations. The representatives of Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women’s Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, Gu Chu Sum Movement and the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy were present at the meeting. The Tibetan organizations thanked the delegation for the US support to the Tibetan people and urged to continue.
The radio service quoted Karma Choephel, president of the National Democratic Party of Tibet, as saying that the delegation asked about the objectives and standpoints of the Tibetan non governmental organizations. Karma Choephel further told the radio service that the delegation seemed keen on the situation of the Tibetans newly arriving from Tibet.
