Rome, October 12 – This morning a delegation from the Parliamentary Intergroup for Tibet, composed of Luana Zanella, Bruno Mellano and Nuccio Iovene welcomed the Dalai Lama at the Ciampino military airport, on the first of his five days of visits to political and religious authorities. The welcoming committee was opened by Minister for European Policy Emma Bonino. The more important events today will be the meetings with the Speakers of Lower House and the Senate, Bertinotti and Marini, and the meeting with the Parliament at 4pm at the Senate’s Culture Commission. Afterwards, the Dalai Lama will meet the president of the Foreign Commission, Ranieri. The only public event of his visit to Rome will be on Saturday October 14 at 9:30am at the Aula Magna of the Literature Department of the Universita’ Roma 3. Mellano (RNP) said: “I trust that Prime Minister Prodi will accept the invitation made to him by some members of Parliament, so that he may officially welcome the Dalai Lama, and that he is aware of the strong political significance this action would have. In view of the increasing Chinese repression on the ‘roof of the world’, it is all the more urgent for the international community, and therefore that of Italy, work hard to let the life, culture, environment and spirituality of Tibet be preserved for humanity.”
