The Australia Tibet Council is disappointed that Mr. Rudd did not defer his decision on whether to attend the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony until after the next round of Tibet-China dialogue, expected to take place within weeks.

“The Prime Minister’s decision to attend the Games, before China has taken any substantive steps to resolve the Tibet issue, sends the wrong message to the Chinese government. It takes the pressure off China to enter into formal negotiations on the future of Tibet before the Olympics” said Paul Bourke, Executive Officer of the Australia Tibet Council.

In April the Prime Minister claimed “there are significant human rights problems in Tibet which require a resolution through dialogue” and that “we hope and expect to see progress on these conditions in the period ahead”.

Delayed from 11 June owing to the Sichuan earthquake, a seventh round of the Tibet-China dialogue is expected to take place in late June or early July. The US and EU have called for “substantive, constructive and results-oriented dialogue at an early date”.

“We are concerned that the leadership role on the Tibetan issue that the Australian government displayed back in April has not been sustained. At the same time, the small window of opportunity which exists in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics to set Sino-Tibetan negotiations onto a firmer footing is shrinking at an alarming rate.”

The Tibet Autonomous Region and the Tibetan-populated areas of neighbouring provinces remain off limits to foreign tourists, most journalists and other independent observers, following the outbreak of protests in early March. More than 1,000 individuals reportedly remain in detention without reported charges or trials .

The Olympic Torch Relay will travel to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, on Saturday.

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