US Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked the Chinese Government to free the Tibetans who have been imprisoned for peacefully protesting in Tibet. In remarks at a press conference in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2008, on her congressional delegation trip to India and Europe,”The Chinese government is saying His Holiness is the instigator of violence–here is a person who is the personification of non-violence. They must have medical care brought in for those who have been deprived of it, to free those in prison who have been arrested for peacefully protesting.”

Following is the text of Pelosi’s remarks.

Pelosi Statement on Recent Congressional Delegation Trip to India

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Washington, D.C. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Members who traveled on the congressional delegation trip to India and Europe held a news conference today to discuss their recent trip, including their visit with the Dalai Lama and their meetings concerning the global climate crisis. Below are her opening remarks:

“Good morning. Over the Easter recess, I had the privilege of joining Mr. Markey and Mr. Sensenbrenner, the Chair and Ranking Member of the Energy Independence and Global Warming Select Committee, on a trip to India to talk about the issue of global warming, its significance to our national security, to our environment, to our economy, and to our preservation of this planet – God’s beautiful gift to us.

“On the way, we visited with Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the United Kingdom and talked to him about issues that related to national security, terrorism issues, as well as the important global warming issue. In India, we were greeted at the highest level by the Prime Minister of India, in the nonprofit sector by Dr. R.K. Pachauri, who shared the Nobel Prize with Al Gore, who guided us through what was happening in the nonprofit sector in terms of renewable energy resources, bringing light to 1 billion Indians by using solar and other renewables. We met with leaders in New Delhi and Mumbai, who were in the lead on the issue of global warming, whether it was through their initiatives in transportation, buildings, renewables, and the rest.

“We learned a lot on our trip. The purpose was to see how we could work together with India, a country with 400 million people who are without electricity, but nonetheless having a major responsibility as a rapidly developing country on this important issue. That is important, as I said, not only to our environment, but to our national security.

“As fate would have it, when we planned out trip, we really didn’t realize what would be happening following March 10 in Tibet. We planned to visit His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to pay our respects to him, to join in his ongoing call for negotiations with the Chinese government for autonomy for Tibet. Again, as fate would have it on March 10, the 49th anniversary of the Chinese driving His Holiness the Dalai Lama out of China, the protests there were met by a crackdown of the Chinese government, so we were there at a time when again, it was our fate to be there, and our fate to help.

“I myself am personally calling once again on the Chinese government to join, to sustain negotiations with His Holiness for a peaceful outcome to what is happening in Tibet for their autonomy, to immediately have independent outside monitors to review what happened in Tibet. The Chinese government is saying His Holiness is the instigator of violence –here is a person who is the personification of non-violence. They must have medical care brought in for those who have been deprived of it, to free those in prison who have been arrested for peacefully protesting.

“I was honored to travel with this high-level delegation, Members whom are here this morning: Congressman Markey, Congressman Sensenbrenner, Congresswoman Hilda Solis, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, both of California, Congressman Jim McDermott of Washington State, Congressman George Miller of California, Congressman Rush Holt of New Jersey, Congressman Jay Inslee of Washington State, and also Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington D.C., who cannot be with us today, but was with us on the trip.”