U.S. appoints special coordinator for Tibet

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has appointed a U.S. special coordinator for Tibetan issues, Reuters has reported.

China has consistently opposed the move as interference in its internal affairs and refused to meet with the coordinator, whose position implies a special status for the territory.

Paula Dobriansky will retain her main job as under secretary of state for global affairs, spokesman Richard Boucher said.

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"Ms. Dobriansky will work to promote a substantive dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama and his representatives. She'll maintain close ties with the Congress and with nongovernmental organizations," he said.

"The special coordinator's role is to assist in preserving the unique cultural, religious and linguistic heritage of Tibetans -- objectives that are consistent with our support for human rights in China."

The post had been vacant since the administration of President Bill Clinton left office in January. But Dobriansky had been tipped for the post, the agency said.

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The International Campaign for Tibet welcomed the appointment and noted that as under secretary, Dobriansky was higher in the hierarchy than her predecessor under Clinton -- Assistant Secretary of State Julia Taft.

Sympathetic to Tibetan's plight

A State Department aide said this week that senior officials had decided it made sense to give her the portfolio because her global affairs directorate encompasses many of the bureaus dealing with issues raised by Tibet, including human rights and refugees.

Dobriansky is seen as one of the more conservative members of the State Department hierarchy and one who is very sympathetic to the plight of Tibetans.

China's suppression of Tibetan nationalism has made the fate of the Himalayan region a deeply emotive issue in the United States, where the Dalai Lama -- the Tibetan spiritual leader -- enjoys a kind of spiritual stardom, enhanced by the vocal support of Hollywood personalities.

The Buddhist monk and Nobel laureate is on a nine-city tour of the United States and is due to visit Washington next week.

The Clinton administration, under congressional pressure, named the first special coordinator for Tibet in 1997 to highlight U.S. concern over China's treatment of the Himalayan region and its people.

Reuters contributed to this report.