The Rt. Hon Tony Blair MP
10 Downing Street
London SW1A 2AA

27 June 2005

Dear Prime Minister,

You will shortly be departing for Singapore, to support London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. We hope that IOC members will vote in London's favour, and we are sure that this hope is share by Free Tibet Campaign's 20,000 supporters.

However, Free Tibet Campaign and its supporters have a greater hope; that we will be able to watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the knowledge that China fully respects human rights. Our strongest hope of all is that there will be a negotiated settlement in the best interests of Tibetans by 2008, so that the Beijing Olympics will mark the peaceful solution to this half-century long injustice.
We are concerned that, despite taking a "bet" that the 2008 Olympic Games would be a force for good, the IOC have not taken sufficient steps to turn that bet into reality. We therefore urge you to do everything you can to encourage China to free Tibet by 2008.

The next few months are a critical time for Tibet. Representatives of the Dalai Lama are currently preparing for a possible fourth visit to China for talks. However, despite the Dalai Lama having renounced all claims for independence for Tibet, China has yet to demonstrate a reciprocal willingness to drop its pre-conditions to proper negotiations. We are concerned that, without concerted political action for Tibet, China will lack the incentive to move this process forward. Missing this opportunity could subject Tibet to more generations of suffering.

You will meet Hu Jintao at G8, immediately after your return from Singapore, and will also meet him and other Chinese leaders regularly during the UK's Presidency of the European Union. We also expect that you will meet representatives of the Beijing Organisers of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) attending the IOC's meeting in Singapore. BOCOG's President, Liu Qi, is a member of the 24 person Political Bureau of the 16th Communist Party of China Central Committee. Please take each and every one of these opportunities to push for unconditional negotiations on Tibet.

The resolution of the occupation of Tibet would be very much in keeping with the Olympic Truce, based on the ancient Greek tradition of "ekecheira", which promotes peaceful conflict resolution.

Please Prime Minister - make Britain proud: back Tibet.

We wish you a safe and successful trip.

Best wishes,

Alison Reynolds

Director