WASHINGTON, July 30: In a move that is bound to raise hackles in Beijing and delight Tibetans, the United States will soon appoint a ``special coordinator'' to oversee American policy towards Tibet.Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reportedly made this commitment to Congressional leaders on Tuesday.At the moment, both the Senate and the House are piloting bills calling for the appointment of an ambassador-level envoy for Tibet. The state department commitment fall short of the Congressional demand, but it would still raise Tibet's profile in Washington and is certain to annoy China.The United States has never had diplomatic relations with Tibet, unlike it has with Taiwan. Like India, the US too recognises Tibet as an integral part of China.But the Tibetan lobby has gathered power and momentum in Washington in recent years, thanks largely to a surge of support from Hollywood heavies like Richard Gere, Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Steven Seagal and others.On the Hill itself, both Senator Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Congressman Benjamin Gilman, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, are keen friends of the Dalai Lama and back the Tibetan cause.Legislative analysts said the US announcement was bound to create a new diplomatic tensions with Beijing. ``This is a very delicate balancing act between Congressional demand and state department exigencies. It is sure to rankle the Chinese,'' one China expert said.Chinese President Jiang Zemin is scheduled to visit Washington later this year. Administration officials tried to down play the significance of the announcement. ``We are prepared to have someone working in the State Department to see that the religious freedom of Tibetans is promoted and that their ethnicity is respected,'' a senior administration official was quoted as telling the New York Times.But reports said the special coordinator would have a broad mandate to orchestrate administration policies internally and also to meet with Tibetan officials, including the exiled leaders based in India. The coordinator would also act as a mediator between Chinese and Tibetan officials. President Clinton in the last two years has promised to raise Tibet as a prominent issue when he meets President Jiang Zemin. But each time, in deference to Chinese sensitivity, the White House has contrived a ``drop by'' meeting to signal that t does not accord a head of state or head of government status to the Tibetan leader.Tibetan leaders were delighted with the latest move. ``I see this as a step in the right direction. I hope this is the beginning of a trend. If the United States is consistent and sincere and vigorous in trying to persuade the Chinese Government to come to a settlement, I strongly believe it will happen,'' Lodi Gyari, president of the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, said.
