08/20/2002

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- An independent federal agency urged the Bush administration to press religious freedom issues during visits to India, Pakistan and China in August.

In a letter to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who was to visit the three countries, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom "strongly recommended" that religious freedom issues be given a prominent role in the Bush administration's dialogue with the foreign governments.

"This is important not least because it is the protection of religious freedom and other human rights that has proven often to be the most effective guarantor that other U.S. interests will be advanced," the commission said.

The commission monitors religious freedom in other countries and advises the president, secretary of state and Congress how to best promote it.

[...]

The commission also urged that religious freedom be a prominent agenda item during Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States in October. Armitage's August visit to China was in preparation for that visit.

"Goals and benchmarks should be established prior to President Jiang's visit in order to measure progress in the protection of religious liberty in China," it said.

Noting that the U.S. government listed China as a "country of particular concern" with regard to religious rights, the commission said China continued to imprison and torture Christians, Catholics[...] and other groups, such as the Falun Gong movement, [...].

á