Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche met yesterday the Rt Hon. Michael Martin, speaker of the British House of Commons. The head of the Kashag (Tibetan cabinet) briefed the speaker about the current situation in Tibet and also on the exiled institutions set up on the basis of democratic principles. The British speaker expressed the hope that the new Chinese leadership would negotiate the issue of Tibet with the Dalai Lama or his representatives. Samdhong Rinpoche also appealed to UK and other member states of the European Union to give their support in establishing the EU Special Representative for Tibetan Affairs, in line with US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs at the State Department.