Brussels, 31/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - After addressing the European parliament foreign affairs committee on Thursday morning, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso stressed to press his “commitment to the promotion of human values, compassion and affection, on which our life and happiness are based”. The Tibetan spiritual leader also spoke of his commitment to “religious harmony”, because “despite the technological advances of the 21st Century, there are still many who feel the need for a sense of religious belonging”. Finally, he highlighted his “moral responsibility in defence of the Tibetan cause, the protection of the Tibetan culture and environment and the preservation of Tibetan Buddhism”. British MEP Graham Watson, leader of the ALDE group in the EP, hailed the commitment of this leader “of a people of over six million souls who are being denied their autonomy” for “better understanding between the world's various faiths”. “I hope that, through the European Union, Tibet will be given back its freedom and autonomy which it enjoyed until after the Second World War,” he went on. Questioned by EUROPE, Mr Watson said that “it is only through continued dialogue with China, such as that being pursued by the ALDE group in the European Parliament,that pressure will be brought to bear on the authorities in Beijing to make them acknowledge the right of national and religious minorities to manage their own affairs”. “I believe we are making progress in this direction and that the Chinese Communist Party is showing signs of openness,” he added. The Dalai Lama, too, welcomed the “increasing interest in Tibetan culture” among “intellectuals, business people and performers” within Chinese society.