Apr 25, 2008 6:45 am US/Eastern
Chinese Officials To Meet With Dalai Lama's Aides
BEIJING (AP) ―
-
-
The Chinese government plans to meet with a private representative of the Dalai Lama, shown here, in the coming days, state-run media reported, after weeks of pressure from world leaders. (File)
AP
The Chinese government agreed on Friday to meet with a representative of the Dalai Lama in the coming days, state-run media reported, after weeks of calls from world leaders for dialogue in the wake of anti-government protests in Tibet.
But the prime minister of the India-based Tibetan government-in-exile said he had not received any official Chinese confirmation of the Xinhua report and sounded a cautious note on any potential talks.
"The Dalai Lama is always open to have a dialogue but the present circumstances in Tibet do not appear to be an appropriate platform for a meaningful dialogue," Samdhong Rimpoche told The Associated Press at the government's headquarters in the town of Dharmsala.
The official Xinhua News Agency said it had learned of the Chinese government's plans "from official sources." The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Communist leadership's international affairs office said they did not know about the Xinhua report.
"It is hoped that through contact and consultation, the Dalai side will take credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games so as to create conditions for talks," Xinhua quoted the official as saying.
The official said "the relevant department of the central government will have contact and consultation with Dalai's private representative in the coming days." No date was given, and it was unclear exactly which representative was expected to take part in the meeting.
China has faced repeated international calls, including from President Bush and the European Union, to open a dialogue with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader since a crackdown on the riots that rocked the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in mid-March.
U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said diplomats there were encouraged by the report.
"The U.S. has long encouraged the Chinese to renew dialogue with the Dalai Lama and his representatives. So if the reports are true ... we see this as a positive development," Stevenson said.
China says 22 people died in the Lhasa violence, while overseas Tibet supporters say many times that number have been killed in protests and the ensuing security crackdown across Tibetan regions of western China.
The riots and government reaction have galvanized critics of the communist regime and threatened to overshadow this summer's Beijing Olympic Games. Impassioned demonstrations have followed the Olympic torch as it traveled the world this month and French President Nicolas Sarkozy has suggested he might skip the Games' opening ceremony unless Beijing engages the Dalai Lama.
Between 2002 and 2006, China held six rounds of contacts with representatives of the Dalai Lama, who is also head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, with no apparent result. China has demanded he meet numerous preconditions before it will talk to him directly.
One of the preconditions is that he not seek independence for Tibet. The Nobel winner has repeatedly said he wants autonomy, not independence, but Beijing has expressed suspicion.
Many Tibetans insist they were an independent nation before communist troops invaded in 1950, while China says Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
CBS News Interactive: Nuclear: Tibet Unrest
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments