Reportage – 2005

Dalai Lama pleased with latest China talks

DHARAMSHALA, India, 7 July 2005

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has expressed satisfaction with the first ever talks between his envoys and Beijing government officials outside Chinese soil, a spokesman said.

Five representatives of Tibet's government-in-exile, based in this northern Indian town, met Chinese officials in the Swiss capital Berne over two days last week, according to a statement released by the Dalai Lama's envoys.

"His Holiness is very pleased with the Berne round, which has provided another opportunity to further deepen the ongoing process," said spokesman Thupten Samphel, reading from a statement on Thursday.

"He was also pleased that we had the opportunity to address extensively the issues raised by the Chinese government and to clarify in detail our positions on fundamental issues," he added.

The talks were the fourth between the two sides since direct ties were resumed in 2002. The Dalai Lama, who turned 70 on Wednesday, fled into exile in India in 1959 and direct ties between him and Beijing collapsed in 1993.

Samphel was also pleased with the talks and expressed optimism for future dialogue.

"The discussions were concrete and substantive, and held in a cordial, frank, and business-like atmosphere," said Samphel, reading from the statement.

"Despite the existing areas of disagreement, China's Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun was pleased that our direct contact has now become stable and become an "established practice," he added.

Samphel said Zhu had assured Tibetans that the areas of dispute could be narrowed down through more dialogue.

"The definition of Tibet and a democratically elected Tibetan government are the two main issues that have to be resolved in the Tibetan issue," he said.

China defines the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), which China created in 1965, as the Tibetan area. This is about a third of the size of the old Tibet.

However, the government-in-exile says Tibet refers to the entire ethnic Tibetan area, which measures 2.5 million square kilometres (0.95 million square miles).

Samphel said the envoys had suggested some "concrete proposals" during the latest round of talks for reconciling the two sides, but did not disclose the contents.

The Dalai Lama, who was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize for his dedication to Tibet's non-violent liberation, has given up his original demands for his homeland's independence.

Instead, he has demanded "meaningful autonomy" to preserve Tibet's culture, language and environment.

India has played host to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile since the spiritual leader fled Tibet disguised as a soldier in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.