Dalai Lama envoys to head to China for talks

Beijing, June 28: Envoys of Tibet's exiled Dalai Lama are to fly to China tomorrow for a new round of closed-door talks, the office of the Himalayan region's exiled spiritual leader said today.

China and the Dalai Lama's envoys have been engaged in conciliatory talks since 2002, although little progress has been made. Analysts say the desire for dialogue is driven in part by fear on both sides that if the winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize dies in exile, it could lead to trouble in his homeland.

Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's top envoy to Washington, and Kelsang Gyaltsen would be accompanied by two senior assistants for the sixth round of talks, the office said in an e-mailed statement, confirming a May 16 Reuters story.

The pair received their final instructions from the Dalai Lama on Tuesday during an audience in Dharamsala, northern India, which was also attended by Tibet's prime minister in exile, Samdhong Rinpoche, the statement said. It gave no more details.

The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in Dharamsala since 1959 after a failed uprising in Tibet against Communist rule.

Reuters>