New round of talks with Dalai Lama soon: China

Beijing, Oct 30: The Chinese government is learnt to have chalked out a new schedule for holding another round of talks with Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama's representatives 'in the near future'. The announcement of the planned talks came a day after the Dalai Lama reportedly called a special meeting of Tibetan exile communities and political organizations next month.

The five-day gathering, scheduled for mid-November, could mark a shift in the Dalai Lama's strategy for dealing with the central government, foreign media have reported. The meeting will be arranged at the request of the Dalai Lama side. The dates of the meeting will be decided later, Xinhua news agency quoted an unnamed government official as saying.

The meeting will be held despite the Lhasa riots in March and serious disruptions in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games by a handful of Tibetan secessionists, the official said and added that the government hoped the Dalai Lama's delegation "treasures this opportunity and responds positively to the requirements set forth by the central authorities."

Earlier, Chinese government representatives met with envoys of the Dalai Lama in May and again in July, when the Dalai Lama's representatives accepted the central government's requirements, viz not to support activities attempting to disrupt the upcoming Olympic Games; not to support plots trying to fan violent criminal activities; not to support, and take concrete steps to curb, terrorist activities of the pro-secession "Tibetan Youth Congress"; and not to support any words or action seeking 'Tibetan independence' and splitting the region from the country.

Last weekend, the Dalai Lama had said at a public function in Dharamsala that he had "been sincerely pursuing the middle way approach" in dealing with the central government for a long time, but "there hasn't been any positive response".

ANI