China says it's ready to meet with aide to Dalai Lama
BEIJING - China's government agreed Friday to a meeting with an envoy of exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, a step that follows weeks of calls from world leaders for dialogue in the wake of anti-government protests in Tibet.
The demonstrations have galvanized critics of the communist regime and thrown a shadow over the Beijing Olympics. Protests have disrupted the Olympic torch relay, and world leaders including President Bush, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd have urged Beijing to open talks with the Dalai Lama.
"In view of the requests repeatedly made by the Dalai side for resuming talks, the relevant department of the central government will have contact and consultation with Dalai's private representative in the coming days," the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting an unidentified official.
Xinhua, which releases major government announcements, gave no details on a time or place for the talks, or who they would involve.
The Xinhua report said China had committed only to a meeting and appeared to attach routine conditions for opening a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, including a demand that he stop plotting for Tibet's independence "so as to create conditions for talks."
The prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile said he had not received any official Chinese confirmation of the report. He 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 in the Indian hill town of Dharmsala.
"But let the official confirmation come from the Chinese. We will give our response," he said.
After a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called the Xinhua announcement encouraging and said China appeared prepared to discuss all issues except sovereignty.
"So if the concern of the Dalai Lama is, as he has always stated, respect of cultural identity, religious identity and autonomy inside China. I believe, I believe, there's real room for a dialogue," Barroso told reporters.
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