Dalai Lama says Tibet talks with China may restart

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The exiled Tibetan leader said he supports China's stated desire for a stable and harmonious society, but he also renewed his call for Beijing to grant Tibet meaningful autonomy.

"Stability, unity must come from the heart, not a gun," the Dalai Lama told a news conference in Sydney. "And harmonious society must come from ... trust. Give Tibetans meaningful autonomy. That will satisfy Tibetans."

Representatives of the Tibetan government-in-exile met with Chinese officials in early May for informal talks on how to move beyond the unrest in the region, which flared into violence in March.

The clashes fueled anger at China's rule in Tibet, and the Olympic torch relay became a focus of Tibetan pro-independence protests in Paris, London and other cities.

The Chinese government blames the Dalai Lama for the unrest, saying it was part of a campaign to split Tibet from the rest of China. The Dalai Lama has denied those charges, saying he wants meaningful autonomy for Tibet under China's rule, not independence.

He said plans for a formal round of talks between his envoys and Beijing's had been postponed because of China's disastrous May 12 earthquake, which killed almost 70,000 people.

He said the meeting may take place next month. However, in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said the time frame "still under discussion."

The Dalai Lama also reiterated his call for his supporters not to target the Beijing Olympics or the torch.

"We have fully supported the Olympic Games right from the beginning. The torch is part of that," he said.

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