Chinese party boss delivers attack on Dalai Lama

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The official Tibet Daily quoted hard-liner Zhang Qingli as saying that supporters of the Dalai Lama were behind the violence that began with deadly rioting in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa March 14 and quickly spread to sections of Tibet in western China.

"The March 14 incident was a seriously violent criminal incident by the Dalai clique. The organized and orchestrated incident was created by Tibetan separatists after long-term preparation, with the support and instigation of Western hostile forces," Zhang was quoted as saying.

He said the violence was timed for the run-up to next month's Summer Olympics in Beijing.

"At a sensitive moment, they harbored the evil intention of turning the incident into a bloodbath, of disrupting the Beijing Olympics and destroying Tibet's stability and political harmony," Zhang said.

The remarks, which echo earlier Chinese accusations about the riots, indicate no letup in Beijing's relentless campaign to vilify the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, despite talks this week that followed widespread calls for dialogue from overseas.

The self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile said the two days of talks in the Chinese capital ended Wednesday, but did not provide details.

"We are placing great hope on these talks. They were mutually agreed upon," said Thupten Samphal, a spokesman for the exile government based in Dharmsala, India. Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche was expected to comment only after the envoys briefed the Dalai Lama.

Chinese officials would not confirm any details about the talks, including the location or what the agenda was. Beijing denies the India-based government's legitimacy and does not want such contacts portrayed as formal negotiations.

Calls were not answered Wednesday at the Propaganda Office of the United Front Work Department, the body within the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee hosting the talks.

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