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Dalai Lama meets Canada's Martin

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, left, greets Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin during an interfaith meeting on Friday in Ottawa, Canada. PHOTO: AFP

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin on Friday defied China's angry protests and made history by meeting Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Martin became the first Canadian Prime Minister to meet the 1989 Nobel Prize winner, a day after he was accused by domestic critics of "kowtowing" to China by downplaying the political dimension of the talks.

"It was an excellent meeting," Martin told reporters after leaving the meeting, conducted at the neutral "spiritual" venue of the residence of Ottawa's Roman Catholic archbishop.

"We discussed a lot of subjects in a short period of time: the world situation, the question of human rights, the rights of people in Tibet," he said.

Martin also said that he discussed a recent spate of anti-Semitic crimes in Montreal and Toronto with his guest.

"I think the Dalai Lama's message to Canada is very, very important," he said.

"We have always been a nation of great mutual respect and understanding," he said.

"For the Dalai Lama to come and remind us of that fundamental value is very, very important."

The Dalai Lama left the meeting without commenting.

China, which has occupied Tibet since 1951, brands the Dalai Lama a separatist and has condemned Canada over the meeting.

It even compared the case of Tibet to the mainly francophone Canadian province of Quebec, which has in the past tried to break away from the rest of the country.

Beijing also dismissed the idea that any meeting with the Dalai Lama could be anything but political.

Domestic politicians, however, have accused Martin of bowing to intimidation from Beijing by seeking to steer clear of politics and in-depth discussions of Tibet's status.

China's fury led some observers here to fear that vital Canadian trade ties with the communist giant could suffer reprisals over the meetings.

The Dalai Lama rejects China's accusations of separatist activity, saying he simply wants greater autonomy for his homeland and an end to human rights abuses.

Tibet's spiritual leader, who fled his homeland after an abortive uprising in 1959 and established a government-in-exile in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, arrived in Canada a week ago.

He spent four days with supporters in Vancouver, before flying to Ottawa, where he also met opposition politicians on Thursday.

Yesterday, the man revered as a living Buddhist God by followers, will take part in a rally and celebration in a sports stadium in Ottawa, hosted by Canadian rocker Alanis Morissette.
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