Talks between envoys of the Dalai Lama and China were expected to begin yesterday in Beijing more than three months after deadly unrest in Tibet overshadowed the country’s Olympic build-up.
The decision by China to hold the formal seventh round of talks since 2002 is seen as a response to international condemnation of its crackdown on riots in Tibet in March that embarrassed Beijing ahead of the Olympics in August.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was particularly vocal in speaking out about the crackdown, on Monday said his decision on whether to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics hinged on progress in the talks.
Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, of fomenting unrest in the Himalayan region that erupted on March 14 after four days of peaceful protests against 57 years of Chinese rule.
The crackdown on the unrest, which spread to neighboring Tibetan areas of western China, sparked global protests that marred the international month-long international journey of the Olympic torch.
“It is hoped this round of talks will contribute in resolving the long simmering issue through dialogue in the interest of stability, unity and harmony of all nationalities in the People’s Republic of China,” a statement from the Dalai Lama’s office from his exiled-base in India said on Monday.
China has repeatedly accused the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for his homeland, but he says he opposes Tibetan independence, although he continues to look for “real and meaningful autonomy” for the region.
He has also accused Beijing of widespread human rights violations of his people.
The talks yesterday, which the Tibetan side said would last two days, come after an informal round of discussions was held on May 4 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen following global pressure to restart dialogue after the unrest.
They are part of a formal dialogue process launched in 2002 that broke off last year.
Chinese authorities on Tuesday refused to share any details of the agenda of the meetings, or indeed confirm whether the talks would take place. China has adopted similar practices in the past, refusing to confirm the talks had taken place until after they had finished.
However the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday that the talks would be held in early July, and placed the onus firmly on the Dalai Lama for any progress.
“Our door is always open for the dialogue with the Dalai Lama,” Xinhua quoted a government spokesman as saying. “[We] hope that the Dalai Lama would treasure this opportunity and give positive response to the requirements of the central authorities.”
China says it acted with restraint to quell the Tibetan “rioters” and “insurgents” in March, charging them with killing 21 people in the unrest.
The Tibetan government-in-exile says 203 Tibetans were killed and about 1,000 hurt in China’s crackdown. China insists that only one rioter was killed.
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