Dalai Lama honored in Argentina


BUENOS AIRES, (April 9, 1999, (Agence France-Press) - Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was declared an honorary citizen of this Argentine city Friday, the second day of his four-day visit. "Buenos Aires opens its arms and is listening to you," Mayor Fernando de la Rua said.

In an address to the Argentine Congress Thursday, the Buddhist monk appealed for continued international support for Tibet's autonomy while calling for universal understanding and the promotion of human rights.

Although he said sooner or later a solution would be found regarding Tibet's future, the Dalai Lama said China's hardening position had stalled any dialogue.

One Chinese diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that "our government maintains its position that the Dalai Lama is an exile who engages in politics abroad and we do not agree with the division of the Chinese nation."

The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who heads Tibet's government in exile in Dharamsala, India, fled Tibet in 1959 after China's conquest.

The 62-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader was to leave for Chile after his four-day stopover, ending a tour of Latin America that began in Brazil.

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