He told a press conference in London that as soon as Tibet had autonomy he would retire and hand over powers associated with his religious authority "to a local government, which must be elected," the Dalai Lama told a press conference in London.

The spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists, who heads a government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India, fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against the Chinese regime.

He repeated that he was not "seeking independence, but a genuine autonomy with, I believe, a mutual benefit" for China and the Tibetans.

This autonomy would allow Tibet "to carry on with our spirituality, to preserve our historic culture and better preservation of environment."

The winner of the 1989 Nobel peace prize is on a week-long visit to Britain, mainly to promote his new book, "Ancient Wisdom, Modern World - Ethics for a New Millennium."

The Dalai Lama held a discreet meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair Monday, with the British government anxious not to further anger China after the furore over the NATO bombing of China's embassy in Belgrade.

He said Tuesday that his talks with Blair -- his first meeting with the Labour premier, who took office in 1997 -- had been ""very jolly."

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader explained his position on Tibet and asked the British premier to raise the issue in his meetings with Chinese leaders.

"He showed genuine sympathy on those issues and agreed on my efforts to promote religious harmony," said the Dalai Lama.

He declined to say if he had brought up the NATO air strikes against Belgrade, but made clear his reservations about the military campaign.

"The original purpose was to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, at that moment it seemed right.

"The intention was to use limited force but as usual, violence is umpredictable. Basically I'm against use of violence anywhere, any time," said the Dalai Lama.

Returning to his relations with China, the Tibetan spiritual leader deplored Beijing's decision to suspend all contacts, even informal ones, since last summer.

"Whether China admits it or not, there is a problem and it would be wise to find a solution. I don't know what is the basis of their suspicion," he said.

The Dalai Lama pointed to growing violence within the Tibetan community inside Tibet as "a sign of frustration," adding that it was "also in China's interest" to reach a settlement.

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Last updated: 19-May-99