The Dalai Lama said he favoured a "middle way approach" of negotiations for autonomy under Chinese rule which could preserve and promote the Tibetan people's cultural, religious and linguistic integrity.

"For more than 20 years I have tried to find a mutually agreeable solution on the basis of a middle approach, but so far there has been no proper response from the Chinese government side," he told a packed meeting in Congress.

"But my position has not changed. As soon as some positive indication comes, I am ready to talk, to dialogue, anywhere, any time," he said.

The Tibetan god-king, speaking last month on the 40th anniversary of an anti-Chinese uprising that forced him to flee to India, said China had recently hardened its position and stopped even informal contacts on the issue.

Chinese officials countered by saying the channels of communication have always been open for the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. China considers Tibet a province since its troops invaded the country in 1950.

The Dalai Lama held private talks on Wednesday with Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Congress President Antonio Carlos Magalhaes, but Brazil was at pains to distance itself from his controversial cause.

A diplomatic source, who asked not to be identified, said the meeting was held behind closed doors to avoid angering Chinese authorities by appearing to grant the Tibetan leader the status of head of state.

"The meeting was strictly personal, there was no political connotation," presidential spokesman Sergio Amaral later told reporters at a regular briefing. "At no time during the conversation did the president or the spiritual leader raise any questions related to the political status of Tibet."

The Dalai Lama arrived in Brasilia on Tuesday night after attending a two-day seminar in southern Brazil. He was scheduled to travel to Argentina on Wednesday evening.

The Tibetan leader said on Wednesday he was prepared to hand over power to an elected government in Tibet, provided the thousands of Tibetans who live in exile in Dharamsala in northern India are allowed to live freely in Tibet.

"I made clear, the day Tibetans are returned to Tibet with a certain degree of freedom, that I will hand over all my legitimate authority to the local government. Then I am no longer the head of the Tibetan government, I just then become a simple Buddhist monk," he said.

[ Homepage ] [ NewsRoom ]



This site is maintained and updated by The Office of Tibet, the official agency of His Holiness His Holiness the Dalai Lama in London. This Web page may be linked to any other Web sites. Contents may not be altered.
Last updated: 8-April-99