By WILL WEISSERT
The Dalai Lama, whose musings on morality and playful peace adages have fascinated much of Mexico turning his attention to the country’s politicians on Wednesday despite protests from the Chinese government.
Shortly before a planned visit to Congress on Wednesday, the exiled spiritual leader met with Mexico City’s leftist Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for about half an hour.
The Dalai Lama laid a long, silvery Tibetan shawl over the mayor’s shoulders and said his “concern about the future (is) really very wonderful.”
“I may call you comrade,” he said to Lopez Obrador, whose party includes remnants of Mexico’s former Communist Party.
Lopez Obrador also praised the Dalai Lama’s vision:
“We believe that the development of peoples doesn’t only have to do with accumulating material goods but also, fundamentally, with strengthening cultural and spiritual values,” Lopez Obrador said.
China’s government has criticized politicians’ meetings with the Dalai Lama, who demands autonomy within China for the indigenous Tibetan population.
Lawmakers from all three major Mexican parties have defended the Dalai Lama’s right to visit Congress as a renowned international figure, however.
“Any legislative visit has a political symbolism, but we are not inviting the Dalai Lama so he can give combative opinions,” said Tomas Cruz, president of a congressional organization that promotes Chinese-Mexican relations. “It’s a spiritual visit, nothing more.”
The issue is sensitive for Mexico, which would like to expand trade and tourism ties to China and has worked hard not to anger the Chinese government.
China sent a letter of protest from Beijing about the congressional visit, and last week, its Mexican ambassador, Ren Jingyu, said this country should not play host to the Dalai Lama and his revolutionary ideas.
The Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, has lived in exile in Dharamsala, India, since a failed Tibetan uprising against the Chinese government in 1959. He acknowledges that Tibet is now part of China, but still calls for greater autonomy and religious freedom for his homeland.
President Vicente Fox declined to meet with the Dalai Lama, who arrived in Mexico on Sunday for the final leg of a tour of the Americas that also included Miami, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. First lady Marta Sahagun requested a private audience with him, but said their conversation never left the spiritual realm.
There has been little criticism of the Dalai Lama’s scheduled meeting with Lopez Obrador, the front-runner for Mexico’s presidential elections in 2006. Fox is barred by law from seeking re-election.
The Buddhist leader’s visit to Mexico has captivated much of the nation. His speeches and teachings have filled pages of local newspapers, and thousands have turned out to hear him talk.
In the first three days of his visit, Dalai Lama gave daily addresses on spirituality to paying audiences at different venues around the city.
On Tuesday, the Dalai Lama visited the capital’s sprawling Museum of Anthropology and gave a speech to mark International Religious Tolerance Day.
