BRUSSELS, July 1 – European Union president Britain said it hoped to see further progress in dialogue between China and envoys of Tibet’s Dalai Lama after a fourth round of talks between the two sides ended on Friday.
Beijing resumed dialogue on the future of the region with representatives of the Tibetan spiritual leader in 2002 after it was suspended in 1993.
The talks have been shrouded in secrecy and Friday’s meeting at the Chinese embassy in Berne, Switzerland, was not announced in advance. The EU has offered to help with the negotiations in any way it can.
“We welcome the latest round of talks between representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government and we hope to see further progress in this process,” a British EU presidency spokesman said.
Beijing says the Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, is using his religious status to try to split Tibet from China.
The Dalai Lama maintains he only wants greater autonomy for the Tibetan people and says China’s image has been tarnished by its human rights record in Tibet.
