By PRABHU Razdan
Varanasi, February 10 – AS PART of his efforts to end the longstanding dispute between China and Tibet, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalia Lama said he was not averse to holding “direct talks” with the Chinese government.
“Four rounds of talks between Chinese officials and Tibetan refugees have already taken place in the last four years as part of confidence-building measures between the two sides,” Dalai Lama told mediapersons in Sarnath on Thursday.
The fifth round of talks are going to commence shortly.
However, the Dalai Lama expressed anguish that the Chinese government did not pay heed to his requests.
He said he had a long cherished dream to embark on a pilgrimage to China since 1954, but his plans were not allowed to succeed due to some reason or the other by the Chinese authorities.
“One Chinese Prime Minister was even forced to resign in 1985, the year my visit to China was almost finalised,” the Dalai Lama said, adding that he had to give up his plan to visit China.
He further said his requests for a meeting with the then PM of China, in Washington in the 90s, was “not even responded to”.
The issue of Tibet, which was raised in the United Nations in the early 60s, was the only occasion when the attention of the world leaders was drawn towards the unhappy state of affairs in Tibet under Chinese occupation.
Claiming that the exodus of Tibetans continued unabated, the Dalai Lama said citizens of China and former soldiers of the Chinese Army had occupied most parts of Tibet by having settled there.
However, the Dalai Lama , in a hopeful tone, said the situation had changed for the better for Tibet, as some sections of society in China had started expressing solidarity with the Tibetans.
However, the situation might not be the same at the Chinese government level, he added.
“Many other countries have also extended support to the cause of Tibet,” the Dalai Lama said.
He added that India’s improved relations with China would immensely contribute in resolving the long standing issue.
“We have adopted a middle path for resolving this issue, and under this, the Tibetans want ‘autonomy’ under the framework of the Chinese constitution,” the Dalai Lama further said.
The Dalai Lama added that during his address to the United States Senate (Human Rights Caucus) in 1987, he had raised five issues, including those of a nuclear free Tibet and Tibet as a peace zone.
