New Zealand: The Dalai Lama has met politicians from three political parties at Parliament, in what has turned out to be anything but a simple exercise.
Politicians went to extraordinary lengths to stage the meetings so as not to offend Chinese sensitivities about the status of Tibet.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters met with the Dalai Lama, but stressed he was doing so in his role as leader of New Zealand First rather than as a minister.
For the meeting Peters closed off the entire 16th floor of Bowen House, where he has his office, and would not let media film anything.
“I’m not sensitive about it – it’s called manners,” said Peters.
National leader John Key posed for the cameras in a meet and greet with the Dalai Lama, but the meeting was staged to ensure it was led by National’s foreign affairs spokesman Murray McCully, due to Chinese sensitivities over the recognition afforded to the Dalai Lama.
Key says he enjoyed the brief encounter in which the Dalai Lama preached peace, tolerance and a happy life.
He says he believes the Chinese understand the position he has taken and if he was deeply concerned about what the Chinese think he wouldn’t have had the meeting.
“The meeting was arranged by Murray. I was never quite sure whether I could make it in my schedule but I managed to find the time to do that and I am pleased I did,” said Key.
“Look, I meet with people all the time. If I was deeply concerned about what the Chinese would think of it I simply wouldn’t hold the meeting.”
Prime Minister Helen Clark will not be meeting with the Dalai Lama, though she did speak with him in Australia last week after bumping into him at Sydney Airport.
Clark is defending her decision to meet a Christian group ahead of the Dalai Lama.
She said earlier on Tuesday, priorities were behind her decision not to officially meet the spiritual leader.
“For the 47th time the Dalai Lama is not a head of state, he is not a minister in a government he is a spiritual and religious leader,” she said.
Yet she attended a welcoming function for a Catholic school group at the same time the Dalai Lama was being hosted in Parliament.
Clark says she had good reasons for meeting the school group, saying their Journey of the Cross has engaged young people for more than 20 years and it was an official Parliamentary reception.
Meanwhile the Dalai Lama found one group of kindred spirits…the Greens welcomed him warmly and officially.
