DHARAMSHALA, December 31: The Tibetan Task Force on Negotiations began its 25th meeting today in the exile headquarters of Dharamshala, the first following the resignation of the two envoys of the Dalai Lama and the recent leadership change in the Chinese Communist Party.
Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people, had earlier said the Task Force on Negotiations will be expanded and will meet in December to “discuss the Chinese leadership transition with the hope of continuing to dialogue with the new Chinese leaders to resolve the issue of Tibet peacefully.”
Little is known of the agendas on the table of the meeting and the members who are attending. A press release is expected at the conclusion of the meeting which is being held after a gap of almost seven months.
Former Special Envoy Gyari Lodi Gyaltsen and Envoy Kesang Gyaltsen are believed to be attending the meeting. The two Envoys, who had led nine rounds of talks with China since 2002, resigned in May this year, citing the deteriorating situation inside Tibet and their “utter frustration” over the lack of positive response from China.
“Given the deteriorating situation inside Tibet since 2008 leading to the increasing cases of self-immolations by Tibetans, we are compelled to submit our resignations,” the Envoys noted in the resignation letter.
“Furthermore, the United Front did not respond positively to the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People presented in 2008 and its Note in 2010 … At this particular time, it is difficult to have substantive dialogue.”
This is the third meeting of the Task Force that Sikyong Sangay has called since his election to the top job in August last year.
The Task Force on Negotiation was set up in 1999 to assist the Dalai Lama’s envoys in the dialogue process with the Chinese government.
The last round of talks between the Envoys of the Dalai Lama and representatives from the Chinese United Front Work Department was held almost three years ago in January 2010. Since then, China has refused to meet Tibetan representatives.
The dialogue process has failed to yield much result, with the former Envoys repeatedly stating that large differences still remained on “fundamental issues”.
