By Samantha Maiden
John Howard agrees to talks with the Dalai Lama
JOHN Howard will defy the warnings of Chinese authorities and meet with the Dalai Lama in Canberra this week.
The Australian understands the Prime Minister will hold talks with the exiled Tibetan leader later this week.
The Dalai Lama arrived in Canberra today, still none the wiser as to whether he will meet the Prime Minister.
He will hold talks with Labor leader Kevin Rudd later today.
It was the Prime Minister’s comments that he might meet with the spiritual leader last month that triggered a backflip by Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd, who had earlier said he would not meet the Dalai Lama.
Until today, Mr Howard’s office had remained non-committal about a meeting during his 11-day Australian tour.
Last month, China issued a thinly veiled warning to Australian political leaders not to meet the Dalai Lama during a visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader next month.
While Mr Howard appeared to be having second thoughts, Mr Rudd was looking for time in his diary, with a spokesman saying he still wanted a meeting.
China views the Dalai Lama as the leader of a Tibetan independence movement.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Mr Rudd was only meeting with the Dalai Lama as a political stunt.
The Government had labelled Mr Rudd hypocritical for refusing to meet the popular leader after he criticised Mr Howard and Mr Downer for not meeting him during a visit to Australia five years ago.
”(Mr Rudd) said this year that he wouldn’t meet with the Dalai Lama and then two days later he said he would,” Mr Downer told ABC Radio today.
“I think it just is a reflection of the fact that Mr Rudd just plays politics the whole time.”
Meanwhile, Australian Tibet Council chairman George Farley is now pinning his hopes on Mr Rudd.
“I would like Kevin Rudd to say, ‘we will use our influence’, subtly, gently, you know not in any kind of bullying way, ‘we will use whatever influence we have to raise the issue of Tibet with the Chinese’.”
