By Kalsang Rinchen
Dharamsala, May 23 – Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende will not meet the Dalai Lama during the Tibetan leader’s upcoming visit to the Netherlands on 4 and 5 June. The Dutch lawmakers earlier passed a motion calling on the prime minister to receive the Tibetan spiritual leader.
The Dutch cabinet has however decided that the 1989 Nobel laureate will be received by Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen. The government says the Prime Minister’s presence would add nothing to the welcome and risk harming relations with China, according to Radio Netherlands. Responding to questions from the opposition parties, Mr Balkenende said it was not just a question of economic interests and that he was concerned that such a meeting could damage the “critical dialogue” he has with China on matters such as human rights.
Opposition MPs, led by the Green Left party, accused the cabinet of succumbing to Chinese pressure. China earlier warned Dutch MPs not to invite the Dalai Lama to visit parliament when he comes to the Netherlands on June 4 and 5,
Dutch parliamentarians however will welcome the Dalai Lama to their parliament as announced earlier despite warning from China that it may affect ties between the two countries.
A lawmaker for the ruling Christian Democrats also sharply criticized China’s ambassador for attempting to interfere with Dutch politics. The Dutch don’t interfere with Chinese political meetings “and we expect the same respect from the Chinese ambassador,” legislator Maarten Haverkamp was earlier quoted by AP as saying.
China sent military troops to occupy Tibet in 1950 and, nine years later, the Dalai Lama fled to India. The exiled Tibetan leader is now seeking a meaningful autonomy for Tibet within the constitutional framework of the People’s Republic of China.
