Reportage – 2007

Envoys sixth round of talks: Same old wine

MCLEOD GANJ, India, 7 July 2007 Holding three sittings of talks with Chinese officials in a week-long visit to China, the two envoys of the Dalai Lama returned without any progress being made in the meetings over the Tibetan issue.

Though the discussions were said to be "candid and frank", the old divergent positions on a number of key issues still persisted.

After reporting to the Dalai Lama, the two envoys said, through a press statement, "Our dialogue process has reached a critical stage. We conveyed our serious concerns in the strongest possible manner on the overall Tibetan issue and made some concrete proposals for implementation if our dialogue process is to go forward."

"The discussions were candid and frank. Both sides expressed in strong terms their divergent positions and views on a number of issues."

The Dalai Lama has recently often expressed a wish to go for a pilgrimage to China. However the speculation over this possiblity could not be satisfied, as the envoys gave no other details, and were not available for comment.

Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's special envoy to Washington, and Kelsang Gyaltsen, envoy to the European Union, visited China from 29 June to 5 July. Two assistants, Sonam N. Dagpo and Bhuchung K. Tsering, accompanied them.

The talks were held over a day and a half in Shanghai and Nanjing. The Executive Vice Minister of the Central United Front Work Department, Zhu Weiqun, and the Vice Minister, Sithar (who has been recently promoted to this post), led the discussions from the Chinese side. The direct contact between the two sides was resumed in September 2002 after it froze for about a decade.

Many Tibetans and their supporters have been expecting that China would cut a significant deal with the Dalai Lama, or at least allow him to go for pilgrimage to China ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, for a successful conclusion of the world's biggest sporting event and the much-needed positive image for China.

The Dalai Lama, who turned 72 on Friday, has been living in exile in India since the Chinese occupation of his country in 1959. He has since established a Tibetan government-in-exile and campaigns non-violently for an autonomous Tibet within China.