Talks not encouraging: Tibetan official

Beijing, July 3:

China today said its officials have met representatives of the Dalai Lama here recently and told them the doors of dialogue would always be open.

Du Qinglin, head of the united front work department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met private representatives of the Dalai Lama Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, the department said. Du told the envoys of the Tibetan spiritual leader that China’s policy towards him is consistent and the doors of dialogue are always open.

In Tibet, the adherence to the CPC leadership, the socialist system and the regional autonomy of ethnic minorities will not be altered, Du had said.

Zhu Weiqun and Sitar, two deputy heads of the department, also met the Tibetan representatives and exchanged in details ideas on some of the issues. The Dalai Lama’s

representatives also expressed their ideas on several relevant issues and said they would report the results to the Dalai Lama.

During their stay in Beijing, the two visited the Olympic stadiums and had discussions with some academic experts on Tibet. Meanwhile, Tibet’s foreign minister in exile Kesang Yangkyi Takla said the latest round of talks between the Dalai Lama’s envoys and China so far did not look encouraging.