Rejecting his latest conciliatory statement, China on Tuesday asked the Dalai Lama to "genuinely" and "publicly" renounce his quest for "Tibet independence" if he wants to resume dialogue with it on the vexed issue."The Dalai Lama always makes remarks of this or that kind overseas," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said in a terse statement, reacting to the Tibetan spiritual leader's remarks in the latest issue of Time magazine that Tibet might benefit more by remaining with China provided the culture and the environment of the Himalayan region is protected."The Chinese government's stand on this question has always been clear and consistent," she said."We believe the Dalai Lama should genuinely abandon his position of advocating Tibet independence and make public statement acknowledging thatTibet and Taiwan are inseparable parts of China," she said."He should also stop all his splittist activities abroad. Only this way, we can make further contact or initiate discussion with him," Zhang stressed.(...)
Press Trust of India
Tuesday, October 19, 2004