China to Meet With Dalai Lama's Emissary

BEIJING, April 25 -- The Chinese government said Friday that it would meet with a representative of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, in an abrupt change in course that follows intense international pressure on Communist Party leaders to open such a dialogue.

The offer was the most significant concession by the government since last month's protests over Chinese rule in Tibet. Authorities in recent weeks have taken every opportunity to vilify the Dalai Lama, blaming him for instigating the protests in the remote Himalayan region and abroad and saying he and his followers were trying to sabotage the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.

The two sides have not met since last summer, when they failed to make progress on core issues such as the prospect of autonomy for Tibet within China.

State-run media reported the offer Friday, citing official sources. "In view of the requests repeatedly made by the Dalai side for resuming talks, the relevant department of the central government will have contact and consultation with Dalai's private representative in the coming days," an unnamed official was quoted as saying by the New China News Agency.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry official said he had no details on when such a meeting would occur or who would attend.

In Dharmsala, India, where the Dalai Lama's administration in exile is based, the offer was greeted cautiously. "The Dalai Lama has always wanted to resolve the issue of Tibet through face to face discussions with Chinese authorities," Samdhong Rinpoche, the Tibetan prime minister in exile, said in a statement.

China's unyielding position against the Dalai Lama and its crackdown on Tibetan protesters have played well inside the country. But elsewhere, China's hard line has sparked global protests, putting the Communist Party's policies in the international spotlight and serving to transform the Olympic torch relay into a maximum-security ordeal for host countries.

Western leaders have praised the Dalai Lama as a man of peace, and there have been mounting calls for leaders to boycott the Olympic opening ceremony unless the government begins talks. Although they have continued to lambaste the Dalai Lama, Chinese officials began softening their rhetoric against critics this week.

"There seems to be a consensus developing that it's better to restart the dialogue with the Dalai Lama representatives than to completely exclude the possibility of some progress," said Russell Leigh Moses, a Beijing-based analyst of Chinese politics. "But I think it's likely to be a very fragile consensus, which will be dependent on how much early progress there is, what the response is from the Tibetan side."

The Chinese official quoted in state media Friday did not specify preconditions for opening a discussion, but he did say the Chinese expected the Dalai Lama to take steps to end pro-Tibetan protests.

For its part, officials in the exiled Tibetan administration see a pressing need for China to end what they see as repressive measures in their homeland, including the detention of hundreds of lay people and monks who participated in the recent protests, and requirements that Tibetans publicly denounce the Dalai Lama. "For any meeting to be productive, it is important for the Chinese leadership to understand the reality and acknowledge the positive role of His Holiness the Dalai Lama rather than indulging in vilification," Samdhong Rinpoche said in the statement.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against communist rule. He has long said he is not seeking Tibetan independence, but rather, autonomy within China. He also has repeatedly said he supports China's hosting of the Olympics.