UN Chief Urges China to Pursue Sincere Dialogue on Tibet

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Dharamshala: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called on China to continue its dialogue on Tibet in a “sincere manner” with representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"I hope the Chinese authorities will continue to resolve this issue through dialogue," Ban told reporters.

Ban said he hoped the dialogue would continue "in a sincere manner, so all the concerns concerning Tibet will be resolved smoothly and harmoniously."

In his address to the European Parliament on 4 December, His Holiness the Dalai Lama appealed to European Union and the Parliament to persuade the Chinese leadership to resolve the issue of Tibet through earnest negotiations for the common good of the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.

On 10 December, the Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration pledged to pursue the policy of Middle-Way Approach with the Chinese government in resolving the issue of Tibet.

The Kashag emphasised that the memorandum on genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people submitted to the Chinese government will serve as a “definite agenda” in the future course of dialogue.

“The entire responsibility for the future status of our dialogues, irrespective of what it is going to be, lies squarely on the Chinese leaders. The Tibetan side has already made all the required clarifications and brought a process of dialogue that began in 2002 to its logical conclusion,” the Kashag said.

“The door of dialogues always open should the leaders of the People’s Republic of China be willing to continue discussions on the memorandum we submitted.”