US urge China to hold talks with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Thursday, 24 April 2008, 2:00 p.m.

Dharamshala: US Deputy
Secretary of State John Negroponte during a testimony at a Senate
hearing on Wednesday said that the China should open dialogue with His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, saying stability in Tibet is not possible
without such a dialogue.

Speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing,
Negroponte said China would not achieve the stability it seeks without
addressing the grievances of the Tibetans and worked together with the
Tibetans to preserve their culture, language and religious freedom, AFP
reported.

“If Beijing does not engage with His Holiness the Dalai Lama
now, it will only serve to strengthen those who advocate extreme
views,” said Negroponte. ” Public vilification of the Dalai Lama will
not help defuse the situation.”

Also testifying at the Senate hearing was actor Richard Gere, an advocate for human rights in Tibet.

Gyari Lodi Gyaltsen, special envoy of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama told reporters in Washington that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has
written a letter to China’s President Hu Jintao offering to send
emissaries to Tibet to calm down tensions following Beijing’s
crackdown.

The letter, sent on 19 March, was part of efforts “to begin a
discussion on a peaceful way forward” following the Chinese crackdown
on peaceful Tibetan protesters, the special envoy said.