Tibet: Envoy Sees No Purpose in More Talks With China
After days of dialogue, Tibet-Beijing talks conclude with little progress.
An envoy to the Dalai Lama said Tibetans see no purpose in holding further talks with China because the government in Beijing lacks seriousness, Agence France-Presse reported.
“We do not see any useful purpose in continuing the dialogue,'' AFP cited envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen as telling reporters while visiting the European Parliament in Brussels on [16 July 2008]. “There is obviously a lack of political will from the Chinese leadership to seriously address the issue of Tibet.''
The Chinese took the view it is unrealistic to think that a 50-year-old issue can be resolved in a few years of meetings, the news agency reported. The two sides are due to meet again in October [2008], AFP said.
During two days of talks that ending July 2 [2008], envoys told Chinese officials the Dalai Lama wasn't seeking independence for Tibet. The spiritual leader fled to India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Tibet has a population of 6 million people and more than 120,000 Tibetans live abroad, according to the government-in-exile.