Dalai Lama seeks talks with China over Tibet

The Dalai Lama said on Tuesday he was willing to negotiate with China on the future of Tibet but the Chinese still remained deeply suspicious.
The exiled spiritual leader, who has run a government-in-exile from India since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising in 1959, said he was looking for a mutually agreeable solution which entailed autonomy, and not independence, for Tibet.
"My side is always welcome.. I am always ready to meet them. What's their suspicion? Let me know," the maroon-robed monk told reporters at his home in the northern Indian hill town McLeodganj.
"It's very important to have face-to-face meetings. There should not be any disagreement. But the Chinese always accuse me of seeking independence. There's too much suspicion in them. The best way to eliminate suspicion is to meet face to face."
The Dalai Lama's remarks came on the eve of the Tibetan parliament's annual session where representatives were expected to discuss relations with China among a host of other issues.
Chinese troops imposed Communist rule on Tibet in 1950 and the Dalai Lama fled nine years later after a failed uprising against them. China claims Tibet as part of its territory and accuses the religious leader of separatist activities.
Tibetan envoys have visited China recently as part of a contact-building process that began in 2002 when the Tibetan god-king's envoys visited China in the first direct contact between them since 1993.
Analysts say the re-establishment of contacts between China and the Dalai Lama's representatives reflects a slight softening in Beijing's position as it tests the waters for some kind of political solution.
The ageing Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, reiterated he was not seeking independence for Tibet but greater autonomy for the region.
"My approach regarding this problem is the middle way approach to find mutually agreeable solutions. That means we are willing to remain within the People's Republic of China. Meantime, we should have meaningful autonomy."
"With the Chinese government pouring millions for the development of Tibet, we might have a greater benefit if we remain within the People's Republic of China."