Several hundred Tibetan exile leaders gathered Monday in northern India for a landmark meeting to discuss the direction of the movement that has struggled for decades to win autonomy from China.
The weeklong meeting was called by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader.
Samdhong Rinpoche, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile, called for an "open and frank discussion" and new ideas following the repeated failure of talks with China.
He pledged in an opening speech that any decision about a new path needs to have "the clear mandate of the people."
He also cautioned that the meeting may not lead to a new approach with China, saying, "a change in policy need not come from this meeting."
The Dalai Lama was not expected to attend any of the meetings, said Lobsang Choedak, press officer of the government in exile.
On Sunday, the Dalai Lama's envoys to the last round of talks with Beijing issued a statement saying they had presented China with a detailed plan on how Tibetans could meet their autonomy needs within the framework of the Chinese Constitution.
But China had apparently rejected the plan and recent "Chinese statements distort the position and proposal we have outlined in our paper," the statement said.
Chinese officials said no progress had been made in the talks two weeks ago, calling the Tibetan stance "a trick" and saying it lacked sincerity.
"The Dalai Lama or the Tibetan government-in-exile cannot be held responsible for the failure of the Chinese to respond to our sincere and genuine attempts," said Lodi Gyari, one of the two envoys of the Dalai Lama who has participated in all eight rounds of talks since 2002.
"The Chinese leadership keeps on saying that the doors to a dialogue are always open but they haven't shown any willingness to take any step, however small, forward," he said.
It was the first time the envoys had commented on the talks, saying they had not wanted to make statements ahead of this week's special meeting.
China has dismissed the meeting as meaningless, saying the participants do not represent the views of most Tibetans. Beijing says the Dalai Lama and his followers are seeking outright independence from Chinese rule.
China insists Tibet has been part of its territory for 700 years, although many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of that time. Chinese forces invaded shortly after the 1949 Communist revolution and the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 amid an unsuccessful uprising against Chinese rule.
A senior Chinese official said in comments broadcast Friday that Beijing is open to further talks with the Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama voiced his impatience with China last month and appeared to give up hope of achieving a form of autonomy from Beijing that would allow Tibetans to freely practice their culture, language and religion.
"As far as I'm concerned I have given up," he said.
The weeklong meeting was called by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader.
Samdhong Rinpoche, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile, called for an "open and frank discussion" and new ideas following the repeated failure of talks with China.
He pledged in an opening speech that any decision about a new path needs to have "the clear mandate of the people."
He also cautioned that the meeting may not lead to a new approach with China, saying, "a change in policy need not come from this meeting."
The Dalai Lama was not expected to attend any of the meetings, said Lobsang Choedak, press officer of the government in exile.
On Sunday, the Dalai Lama's envoys to the last round of talks with Beijing issued a statement saying they had presented China with a detailed plan on how Tibetans could meet their autonomy needs within the framework of the Chinese Constitution.
But China had apparently rejected the plan and recent "Chinese statements distort the position and proposal we have outlined in our paper," the statement said.
Chinese officials said no progress had been made in the talks two weeks ago, calling the Tibetan stance "a trick" and saying it lacked sincerity.
"The Dalai Lama or the Tibetan government-in-exile cannot be held responsible for the failure of the Chinese to respond to our sincere and genuine attempts," said Lodi Gyari, one of the two envoys of the Dalai Lama who has participated in all eight rounds of talks since 2002.
"The Chinese leadership keeps on saying that the doors to a dialogue are always open but they haven't shown any willingness to take any step, however small, forward," he said.
It was the first time the envoys had commented on the talks, saying they had not wanted to make statements ahead of this week's special meeting.
China has dismissed the meeting as meaningless, saying the participants do not represent the views of most Tibetans. Beijing says the Dalai Lama and his followers are seeking outright independence from Chinese rule.
China insists Tibet has been part of its territory for 700 years, although many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of that time. Chinese forces invaded shortly after the 1949 Communist revolution and the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 amid an unsuccessful uprising against Chinese rule.
A senior Chinese official said in comments broadcast Friday that Beijing is open to further talks with the Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama voiced his impatience with China last month and appeared to give up hope of achieving a form of autonomy from Beijing that would allow Tibetans to freely practice their culture, language and religion.
"As far as I'm concerned I have given up," he said.
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