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China working on details for dialogue with Dalai Lama

Other News Materials 29 April 2008 15:16 (UTC +04:00)

China on Tuesday said representatives of the Dalai Lama will be contacted soon to hammer out details for planned new talks on Tibet.

"The relevant authorities agreed to have contact with the Dalai Lama," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.

The foreign ministry official did not elaborate on when and where the talks would be held, saying that the specifics still need to be discussed.

"At present we don't have any details," said Jiang.

On Friday, China announced that it would take up a dialogue with representatives of Tibet's spiritual leader within days and said it is ready to talk about everything except sovereignty over Tibet, dpa reported.

Chinese authorities said they hoped the Dalai Lama appreciates the offer.

Representatives of the Dalai Lama welcomed the offer Friday, saying it was a "positive step in the right direction."

The Chinese government has accused the Dalai Lama of "plotting and inciting violence" and "disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games" following last month's unrest in Tibet, which triggered a sharp military crackdown by Chinese authorities.

The talks would be the first between the two sides since June 2007. The Chinese government has engaged in six rounds of dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2002, however no progress was reported.

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