A special envoy of the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama said Thursday that "concrete proposals" were made in recent discussions with China, after which both sides agreed to hold their seventh round of formal talks on Tibet, reported dpa.
Kasur Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, who held informal consultations with Chinese authorities Sunday in Shenzhen, said there were "strong and divergent" views on the nature as well as causes of anti-China unrest that erupted in Tibet in March but but both sides expressed their views in a "frank and candid" manner.
"Despite major differences on important issues, both sides demonstrated a willingness to seek common approaches in addressing the issues at hand," he said in a statement issued from the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, where the Tibetan government in exile is based. "In this regard, each side made some concrete proposals, which can be part of the future agenda."
The Tibetan official said an understanding was reached to continue the formal and the date for the seventh round of talks would be finalized soon after mutual consultations.
The Chinese government has engaged in six rounds of dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2002. However no progress has been reported. The sixth round was held in June.
The Shenzhen meeting was described as informal talks with the Tibetan side saying it had taken up the "urgent issue of the current crisis in the Tibetan areas" after initially peaceful protests against Chinese rule turned violent on March 14.
The Tibetan envoy said the crisis was a "clear symptom of deeply felt grievances and resentment" by Tibetans over the "wrong policies" of the Chinese authorities.
Lodi Gyari categorically rejected Chinese accusations that the Dalai Lama was behind the violence in Tibet and was trying to sabotage the Olympic Games in China.
"The task at hand is to address the legitimate concerns of the Tibetan people in a realistic and constructive way," the envoy said.
He said the Tibetan side had appealed for ending the "current repression" in Tibet, the release of political prisoners, proper medical treatment for the injured and access to visitors, including the media.
China said 18 civilians and one police officer died in March 14 rioting in Lhasa. According to the Tibetan government in exile, 203 people have died since March in the widespread unrest in Tibet, most of them Tibetans shot by Chinese police.
Lodi Gyari also called for an end to China's "patriotic re-education campaign," which he said was deeply resented by Tibetans.