Official: Dalai Lama "stubborn in talks, not true to his word"

Source: Xinhua | 03-27-2009 08:26

BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese central government official has criticized the Dalai Lama and his followers on Thursday for being "stubborn in talks" and "failing to honor their promises".

Zhu Weiqun, vice minister of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, expounded on his stance in an interview carried Thursday in the overseas edition of the People's Daily, the CPC's flagship newspaper.

Zhu has been dealing with Tibet-related issues since 1998 and has been personally involved in all the contacts and talks with the Dalai Lama side since 2003.

When asked to describe the attitude of the Dalai Lama and his supporters in the talks, Zhu said they were "very difficult to talk with and very stubborn."

Nine rounds of talks have been held between Chinese central government officials and the Dalai Lama's private envoys since 2002, three of which were in last year.

"The last round of talks was actually stuck in a very difficult position. Many asked me if that meant a breakdown," he said, referring to a discussion Oct. 31 to Nov. 5, when the Dalai Lama's private representatives, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, were in China.