By Phyllis Fang

HUAIROU, China, Aug 29 (Reuter) - A senior U.N. official defended China's preparations for the world women's conference Tuesday, saying criticism was unjustified and accepting a gift from a Tibetan delegate to show that all Tibetans had not been excluded.

"People were putting unjustified criticism on the work people were putting in," Gertrude Mongella, secretary-general of the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women, said as she toured the site of a parallel grassroots forum.

"Now I want the world to come and report on what are their achievements which have been made in a very short time, in less than a year," Mongella said as she strolled through the site, which has been mired in controversy since Beijing shunted the forum to its suburban venue from the city centre last April.

Thousands of women have arrived for the Non-Governmental Organization Forum on Women in the suburban town of Huairou, for discussions they hope will influence the women's conference, held once every ten years.

However, the run-up to the meeting has been overshadowed by confusion surrounding the issuing of visas, accommodation and the distance of the site from the main conference.

Participants mobbed Mongella, eager to have their photograph taken with her, but not all appeared happy with the site, transformed from a sleepy tourist town in the shadow of the Great Wall to frantic host for nearly 30,000 women.

"We still feel left out being in Huairou," said Maheen Sultan of the Nari Pokkho group from Bangladesh. "Obviously access is limited to a few NGOs in Beijing.

"If it were not a women's conference, they could not have so easily sidetracked us and sent us to Huairou," she said. "It really shows they don't take women's issues seriously enough."

However, Mongella attacked the critics.

"Those who wanted to disrupt the confidence (of people) used Huairou as an excuse to tell all the negative stories," Mongella told the Xinhua news agency.

Inside a blue and white Tibetan tent, delegates from China's troubled Himalayan region gave Mongella a traditional Tibetan Buddhist white prayer scarf, which she draped around her neck.

"I'm so happy because some rumors have been spread that Tibetan women cannot come here," she said. "This is a Tibetan," she said gesturing to one of the participants. "I'm so happy to be here with her."

Some Tibetan groups based outside China have been unable to win permission to attend the forum or the conference, apparently because they are linked to the exiled Dalai Lama, god-king of the region, whom Beijing accuses of fomenting anti-Chinese uprisings in Tibet.

In the Africa tent, Mongella, who is from Tanzania, joined an impromptu dance with participants.

"I have only one message, that China is our host," she told delighted participants dressed in a rainbow of colors from African nations. "According to African customs, we respect our hostess and we must respect China our host until the end of the NGO."

NGO convenor Supatra Masdit said 26,000 people had confirmed their participation in the forum and some were expected to try their luck even without confirmation, adding that she expected a total of 30,000 participants.

Chinese Organizing Committee Vice President Huang Qizao told a news conference that 2,000 Chinese were expected to take part in the NGO forum. China earlier said 5,000 would attend.

The Chinese were expected only to attend special seminars and not to interract widely with foreign delegates.