China accuses Europe of aiding Tibet independence (Reuters)

BEIJING, July 15 (Reuters) - Angered by a European resolution

critical of China's policies in Tibet, Chinese officials have accused

the European Parliament of conspiring with the Dalai Lama to gain

Tibetan independence.

In a strongly worded statement published in state newspapers on

Saturday, members of the National People's Congress also said the

European Parliamentary resolution constituted "slander" and "brutal

interference" in Chinese affairs.

It was not immediately clear what resolution the officials were

referring to, but it apparently condemned a controversial

resettlement programme in China which aims to move poor ethnic

Chinese farmers on to traditionally Tibetan lands.

The lengthy statement, carried in full by Xinhua news agency,

appeared most concerned by the resolution's reference to Tibet as a

"country" that China has "occupied."

"By doing so, the European Parliament is obviously trying to render

support to a handful of separatists led by Dalai Lama so as to gain

its aim to split China," the statement said.

The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of the Buddhist Himalayan

region, is thoroughly reviled by Beijing, which claims he leads an

international movement to separate Tibet from China.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who administers a Tibetan

government-in-exile in India, says he does not seek independence for

his homeland, only greater autonomy and religious freedom.

WORLD BANK LOAN COLLAPSES

China is smarting from the collapse of a planned World Bank loan that

would have provided $40 million to resettle 60,000 poor Chinese

farmers in areas inhabited by ethnic Tibetans.

The loan to fund the programme in the remote western province of

Qinghai drew fierce opposition from pro-Tibetan activists and fell

apart earlier this month under pressure from the United States

government and other World Bank shareholders.

The Chinese statement rejected accusations in the European resolution

that the resettlement was an attempt to "assimilate" Tibetans.

Beijing has argued it is a legitimate effort to alleviate poverty for

both ethnic Chinese and Tibetans.

Many international experts have criticised the United States for

opposing the loan, saying China would likely go ahead with the

programme anyway using its own money, and that affected people would

have been better off under World Bank supervision.

"OUT-AND-OUT LIAR"

China said the parliamentary resolution and similar ones in the past

threatened to damage relations with Europe.

"Such acts by the European Parliament not only greatly hurt the

feelings of the Chinese people, but also will produce grave negative

effects on the healthy advancement of Sino-European relations," it

said.

The statement also savaged the Dalai Lama as an "out-and-out liar,"

dampening hopes that long-frozen talks between his government and

Beijing could be rekindled anytime soon.

After ruling itself for much of the first half of the 20th Century,

Tibet was annexed by Chinese troops in 1951, two years after

Communist leader Mao Zedong took power in China.

The Dalai Lama and the remnants of his theocracy fled to Dharamsala,

India, after a bloody uprising in 1959 which failed to eject China's

People's Liberation Army.