Beijing 12th November. Chinese President Jiang Zemin has urged that work to locate the reincarnated child for the Panchen Lama be completed at an early date.

Jiang, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, told the members of the Leading Group for Locating the Reincarnation Child for the Panchen Lama Friday [10th November] that the work will be completed soon if they make persistent efforts.

From 8th to 11th November, the third meeting of the Leading Group for Locating the Reincarnated Child for the Panchen Lama was held in Beijing, Jiang met the participants of the meeting and took photos with them on 10th November.

On behalf of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, Jiang extended cordial greetings to them and wished the meeting a great success. "In the past several years, under the leadership of the party and the government, eminent monks and persons from the religious circles have worked hard and done a great deal of work in searching the reincarnated boy," Jiang said. He expressed the hope that they will make still greater contributions to the stability and development in Tibet, as well as the people's happiness.

Also meeting with the participants were other Chinese leaders including Li Ruihuan, Zhu Rongji, Liu Huaqing, Hu Jintao and Rong Yiren. Present were also Tian Jiyun, Jiang Chunyun, Ren Jianxin, Pagbalba Geleg Namgyai, Luo Gan, Wu Xueqian, Wang Zhaoguo, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme and Zhao Puchu.

Entrusted by the Parry Central Committee, Li Ruihuan, a Standing Committee member of the Politburo of the Parry Central Committee, delivered an important speech on the reincarnation issue at the meeting.

Reviewing the work done in the past six years, Li, also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, pointed out that the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to the search for the boy and dealt with the matter seriously.

Also, the party's religious policy has been fully carried out and the religious rituals and procedures as well as the established historical convention of Tibetan Buddhism have been fully respected, Li said. The delay of the work is due primarily to the Dalai clique's interference and sabotage. he noted.

"The struggle centring on the reincarnation is not accidental. It has exposed once again the reactionary nature of the Dalai clique," Li said.

He added that many facts have demonstrated that the Dalai Lama is the chieftain of the political clique which tries to create an independent Tibet, a faithful tool of the foreign anti-Chinese forces, the general source in trying to create social turmoil in Tibet, and the biggest obstacle for the Tibetan branch of Buddhism in establishing normal order. He emphasized that in China, any person and any organization including any religion, should safeguard the dignity of law the interest of the people, the unity among all ethnic groups and national unification.

Nobody is permitted to violate state laws, damage people's interest, split ethnic groups and sabotage national unification, he said adding that these are the most cardinal principles governing people's behaviour. He went on to say that the overall situation in Tibet is good, and that great progress has been made in the search for the boy. The Party Central Committee holds that the condition has become ready and that people should work hard to complete the location and confirmation of the reincarnated boy.

"We must make concerted efforts to confirm the candidates for the reincarnated child as soon as possible and select the soul boy through 'lot drawing'. Then the choice will be submitted to the central government for official approval. Thus, we will be able to successfully complete the sacred Buddhist task for the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, he said.

Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1001 gmt 12 Nov 95