Published by: World Tibet Network News Tuesday - February 13, 1996

NEW DELHI, Feb 13 (Reuter) - Tibet's god-king, the Dalai Lama, has said he believes a dispute with China over the recognition of a key Buddhist child monk will soon be settled. The exiled spiritual leader said China was demonstrating a more "reasonable" approach towards the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, Tibet's second most senior spiritual leader.

"We'll find some understanding soon," the Nobel laureate told reporters in the Indian capital on Monday. "There's not much problem." In November, communist China announced that a new Panchen Lama, six-year-old Gyaincain Norbu, had been chosen to succeed the 10th Panchen Lama, who died in 1989.

Beijing rejected the Dalai Lama's own choice, Gendun Choeyki Nyima, adding strains to the god-king's arms-length relations with China. After Beijing made its choice, the Dalai Lama appealed to the international community to intervene to ensure that his choice of Panchen Lama was not detained by Chinese authorities.

The Dalai Lama, in New Delhi to present an award to a Sanskrit scholar, was asked if a compromise could be reached with China over the Panchen Lama. "Regarding (the) Panchen Lama issue, (there is) not much problem," he said. He said that for domestic reasons the Chinese government had adopted a hard line towards Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong. "Their (China's) position is very, very harsh, very hard," he said.

But he said Beijing was relaxing its stance. "All Chinese attitudes are becoming more open, more reasonable, regarding the various issues," he said without elaborating. The Dalai Lama fled his homeland to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Based in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, he heads a government-in-exile which is not recognised by any country. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. The Panchen Lama is the second highest figure in Tibet's spiritual hierarchy. Historically he has been closer to Beijing than has the Dalai Lama.