by Pratap Chakravarty

NEW DELHI, Nov 26 (AFP) - Tibetans here say Chinese President Jiang Zemin's historic visit to India would be meaningless without an offer by Beijing for talks with their exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

A radical youth chapter of the Tibetan government-in-exile, which is based in India, has warned it will launch sweeping anti-Chinese protests during Jiang's three-day visit from Thursday.

But New Delhi, preparing a red carpet welcome for the Chinese leader, has announced plans to stem protests by the Tibetans.

Tempa Tsering, "foreign secretary" of the Tibetan government-in-exile was not holding any hope of a conciliatory gesture by Jiang.

"There will be no pronouncements on Tibet during Jiang's visit as India pursues a policy of appeasement with China in regard to Tibet," he said

Tsering said the Dalai Lama would readily accept an offer to visit Beijing for talks with the Chinese leadership, if invited.

"The Dalai Lama and our government are willing to go anywhere for talks with the Chinese ... Ziang's visit to India would be meaningless without concrete offers to us on the Tibetan issue," he said.

"But that is not going to happen," Tsering predicted from the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, where the Tibetan government set up base in 1959 after an uprising in Tibet was crushed by China.

Tsering said Beijing could not afford to ignore the people of Tibet.

"Resentment is growing because of the deteriorating condition of Tibetans, and China's continuing interference in our affairs," he said.

China's choice to be Tibetan Buddhism's second highest figure, the Panchen Lama is disputed by the Dalai Lama. The spiritual leader had chosen another boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was later seized by Chinese authorities and is now said to be "under the protection" of Beijing.

Beijing recently tightened control over religious activity in Tibet, banning the Dalai Lama's pictures in monasteries and launching a drive for "education in patriotism" among monks and nuns there.

Jombal Chosang, secretary to the Dalai Lama's bureau in India, echoed Tsering's worries that India and China were unlikely to discuss Tibet.

"Jiang will not budge on the Chinese foreign policy ... There would be no drastic announcements on Tibet or on issues which cloud bilateral relations between India and China.

"New Delhi should give up its appeasement policy and take up the issue of 15,000 square kilometres (5,769 square miles) of its territory in Aksai Chin occupied by China since 1962," he said.

India and China fought a bitter border war in 1962.

Beijing does not recognise the territory of Sikkim, whose ruler was deposed in 1975, as one of India's 25 states. Nor does it endorse the British-drawn MacMohan Line a demarcation line marking 128,000 square kilometres (51,200 square miles) of Sino-Indian border and stakes claim to Indian parts of the territory.

"Jiang has no moral or legal right to discuss the Tibet-Indian border and should hold talks only on the Sino-Indian border," Chosang said.

"The Indian parliament once passed a resolution to take back territory occupied by China ... We request Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda to take up these issues with the Chinese president," Chosang said.

The independent National Democratic Party of Tibet added: "Sino-Indian border tension is not because of the presence of the Dalai Lama in India but because of Chinese occupation of Tibet."

Chosang and Tsering said resentment over Jiang's upcoming visit had spiralled among the 150,000 Tibetans in India.

"There are no gains for us from the Chinese president's visit to India," said Tibetan Youth Congress general secretary Yangchin Dolkar.

"We are afraid Jiang will sign some agreement with India during his stay, which will harm our fight for freedom ... We are planning India-wide protests," she said.