World Tibet Network News Saturday, March 21, 1998

NEW DELHI, March 20 (AFP) - An aide to the Dalai Lama Friday urged China to initiate talks with the Tibetan spiritual leader, saying a dialogue couldremove "misunderstanding" between the two sides. Sonam Topgyal, a member of the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile, saidChinese authorities did not understand that the Tibetan leader only sought"genuine autonomy" for Tibet. "To impute ulterior motives behind the Dalai Lama's willingness to discussthe Tibetan issue with the Chinese leadership is a mistake," he said in astatement received here. The statement came three days after China rejected the Dalai Lama's call for talks on Tibet, accusing him of using a pro-autonomy stance to mask hisaspirations for independence. "Past events have proved the Dalai Lama has never given up his attempts for Tibetan independence," a Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokesman said in Beijing. The Dalai Lama had said that he was not seeking independence for Tibet, andcalled on Tibetans to use only peaceful means in their efforts t

o win greater autonomy. Topgyal's statement was issued in the northern Indian state of Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile is based. Topgyal said the Dalai Lama "was not a person who does double-speak or sayssomething and means something else. "The best way for the Chinese to find out is to initiate negotiations with His Holiness, which will remove all the misunderstanding which cloud relations between Dharamsala and Beijing and pave the way for a lasting and just solution to the problem of Tibet." The Chinese army took control of Tibet in 1951. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India eight years after the failed uprising. India is also home to some 100,000 Tibetan exiles.