World Tibet Network News Monday, May 04, 1998 (I)

By Anil K Joseph

BEIJING: May 4, 1998 (The Times Of India) -- High expectations raised on a possible resumption of direct talks between China and the Dalai Lama to resolve the Tibet issue have been dampened following what looks like an unsuccessful attempt by the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright with the Chinese leadership this week, analysts say.

While the Tibetan issue did come up during Albright's talks with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, the latter is reported to have launched into a 15-minute soliloquy about communist China's religious policies and freedoms, effectively foiling Albright's game plan, analysts said.

Jiang, also general secretary of Communist Party of China, was reportedly philosophical when Albright brought up concerns about religious freedoms in Tibet during their one-hour talks, part of the strategic dialogue, ahead of US President Bill Clinton's scheduled landmark state visit to China in late June.

A mellowed US State Secretary told newsmen at a press conference that ``I raised our concerns quite directly about religious freedom in Tibet. The right to free and peaceful expression of political views, and the still large number of Chinese prisoners of conscience.''

Commenting specifically on Tibet, Albright said, ``We had quite lengthy and intensive discussions on Tibet as an issue that is of great importance to us. We have believed that it's very important for there to be preservation of the cultural and religious special character of Tibet.''

She, however, added that ``what we urged was dialogue with the Dalai Lama.'' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Tang Guoqiang told newspersons separately that there was no change in the stand of the Chinese government on the Tibet issue and that talks with the Dalai Lama could take place only if the exiled Tibetan leader renounced his stand for Tibet's independence.

Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in Washington demanded the withdrawal of screening of a film that depicts the occupation of Tibet by China and repression of people there.

The organisers of the Washington Internatinal Film Festival, however, have refused the Chinese demand.

The academy award winner producer of the movie Windhorse, Paul Wager, defended the film saying it depicted ``the imprisonment and torture of Tibetan Buddhist nuns for their religious beliefs and the Chinese government's ban on photos of Dalai Lama in public places and use of surveillance cameras to observe activities of Tibetans and tourists.'' (PTI)