World Tibet Network News Saturday, June 13, 1998

By Alice Ratcliffe

RIKON, Switzerland, June 12 (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama said on Friday he hoped a mutually agreeable solution to China's stance on his homeland could be found, which would allow him to return to the country he fled in 1959.

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader said China was learning from experiences in Asia that ``repression is creating more trouble for the future.''

``More lenient policy is the only way to achieve genuine stability,'' he said.

With respect to Tibet's culture, he said: ``Time is running out. So I feel my responsibility is to save the Tibetan nation, and its unique cultural heritage.''

If China were to treat Tibet ``as a true younger brother, younger sister, and equal'' there were grounds for mutual agreement, he said in comments to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery near Zurich.

He called Tibet ``backward'' but ``quite rich in natural resources.'' He added that as far as material development was concerned, ``if we join with another big nation,'' Tibet might stand a better chance to develop its economy.

China recently criticised the exiled Tibetan government, now based in Dharamsala in northern India, for its apparent failure to condemn India's recent nuclear tests.

The Dalai Lama did not mention the nuclear tests on Friday, but said he expected U.S. President Bill Clinton, who starts a visit to China June 25 to ``raise the Tibetan issue.''

Chinese forces entered Tibet in 1950, ending its centuries of near-totalitarian autonomy. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 and has since campaigned for Tibetan autonomy.

He said the exiled Tibetan government, if it were allowed to return home, should have full authority over aspects of Tibet's cultural and spiritual life. But in an apparent reference to China, he said foreign affairs and defence should be looked after by a central government.

He said he would, if allowed to return on mutually agreeable conditions, hand over his authority to an internal government, and then step down to devote himself to ``purely spiritual or humanitarian work.''

``I am getting old, so I have to make some preparation for my next life,'' said the Dalai Lama, who was born in 1935.

The Dalai Lama has gained support from U.S. celebrities including actor Richard Gere. Swiss organisers said singer Tina Turner, who lives in Switzerland, was also waiting for an audience with him on Friday at the monastery, normally home to around nine Buddhist monks.