Beijing/Washington: Special envoys of the
Dalai Lama arrived in China to resume talks on the political
status of the region as Beijing asked the exiled Tibetan
spiritual leader to "cherish" the opportunity of fresh talks.
Representatives of the Dalai Lama, Lodi Gyari and
Kelsang Gyaltsen and the Chinese government officials are to
meet for their ninth round of talks after a gap of more than a
year.
"At the request of the Dalai Lama, the Chinese
Government has arranged for his representatives to come to
China for consultation," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu
said.
"We hope the Dalai Lama will cherish this opportunity
and respond positively to the request of the central
government," the spokesman said.
Hailing the visit of Dalai Lama`s envoys to China, US
strongly backed the move for negotiations and hoped it will
produce positive results.
"The United States strongly supports dialogue between
China and the Dalai Lama`s representatives to address
longstanding differences," Assistant Secretary of State for
Public Affairs P J Crowley said in a statement.
"The Administration hopes this meeting will produce
positive results and provide a foundation for future
discussions to resolve outstanding issues," Crowley
said.
PTI
