Friday 1 March 2013

China asked to accept Dalai Lama as religious leader

(TibetanReview.net, Feb28, 2013)
Expressing grave concern over the continuing spate of self-immolation protests in Chinese ruled Tibet, The Archbishop Dr John Sentamu of York has on Feb 27 asked the British government to impress upon China to recognize and accept the Dalai Lama as a religious leader. He believed this would lead to a dialogue and an end to the series of self-immolations by protesting Tibetans.
Speaking in a debate in the House of Lords on Tibet, the Archbishop has said the Dalai Lama was not only a spiritual and religious leader for the people of Tibet, but recognised the world over.
A similar suggestion was made by Lord Steel of Aikwood, who said that dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader could bring an end to dozens of self-immolations by pro-Tibet protesters, reported christiantoday.com Feb 27.
In her response, Baroness Warsi, Senior Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, has said the UK Government was "deeply concerned" about the high number of self-immolations in Tibet and that its concerns were being raised "regularly" with the Chinese authorities.
"We continue to encourage all parties to work for a resumption of substantive dialogue as a means to address the Tibetan concerns and to relieve tensions," she was quoted as saying.
And she has further said: "Of course, we continue to make the case to China that any economic progress can be sustained only if there is social progress as well."

Read more http://www.tibetsociety.com/content/view/293/51/#26-feb-2013

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