Dalai-Lama appeals for dialogue

The Dalai-Lama stated that he accepts autonomy, for independence, for Tibet as he began his tour of Europe at the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday, where he called for dialogue to solve the world’s problems.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai-Lama, is the spiritual leader of the Buddhist monks of Tibet, but he was received by the European Parliament as a Head of State, a fact which did not go unnoticed by Peking, which complained bitterly. Tibet was integrated into the People’s Republic of China in 1950.

Regarding this question, the Dalai-Lama claimed that he is prepared to accept “genuine autonomy” for a Tibet within China and does not ask for full independence. His decades of non-violent protest against the presence of the PR China in Tibet has won him one Nobel Peace Prize.

The Dalai Lama also made declarations about the current world situation, condemning the September 11th attacks, but refusing to link the ideology of Islam with terrorism. “The concept of an Islamic terrorist does not seem correct to me”, he said.

He claimed it is important to understand negative emotions and feelings which led “intelligent people” to perpetrate acts such as the attacks on September 11th and at the same time praised the US/UK alliance for trying to limit civilian casualties in Afghanistan.

He also commented that “a particularly sad fact of human history is that conflicts have arisen in the name of religion”.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru LISBON PORTUGAL