Du Qinglin, head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama in Beijing recently, the department said on Thursday.
Du, also the vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), told the two representatives, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, the central government's policy towards the Dalai Lama is consistent and explicit. The door for dialogue is always open.
The Dalai Lama should openly and explicitly promise and prove it in his actions not to support activities to disturb the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, not to support plots to fan violent criminal activities, not to support and concretely curb the violent terrorist activities of the "Tibetan Youth Congress" and not to support any argument and activity to seek "Tibet independence" and split the region from the country, he said.
While the country is welcoming the 30th anniversary of its reform and opening up, Tibet, together with the rest of the country, has progressed to realize economic development and improve people's living standards while protecting the environment and effectively using resources, he said.
In Tibet, the adherence to the CPC leadership, the socialist system and the regional autonomy of ethnic minorities will not be altered, he said.
The central government will apply its policies in Tibet, support the region's economic and social development and work to improve living standards of people in Tibet as it did before.
Du also briefed them about the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12 and the relief work.
He said at time of difficulty, the Chinese nation has shown strong cohesiveness and profound love among its people. The relief work serves as vivid illustrations of China's protection of human rights.
The CPC implemented its principle of putting people first and ruling the country for the people, while the advantages of socialist system are also manifested in the quake relief, as indicated in the policy of saving lives first, nationwide mobilization for quake relief and timely and smooth flow of information, he said.
Zhu Weiqun and Sitar, two deputy heads of the department, also met with the Dalai Lama's representatives and exchanged ideas on detailed issues.
If the Dalai Lama makes positive moves, the next round of contact may be held before the end of this year, according to the officials of the department. The Dalai Lama's representatives also expressed their ideas on several relevant issues and said they would report the results to the Dalai Lama.
During their stay in Beijing, the two toured the Olympic stadiums and talked with some Tibetologists.
(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2008)