18th Task Force Meeting Concludes

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Phayul
Namgyal Kunga
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File Photo: Special Envoy Lodi Gyari with Zhu Weiqun, the Executive vice minister of China’s Central United Front, the Chinese government department in charge of talks with representatives of His Holiness Dalai Lama, during eighth round of talk.

New Delhi, Feb. 15 – The 18th meeting of the Task Force for negotiation concluded here yesterday at the TCV youth hostel. Talking to phayul after the meeting, Sonam Norbu Dagpo, a member of the Task Force who accompanied the two envoys on their visits, said that it was just a follow up meeting that is usually held before and after each round of talks.

“We met in September before the eighth round of talks, and this meeting follows our visit to China in October and November last year.”

Dagpo said that the exile Tibetan government has always been ready for resumption of dialogue if Chinese side is sincere in its dealings.

Talks between Dalai Lama's envoys and Beijing came to a standstill after a "Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People” submitted by the Tibetan side at the eighth round of talks in October last year was met with Beijing’s derision.

Calling it an “an agenda of independence”, the memorandum was categorically rejected by Chinese leadership.

“China says that doors for talks are open but they are not ready to discuss our memorandum which is in compliance with the regional ethnic autonomy law of the Chinese constitution,” said Dagpo.

Dagpo, who is also the secretary of international relations of the Tibetan government in exile, further said China insists talks should be about the Dalai Lama’s future and not the issue of Tibet.

The Tibetan leader has said on number of occasions that he does not want the talks with Beijing to be about his personal future but that of six million Tibetans. “If China is ready to discuss the issue of Tibet we are always ready,” added Dagpo.

Tibetan prime minister, Samdhong Rinpoche, who heads the Task Force, said in December last year, that the Tibetan side had already made all the required clarifications and brought a process of dialogue that began in September 2002 to its logical conclusion.”

Task Force was set up in 1999 to mainly assist the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in their talks with the representatives of the Chinese government.

The members of the Task Force last met in Dharamshala from 22-24 September 2008.