Dialogue best way to resolve Tibet issue: US

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

PTI
By Lalit K Jha
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US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg speaks during a press conference during a visit in Bishkek on July 18, 2010. (Photo: Getty Images)

Washington, Sep 21-- Ruling out any outsiders'' role in resolving the Tibetan dispute, the United States has said that dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama is the best way to find a long-lasting peaceful solution to this outstanding dispute.

"Our policy on Tibet is that we have engaged very intensively with the Chinese in support of building a dialogue more directly between the Dalai Lama and Tibetans and the government in Beijing," US Deputy Secretary of State, James Steinberg said in response to a question after delivering a speech on ''Impact of US-China Relations in Asia''.

"I think ultimately these issues have to be resolved between dialogue between the two of them. We don''t think these are issues that outsiders can resolve," he said, adding that the Obama Administration thinks that dialogue will be in everyone''s interest.

"So we have strongly encouraged that. We''ve encouraged that within the framework of what is the political perspective of the United States, which is to recognise that Tibet is a part of China, but that there are important religious and cultural issues there that should be addressed, and that part of the broader commitments to human rights and respect for religion that the United States believes in everywhere."
"So we think within the framework of dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama as represented is the best way to try to address those issues," he added.