China says serious differences in talks with private envoys of Dalai Lama
10/11/2008 17:27
A Chinese central government official said in Beijing today that recent
talks with the Dalai Lama's private representatives were "frank and sincere,"
but serious differences remain.
Zhu Weiqun, executive vice minister of the
United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Central Committee, made the remarks at a press conference held by the
Information Office of the State Council.
Du Qinglin, vice-chairman of the
National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference,
met with the Dalai Lama's private representatives, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang
Gyaltsen.
Zhu, UFWD Vice Minister Sita and Executive Vice Chairman of the
Tibet Autonomous Region Pelma Trilek also held talks with them while they were
in China from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5.
In talks held in July, the Dalai Lama's
representatives said they had no problems following the "four not-to-supports"
put forward by the central authorities, but they completely broke that promise,
Zhu said.
The four promises include: not supporting activities that disturbed
the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games; not supporting plots inciting violent
criminal activities; not supporting and concretely curbing violent terrorist
activities of the pro-secession "Tibetan Youth Congress"; not supporting any
argument and activity seeking "Tibetan independence" and splitting the region
from the country.
"They absolutely forgot to carry out their promise and did
not stop boycotting and destroying the Beijing Olympics," Zhu said. "Instead,
they intensified sabotaging activities and continued to attack the Central
Government."
"They supported the 'Tibetan Youth Congress' and other
organizations to publicly advocate 'Tibetan independence' and fanned or
organized violent criminal activities," Zhu added. "They also continued to set
up a claim to internationalize the Tibet issue, trying to make use of foreigners
pressuring the central government."
"They continued to collude with such
dregs as overseas democracy activists, 'Falungong elements' and 'Eastern
Turkistan terrorits', trying to form so-called 'united front work' to oppose the
Chinese government and split the motherland," he said. "All of these have caused
the Chinese people strong aversion to their actions."
Zhu said Lodi Gyari
presented a "Memorandum for All Tibetans to Enjoy Genuine Autonomy" after
arriving in Beijing, declaring that the "Tibet government-in-exile is
representative of Tibetans and their interests".
"For this, we pointed out
that the Central Government of the People's Republic of China and the People's
Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region represent of ethnic minorities in
Tibet," Zhu said.
The so-called "Tibet government-in-exile" is a product
created by a small group of separatists who launched an armed rebellion in 1959,
but failed, and then fled to some foreign countries, he added.
"It has been
engaged in splitting activities and sabotage for decades," said Zhu. "Its
existence is illegal and no state in the whole world recognizes it."
"We
talked with Mr. Lodi Gyari and his party only because they were the Dalai Lama's
private representatives," he noted.
Zhu said the topics only focused on how
the Dalai Lama should completely give up his ideas and actions to split with
China and should instead strive for the understanding of the Central authorities
and all Chinese people so as to solve the issue concerning his own
prospect.
Zhu said a large numbers of obscure words were intentionally used
in the Memorandum, showing that the Dalai Lama and his followers have not given
up their consistent opinions to split with China.
Zhu said the so-called
"genuine autonomy" and other requests mentioned in the Memorandum intended to
set central leadership against the regional ethnic autonomy system so as to
deny, restrict and weaken the authority of the central authorities as well as
the authority of the National People's Congress in legislation.
"What's more,
the splitting clique tried to change the Constitution so that it could actually
possess rights as an independent state does," Zhu said.
He went on to say the
Memorandum's title and contents referred to a "Greater Tibetan-inhabited Area"
and "high degree of autonomy".
"They are exactly the same as 'half
independence' and 'independence in a disguised form', which are not tolerated in
the Constitution," Zhu said.
As for the request that "all Tibetan autonomous
regions are integrated into one autonomous region" mentioned in the Memorandum,
Zhu said Tibetan autonomous areas were established and defined according to the
principles stipulated in the Constitution and on the basis of fully respecting
history and facts and comprehensively considering political, economic conditions
and reality.
"The so-called 'Greater Tibet' did not exist in history, nor
does it have an actual ground," he said.
Zhu quoted the Law on the Regional
Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities as saying that the boundaries of a national
autonomous area, once defined, can not be altered without authorization.
When
an alteration is found necessary, it shall be proposed by the relevant
department of the state organ at the next higher level after full consultation
with the government of the national autonomous area before the proposal is
submitted to the State Council for approval.
Zhu said the private
representatives of the Dalai Lama were neither "the relevant department of the
state organ at the next higher level", nor were they "the government of the
national autonomous area".
"Without a legal status, they are inappropriate to
bring up the issue," he said.
Zhu said high ranking officials from central
authorities told a delegation of the Dalai Lama in the 1980s that it was
impossible to change Tibet into a country, to carry out a "high degree of
autonomy" or to create a larger Tibet autonomous region.
"However, more than
two decades have passed, they still use this trick to talk in a roundabout way
with central authorities, which shows that they lack sincerity," Zhu
said.
"Our contacts and talks failed to make progress and they should assume
full responsibility for it," he said.
Zhu stressed that the unification of
the motherland, territorial integrity and national dignity are the greatest
interests of the Chinese people.
"We will never make a concession."
The
official said central authorities said the door for the Dalai Lama's return to a
patriotic stance had always been open and would remain open in the
future.
"However, the door for 'Tibet independence', 'half independence' and
'independence in a disguised form' had never been open, nor would it be open in
the future," he said.
This is the third talk between the central government
and the Dalai Lama's private envoys this year. Previous discussions were held in
May and July.
Xinhua
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