FROM PHAYUL

12 May 2008

Dalai Lama not invited to Downing Street

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not receive the Dalai Lama in his office, a spokesman told The Times newspaper, which said it was an effort to avoid confrontation with China. Brown will meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader at Lambeth Palace in London, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England. Brown will be able to claim that he is receiving the Dalai Lama in his spiritual rather than a political capacity.

Brown said in March that he would meet the Dalai Lama when he visits Britain, angering China which accuses the Buddhist cleric of masterminding protests against Beijing's rule in Tibet. "As he said in parliament, the prime minister intends to see the Dalai Lama," a spokesman for Brown said. "What is important is that they are meeting and will have a substantive conversation. It is also significant that the Chinese are engaging directly with representatives of the Dalai Lama."

Asked why the meeting was in Lambeth Palace, the spokesman replied: "He is a spiritual representative and it makes sense for the prime minister to meet with him." Both of Brown's immediate predecessors, Tony Blair and John Major, met the Dalai Lama in Downing Street.

Brown's original announcement that he would meet the Dalai Lama was welcomed by pro-Tibet campaigners, but risked souring relations with China, which he visited in January to boost two-way trade and investment and cooperation in areas like tackling climate change.

Amid threats from other world leaders, including France, to boycott the Olympics in Beijing in August over China's crackdown in Tibet, Brown has said he will attend the closing ceremony as London will host the 2012 Games.

The Dalai Lama is due to give evidence on human rights issues to a parliamentary oversight committee on foreign affairs on May 22. The committee is currently looking at the Foreign Office's annual human rights report and focusing on issues and countries of concern. (AFP, 12 May)

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