BEIJING, Jan. 27 -- Two envoys of the Dalai Lama are expected to visit Beijing to meet with the central government, an official told the Global Times Tuesday.
The envoys arrived in Hunan Province Tuesday, and were expected to be in Beijing "very soon" for talks, said an official with the United Front Work Department of the CPC's Central Committee, who declined to be named.
It will be the first meeting since November 2008, when the central government met two private representatives of the Dalai Lama.
The central government reiterated at the time it would not compromise on its position that Tibet is an integral part of China, but said it would keep open the door for future discussions despite "serious divergences" between the two sides.
The new discussions are expected to last several days and will cover issues not fully addressed in the previous meeting, the official said without elaborating.
The relevant agencies of the central government will hold a news conference early next month to discuss the meeting, the official added.
The nation Tuesday urged the Dalai Lama to "cherish" the opportunity for fresh talks.
At the request of the Dalai Lama, the relevant agencies of the central government arranged for the private representatives of the Dalai Lama to visit Beijing and have consultations, foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.
"We hope the Dalai Lama will cherish this opportunity and respond positively to the requests by the central government," he added, declining to answer further questions on the matter.
The Dalai Lama's spokesman, Tenzin Taklha, said Monday that discussion would include envoys Lodi G. Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, who are part of an "important process of trying to find a mutually agreed solution."
The new talks will be the 10th in a string of meetings between the two sides since 2002. The central government has repeated demands that the Dalai Lama renounce his "separatist" activities.
(Source: Global Times)
