Home › Blogs › Hannus's blog

An Olive Branch From the Dalai Lama

Thu, 2008-08-07 07:56 — Hannus

The present track of talks between the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department and the Dalai Lama’s representatives will never get anywhere. The only hope is for Beijing to pluck Tibetan affairs from the United Front officials and hold direct talks between the Dalai Lama and either President Hu Jintao or Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, negotiating until a deal is reached.

It’s possible to devise an agreement that leaves both China and the Tibetans much better off — if they hurry. Once the Dalai Lama dies — he is 73 — then a deal could be impossible for another generation because no one would be able to unify the Tibetan people behind a new plan.

Nicholas D. Kristof gives a plausible outline of what a settlement might look like.

The New York Times | An Olive Branch From the Dalai Lama