Beijing says door open for talks with Dalai Lama

London: A senior Chinese official said in comments broadcast on Friday that Beijing was open to further discussions with Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, following talks earlier this month.

Zhu Weiqun claimed in remarks to the BBC that "China has done everything it can to talk to the Dalai Lama." He added that "the door is still open."

Zhu made the comments just days before a special meeting called by Dalai Lama to discuss how the Tibetan exile communities and political organisations in Dharmsala, India, will deal with China in the future.

The five-day meeting begins tomorrow.

China insists Tibet is part of its territory. Since 2002, Tibetan representatives and Chinese officials have held several rounds of talks on the disputed territory with little progress.

Talks between representatives of Dalai Lama and the Chinese government were held in May this year and again in July, but with little results.

Earlier this week, Zhu, a vice-minister of the United Front Work Department, blamed Dalai Lama and his envoys for the failure of talks held from October 31 to November 5.

In an apparent hardening of Beijing's stance, he said the Tibetan spiritual leader's calls for greater autonomy masked his desire for the Himalayan region's independence.

Dalai Lama had earlier clarified that he was not seeking independence, but meaningful automony that would protect the region's unique Buddhist culture.

He also had told the Tibetan people to accept Tibet as a part of China.