World | Other World Stories
Dalai Lama meets with German minister
The Dalai Lama met with Germany's development minister, who said they had a frank discussion on Monday about Tibetan autonomy and Chinese.
- AP
- Published: 14:52 May 19, 2008
Berlin: The Dalai Lama met with Germany's development minister, who said they had a frank discussion on Monday about Tibetan autonomy and Chinese.
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul's decision to meet with the Tibetan spiritual leader provoked criticism within Angela Merkel's government, after the chancellor angered China by
inviting the Dalai Lama to the chancellory last year.
"I took advantage of the opportunity to let the Dalai Lama inform me about the situation in Tibet, based on his point of view," she told reporters about the private session. "Of course, we discussed the necessity for cultural autonomy in this context, as well as about the dialogue between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama."
Merkel's spokesman, Thomas Steg, told reporters that Merkel, who is on a seven-day tour of Latin America, was not involved in Wieczorek-Zeul's decision to hold talks with the Dalai Lama, but was in no way opposed.
"She is completely agreeable to this meeting," Steg said.
China again reacted angrily, saying in a formal complaint filed Friday that the meeting violates Germany's commitment to the "one-China" policy.
The Dalai Lama is scheduled to address a final gathering in the heart of the capital later Monday at Brandenburg Gate - a symbol of a reunited Germany.
The spiritual leader has been drawing large crowds over his five-day tour of Germany, organized by the Tibet Initiative Deutschland.
A crowd of 7,000 came to see him in Nuremberg on Sunday and he told them it was tragic that religious differences often lead to bloodshed.
"We need all the different religions to serve the people, because the people are different and have different goals," he said during his appearance at Nuremberg Arena
in southern Germany.
The Dalai Lama arrived in Germany on Thursday for a five-day visit of speaking engagements and has met with leaders from some of Germany's 16 states.
Share this article
News Editor's choice
-
Into an oasis of values
A place to snuggle in the warmth of old manners away from the bustle of city life
-
The walking MP
Rory Stewart's long walk in life has taken a new turn
-
What drives Africa's new kind of refugees?
Warming-driven factors have led many in the continent to flee their homes
