By IANS
Dharamsala : Self-exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama Friday reached out to the Chinese leadership for a dialogue to solve the Tibet issue and stop the violence.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life in Tibet. The unrest has clearly demonstrated the gravity of the situation in Tibet and an urgent need to seek a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution through dialogue,” the Dalai Lama said in his statement released here.
“My primary concern is to ensure the survival of the Tibetan distinctive culture, language and identity.”
Cautioning the Chinese state-controlled media, he said: “The state media’s portrayal of the recent events in Tibet, using deceit and distorted images, could sow the seeds of racial tension with unpredictable long-term consequences. This is of grave concern to me.
“I am happy that several Chinese intellectuals and scholars have also expressed their strong concern about the Chinese leadership’s actions.
“Since renewing our contacts in 2002, we have had six rounds of talks. But, on the fundamental issue, there has been no concrete result at all.
“I had hoped President Hu Jintao’s recent statement that the stability and safety of Tibet concerns the stability and safety of the country might herald the dawning of a new era for the resolution of the problem of Tibet,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that despite my sincere efforts not to separate Tibet from China, the leaders Chinese leadership continues to accuse me of being a ‘separatist’.”
The Chinese government has said 22 people were killed in the violence in Tibet earlier this month, but the Tibetan government-in-exile has said it confirmed the deaths of about 140 people, many of them Tibetans shot by Chinese police.