By IANS
London : Expressing concern over human rights situation in Lhasa, Britain Friday called for the Chinese government and Tibetan independence campaigners to open a dialogue.
“We are very concerned about what’s happening in Tibet,” Prime Minister Gordon Brown said after a summit of European Union (EU) leaders in Brussels.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband added: “There are probably two important messages to go out – one is the need for restraint on all sides and secondly that substantive dialogue is the only way forward.”
They spoke after leaders of the 27-nation EU were reported to have strongly condemned China.
“We asked for restraint on the part of the Chinese authorities. We asked for human rights to be respected. There is strong condemnation coming from the European Council and the 27 countries,” French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said.
In a separate statement, EU leaders asked Beijing to release arrested Tibetans, who are said to include a large number of Buddhist monks.