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BEIJING: China will only hold talks with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama if he gives up independence ambitions for his Himalayan homeland, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday.
"We have made it clear in a very serious manner that as long as the Dalai (Lama) is willing to give up his propositions for so-called Tibetan independence and as long as the Dalai recognises that Tibet is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, our door for dialogue with him is wide open," Wen told a press conference.
Tibet's spiritual leader denies Chinese charges that he is a separatist seeking independence of Tibet and insists that he only wants a high-degree of autonomy under Chinese rule.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on China to open talks with the Dalai Lama amid mounting international unease over China's crackdown on protests in Tibet that began last week.
However, Wen blamed the Dalai Lama for the recent riots that started in Lhasa and also for anti-Chinese demonstrations elsewhere in the world.
"Are all these activities having nothing to do with the Dalai?" said Wen.
"So I think when we watch the Dalai Lama, we should not only listen to what he says, but also watch what he does."
Tibet's exiled leaders have said about 100 people have been killed in the crackdown on protests against Chinese rule. China said on Monday that the unrest had claimed 13 civilian lives and denied using deadly force. - AFP/ac
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