Dalai Lama’s special envoys Lodi G. Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen who have led nine rounds of talks with Beijing since 2002, have resigned after expressing “frustration” over lack of positive response from the Chinese government.
The two envoys in their resignation letter said the situation in Tibet has worsened since large-scale public protests in 2008 and that Beijing has expressed no sincere desire to resolve the deteriorating situation inside Tibet by engaging in substantive dialogue. The envoys also stated that Beijing has not been receptive to Exile Tibetan Administration’s middle-way approach that seeks genuine autonomy for Tibetans within China.
The envoy’s last meeting with the Chinese side took place in January 2010.
Head of the Central Tibetan Administration Lobsang Sangay accepted resignation of the two envoys during the 24th Tibetan Task Force on Negotiations meeting held in Dharamsala from May 30-31. Tenpa Tsering, spokesperson of the Tibetan Task Force said the Tibetan administration is firmly committed to the dialogue process on the middle-way approach for autonomy to resolve the Tibetan issue and is always ready to engage in meaningful dialogue with Beijing.
The Tibetan Task Force on Negotiations is expected to meet again in December 2012 to discuss the Chinese leadership transition. The Task Force on Negotiations was set up in 1999 to assist the Dalai Lama’s envoys in the dialogue process with Beijing.
