OSLO, Oct 12, Reuter: The Norwegian government cancelled a planned meeting between a Minister and the Dalai Lama during his visit last week because of Chinese diplomat pressure, the Foreign Minister said on Wednesday.
Thorvald Stoltenberg told Parliament that the meeting between the Tibetan spiritual leader and Mary K vidal, Norway’s Minister of Church and Education, had been scrapped after protests from China.
“After a strong reaction from the Chinese and to avoid misunderstandings over Norway’s policy towards China, a meeting with the Bishop (of Oslo) was arranged instead,” he said,
The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 following an abortive rebellion by the Buddhist Hierarchy against the Chinese who occupied the Capital Lhasa in 1951.
Due to recent violent unrest in Tibet the Chinese are anxious that the Dalai Lama not be accorded any form of Official recognition by Foreign Governments.
Stoltenberg defended Norway’s decision saying that every Western country that the Dalai Lama visited had treated him the same way
Article extracted from this publication >> October 21, 1988
