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Swiss government rejects meeting with Dalai Lama

Tibetan exiles are reflected in a portrait of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during a protest in New Delhi on 10 March 2010. The Swiss federal council has declined to meet the Dalai Lama during his visit to Switzerland next Month.File photo/Reuters/Adnan Abidi/India

The Swiss Tibetan friendship organisation criticised on Tuesday the position of the Swiss federal council, refusing a meeting with the Dalai Lama during his visit to Switzerland next Month.

On the other hand some members of the Swiss parliament expressed there disappointment from the Swiss decision, which uses the argument of the Chinese government towards Dalai Lama without putting a clear position of Switzerland in this issue.

The Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey had announced yesterday that none of the Swiss federal council will meet the Dalai Lama during his next visit to the country in April because of “scheduling reasons”.

Calmy-Rey pointed out during a question time at the Parliament that China can see this meeting as an “encouragement to the Tibetan separatism”.

“The Federal Council is aware that the Tibetan community in Switzerland is marking the 50th anniversary celebration — 50 years of Tibetans in Switzerland — Merci Switzerland — and attach great importance to it. However, unfortunately, non of the members of the provincial government will join the ceremony”, said Foreign Minister.

She announced that the Dalai Lama visited Switzerland several times and met a number of politicians and members of the Tibetan community in the Country.

Some analyst said that Switzerland is afraid of a strong reaction from China, one of the most important partners of the Country.

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Published in KUNA website