(TibetanReview.net, May08, 2014) – The Dalai Lama said May 7 as he arrived in Oslo that he was not disappointed with the Norwegian government leaders’ decision not to meet with him. If leaders like US President Barack Obama “are willing to meet me, I’m happy. Otherwise I don’t want to create any inconvenience. That’s not my purpose. There’s no reason for disappointment. My main interest or commitment is promotion of human values,” leaderpost.com May 7 quoted Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader as saying.
He has said his interest was to meet with the public. However, the Dalai Lama has also said the Chinese pressure on the Norwegian leaders not to entertain him was counter-productive. “It seems that the more accusations from the Chinese government, the more popularity for me,” he has said. “When I visit different places, if the Chinese government remained silent, then the press may not pay much attention. When the Chinese protest, you pay more attention.”
The report cited Zhao Jun, China’s ambassador to Norway, as having said last year in a speech in Stavanger, Norway, that the Nordic country needed to make the first move and pledge not to cross “red policy lines” to solve the diplomatic freeze. The freeze began when jailed Chinese democracy activist Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. The prize is handed out by a committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament. It is headed by Mr Thorbjoern Jagland, a former prime minister of Norway.