(TibetanReview.net, May01, 2014) Top political leaders of Norway may have decided to shun the Dalai Lama during his upcoming visit to Oslo from May 7 to 9 for the sake of getting back in talking terms with China. Beijing has been both sulking and raging against Oslo ever since the Nobel Committee, which is independent of the government, presented its 2010 Peace Prize on the jailed Chinese democracy activist Mr Liu Xiaobo. But back in 2002 and even in 2005, the country welcomed the exile spiritual leader of Tibet, who is also the 1989 Nobel Peace laureate, with open arms at the highest level, said a commentary posted on the lankaweb.com website Apr 29.
The commentary said that when the Dalai Lama visited Oslo on Jun 16, 2005, the then Prime Minister Mr Kjell Magne Bondevik rolled out the red carpet to welcome him. It added that in fact, back in 2002, when Mr Bondevik was the country’s foreign minister, everyone who was somebody, including the current Prime Minister Einar Selberg, jostled for an audience with the Dalai Lama.
The commentary accused Norway of practicing double-standards when it comes to human rights – one for great powers like China and another for nations with no power, apparently referring to Sri Lanka and other smaller and poorer countries. In this connection, the commentary referred to the fact that on Aug 28, 2004, a representative named Mr V Balakumar of the LTTE, accused of terrorism, was welcomed as the main speaker during an event in the Folketshus (Lower House of Norwegian parliament) in Oslo; that well-wishing statements from Prime Minister Bondevik, Minister Erna Solberg and Special Envoy Solheim were read out at that time.