(TibetanReview.net, Dec15, 2014) – On the second day Dec 13 of attending the 14th World Summit of Nobel Peace laureates in Rome, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, met with a group of Italian parliamentarians, including the Chair of the Human Rights Committee and a Vice President of the Senate.
The Dalai Lama spoke to them about his optimism about China’s current top leader Xi Jiping based on the latter’s recent remarks. He said Xi had expressed opposition not only to nationalism, but also to Han chauvinism as Chairman Mao used to. Also, in Paris and Delhi he had affirmed the important role that Buddhism plays in Chinese culture, the Dalai Lama added. He felt that the Chinese president’s remarks accorded with the realistic approach of Hu Yaobang, a reformist but ousted former party secretary who is seen as having adopted a positive stance on Tibet.
However, on prospects of holding talks, the Dalai Lama has said that within the establishment headed by Xi there were still many hardliners and so one could only wait and see.
The parliamentarians severally thanked His Holiness for coming to Italy and for the inspiration he gave to them, said the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Tibetan spiritual leader’s official website DalaiLama.com Dec 13. It added that they undertook to continue their work to further human rights and foster the values of compassion, peace and non-violence, especially at this difficult time in the world, and also to sustain support for Tibet.
Asked again about being not able to meet the Pope during his visit to Rome, the Dalai Lama has told the BBC reporter Yalda Hakim in an interview that he understood that there were a large number of Christians in China and that the Pope may have wanted to make a visit there, which might have a bearing on the matter.