RESTRICTED
Dalai Lama to comment on
the circumstances of Tibetan refugees in India and other countries. (There is a small community of Tibetan refugees in the UK and selected Tibetan refugee children in India are sent to the Pestalozzi children's village in Sussex).
The Dalai Lama is regarded by his followers as the leader of a government in exile. This is not however recognised by any Government and we have no dealings with it. The Chinese regard him as a "splittist" who is trying to destroy the "unity of the Motherland" and are likely to protest strongly about this meeting. We shall stress that it is in the Dalai Lama's private and religious capacity. Any detailed discussion of the Tibetan political situation could place the Prime Minister in an awkward position. It is unlikely that the Dalai Lama would challenge the Prime Minister about HMG's stance on Tibet, but in his speech at Chatham House in March he queried the Prime Minister's statement that "China has special responsibility for Tibet". (Our formula is that China has always had a special position in Tibet). Although at times China's influence in Tibet has clearly been minimal, or even non-existent. Britain's formal and legal position has always been to recognise Chinese suzerainty (an archaic concept denoting a vassal state) over Tibet. Britain is the only country not to have recognised full Chinese sovereignty in Tibet.
We believe that dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama,
RESTRICTED