Dalai Lama to meet Swiss members of parliament

A cross-party group of Swiss parliamentarians was to meet Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in Geneva on Monday, as the government was keeping a low profile in an apparent effort to avoid another diplomatic row with Beijing.

A cross-party group of Swiss parliamentarians was to meet Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in Geneva on Monday, as the government was keeping a low profile in an apparent effort to avoid another diplomatic row with Beijing.

During a state visit in March, Chinese President Jiang Zemin strongly criticised the Swiss government for failing to crack down on a protest by exiled Tibetans in the capital Berne, where he was due to meet cabinet members.

Jiang refused to show up for the official welcoming ceremony at the house of parliament and threatened unspecified consequences.

In the run-up to the Dalai Lama’s visit, the Swiss foreign ministry said there would be no official welcoming ceremony for the spiritual leader since he was not a head of state.

However, in 1995, then Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti ignored Beijing’s protests and met with the Dalai Lama.

China invaded Tibet in 1950, claiming it was historically a Chinese province and Switzerland provided an early refugee for fleeing Tibetans. There are now more than 2,000 Tibetans living in Switzerland, making it the largest exiled Tibetan community in the West, and the third largest worldwide after India and Nepal.

On Sunday, thousands of people packed Geneva’s main cathedral for an ecumenical service, which included the Dalai Lama. About 5,000 people also listened outside the cathedral in a park to hear him lecture on peace, love and tolerance.

At a festival attended by thousands of well-wishers the same day, the Dalai Lama was presented with Switzerland’s smallest vineyard — known as the Farinet vineyard — by its previous owner, French religious community leader Abbé Pierre.

The so-called “vineyard of peace” from Saillon, in southwestern Switzerland, produces only a handful of bottles each year. The wine is auctioned off for charity.

After a meditation ceremony with the Dalai Lama in the village square of Saillon, Abbé Pierre called in his speech for the freedom of Tibet.

The Dalai Lama himself, however, did not touch on politics during his visit.


From staff and wire reports.