Dalai Lama gets the cold shoulder in Switzerland

• Source: Global Times
• [16:39 August 04 2009]
• Comments

For the first time in a decade, the Swiss government has decided against an official meeting with the Dalai Lama when he visits Switzerland for the 22nd time on Aug. 4, according to the Chinese edition of the Global Times published Tuesday.

None of the seven members of the Swiss Federal Council will receive the Dalai Lama. Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey told the Swiss media that it is impossible for her and her colleagues to meet with Dalai Lama now. "We have therefore sought a solution that corresponds to the position and standing of the Dalai Lama."

It is now summer holidays in Switzerland and many officials are using this as an excuse to avoid meeting the Dalai Lama. Kelsang Gyaltsen, the Dalai Lama's Swiss-based European envoy, felt "disappointed" by the decision made by the Swiss government.

Zhao Guojun with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences pointed out, "In the past, Switzerland had little influence in the international political arena and was therefore bold enough to meet the Dalai Lama. Now it rejects him since it cannot ignore China's role in today's global community. The Swiss government must seriously weigh its cooperation with China to achieve its own national interests, especially economic interests. On the other hand, the Chinese government has expressed strong opposition against some countries' receiving Rebiya Kadeer who is engaged in separatist activities. And this surely has some effect on other countries when dealing with the Tibetan issue."