After meeting with Dalai Lama, New Mexico Gov. Richardson says spirit of Tibetans is ’strong’

NM Gov. Richardson discusses Tibet with Dalai Lama

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said after a meeting with the Dalai Lama on Friday that he believes there’s a way for Tibetans to have “genuine autonomy.”

The governor also said he and Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader agreed the United States and other countries should continue pressing for a negotiated settlement for Tibet “and also support the efforts by the Chinese people to develop the rule of law, freedom of information and an open society in China.”

China accuses Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader of seeking independence from Beijing and objects whenever he meets a foreign leader.

The Dalai Lama, who is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, insists he seeks only more autonomy to preserve the Himalayan region’s unique Buddhist culture.

“There is a way forward that allows the Tibetans to have genuine autonomy and thereby strengthens China’s territorial integrity,” Richardson said after the private meeting in Washington, D.C.

Richardson also said he knows “the spirit of the Tibetan people remains strong.”

China says Tibet has been part of its territory for four centuries, and it has aggressively governed the Himalayan region since communist troops took control there in 1951.

Many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of their history and that Chinese rule and economic exploitation are eroding their traditional Buddhist culture.

Richardson, a former ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration, has made a name for himself as a roving diplomatic troubleshooter after performing missions to North Korea, Sudan, Cuba and Iraq.

Richardson this summer hosted North Korean diplomats in Santa Fe and traveled to Cuba on a trade mission to promote New Mexico agricultural products.

Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for the governor, has emphasized that Richardson has not represented the Obama administration in any of those meetings.

The Dalai Lama didn’t immediately accept Richardson’s invitation to visit New Mexico.