Botswana confirms
Dalai Lama visit despite China anger
AFP 11 hrs
ago
Botswana on Tuesday confirmed it will allow
the Dalai Lama to visit next month as "a foreign dignitary" in the
face of China's fierce opposition to the Tibetan spiritual
leader.
Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous
separatist campaigning for Tibetan independence and consistently
condemns foreign governments who welcome him.
Botswana Foreign Minister Pelonomi
Venson-Moitoi told lawmakers that the visit was "purely private"
but added that the Dalai Lama would be granted the status of a
foreign dignitary.
She did not confirm a government announcement
last week that he would meet President Ian Khama, which prompted a
stern response from Beijing.
However the president will "extend basic
courtesies for Dalai Lama" and the government protocol office "is
charged with the responsibility to facilitate foreign
dignitaries... this includes Dalai Lama," the foreign minister
said.
Venson-Moitoi also said in a parliamentary
answer that "the principle of non-interference in the international
affairs of other countries is at the core of China's foreign
policy".
"We therefore expect... China to respect our
sovereign decision on this matter."
The Tibetan leader, who lives in exile in
India, is due to speak at the three-day "Mind and Life Dialogue"
conference in Botswana's capital Gaborone on August 19.
Venson-Moitoi expressed the hope that the
visit would not "diminish the existing strong bonds" between the
two countries.
China is a key investor across Africa and the
continent's largest trade partner and in Botswana it has helped
build coal-fired power plants, road networks, bridges and
schools.
The Dalai Lama says he is seeking more
autonomy for Tibet rather than outright independence.