Central authorities to meet Dalai envoys: report

China and representatives of the Dalai Lama are meeting today in their second closed-door session since the March 14 riots in Lhasa.

State media yesterday reported that talks between the two parties were scheduled to begin in early July but sources close to the Dalai Lama said the two-day talks were to begin on Tuesday. The Chinese government declined to confirm or deny the dates, Reuters said.

The news aganecy also quoted sources as saying that the Dalai Lama has instructed his envoys to "make every effort to bring about tangible progress to alleviate the difficult situation for Tibetans."

For their part, the Chinese government said yesterday that they had always menaintained a "constant and clear policy towards the Dalai Lama," according to state media. The meeting, authorities said, was being held at the Dalai Lama's request.

"Our door is always open for the dialog with the Dalai Lama," China.org quoted an unidentified government spokesman as saying, "(We) hope that the Dalai Lama would treasure this opportunity and give positive response to the requirements of the central authorities."

The Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama had earlier met on May 4, but follow-up talks scheduled in June were postponed because of the Wenchuan quake.

The announcement coincided with the visit of US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice who has raised human rights and the Tibet issues with the government, Reuters said.