19 March 2008
Gordon Brown will meet Dalai Lama in London
(Times) The British Prime Minister announced that he will meet the Dalai Lama when he visits the UK later in May 2008. Gordon Brown had been reluctant to commit himself to a meeting with the Dalai Lama, who is blamed by the Chinese authorities for the current crisis in Lhasa. "I will meet the Dalai Lama when he is in London", Mr Brown told Parliament after facing criticism from Opposition MPs. Mr Brown also said he had urged Premier Wen Jiabao to hold talks with the Dalai Lama over the future of Tibet. "I spoke to Premier Wen this morning and I made it absolutely clear that there had to be an end to violence in Tibet", he said. Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron, responded to the announcement by saying: "Can I congratulate the prime minister on making the right decision... I congratulate him for doing the right thing".