OTTAWA – It is unlikely that Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will meet Prime Minister Paul Martin during a visit to Canada next month, Foreign Minister Bill Graham said.
In the House of Commons Thursday, Svend Robinson of the opposition New Democratic Party, asked if Martin would meet the Dalai Lama and consider serving as an intermediary in talks between his representatives and China.
“We have received representations in respect of the visit of the Dalai Lama. We have a great deal of respect for His Holiness as a Nobel Prize winner … and he will be treated with a great deal of respect,” Graham said.
But he added: “In terms of whether or not we would have official government discussions with him, that is another matter.
“But that does not mean in any way that we in the House and everyone (in the government) does not regard the Dalai Lama with the highest respect and venerability, which he is due.”
