Dalai Lama 'in informal talks' for pilgrimage to China's sacred Mt Wutai
Exiled spiritual leadersays unofficial discussions under way for trip to sacred mountain but analyst sees no sign of breakthrough in Beijing
The Dalai Lama signalled yesterday that he was in informal talks with Beijing to make a historic pilgrimage to China after more than half a century in exile.
The Tibetan spiritual leader said he had "made clear" his desire to undertake the pilgrimage to a sacred mountain in Shanxi province to contacts in China, including retired Communist Party officials.
"It's not finalised, not yet, but the idea is there," the 79-year-old said in the northern Indian hill station of Dharamsala, where he lives.
"Not formally or seriously, but informally... I express, this is my desire, and some of my friends, they are also showing their genuine interest or concern," he said.
"Recently, some Chinese officials, for example the deputy party secretary in the autonomous region of Tibet , he also mentioned the possibility of my visit as a pilgrimage to that sacred place."
The Dalai Lama has long expressed a desire to visit Mt Wutai, a mountain considered sacred by Tibetans.