PM to meet Dalai Lama in a 'spiritual frame'

Martin, exiled Tibetan leader to join regular interfaith meeting in Ottawa

By MICHAEL VALPY, DREW FAGAN
Thursday, April 15, 2004 - Page A6


TORONTO, OTTAWA -- Paul Martin yesterday got his wish for face time with
the Dalai Lama in a "spiritual frame." The organizers of the
exiled Tibetan leader's visit to Ottawa agreed to have him meet the Prime
Minister at the residence of the capital's Roman Catholic Archbishop.

Mr. Martin and the Dalai Lama will be brought together with a group of
Ottawa religious leaders who have been getting together every three or four
months since Sept. 11, 2001. The meeting next Friday will be private --
without media -- and will last a maximum of one hour, beginning at 5 p.m.

Mario Lague, the Prime Minister's spokesman, said the nature of the meeting
should help to assuage Chinese concerns.

"I think that by having other religious leaders at this interfaith
event, it will help focus on spiritual and humanitarian subjects," he
said. "That sends a pretty clear message . . . . It shouldn't become a
political discussion."

The Chinese government labels the Dalai Lama a separatist -- or splittist
-- and objects to foreign government leaders meeting with him. In a
statement this week, the Chinese embassy compared him to sovereigntist
leaders in Quebec.

Tibet has been under Chinese military and political control since 1959,
when the Dalai Lama, who until then was Tibet's spiritual and temporal
leader, fled to neighbouring India where he has campaigned unceasingly for
domestic autonomy and the protection of Tibet's culture.

When Mr. Lague announced on Monday that the Prime Minister -- after weeks
of hesitation -- finally had decided to meet with the Dalai Lama, he said
Mr. Martin's staff was trying to arrange something that would fit within a
spiritual "frame." Nobody at the time knew what that meant.
Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli conveniently provided the answer.

Asked by the Canada Tibet Committee to officially welcome the Dalai Lama at
the Ottawa airport, Mr. Chiarelli had been energetically looking for his
own spiritual "frame" -- spurred on by the Department of Foreign
Affairs, which had sent out a "document" on how it preferred the
Dalai Lama to be treated: as strictly a spiritual figure.

Mr. Chiarelli and his staff hit on the idea of inviting him to the
interfaith religious group, which the mayor co-chairs. When the Prime
Minister started looking for a spiritual setting, the mayor's office
suggested Mr. Martin join the group.

The meeting initially was set for Ottawa City Hall but, after the Prime
Minister became involved, it was made more spiritual by being relocated to
the residence of Archbishop Marcel Gervais.

Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Kimberly Phillips said the department's
"document" on the Dalai Lama was "intended to provide
guidance to officials of different departments at various levels of
government who on their own initiative contacted Foreign Affairs
Canada." She refused to make the "document" public, saying
it was "internal correspondence."

The 68-year-old Dalai Lama arrives in Vancouver on Saturday to begin a
17-day Canadian visit. He goes to Ottawa on April 21 and Toronto on April
25.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller both said
this week they want to meet the Dalai Lama but haven't been able to arrange
a time. Visit organizers said last night that Mr. McGuinty and Mr. Miller
could meet the Dalai Lama at Toronto airport. They have not responded.


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