Asia-Pacific News
Australian leaders snub Dalai Lama
May 16, 2007, 2:23 GMT
Sydney - Australian leaders are unlikely to meet the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama when he visits next month for fear of offending China, officials said Wednesday.
Greens leader, Bob Brown, described the decision as 'outrageous' and urged Prime Minister John Howard and opposition Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd to reconsider.
'What is the problem that the more powerful the political leader in Australia, the weaker they become before the dictates of Beijing? Well, it's trade and money,' said Brown.
The decision is a particular embarrassment for Rudd who became Labor leader in December. When the Dalai Lama visited Australia in 2004 Rudd castigated Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for refusing to meet the Tibetan leader.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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