Dalai Lama renews calls for Tibetan autonomy

Sep 19, 2007, 16:05 GMT

Vienna - On the last day of his participation in a think tank meeting in Austria, the Dalai Lama Wednesday reiterated the 'wish of six million Tibetans for real autonomy'.

The wish for autonomy was closely connected with concerns about Tibet's environment, he was quoted as saying by the Austrian press agency.

While not being generally opposed to modernization, this must not be used for exploiting Tibet's resources and speeding up population transfer, he said.

He warned that Tibetans already were a minority in their own country, making survival of Tibetan Buddhism very difficult. He expressed hope more Chinese Buddhists would come to Tibet, than Chinese only wanting to make money.

Regarding speculation over his possible return to Tibet from Indian exile, the Dalai Lama said on that day he would stop being the Tibetan head of state and put his fate in the hands of the Tibetan authorities.

He had been preparing for that step since democratizing the exile government in 2001. 'I am already half retired,' the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said.

The 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of all Tibetan Buddhists, had participated in a meeting between religious leaders and philosophers in Austria since Monday.

Speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the meeting, the Dalai Lama said he might meet with Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer on Thursday.

He stressed that a the majority of his visits he had 'no political agenda'. Chinese protests were 'almost routine'. But, he always regarded himself a simple Buddhist monk, wherever he went.