Beijing, Jan 26 (IANS) The Dalai Lama should “cherish the opportunity” of fresh talks, China said Tuesday as the communist government resumes dialogue with the exiled Buddhist leader over the political status of Tibet after a haitus of 15 months.
“We hope the Dalai Lama will cherish the opportunity of fresh contacts and respond positively to the request of the central government,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said here.

At the request of the Dalai Lama side, relevant department of the Chinese central government had made arrangements for private representatives of the Dalai Lama to come back to China to have contacts and consultations, Xinhua quoted Ma as saying.

The central government’s policy towards the Dalai Lama is consistent and clear, Ma told reporters, without disclosing the venue and other details of the talks.

Earlier Tuesday, Tibetan envoys Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen arrived in Beijing for a ninth round of talks with the Chinese officials.

In November 2008, the discussion between the two parties ended with China’s rejection of the Tibetans’ demand for autonomy to the Himalayan region.

Tuesday’s meeting followed a reshuffle of Chinese officials in Tibet early this month, including the appointment of military veteran Pema Thinley as governor of Tibetan Autonomous Region.

A high-profile meeting was also held in Beijing between January 18 and 20 to lay out China’s 12th five-year plan for Tibet, the agency reported.