The European representative of the Dalai Lama criticized German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday for failing to meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader when he visits Germany next week, according to dpa. Tseten Chhoekyapa said it was unfortunate that Steinmeier had turned down the chance of a meeting on the grounds he had no time. "We think he was badly advised," Chhoekyapa said in Berlin. The Dalai Lama is paying a four-day visit to Germany from May 16 during which he will hold speeches in four cities, with human rights as the main theme. He is due meet the president of the German parliament, Norbert Lammert in Bochum, and address the foreign affairs and human rights committees of the German parliament in Berlin. On May 19, the Dalai Lama plans to deliver a speech at the German capital's landmark Brandenburg Gate, a spokesman for the German Tibet Initiative said. A private meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Tibetan leader in September led to a chill in relations between Berlin and Beijing that ended only in January after intense German diplomatic efforts. The meeting at the Berlin chancellery was also criticized by Steinmeier, who is Merkel's deputy. The chancellor will not be in Germany during the Dalai Lama's forthcoming visit. She only returns on May 20 from a tour of Latin America. China's crackdown on Tibetan and other protestors ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August has provoked international protest. Foreign ministry sources said Steinmeier was in regular contact with his Chinese counterparts during the unrest, calling for a dialogue between China and the exiled Tibetan leadership. Merkel welcomed Beijing's decision to meet representatives of the Dalai Lama in China earlier this month, expressing the wish that this will lead to a successful Olympic Games. China accuses the 72-year-old Dalai Lama of separatist activities. "We don't want independence," Chhoekyapa said. "We want autonomy for Tibet so we can maintain our own culture and identity."
