The policy of the central government towards the Dalai Lama is consistent and clear, and the possibility of talks with him hinges on whether he will abandon his stance on separating the motherland, a Tibet official said Thursday.

Losang Toinzhub, vice chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, made the remarks in Lhasa while meeting with Joachim Schmillen, a senior official of the German foreign ministry.

He said if the Dalai Lama gives up his stance on separating Tibet from China, and acknowledges Taiwan as a province of China, he would be welcome back.

Losang Toinzhub briefed the guests on Tibet's transport, energy resources and religious freedom policy.

Schmillen said he had read widely on the miserable lives of the Tibetan people 50 years ago and the great achievements Tibet had made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, but he decided to come to see the truth with his own eyes.

"When I learnt that Tibet has more than 600 Catholics nowadays, I am convinced that people here do enjoy freedom of religious belief," he said.

Schmillen and his party arrived in Lhasa Wednesday. They will visit the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple and the site of some projects supported by Germany during their stay in Tibet.

June 21, 2002