Russia's no to Dalai Lama

MOSCOW, SEPT. 3. Moscow has refused to grant a transit visa to the Dalai Lama and will not allow the Tibetan spiritual leader to visit Buddhists in Russia as a gesture to China following a warming in relations, a spokesman for the Dalai Lama said today. The spokesman said the Nobel laureate's September 3-17 trip to Mongolia, which has a large Buddhist community, had been delayed as the Dalai Lama would have to fly via Moscow on his way from New Delhi to Ulan Bator.

A visit to several Russian republics with Buddhist majorities, including Tuva, in eastern Siberia, by the exiled Tibetan leader planned later this year will likely be cancelled due to fears in Moscow of antagonising China, he said.

- AFP

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