UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No Doc No C05342394 Date 05 13 2013 IN CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 NEW DE 08946 232125Z ACTION NEA-11 INFO EUR-12 EA-10 ADS-00 SMS-01 INR-10 NSC-05 IO-14 091 027007 2409162 23 2212422 MAY 79 FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9667 INFO AMCONSUL BOMBAY AMEMBASSY BEIJING AMCONSUL CALCUTTA AMEMBASSY COLOMBO AMEMBASSY DACCA AMCONSUL HONG KONG AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD AMCONSUL MADRAS AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU AMEMBASSY MOSCOW CINCPAC CONFIDENTIALNEWDELHI8946 CINCPAC FOR POLAD E O 12065 GDS 5 22 85 MANGER WALTER M TAGS SREF UR MG SUBJECT TIBETAN TRAVELS REFS A NEW DELHI 8034 B HONG KONG 8577 NOTAL 1 U SEVERAL PAPERS OVER THE WEEKEND CARRIED PRESS REPORTS INCLUDING ONE FROM MOSCOW THAT THE DALAI LAMA WILL VISIT THE SOVIET UNION AND MONGOLIA IN JUNE REF B WHEN QUERIED BY THE INDIAN WIRE SERVICE UNI ON THESE REPORTS ON MAY 21 TASHI WANGDI SECRETARY OF THE DALAI NEW DELHI OFFICE CONFIRMED THAT HIS HOLINESS WILL ATTEND A FOUR-DAY BUDDHISTS CONFERENCE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 NEW DE 08946 232125Z FOR BEGINNING IN ULAN BATOR ON JUNE 16 WANGDI ADDED THAT HIS WAY HIS HOLINESS WILL STOP OVER AT MOSCOW AND VISIT SOME OF THE FAMOUS MONASTERIES AND RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL CENTERS IN THE SOVIET ASKED WHETHER THE DALAI LAMA WOULD MEET SOVIET OR MONGOLIAN POLITICAL LEADERS WANGDI TOLD UNI VISIT IS PURELY HE ADDED THAT THE DALAI LAMA WOULD LEAVE DELHI ON JUNE 12 OR 13 AND RETURN SOON AFTER THE ULAN BATOR MEETING WANGDI ALSO SAID THAT HIS HOLINESS WAS INVITED TO THE BUDDHISTS CONFERENCE BY CONFERENCE PRESIDENT GONPOJAB AUTHORITY Charles Lahiguera Senior Reviewed UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No F-2010-04407 Doc No 005342394 Date 05 13 2013 UNCLASSIFIED Ufa Department of State Case No Date 05 13 2013 2 U IN A COMMENTARY ON THESE PRESS REPORTS THE WELL-CONNECTED NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF G K REDDY WROTE ON MAY 19 THAT THE SOVIETS WERE BEHIND THE INVITATION TO THE DALAI LAMA TO ATTEND THE ULAN BATOR CONFERENCE HE WROTE THAT FOR SOME TIME THE SOVIETS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO OPEN A LINE OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE DALAI LAMA IN INDIA THIS ATTEMPT WAS ALL PART OF DETRIVIINED EFFORT BY MOSCOW TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO BLOCK THE CURRENT CHINESE MOVES TO PERSUADE HIM TO RETURN TO REDDY BELIEVED THAT THIS SOVIET ATTEMPT TO EXPLOIT HIS HOLINESS AND TO INVOLVE HIM IN ITS DISPUTE WITH CHINA HAD PLACED INDIA IN A EMBARRASSING 3 U IN A RELATED DEVELOPMENT IT NOW APPEARS THAT THE 18 TIBETAN REFUGEES WHO WERE PLANNING TO VISIT TIBET THIS SUMMER REF A MAY NOT GO AFTER ALL BECAUSE OF NEW CONDITIONS LAID DOWN BY PRC A SPOKESMAN FOR THE GROUP TOLD REPORTERS IN DELHI MAY 20 THAT OF A SUDDEN THE CHINESE EMBASSY HAS SET CONDITIONS FOR OUR VISIT WHICH WE SIMPLY CANNOT ACCEPT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES NOW WANT US TO APPLY FOR VISAS AS CHINESE NATIONALS SOMETHING THEY NEVER MENTIONED WHEN WE EXPLORED THE SUBJECT THE MAJOR HITCH IT APPEARS IS THAT THE CHINESE EMBASSY WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE INDIAN IDENTITY CERTIFICATES AS TRAVEL CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 NEW DE 08946 2321252 DOCUMENTS CLAIMING THAT THE REFUGEES HAD NOT GIVEN UP THEIR ORIGINAL NATIONALITY AND AS SUCH WERE CHINESE 4 C IN RESPONSE TO OUR QUERY A CHINESE EMBOFF SOUGHT TO DOWNPLAY THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS LATEST DEVELOPMENT INVOLVING THE VISIT SAYING THAT IT WAS JUST A ACCORDING TO THE EMBOFF THE PROBLEM AROSE WHEN THE TIBETANS WERE ASKED TO STATE THEIR NATIONALITY ON THE VISA APPLICATION FORM THEY WANTED TO STATE WHILE THE CHINESE WOULD ACCEPT ONLY AS YOU KNOW TIBET IS A PART OF THE TIBETANS ALBKED AT THIS AND REFUSED TO SIGN THE EMBOFF SAID THAT THIS WAS WHERE MATTERS STOOD AT THE MOMENT BUT EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE 18 TIBETANS WOULD STILL MAKE THE TRIP SOMEHOW GOHEEN CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No Doc No 005342394 Date 05 13 2013 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu