Chinese Seek Talks to Stop Tibet Protests

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, yesterday welcomed Beijing's offer to meet his envoy, but said he wants serious dialog to reduce the resentment about Chinese rule that triggered riots in the Tibetan capital Lhasa last month.

He has yet to receive detailed information about the offer. 'We have to explore the causes of the problems and seek a solution through talks,' he told reporters at his headquarters in the north Indian town of Dharmsala. But he warned that 'merely meeting some of my men in order to show the world they are having dialog' would be meaningless.

His comments came after yet another leg of the Olympic torch relay was disrupted by anti-China protesters yesterday. However, heavy security and a large contingent of pro-Chinese supporters thwarted the protesters in Nagano, Japan.

Athens marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi ran the final leg of the relay, during which minor scuffles broke out along the 11.6-mile route through the city. Police surrounded the torch bearers and 100 uniformed riot police ran alongside six patrol cars and two motorcycles.

At the end of the relay, Noguchi was greeted by a throng of Chinese supporters, far outnumbering pro-Tibet demonstrators.

Five men - four Japanese and a pro-Tibetan resident of Taiwan - were arrested. Three were apprehended after trying to charge the torch, a fourth threw eggs and the fifth hurled tomatoes at the flame.