198: promise of resolution for Tibet

The pressure on China over its human rights record at home and abroad is growing, in the run up to the Olympics in Beijing later this year. It's not really clear where this will lead... Though today there was at least a ray of hope in relation to the Tibet crisis, as Chinese officials and representatives of the Dalai Lama agreed to meet. As today's linked article from the Irish Times reports, this is seen as an encouraging sign by political leaders around the world, and there is some hope it may lead to a more comprehensive process of dialogue in due course. It's in neither side's interest to allow tension to escalate, so now may well be the time to resolve issues over Tibet's status within China and allow this beautiful region of the world to prosper peacefully.