Envoys of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, are going to China for talks with officials, the Dalai Lama's office says.
Two Tibetan envoys are to arrive in Beijing on Saturday for talks on ending the crisis in Tibetan areas of China.
This would be the first contact between the two sides since anti-China protests in Tibet in March turned violent.
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The Tibetan envoys "will convey His Holiness the Dalai Lama's deep concerns about the Chinese authorities' handling of the situation and also provide suggestions to bring peace to the region," a statement from the Dalai Lama's office in Dharamsala, India, said.
Last week, an unnamed Chinese official told state media that Beijing would hold talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama "in coming days".
Talks between the two sides have been held sporadically for several decades.
Autonomy demands
Anti-China protests led by Buddhist monks began in Lhasa on 10 March and gradually escalated into rioting.
China says at least 19 people were killed by the rioters - but Tibetan exiles say that nearly 100 were killed by the Chinese security forces as they moved to restore calm.
The unrest was the worst in the region in 20 years.
The Chinese government blamed the Dalai Lama and his followers for inciting the trouble, with the goal of undermining the Beijing Olympics and promoting Tibetan independence.
After the riots, pro-Tibetan protesters threw China's global Olympic torch relay into disarray as it passed through several cities, including London, Paris and San Francisco.
The Dalai Lama has denied Beijing's charges and repeated his position that he wants increased autonomy for Tibet within China, not independence.
(BBC)
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