China responds to Bush's concerns

BEIJING, March 27 (UPI) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao told U.S. President George Bush those involved in the Tibetan unrest were not peaceful demonstrators.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement about the telephone conversation Wednesday between Hu and Bush said the Chinese leader also stated no responsible government would sit by "when faced with the kind of brazen violent acts seen in Tibet recently," the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement said Hu told Bush that his government has all along kept in touch with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama "with great patience."

The White House said Bush "raised his concerns about the situation in Tibet and encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives."

Hu, the statement said, informed Bush his government is willing to continue consultation with the Tibetan spiritual leader if he "truly abandons advocating 'Tibet independence'" and accepts that "Tibet and Taiwan are inalienable parts of China."

The BBC reported French President Nicolas Sarkozy has also called for dialogue over Tibet while not ruling out boycotting the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband does not favor such boycott but has said international concern about the Tibetan unrest is justified.