Ngapoi Nagwang Jigme, now vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua that the Dalai Lama welcomed the marching of PLA units into Tibet. So, there does not exist a situation where "China mobilized troops to invade and occupy Tibet" or "China exercised colonial domination in Tibet" as the Dalai Lama claimed outside China, he stressed.

Ngapoi was entrusted by the Dalai and the local government of Tibet as the chief delegate to conduct talks with the central government.

He said that on May 23, 1951, the central government and local government of Tibet signed the "Agreement on the Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" and dispatched troops into Tibet. On October 24 the same year, the Dalai Lama sent a telegram to Chairman Mao Zedong, expressing his support for the agreement.

Nagpoi said the Dalai's telegram was publicized through the media and up to now, it is still quoted by scholars in their writing.

He said, "The Dalai Lama signed the telegram himself, and no body forced him to do so." A copy of the telegram is now kept in the Central Archives.

Ngapoi recalled that after the founding of the Central People's Government, the 10th Panchen in Qinghai Province sent a telegram expressing his support to the central government.

The majority of the local government of Tibet appealed for talks with the central government and most of the businessmen, urbanites, monks and ordinary people in Tibet all agreed with the peace talks, he said.

It is under such a situation that the Dalai Lama and the local government of Tibet appointed Ngapoi and four other delegates to conduct talks with the delegates of the central government.

Delegates of the both sides first did not agree with each other on the marching of PLA units into Tibet, Ngapoi said.

Li Weihan, the chief delegate of the central government, explained to the delegates of Tibet: Tibet was invaded by imperialist forces time and again in history. The PLA units can not immediately march into the region in case something happens, because Tibet is remote and had limited road accessibility.

It is illogical that on one hand, Tibet acknowledged it is part of China, and on the other hand, it did not welcome the powerful PLA units to strengthen the national defense, Li was quoted as saying.

The five Tibetan delegates held that the enormous question of admitting Tibet to be a part of China had been settled, others were small problems. Finally, the two sides agreed on the PLA units marching into Tibet.

On May 23, 1951, nine delegates from both sides signed the official version of the agreement. Later, the Dalai Lama expressed his support for the agreement.

Ngapoi said the agreement is a document within the domain of national laws, which handles the relationship between the central government and the local government.

The agreement was signed in line with the Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), adopted in September 1949 at the first plenary session of the CPPCC, according to Ngapoi.

(People's Daily 05/24/2001)