HONG KONG - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said China has invited him to visit Tibet and make recommendations on how to resolve differences between Beijing and exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Carter made the comments in an interview with the Sunday Morning Post newspaper while passing through Hong Kong after a visit to mainland China last week to observe village-level elections.
Carter said the invitation came after he raised U.S. concerns with Chinese President Jiang Zemin over Tibet and the requirement for Christian congregations and other religious groups to register with authorities.
"Those are the two concerns about human rights that cause the most misunderstanding between the United States and China," the Post quoted Carter as saying.
China annexed Tibet in 1950.
Carter told the newspaper he was invited "to come back with a small and highly qualified delegation, and to visit throughout Tibet, and to visit Christian and other religious leaders, to see what we might recommend."
"I would like to see direct talks between Chinese officials and the Dalai Lama's representatives and I would like to see an end to the requirement that Christian congregations be registered. But that is a decision for the Chinese government to take," Carter said.
U.S. President George W. Bush met the Dalai Lama at the White House in May and offered him strong support. China has accused the United States of encouraging Tibetan separatists.
01:33 09-10-01
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