Dalai Lama says ready to meet Chinese leaders

By Jonathan Allen

DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama said on Thursday that he was ready to talk to Chinese leaders once the violent protests in Tibet died down.

"I (am) always ready to meet our Chinese leaders, particularly Hu Jintao," the Dalai Lama told reporters, referring to the president of China.

He added he was ready to travel to Beijing.

The Dalai Lama has called on Tibetans to eschew violent means of protests and live side by side with the Chinese, but his "middle way" tactic has been questioned by other protesters who want independence from China.

The Tibetan leader said he was worried there may be further violence in Tibet, especially in the remote areas, and reiterated his appeal for more help from the international community.

"So I'm appealing: think, visit these helpless, unarmed, innocent people who simply love Tibetan culture and are not willing to accept others bullying. So these (people) are now facing death."

China accuses the Tibetan spiritual leader of masterminding the protests in Tibet from Dharamsala, the seat of his government-in-exile in northern India.

The Dalai Lama has espoused greater autonomy rather than independence for Tibet and has also expressed his support for the Beijing Olympics. But his conciliatory approach to China is not shared by many protesters, including an increasingly vocal younger generation, who say their leader's "middle way" had not been able to achieve much in the past 20 years.

"Many Tibetans may develop unrealistic expectations," the Dalai Lama said, without elaborating. "(For) that reason I may have to think very carefully.

"When time comes to go there I am ready," he said, adding that talks with the Chinese authorities could take place in "a few weeks or a few months" after the protests died down.

The Dalai Lama said he had told protest leaders in Dharamsala that if they continued with their march to the Tibetan border, it may inadvertently bolster China's accusation that the exile community are helping fuel the riots.

"I told them very clearly the consequences," he said, adding that he did not have the authority to tell them what to do.

"The decision (is) up to them. How can I say shut up?"

(Editing by Krittivas Mukherjee and Alex Richardson)