Tibet's spiritual leader, who begins a visit to the Netherlands this week, says he does not blame Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende for bowing to Chinese pressure and denying him an official welcome.  

The Dalai Lama explains his position in a Dutch television interview recorded at his residence-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. Our correspondent Willem Offenberg (pictured) was in attendance.
 
 
The Tibetans' spiritual leader understands that Mr Balkenende does not want to jeopardise the Netherlands' economic interests with China. Professing a special bond with the Netherlands, he regards the fact that other government leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were willing to shake him by the hand as their own personal decision.
 
 
"I do not want to embarrass anyone. I am not looking for problems,"
 
 
he says in an interview with former Dutch MP, Paul Rosenmöller.
 


"It is up to you! Whether they give me a formal welcome or not, deep in their hearts, all leaders of the free world support the Tibetan cause. I am convinced of this."
 
 
Actual autonomy
A refugee himself - having fled to India in 1959 - the Dalai Lama acknowledges that the Dutch people have done a great deal for Tibetan refugees. Tibetan support committees can also count on the Netherlands, even though the Dutch government recognises Tibet as Chinese territory, as do all the other EU member states.
 
 
The Chinese say Tibet enjoys a special status as an autonomous region, but absolutely refuse to tolerate any talk of independence. In his TV interview, the Dalai Lama also advocates 'actual autonomy', with a greater say, not just in Tibet but in other areas of China which are home to large numbers of Tibetans. He wants all of this to take place within the legal framework of the Chinese constitution. "I too come from a province outside of Tibet," he points out.
 
 
Branded a separatist
China regards this position as treason, as an attempt to divide the country. The Dalai Lama has been branded a separatist. "They do not believe me, the Chinese hawks," he says. "But we do not want separatism."
 
We are given a warm welcome in Dharamsala. The Dutch guests, the TV crew and I, after undergoing a thorough inspection and taking a walk in the rose garden, are ushered into the Dalai Lama's personal quarters. We are preceded by a group of Buddhist monks, all of whom have their photograph taken with His Holiness.
 
 
A simple monk
Just as in an interview I had with him in September 2007, (see photograph) the Dalai Lama insists several times that his role is not that of a freedom fighter whose aim is to force a change in China's position by resorting to hunger strikes or other such methods. "I am and remain a simple monk," he says.
 
 
For the Dalai Lama, it is the spiritual quest that remains key. At the time, he also said
 
 
"If I were a freedom fighter without spiritual worth, I might just as well commit suicide. I have no weapons, other than truth and justice."
 
 
Temporary setback
He refutes suggestions that the Chinese are biding their time until his death - he will be 74 this summer - and that once he is gone, the issue of Tibet will simply fade away. He speaks of his death as a temporary setback in the struggle.
 
"Tibetan resilience, based on higher values, will not be lost. Tibetans have greater compassion than communists."
 
How does it feel to fight for autonomy for fifty years without achieving any results? Is he disappointed? Does he admit that he has failed as a political leader? The Dalai Lama neatly sidesteps such questions. His interviewer is not able to pin him down. After the interview, the Dalai Lama smiles as he puts his head in his hands, as if he wants to emphasise that the critical questions cannot touch him. It is also a sign of his Buddhist compassion.