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<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7315691.stm>
Last Updated: Wednesday, 26 March 2008, 22:07 GMT
Bush calls Hu to urge Tibet talks
Foreign journalists arrive at Lhasa airport, 26 March 2008
Foreign journalists were allowed to visit Lhasa on Wednesday
US President George W Bush has urged China to begin dialogue with Tibet's 
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Mr Bush called his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao to raise his concerns about the unrest and to urge him to ease access 
for journalists and diplomats.

Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of being behind the demonstrations - the biggest against China for 20 years, which 
have left several people dead.

The Dalai Lama has criticised violent protests and urged dialogue with China.

The anti-China protests began on 10 March and developed into violent rioting 
in Lhasa.

China says 19 people have been killed by rioters incited by Tibetan 
separatists.

The Tibetan government-in-exile says about 140 people have been killed in a crackdown on protesters by Chinese security 
forces.

Delayed response

Foreign journalists have largely been blocked from covering the unrest, though China allowed a group of foreign 
reporters into the Tibetan capital of Lhasa on Wednesday for the first time since the violence began.

The government said the group, which does not include the BBC, would be able to 
interview "victims of criminal acts".

The reporters were taken to Potola Square, below the traditional seat of Tibetan rulers, Potola Palace - which reopened 
Wednesday for the first time since 14 March, the Associated Press news agency said.

Chinese soldiers disembark from a truck in Lhasa on 21 March 2008
China has increased its security presence in Lhasa since the unrest

They also visited a part of the town where shops had been burned during the 
rioting.

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

She said Mr Bush had also called on China "to allow access for journalists and 
diplomats".

The BBC's Jack Izzard in Washington says the delay in Mr Bush's response is a measure of how delicate relations are 
between the US and China - two countries whose huge economies are deeply interlinked.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has also called for dialogue over Tibet - adding he had not ruled out boycotting the 
opening ceremony of the Olympic Games being held in China in August.

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband has also described international concern about the violence in Tibet as justified 
and proper, but he has spoken out against an Olympic boycott.

The White House has said that Mr Bush will attend the Olympic Games opening 
ceremony.
                
VIDEO AND AUDIO NEWS
Journalists arrive for Tibetan trip

TENSION IN TIBET

KEY STORIES

Bush calls Hu to urge Tibet talks
Olympic torch lit despite protest
China intensifies crackdown
Dalai Lama urges dialogue

FEATURES AND ANALYSIS

Chinese paramilitary police in Zhongdian, Yunnan province Clamping down
Tibetan monk speaks out on round-up of protesters as unrest spreads

Tibetan monks: A controlled life
China's quandary
Dalai Lama's home off-limits
Tibet's unsettled borders

VIDEO REPORTS
Flag being held by protester Protests on day Olympic torch was lit
listen Jailed protester
watch Dalai Lama
watch Wen Jiabao

BACKGROUND

Key places and events
Guide: Inside Tibet
Q&A: China and Tibet
Profile: The Dalai Lama

EYEWITNESS

Tibetans describe unrest
Chinese react to violence
Lhasa now 'in cinders'
Monk 'kicked to the floor'


RELATED INTERNET LINKS
The White House

TOP ASIA-PACIFIC STORIES
Bush calls Hu to urge Tibet talks