Dharamshala (AsiaNews) – Samdhong Rinpoche, head of the Tibetan government in exile, has urged Tibetans and Tibet support groups based in the United States and Canada, not to protest during the forthcoming visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to those countries later this month.

"Any protests against President Hu will not only jeopardise the ongoing Sino-Tibetan dialogue, but also cause embarrassment for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as he is also expected to be in the country at about that time," Mr Samdhong said.

A similar appeal was launched last year during Hu's visit to Europe to no avail. But speaking about the Dalai Lama's March 10 message on the 47 anniversary of Tibet's 1959 revolt, he stressed that "if protests are held, this will give the impression that no Tibetan or Tibet support group is taking notice of and carrying out His Holiness the Dalai Lama's instructions issued".

He further added: "We must leave no stone unturned to help the process of dialogue for the resolution of the Sino-Tibetan problem. I urge all Tibetans to take note of this on the basis of the Kashag's (Tibetan government-in-exile) appeal. I make the same request to Tibet supporters and those sympathetic to the Tibetan people."

Following last year's protests, talks between Beijing and Dharamshala were unilaterally postponed for three months. This should not be repeated for at "present our effort to bring about negotiations has reached a critical stage," he said.

Tibet's government-in-exile is located in Dharamsala, India, and was set up by the Dalai Lama in 1959, nine years after Communist troops invaded his country. Even though Beijing considers him a traitor most Tibetans remain faithful to him and view his persona as a combination of a monarch and a God.

In the last few years, his demands concerning Tibet have become less and less stringent going from 'total independence' to 'formal autonomy', and now 'religious freedom for the region'. Beijing's response has always been to charge him "with promoting the region's independence movement" and demand that he restrain from taking the Tibet issue to the international arena.