Beijing: Apparently unhappy over New Delhi's handling of the Tibet issue, China today chose not to invite any Indian diplomat in the tour of foreign envoys to riot-scarred Lhasa amid intensified global pressure to stop the crackdown on Tibetans and open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

In a hurriedly-arranged visit, China escorted a group of foreign diplomats to Lhasa to showcase its version of the goings on in the Tibetan capital. The Indian embassy did not receive any invitation, sources said.

Diplomats from 15 countries, including the United States, Britain, Russia, France, Japan, Tanzania, Brazil, Singapore, Spain, Canada, Italy were reportedly among those taken to Lhasa, where the most vicious protests against Chinese in two decades left at least 20 dead and 700 injured by official count.

China, which has been sensitive on the Tibet issue, had summoned Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao to Foreign Office past midnight last week to convey concerns over storming of its Embassy in New Delhi by a group of Tibetan protesters.

The visit was part of China's stepped up damage control exercise and came a day after a team of foreign journalists were taken to the Tibetan capital where they witnessed an angry outburst by monks who said the government was "telling lies, that they lacked religious freedom and were troubled by the troops".

With China's image being badly bruised ahead of Beijing Olympics, Europe Union foreign Ministers debated whether they should boycott the Aug 8 opening ceremony. Several eastern European leaders, including from Czech, Poland and Estonia, have already said they will keep away though none of them is calling it a "boycott".
Source : PTI